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Only for the brave. Russian Hack for the Mini Pro


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56 minutes ago, Harishmirror said:

Can someone please help me with a long term review on the battery range after the speed upgrade? Mine does about 16-18kms from 5 bars to 1, its a 310 wh.

 

Great question.

@MRN76's modification does not use any more battery power than normal.

Going slow allows the motor coils to stay charged longer, increasing efficiency. This means you can go farther if you go slow.

Going fast means the coils have to charge quickly, are only briefly pulling on the wheel magnets, then have to change polarity quickly, again to only briefly pull on the magnet. So going fast on an unmodified miniPRO or EUC uses more power than going slow, meaning you cannot go as far as if you went slowly.

MRN76's modified firmware does not change the above. If you go slow, you go the same distance as before when you were going slow. If you go fast, you go the same distance as before when you were going fast.

What MRN76's modified firmware allows is to go faster than an unmodified miniPRO allows. If you are going "even faster," you will use more power than "going fast," meaning you cannot go as far as if you "went fast."

 

With MRN76's modified firmware we have the following:

Going slow allows the motor coils to stay charged longer, increasing efficiency. This means you can go farther if you go slow, the same distance as you could go on an unmodified miniPRO.

Going fast means the coils have to charge quickly, are only briefly pulling on the wheel magnets, then have to change polarity quickly, again to only briefly pull on the magnet. So going fast uses more power than going slow, meaning you cannot go as far as if you went slowly. You can go the same distance as you could go on an unmodified miniPRO if you go the same speed.

Going really fast means the coils have to charge very, very, very quickly, are only briefly pulling on the wheel magnets, then have to change polarity very, very, very quickly, again to only briefly pull on the magnet. So going really fast uses much more power than going fast, meaning you cannot go as far as if you only went "fast."

 

EXAMPLE

There are a lot of factors that determine how far you can ride. You can go farther with:

  • A bigger, newer battery. Even a slightly larger battery can make a big difference due to part of the battery usage being limited by low-voltage speed/current limiting.
  • A lighter rider. If two people take the same trip at the same time with miniPROs of the same age and mileage, if one person weights 185 lbs = 84 kg = 13.2 stone and the other weighs 105 lbs = 47.5 kg = 7.5 stone, and the heavier rider rides 15.5 miles = 25 km before the battery is exhausted, the lighter rider can continue on another 4.5 miles = 7 km before exhausting their battery.
  • Gentle acceleration/deceleration, which uses much less power/recharges more.
  • Fewer stops. It takes a lot of power to start/stop, not as much to maintain speed.
  • Smoother terrain. Going up hill uses a lot of power, and while going down hill regeneratively recharges the battery, it's not nearly 100% efficient, so there is power loss.

To be precise, we could test this in a laboratory setting, but you don't ride in a laboritory setting, so while the results would be repeatable in a lab, they still would not apply to when you were outside riding. Therefore approximations will be used.

Battery: 5700mAh 100% charge to 5% charge
Rider: 185 lb = 84 kg = 13.2 stone

A few notes: Below 5% battery the speed limit is 4.3 mph = 7 kph, so that is not worth discussing.

Cruising Speed is the speed you like to ride at. Because of slowing for bumps, turns, hazards (such as people/pets), and needing to slow/stop at intersections the Average Speed of riding is slower than how fast you like to ride. Although I sometimes travel at 15.5+ mph = 25 kph, it is not sustainable unless on a perfectly smooth and straight surface, so I travel at a safer Cruising Speed of 12.5 mph = 20 kph which with turns and bumps comes to about 8 mph = 13 kph average speed.

Cruising Speed ~> Average Speed
8.5 mph = 13.5 kph ~> 5.5 mph = 9 kph
10.5 mph = 16.5 kph ~> 6.5 mph = 10.5 kph
12.5 mph = 20 kph ~> 8 mph = 13 kph

Ave. Speed ~> apx. distance
5.5 mph = 9 kph ~> 18 mi = 29 km
6 mph =  9.5 kph ~> 15 mi = 24 km
6.5 mph = 10.5 kph ~> 13 mi = 21 km
7 mph = 11 kph ~> 12 mi = 19 km
8 mph = 13 kph ~> 9 mi = 14.5 km

Although I haven't tested it, it does appear a 105 lb = 47.5 kg = 7.5 stone rider traveling at a Cruising Speed of 6.5 mph = 10.5 kph (twice as fast as walking) could go about 25 mi = 40 km with 40 psi = 275 kpa = 2.76 Bar in the tires, on mostly level ground, if trying to conserve energy and go far.

Practically speaking, an "average" person should be able to commute 12 mi = 19 km per charge, and 15 mi = 24 km if taking their time sightseeing. If the same "average" person is racing around, using the firmware for top speed, figure they'll go about 4 mi = 6.5 km before having to turn back, as they're only going to get 8 mi = 13 km total distance at high speed.

Yes, that extra 4 mph = 6.5 kph cruising speed the firmware allows cuts your range by about half. But it's three times as fun!

Edited by WI_Hedgehog
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@WI_Hedgehog Thanks much for the detailed explanation. So if I go faster then the motor gets over heated and the range is expected to come down.

I am 77kgs, I get about 16-18kms from 5 to 1 bars, so after the mods it must be down to 12-14kms?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl2Vr8JT1Vo

I just did a math with this video, he has done about 5.6kms consuming 18% battery. This guys looks he is about 80kgs and he is doing a non-stop run at an avg of 13km/hr with frequent bursts up to 23kms/hr.

