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Has your MiniPro ever cut out and dropped you?


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I ride an electric unicycle as well as the MiniPro and among EUC riders it's not uncommon for the EUC to cut out and throw the rider down in the ground.  It's a fear most of us have when riding our EUCs at speed.  Have any of you ever experienced this with your MiniPro?  I have not had a cut out on mine so far and I'm wondering if the MiniPro is more reliable than typical EUCs in this regard, having not heard of a single MiniPro cut-out that wasn't rider error.

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9 minutes ago, RooMiniPro said:

I ride an electric unicycle as well as the MiniPro and among EUC riders it's not uncommon for the EUC to cut out and throw the rider down in the ground.  It's a fear most of us have when riding our EUCs at speed.  Have any of you ever experienced this with your MiniPro?  I have not had a cut out on mine so far and I'm wondering if the MiniPro is more reliable than typical EUCs in this regard, having not heard of a single MiniPro cut-out that wasn't rider error.

MiniPro has never cut out in the 3 that I have in 3 months.

The EUC discussion on cut outs alerts me, as I consider the upcoming S1Z series.

I though that the two wheels act as a redundancy.

Edited by Rocky Romero
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12 minutes ago, Rocky Romero said:

MiniPro has never cut out in the 3 that I have in 3 months.

The EUC discussion on cut outs alerts me, as I consider the upcoming S1Z series.

I though that the two wheels act as a redundancy.

If one motor fails I think we're going down in a split second.  But rather than instantly tip us forward like a failing EUC does, it will likely instantly turn very rapidly, throwing us off.  When I ride my Ninebot One E+ I am always worried that it might cut out.  I'm not 20 anymore and being thrown into the pavement at 22kph or into oncoming traffic could cause very serious injuries that would put my life on hold for some time.  This is the only thing I don't like about self-balancing vehicles; if the electrical system fails it causes an instant and guaranteed accident.

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2 hours ago, RooMiniPro said:

If one motor fails I think we're going down in a split second.  But rather than instantly tip us forward like a failing EUC does, it will likely instantly turn very rapidly, throwing us off.  When I ride my Ninebot One E+ I am always worried that it might cut out.  I'm not 20 anymore and being thrown into the pavement at 22kph or into oncoming traffic could cause very serious injuries that would put my life on hold for some time.  This is the only thing I don't like about self-balancing vehicles; if the electrical system fails it causes an instant and guaranteed accident.

That's an Ouch.

It's the current state of the art.

I keep reading to learn from others.

So far, I get that body protection is number one.

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i was cut down twice by my mini pro, but first time that was when it battery was depleted almost at zero and i decided to speedup going up a slope, so poor thing just can't handle it, i run forward (did not fall on the ground) and mini continue to ride in some other direction. And the second tine that was whet i get BOTH tires in drain trench at the same time on a sone descent speed (usually i ride through such trenches by some angle so tires hit trench one by one)

Thats pretty all accidents with mini pro for two seasons for me

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2 hours ago, Alex Markin said:

i was cut down twice by my mini pro, but first time that was when it battery was depleted almost at zero and i decided to speedup going up a slope, so poor thing just can't handle it, i run forward (did not fall on the ground) and mini continue to ride in some other direction. And the second tine that was whet i get BOTH tires in drain trench at the same time on a sone descent speed (usually i ride through such trenches by some angle so tires hit trench one by one)

Thats pretty all accidents with mini pro for two seasons for me

Thanks for your input.  Those incidents both sound like user error rather than a fault with the MiniPro.  The MiniPro seems to be less likely to cut out than the average EUC, from what I can tell.

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On 9/8/2017 at 1:45 AM, Ozpeter said:

If you trawl all the way through the Amazon reviews then you will probably come across a few reports of accidents caused by system failure, but only a few.  And I'm going from memory.  I have no plan to read that lot again!

