Strange Seg Behavior

[soloseg]

Today when I go to step onto the platform I hear a faint beep. I'm not real sure I have ever heard a beep while stepping on. Almost sounds like the beep you hear when you first power up with the key.

Also today for the first time, I have almost 1/2 reserve of battery power still left, and as I was coming up a pretty steep street, I get the shut down red face, the beep and I got off right before the unit shuts down.

I walk the Seg to the top of the street, power up, batteries still show 1/2 full and glide the rest of the way home.

I also have a pretty steep driveway...as I glide up the driveway, I get the frownie face but no shut down.

I do an experiment...I can glide up slow and all is well...If I try and glide up at a faster rate of speed, I get the frownie face.

As I think back, I might have been gliding up the steep street faster than normal also.

So....should the Seg beep when stepping on board, and what about going up steep hills at a faster pace?

The Seg is about 18 months old and is a I170.

[gbrandwood]

My i170 beeps when pressure is placed on the pads, both sides (did the same on my i167 too), and I think it is standard behaviour on all models. I think you only get full performance when both feet are present.

I've had the frown on steep hills but I've never tried going up them fast. Perhaps that's asking too much of the machine from a safety point of view. I guess going up a steep hill fast is really demanding on the motors and power, and your seg always needs extra so it can be confident it can keep the platform beneath you. If you're going too fast uphill, perhaps the reserve isn't available and rather than risk it, the seg shuts down. Just my 2 pence.


-

To segue, or not to segue, that is the question.

[dgbint]

I think that all HTs beep when you step on board.

You can get the flat face warning( reduced preformance ) under a variety of conditions. This might be followed by an unhappy face if the warning is severe.

Do you see a flat face prior ?

Some of the flat face causes include:
* Batteries nearing end of life or low charge.
* Colder temperatures ( especially with NiMH ).
* Stuck rider buttons ( remove mat, wipe clean and make sure they move freely ).

Otherwise talk to your dealer.

Michael

[soloseg]

gbrandwood, hey thanks for the reply. I think I have read somewhere that steep hills taken at a fast pace is not really the favorite thing for the Seg to do. I think your post is right on.

I'm still pretty sure I have never heard the beep when stepping on, but I guess its not a big deal. As long as the Seg works correctly is the main thing.

[JaredHT]

Just to add, as mentioned here a while ago, switching your machine into Balance Mode is only the first of two steps. The first stage balance mode is a softer, less responsive version. Once you step onto the platform (and hear the beep) the 2nd stage is on and the balance is much tighter.

gbrand & dqbint pretty much hit the face issue. Perhaps asking too much from your machine, perhaps riding too aggressively, perhaps a drastic temperature variance in your batteries, etc.

Peace,

JaredHT
Jared M. Cavalier

Segway of Ohio
Ohio's [u]FIRST</u> and [u]ONLY</u> Segway Exclusive Dealer!
330.535.2200

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Akron & Columbus
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[sholloway]

It beeps when you get on and when you get off. It's just the "rider detect" system letting you know that It know that you're there. Also, during a safety shutdown you have about 10 seconds to get off. However, As Soon As You step off it will shutdown. So you think "wow, I barely got off in time" but really you had 10 seconds. When trying to power up a steep hill you may get the straight face and reduced performance but it should not have done a safety shutdown. I'm not sure what that was about.

[wwhopper]

It is also dependant on the tempature that you are gliding in. I find my HTs are a little more hesitent when it is under 45 degrees outside. (even though they live inside, with us!) And hills make them a bit more cautious in cold weather, so the frown comes up more often with the colder temps.

Will W Hopper
DCSEG Member
SEG America
The Premier Gliding Organization!
http://www.SEGAmerica.org
Washington DC - The Most Segway Friendly City in America!

[beckpm]

Interesting! Rider detect beep - never heard it? After many years in a noisy Titan II missile silo while I was in the Air Force, I have lost the ability to hear certain frequencies and faint short sounds. I will listen real close next time I get on, but probably will not hear it.

<div align="right">http://www.segwaychat.com/photos/beckpm/smallsig.GIF</div id="right">

[Stewbonz]

Conditioning the batteries may help.

