ZX-1 Power Add-on owners thread

[elarson]

I got that too. Unfortunately, the link did not work, but I think it was to their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/spinergywheels

I really wish they would update their website with more information about the ZX-1 with full specifications, options, documentation, etc. For a product that is this expensive it is woefully lacking http://www.spinergy.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=20_27

Yesterday got email from Spinergy company stating availability of snow tires, lithium batteries, and storage box, I believe for airline travel with zx1.

[robotnik]

Hi guys I need your input !
I have a 7 days trial with the ZX1 here in France. It is the first one rolling here!!
Of course this beast works fine and I love the idea to attach it alone…
But I have questions and I want to spare them with all of you. Need help !
My main issue: I can't have a smooth glide, at full speed. The armrests are rocking up and down, and my hand can't keep the best control of the joystick. They rock too much, especially when the ZX1 hits a very small obstacle, even a wave on the ground… then the armrest rocks down, I loose the joystick, the engine cuts and we stop suddenly… Then the armrest comes up, I'm able to find the joystick and to push it forward… and we re-start at full speed, waiting for a new obstacle…
How can I fix that ? Is there any setting ?
Thanks !

[elarson]

My husband Rob has the same problem. Especially on all of our brick roads, it's a bumpy ride and he has a hard time holding onto the joystick sometimes. I saw that Spinergy has some joystick attachments. Rob thinks that the "T" Handle would help him. They are shown in this ZX-1 Accessory PDF. I don't know of any settings that could be changed to help with this, but maybe someone else does.

Hi guys I need your input !
I have a 7 days trial with the ZX1 here in France. It is the first one rolling here!!
Of course this beast works fine and I love the idea to attach it alone?
But I have questions and I want to spare them with all of you. Need help !
My main issue: I can't have a smooth glide, at full speed. The armrests are rocking up and down, and my hand can't keep the best control of the joystick. They rock too much, especially when the ZX1 hits a very small obstacle, even a wave on the ground? then the armrest rocks down, I loose the joystick, the engine cuts and we stop suddenly? Then the armrest comes up, I'm able to find the joystick and to push it forward? and we re-start at full speed, waiting for a new obstacle?
How can I fix that ? Is there any setting ?
Thanks !

[elarson]

Another thing that might really help is a FreeWheel.

[Patrick Madsen]

If you aren't used to it quirks, going full speed is dangerous and can lead to an out of control chair. I cradle the joystick with just my thumb and first two fingers. The rest of the hand is resting on controller. I get a much finer feel for the speed control and direction.

I have one of first five that Pat Tallino made so it's probably at least three years old. I rarely go full speed on it with all five lights showing, it gets too squiggly. I usually operate it with 4 lights showing for better control. Smoothest ride of course is with the Free Wheel attached, I can go just about anywhere with it on.

One thing I find frustrating is it'll dig in and just spin the rear wheels on soft grassy areas or loose gravel. I end up detaching the unit, pulling it out of the dirt/gravel, reattaching and take off again.

sounds like you are trying to take it to it's maximum before you've learned how to use it properly. Go slower at first to learn it's intricacies and gradually increase the speed.

[robotnik]

Thanks for your answers,
Patrick, I agree, I'm a newbie on this machine and have to be patient. But when I say "full speed" it means... 3.5 miles/hour, which is not so fast... My wife can walk by my side ! It is the max allowed in France.
in fact, I have this issue even at lower speed, and even at home on a flat floor... Going forward on one/two meters and stopping quickly makes the armrest rocking down very suddenly... Too fast to keep my fingers on the joystick !
It looks like the strong braking power pulls back the machine until the front caster hits the ground... it doesn't matter, but how to do that in slow motion ?

[nonoise]

Is the tire pressure too high? I don't know anything about these, but that should soften the ride.

[pattherat]

robotic, This is most likely caused by the anti-tilt levers not being properly setup. The anti-tilt wheels should be touching or even slightly compressed up against your backrest upright posts when your chair is engaged in the ZX1 and your manual rear wheels are at the proper ride height which is 1/8? or less above the ground. The anti-tilt levers are held in place by gas springs which should be matched to your weight. If the anti-tilt wheels are adjusted properly and this dipping of the armrests is happening, it could be because your gas springs are too weak for your setup. Gas springs range in pressure from 10lbs up to 70lbs. So if your's are say 30lbs try 40 or 50lb springs and see if that helps. Another factor besides weight, speed and abrupt stops that can effect this is your chairs COG or the distance your camber tube is from your backrest. The ZX1 works best if your COG is 2 inches or more. If it is less than 2? then you may need a stiffer anti-tilt spring. The stiffer the spring and the smaller the COG can make it more difficult for your front casters to bump up over obstacles. You can counter this somewhat by going to a bigger front caster.

I personally drive at full speed a lot which is 6mph on my ZX1 with no anti-tilt levers and have no problem with control. It's not dangerous at all. It takes practice I guess like anything else.