If it's only a few or no system failures for the MiniPro then my confidence has increased.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I don' t know, what my user-error could have been, when my Mini Pro Street faceplanted me around 10 meters after start while i was accelerating steady and not very fast. Before that accident i had a pause for a talk, while it was switched off after around 10 kilometers of riding without any problems. I think, it was a Firmware error, because i had 1.22 (that was called back by Ninebot last year) on my Mini Pro, that i bought new in August 2017. Since this experience i were very careful with speeding up and learned to ride more cautious and never had a "cut-off" again. After negotiation for a compensation of the injury with the supplier i just updated to Firmware 1.4 that feels much better on the first kilometers i were using it.

Edited by JanN
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16 hours ago, Shad0z said:

i have a nice mini pro "clone" it has never cut out so you should be pretty safe ;)

Didn't you buy it just recently? It may be too early to put full confidence in it at this early stage.  I have put 585km on mine and owned it for 7 months and it has never cut out.  But there's always the possibility and I never forget it.  When riding my Ninebot unicycle today I met someone who told me he used to have the same unicycle as me until after a year of confident riding it one day just cut out and threw him into the ground, injuring his arms.  He no longer rides.. 

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38 minutes ago, RooMiniPro said:

Didn't you buy it just recently? It may be too early to put full confidence in it at this early stage.  I have put 585km on mine and owned it for 7 months and it has never cut out.  But there's always the possibility and I never forget it.  When riding my Ninebot unicycle today I met someone who told me he used to have the same unicycle as me until after a year of confident riding it one day just cut out and threw him into the ground, injuring his arms.  He no longer rides.. 

Somehow the MiniPro seems different than the EUC in terms of:

  • Dual motors
  • Smaller wheels
  • Lower speeds

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17 minutes ago, Rocky Romero said:

Somehow the MiniPro seems different than the EUC in terms of:

  • Dual motors
  • Smaller wheels
  • Lower speeds

I do feel safer on it.  And the fact that I can't find a single report of a MiniPro cutting out due to a technical fault makes me happy.  But if these devices have a hope of becoming an accepted means of transport for more than just an extremely small minority of people, they will need some sort of failsafe.   

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34 minutes ago, RooMiniPro said:

I do feel safer on it.  And the fact that I can't find a single report of a MiniPro cutting out due to a technical fault makes me happy.  But if these devices have a hope of becoming an accepted means of transport for more than just an extremely small minority of people, they will need some sort of failsafe.   

The next generation MiniPlus has the same overall features as the MiniPro.

The MiniPlus may be the look and feel and performance for this category of transporter for the next 5 years. What will affect changes will be battery and motor evolutions and dominating over a crowded field of transporters.

Its possible that the car manufacturers will be the deciding factor in putting a smaller built in transporter inside the car to address the first/last mile dilemma.  So far, the few that have attempted this are still in a concept stage.

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8 hours ago, RooMiniPro said:

Didn't you buy it just recently? It may be too early to put full confidence in it at this early stage.  I have put 585km on mine and owned it for 7 months and it has never cut out.  But there's always the possibility and I never forget it.  When riding my Ninebot unicycle today I met someone who told me he used to have the same unicycle as me until after a year of confident riding it one day just cut out and threw him into the ground, injuring his arms.  He no longer rides.. 

I know someone who has had it for a little over a year

8 hours ago, Rocky Romero said:

Somehow the MiniPro seems different than the EUC in terms of:

  • Dual motors
  • Smaller wheels
  • Lower speeds

im sorry but what do you mean by EUC i dint know what it means

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4 hours ago, Shad0z said:

I know someone who has had it for a little over a year

im sorry but what do you mean by EUC i dint know what it means

OP explained EUC (Electric Unicycle) in his initial comments of this thread.

Edited by Rocky Romero
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I think the two main factors holding these back as mainstream personal transporters is law and redundancy.  These vehicles are still illegal to ride in most public locations in most developed countries.  And redundancy/failsafe needs to be put in place.  Until one has one's first cut-out induced face-plant it might be hard to truly grasp how important this is.  I have not yet face-planted but I expect it to happen at some point as my devices' operating hours increase.  However, I would like to avoid this eventuality if at all possible.  A small third wheel in the front that hovers above ground level during normal use may work on the MiniPro.  If power cuts out the unit tilts forward a couple of inches but the little wheel (which is locked in the straight position, not steerable) would prevent one from tipping right over). 

