Can anyone explain this ??

[ElectraGlide]

Hi all , I havent been on here in about a year, and some of you may remember I am an original owner from the first days of Segways. Well here's an interesting occurance a techie or battery expert might be able to explain.
About a year and a half ago my "p" model began to experience shutdowns every time I tried to ride it. I switched batteries from front to rear several times...disconnected-reconnected the control column, finally took it to the local dealer who told me I needed a new key....or batteries, that he didnt sell ( all the color keys resulted in the same shutdowns, so he was wrong )....nothing seemed to work. I thought I might need to replace the batteries which were about 5 years old, so I just unplugged the machine, and it sat pretty much forgotten the past 9 or 10 months, maybe longer. Well, last week just for the heck of it I plugged the machine back in to charge it and try it again, and maybe order some new batteries, and guess what.......it is running like brand new !! The batteries are running like they did back when I bought it...there are no shutdowns or warnings, and the ONLY difference is I get a " straight face indication for a couple minutes on the indicator as the machine " warms up"....then it's right back to smiley face! MY fingers are crossed that this continues.....I've been driving it around a few times this week and all seems fine....actually perfect ! Only the tires need regular air refills because they lose a few pounds of pressure over a couple days.
So
Is it possible the battery chemistry needed to sit for awhile then start a new charge cycle ? I left it unplugged to save electricity thinking the batteries were shot and I was going to replace them anyway....now they behave like new. I thought the batteries needed to be left on a charger or they would go bad....mine seemed to do the opposite !!

Steve

[gbrandwood]

Originally Posted by ElectraGlide

Well here's an interesting occurance a techie or battery expert might be able to explain.

Hi Steve, I'm neither a techie or battery expert, but could it be possible that some moisture had gotten into the machine and may have been the cause for your temperamental shutdowns. Allowing the unit to rest for a long period may have given the moisture enough time to evaporate or something, leaving your machine a-okay. I hope your success in using it continues. Shame on the dealer thinking it was the key!

[Bob.Kerns]

Originally Posted by gbrandwood

Hi Steve, I'm neither a techie or battery expert, but could it be possible that some moisture had gotten into the machine and may have been the cause for your temperamental shutdowns. Allowing the unit to rest for a long period may have given the moisture enough time to evaporate or something, leaving your machine a-okay. I hope your success in using it continues. Shame on the dealer thinking it was the key!

OK, I AM a techie, but not a battery expert...

Another possibility is that there was one cell which was not fully charged, relative to the others. When you let it sit unplugged, the other cells discharged so they were also discharged to a similar level. (This is called "equalization"). Then when you recharged, all the cells were discharging from the same deep discharge level.

One recommended procedure is to occasionally use the batteries to a fairly low state of discharge -- like to shutdown. This helps calibrate the battery charge level, as well as combating this problem.

I think may be part of the physical explanation for the often expressed sentiment that the batteries do better when heavily used.

I don't know if either this or Garth's idea was your problem. Checking the wiki for the specific error indications might give a better clue.

[ElectraGlide]

Thanks for your ideas guys. I dont think moisture was a cause , because I have always been a advocate of keeping the machines out of water, and I know I havent used it in any precipitation......however...high relative humidity is a possibility here in South Florida.
OR , perhaps by leaving the machine unplugged for many months may have dropped ALL cells to an equal level , then charged them all UP equally ! I guess I'll never know for sure, but for the time being I hope my good fortune continues with everything in working order !
Fingers are crossed and my check book is smiling for now!