The ZX1 ships with very smooth tires that are not intended for off pavement use. If you plan on going on soft grassy areas or loose gravel get a different tire with some tread. There are many options available even knobby tires. just google 3.00-4 tire. Also if you can?t keep your weight off your front casters consider going bigger or even using a freewheel 3 or 4 inch caster aren?t very good off pavement on any powerchair.

[elarson]

I'm wondering if your settings are right now too. If this is happening even at low speed, something is not right. At walking speed on a flat surface this does not happen with Rob's ZX-1. I wish we would have had you try his ZX-1 when you were here. I think you saw that even with our old uneven hardwood floors and tiles it was a smooth ride at slow speed.

Our settings were completely wrong when we received the ZX-1, but I thought that was because we got one of the first that they had done testing on. Remember that all distributors are new to it, and maybe they do not even know if the settings are right. I would ask them to check the settings. I posted what Spinergy sent me for settings in this post #57 but it got all screwed up. Here is the link our our website with the settings ZX-1 VR2 Programming Settings. I'm not so good at knowing what they all mean, but it sounds like the Acceleration/Deceleration might be wrong.

Thanks for your answers,
Patrick, I agree, I'm a newbie on this machine and have to be patient. But when I say "full speed" it means... 3.5 miles/hour, which is not so fast... My wife can walk by my side ! It is the max allowed in France.
in fact, I have this issue even at lower speed, and even at home on a flat floor... Going forward on one/two meters and stopping quickly makes the armrest rocking down very suddenly... Too fast to keep my fingers on the joystick !
It looks like the strong braking power pulls back the machine until the front caster hits the ground... it doesn't matter, but how to do that in slow motion ?

[elarson]

So nice to see pattherat (the inventor) pipping in on this. We've missed you !

robotnik, we have had many issues with getting the anti-tilt setup properly also, and what Pat says makes sense.These are the gas spring weights that Pat posted in a message when we were having problems with them:

User Weight / Gas Springs
<120 / 20 lb
120 - 145 / 30 lb
145 - 170 / 40 lb
170 - 195 / 50 lb
195 - 220 / 60 lb
220 - 250 / 70 lb

Pat, it's a brilliant system, and I hope that it's worked out well for you (I'm going to to PM you).

[Patrick Madsen]

Like Pat, I don't use the anti tip levers. If you are stopping so fast the arms will go down, try learning to feather back the control as you are stopping. That's help a lot. Once you are used to the arms dipping a bit, it's no big deal. I go from full throttle to stop and rarely have the arms drop unless done intentionally,

It's a great machine, I've never regretted buying it. I don't take it out that much and usually use it just around my property. It may be because I haven't gotten used to going up and down the ramp in my van. I have my spring in the upper poundage, making it less likely to dip like you're talking about.

One thing to remember if buying different tires, is the space between the inside of the tire and motor casing is small. If too wide they will rub. I've tried different tires but not the true knobbies yet. I need a new set so will check into them.

Elarson, you put knobbies on didn't you?

[~Lin]

triumph has on snow knobbies.

[triumph]

Interesting discussion. I was also wondering about robotnik's anti-tip bars. We did a lot of adjusting of mine, and also ordered the 20 or 30 pound gas shocks as mine were pretty strong something like 50 or so and I only weigh about 110. I wanted to be able to stop at, or travel slowly over a one to two inch curb/threshold. Now I can lean back, push slightly down on armrests, causing the front wheels to rise slightly to slowly roll over such a bump. (At our local library's access ramp).
I keep the anti-tip bars maybe 1/2 inch away from my chair's vertical back posts - if they are snug against it I would not be able to tilt up as I described.
I got knobby tires last Fall for Winter use and love them so much I may not install the original tires again. I had to travel up a steep driveway with about an inch of snow - slow speed gave me good grip. I did not test it on more than about 1 1/2 inches for fear of getting stuck at 7 am retrieving the morning paper.
The downside of the knobbies would be getting Spring mud in the treads, but I did get dirt and mud in the original tires. I keep a large rug at my entry door where I can doff the zx1 until snow/mud dries and use a brush if I have to.
P.S. I'm still trying to figure out how to tell someone how to lift the ZX1 if and when necessary, and also, is there a safe way to use a van tie-down?

[Patrick Madsen]

Triumph, which ones did you get? I saw you bought from Monster Scooter, I think they were called. My big concern is the space between the motors and inside of the tire.

[elarson]

Patrick, At the bottom of this message are the tires that I am quite sure that Triumph got, but in non-marking black. Triump's are grey, and can be seen in this post #125.

Triumph, which ones did you get? I saw you bought from Monster Scooter, I think they were called. My big concern is the space between the motors and inside of the tire.

I'm having a hard time finding the PR1MO wheels. I would be curious if anyone finds them.

I think these are the non-marking black tires that Triumph was referring to and the inner tubes.

10"x3" (3.00-4, 260x85) Pneumatic Mobility Tire with Traction Tread Item: D18-2588 Price: $26.99



3.00-4 (10"x3", 260x85) Scooter and Power Chair Inner Tube Item: T03-220 Price: $6.99