Mini Segway style transporters have a better chance of becoming accepted as urban transporters than EUCs do.  EUCs are much harder to learn, much faster and inherently more dangerous.  They can't balance without moving and they can't stop without the rider having to dismount quickly; this is a big problem for riding in populated areas. 

I also think that, unfortunately, the speed limit of these two wheel transporters would have to decrease a lot, because if everyone's riding along the street at 18kph there will be many crashes and injuries.  If the units had GPS onboard, it would not be too difficult to design software that uses Google maps to tell the Segway that it's in a populated area on a footpath and to reduce the speed limit accordingly - perhaps to 8kph in the most populated areas.  Then once out on trails, on bike lanes and in countryside areas the full top speed would be useable.  Of course, if most people adopted this mode of inner city transportation, the obesity rate would likely increase in countries like the USA, Canada and the UK where most people are already overweight to begin with.  That can be addressed with dramatic changes in food regulation though, as soon as governments start putting people before money and promoting the truth about health rather than promoting misinformation supplied by food industry lobbyists.   I would love to see these things become accepted and gain popularity.  They are so useful from a transport efficiency point of view.  The time they save on getting to places can be spent on more meaningful things.  They also reduce the necessity for cars and public transport.

  

Edited by RooMiniPro
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4 hours ago, RooMiniPro said:

I think the two main factors holding these back as mainstream personal transporters is law and redundancy.  These vehicles are still illegal to ride in most public locations in most developed countries.  And redundancy/failsafe needs to be put in place.  Until one has one's first cut-out induced face-plant it might be hard to truly grasp how important this is.  I have not yet face-planted but I expect it to happen at some point as my devices' operating hours increase.  However, I would like to avoid this eventuality if at all possible.  A small third wheel in the front that hovers above ground level during normal use may work on the MiniPro.  If power cuts out the unit tilts forward a couple of inches but the little wheel (which is locked in the straight position, not steerable) would prevent one from tipping right over). 

Mini Segway style transporters have a better chance of becoming accepted as urban transporters than EUCs do.  EUCs are much harder to learn, much faster and inherently more dangerous.  They can't balance without moving and they can't stop without the rider having to dismount quickly; this is a big problem for riding in populated areas. 

I also think that, unfortunately, the speed limit of these two wheel transporters would have to decrease a lot, because if everyone's riding along the street at 18kph there will be many crashes and injuries.  If the units had GPS onboard, it would not be too difficult to design software that uses Google maps to tell the Segway that it's in a populated area on a footpath and to reduce the speed limit accordingly - perhaps to 8kph in the most populated areas.  Then once out on trails, on bike lanes and in countryside areas the full top speed would be useable.  Of course, if most people adopted this mode of inner city transportation, the obesity rate would likely increase in countries like the USA, Canada and the UK where most people are already overweight to begin with.  That can be addressed with dramatic changes in food regulation though, as soon as governments start putting people before money and promoting the truth about health rather than promoting misinformation supplied by food industry lobbyists.   I would love to see these things become accepted and gain popularity.  They are so useful from a transport efficiency point of view.  The time they save on getting to places can be spent on more meaningful things.  They also reduce the necessity for cars and public transport.

  

Interesting thoughts.

Roller skates and roller blades come to mind.  I tried both and was not good at either.  Those that master them can go faster than a MiniPro and as fast as a bicycle.  Those are allowed and accepted on sidewalks.  They are also clumsy to handle in crowds, as you mentioned.  The MiniPro/MiniPlus may be in that category.  Accepted, somewhat.  Waiting for something better.

The third wheel that you mentioned is a great backup solution.  I don’t think there is thought in that direction for the MiniPlus.  The antidote to a face-plant is full head, face and body protection.  So, it’s up to the individual to protect themselves, like a motorcycle.

The speed of the MiniPlus has been decided.  It won’t change.

