Thread: Loop Wheels
View Single Post
Old 04-10-2015, 11:20 AM   #4
Civicsman
Senior Member
Civicsman is a glorious beacon of lightCivicsman is a glorious beacon of lightCivicsman is a glorious beacon of lightCivicsman is a glorious beacon of lightCivicsman is a glorious beacon of lightCivicsman is a glorious beacon of light
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Freedonia!
Posts: 1,703
5 yr Member
Default

Quote:
If you watch the chain on the bike, it looks to be moving quite a bit, as if the flex of the wheel makes the tension on the chain tighten and loosen.

This dynamic of the wheel may make it too much for the control electronics of the segway be able to deal with. I believe there is a great deal of minor torque movements, fore and aft, that the segway depends on to stay upright. I feel that movement between hub and rim that these wheels have may be a variable that is too great for the segway to be able to muster thru...

Still, it would be interesting. I would love to see if someone gives it a try.
It appears to me that the chain drive is conventional, with the front and rear sprockets affixed to hard points on the frame. Thus, flexing of the wheels shouldn't affect the geometry of the sprockets/chain. Maybe there is some play in the chain that allows it to bounce around a little when it goes over bumps.

However, KSAGAL has a good point with regards to the characteristics of the loop wheel, especially the dynamic characteristics of the linear (front to rear) motion. The Segway software is certainly tuned to handle the existing solid wheels, which have near zero linear compliance. I don't know how the loop wheels respond, but if they have more linear compliance than the software is calibrated for, then it is possible that the Seg may not respond properly to the unexpected compliance (play). If so, then the Seg might oscillate, front to rear, while either gliding or standing still. This might be small, relatively high-frequency oscillations, or larger, slower oscillations. In the worst cases, it might not be able to maintain balance.

Given the harshness of the Seg's ride, the idea of loop wheels is worth some evaluation. Hopefully, INC will look into whether hanging a set of loop wheels on a Seg is safe, without having to reprogram or recalibrate the software, which is unlikely, I think.
Civicsman is offline