JEFF JARVIS
http://www.thailandsegwaytours.com/

[KSagal]

I must agree with those that have stated that a flat expression on Blinky if pushing hard up a hill is reasonable, but that should not cause a shut-down.

If the batteries were not dead (Two bars?) then the machine should have gone up the hill with reduced performance, especially if it was a hill that has been glidden before...

I frequently lean in hard up steep hills, and I weigh well over 200 pounds, but I do not get shut downs, just reduced performance...

I agree that a conditioning may be in order, as the batteries which never discharge in a linear fashion may be acting even more poorly than usual on the far side of a good charge...


Karl Ian Sagal

Each road you travel should be just a bit better for having had you pass.

[Zorba9]

The frown face (more of a straight face) is normal when the HT is under heavier torque conditions, like climbing hills. If you lean harder into the CS, trying to climb faster up a steep hill you'll get the CS "stick shack" warning of impending shutdown.
My offroad 10.0 E-167 HT equiped with dual sets of knobby motorcycle tires will "claw" its way to the top of long, extremely steep muddy inclines without hesitation. All the while riding hard into the stickshake/frown face. With the XT and L-ions out now I'm sure our military is finding new stealthy applications for HT usage. The Marine bomb disposal units have been using their E-167's for several years. Mine lately has been very busy in the deep deer woods for the last 2 months, with great success! :)

Pics of early version of the offroad E (M-167) are in my photo album.

Zorba9.....

[voiceguy]

When a pair of NIMHs I once had were on their way out, the guage could sometimes even show a healthy 4 bars ...and on a good sized hill, indeed go into red faced shut down.

Conditioning the batteries could indeed help, however, all it takes is "One bad cell to spoil the whole bunch giiiirl" (OK, sorry for the bad cyber-singing ... a reference to an ol' song called "One Bad Apple"...(search: One Bad Apple -- by the Osmonds -- in itunes etc.)

As soon as I swapped out batteries with newer ones, all was well -- shutdown on a hill is indeed probably indicative of one or more bad cells.

BTW, I have found that with new Li-ion batts. the Seg is -- as some have said here on the chat before me -- [u]a whole new machine</u>, including on how the Seg takes those hills!

quote:Originally posted by KSagal

I must agree with those that have stated that a flat expression on Blinky if pushing hard up a hill is reasonable, but that should not cause a shut-down.

If the batteries were not dead (Two bars?) then the machine should have gone up the hill with reduced performance, especially if it was a hill that has been glidden before...

I frequently lean in hard up steep hills, and I weigh well over 200 pounds, but I do not get shut downs, just reduced performance...

I agree that a conditioning may be in order, as the batteries which never discharge in a linear fashion may be acting even more poorly than usual on the far side of a good charge...


Karl Ian Sagal

Each road you travel should be just a bit better for having had you pass.


"Every journey of ten thousand feet ... begins with but a single lean forward..."

[soloseg]

Thanks to all who posted the good info. I have not done much conditioning to the batteries since I bought the unit new about 18 months ago. Most of the time I have at least 3 to 4 bars left and then do a recharge. Seg always stays in the house.

I know there is alot of info here on this site concerning batteries, so I will check it out. Thanks again!!!

[Dragan]

If you haven't conditioned them in that long, do'em a big favor and give them a couple of cycles. At the
very least, you'll notice a difference in range.
Wayne

Segway of Alberta - Calgary
www.mysegway.ca

[soloseg]

Well I went out today to run the batteries down to do a re-conditioning. The temp was about 54 degrees and it seemed the Seg ran better than ever and I figure I went at least seven to eight miles much of which was into a stiff north wind.

Still got the flat face when coming up my steep driveway.

I'm not so sure I have any bad cells, but I will if I don't start taking better care of the batteries.

At any rate, the Seg is now down to three bars and is in balance mode aginst the wall in the house.

I'm going to do the double cycle re-condition and report back what I find out as far as performance goes.

[Sal]

Piggybacking on JaredHT's post. I call it the "drunken-balance mode" (the in-between balance mode). Try it, but be careful... put the Segway into balance mode, step on it, then one foot at a time, place your feet on top of the gearboxes. ANd feel the difference, it's really frightening.

-Sal

___________
I considered atheism, but there were too few holidays

Segway Chat Member since July 2003
Segway Owner since August 2003