For me, the MiniPro fits the city transport demands.  I will consider the upcoming MiniBot Z10.  Maybe. That appeal is fading the more that I use the MiniPro.  I rent cars and take trains and use public transport which fits my long distance travels, as I can easily bring my MiniPro.  Flying and bringing a MiniPro is not possible.  Yet.

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My Ninebot MiniPro has failed me completely at least 3 times.

Once it was caused by one wheel hitting a curb slightly off the part of a curb cut made for wheelchairs, etc..  Just died completely and I fell back flat out. Saved by my helmet.
I have been able to duplicate this fail (without me on board) by letting the MiniPro run into a curb at about an 45 degree angle by itself.  Falls right over!!

Another time I had just gotten on at a location with a stone surface.  It had just rained and there was a thin layer of water on the surface.  I had ridden successfully on this same surface in the rain before, but the spot where I fell had recently been polished, so it was slicker than usual.  Fell completely forward.  No chance to stick out my arms or anything to break my fall.  Interestingly the only places I had pain were where my wallet was in my pants pocket and where my phone was on my belt because I fell so flatly.  (Luckily I was able to arch my back and only touched the ground lightly with my chin!).  

The first time was when I went over a threshold bump too slowly. (I was a new rider.)  Minipro just fell completely forward. 
I have since learned not to take bumps too slowly and to try to have one wheel at a time - on an angle.  This doesn't seem to work by curbs.

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@FLORIDIAN   Any form of redundancy has to be a positive step. However, in practice it is very unlikely to make any real difference at all if you look at the mechanisms available. For example:

Dual balancing circuits -

  • never seen this part of the electronics fail, only the output transistors, but if the battery or electronics shuts down due to overload (as sounds like happened in one of your cases) they will both shut down.
  • if a power transistor fails in one circuit, then 9 times out of 10 they fail short circuit and lock up, or at least heavily brake, the motor.The remaining circuit will not be able to overcome that resistance and you will still fall.

Dual batteries with separate BMS

  • might save you if one battery fails or BMS shuts down, but only if doubling the load on the other one doesn’t cause that to shut down as well - which is highly likely.

Dual motors

  • if driving one wheel, or indeed one wheel of a two wheel self balancing device, this will only give redundancy if built as a clever system something like a sun and planet gear system such that one motor locking up on failure still allowed the other to turn the wheel. Some sort of one way clutch or spragg bearing won’t help when it has to turn both ways.

Basically, little true redundancy is possible with only one wheel (or where both wheels have to keep running to balance you - as in the Ninebot mini - in fact you have double the chance of failure with two wheels here). The only option is military grade electronics, way more powerful motors than you need and big multiple batteries to keep the load on them small - all add hugely to cost and weight. 

Finally, your other fall sounds like slipping on a wet smooth surface - rider skill is the only safety measure you have there (at the very least to avoid the location!) - no amount of redundancy or power would be likely to help you there.

Edited by Keith
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19 hours ago, FLORIDIAN said:

My Ninebot MiniPro has failed me completely at least 3 times.

Once it was caused by one wheel hitting a curb slightly off the part of a curb cut made for wheelchairs, etc..  Just died completely and I fell back flat out. Saved by my helmet.
I have been able to duplicate this fail (without me on board) by letting the MiniPro run into a curb at about an 45 degree angle by itself.  Falls right over!!

Another time I had just gotten on at a location with a stone surface.  It had just rained and there was a thin layer of water on the surface.  I had ridden successfully on this same surface in the rain before, but the spot where I fell had recently been polished, so it was slicker than usual.  Fell completely forward.  No chance to stick out my arms or anything to break my fall.  Interestingly the only places I had pain were where my wallet was in my pants pocket and where my phone was on my belt because I fell so flatly.  (Luckily I was able to arch my back and only touched the ground lightly with my chin!).  

The first time was when I went over a threshold bump too slowly. (I was a new rider.)  Minipro just fell completely forward. 
I have since learned not to take bumps too slowly and to try to have one wheel at a time - on an angle.  This doesn't seem to work by curbs.

These are all user error, not the MiniPro failing because of a technical fault.  Driving into a curb and riding on a slippery surface are not electronic or mechanical failures.

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