Kms
remaining
Battery
 %
24.6 83
24.3 82
24 81
23.7 80
23.4 79
23.1 78
22.7 77
22.4 76
22.1 75
21.8 74
21.5 73
21.2 72
20.9 71
20.5 70
20.3 69
20 68
19.5 67
19.3 66
19 65
Edited by Harishmirror
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Hi all,

I would like to have more fun with mi Xiaomi Ninebot S. I am not sure how to upgrade safely the speed of my Ninebot. 

Do I have to use mrn76 app and Ask for the firmware (donating) or do I have to wait to a complete 'How to' guide ?

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Hi folks, I just updated my Ninebot S with @MRN76 FW, I'll try it today going to work. For now let me say that this guy is fast-replying, kind and serious, in a matter of 20 minutes I contacted him on telegram, paid via PayPal and he assisted me on installing his FW from 1.1.7 to 7.6.4; it's a straightforward procedure, the android app works without problems. Just wanted to share my experience ;)

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On 6/1/2020 at 1:34 PM, Arjuna said:

Hi folks, I just updated my Ninebot S with @MRN76 FW, I'll try it today going to work. For now let me say that this guy is fast-replying, kind and serious, in a matter of 20 minutes I contacted him on telegram, paid via PayPal and he assisted me on installing his FW from 1.1.7 to 7.6.4; it's a straightforward procedure, the android app works without problems. Just wanted to share my experience ;)

Great!

I would love to hear about your experience with the side-leaning when breaking.

thanks!:)

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On 5/31/2020 at 6:53 AM, Jonathan Katsnelson said:

@WI_Hedgehog

Have you experienced the side-leaning when braking? I wonder how bad is it and why doest it lean at all?!

Screen-Shot-2020-05-31-at-14-46-32.png

I believe the concern is uneven braking. Yes.

During heavy braking with the Extreme firmware the acceleration/deceleration is stronger than factory. In my experience, stopping very quickly is rarely done in a perfectly straight, balanced manner. Example:

  1. You are going "fast" (3x the speed of walking=10MPH=16kph), looking around and enjoying the ride.
  2. Also watching your path, you spot a hazard which is now close in front of you, mostly on the right.
  3. Lean back and heavily brake.
  4. At the same time, steer left to try to avoid the hazard.
  5. Most of your weight/down-force is applied to the left (closer, slower moving) wheel.
  6. The right wheel, having less down-force on it but almost the same braking force, skids under extreme braking, and loses traction (skidding is less traction that not skidding).
  7. The right wheel skidding and left wheel still having traction turns the miniPRO left, so the steering bar presses on your right leg, which is the input for the miniPRO to steer left.
  8. The miniPRO steers left, causing the right wheel to slip out from under you.
  9. You must put your right leg down to catch yourself from falling, so your body slows.
  10. The miniPRO keeps going, so your left foot loses contact, losing control of the miniPRO.
  11. The miniPRO keeps going at whatever speed you fell off it at, and direction you fell off at (left), possibly eventually crashing into something, or running out into traffic and being hit by a car.
  12. Your shoulders and back are sore from the stress of the jolt they just took, even though you did not fall down.

Note the example is at a comfortable riding speed, not the fastest speed, which is 1.5x faster yet (much faster). Small things that cannot be easily seen in the distance can appear very quickly given you are actually moving very quickly. (I once came upon a service panel in the sidewalk that was new and did not have filler around it, leaving an 8"=20cm "hole" around it. Because of the plastic it looked normal at a distance, but not up close. Sometimes even a sidewalk that is pushed up 1.75"=4.5cm looks normal.)

Braking hard in a straight line requires much skill, and equal wheel traction (no sand, gravel, dirt, or bumps). This happens sometimes, but most often something complicates the situation. Both tires must be the same (sometimes they are a different shape, even if they are the originals that came with the miniPRO), and definitely must be at the same inflation pressure.

There are solutions I have found:

  1. Wear safety gear. Maybe to some it looks a little funny, but you will hopefully concentrate on braking instead of how to not get hurt. This aides in you not getting hurt.
  2. Tether your miniPRO to your gear, enough to slow it down. Not so much if it is hit by a truck you are dragged with it.
  3. Drive slower. Just because you can go fast does not mean you should go fast. Always drive within your limits. We like to say "ride" but it is driving. If you are tired or distracted, dehydrated, cold, etc., drive slower.
  4. Think about what can go wrong and drive defensively. Many drivers have not yet been in an accident. An accident can be your fault, or someone else's. If you hover a lot you probably will be in a bad situation, how bad it turns out depends on how smart you are before it happens.

 

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3 hours ago, Jonathan Katsnelson said:

Great!

I would love to hear about your experience with the side-leaning when breaking.

thanks!:)

Well, I haven't experienced this issue yet :efefc8626c:, must point out I'm using the lite FW 'cause I just don't need to push the hardware limits with the extreme FW. Today I reached 22 kph and then brake straight but not heavily, it took a little longer to stop but without stability problems. That's enough for me, I drive at full speed only on selected lanes without people or vehicles around to minimize unexpected issues that would force me to a sudden brake. Otherwise, living in the city center, I tend to be careful 'cause there's a lot of people on foot, long story short I apply @WI_Hedgehog common-sense recommendations. This lite FW does exactly what I expected, so far;  it makes riding more fun and unleash more power when needed but within a "safety limit" I would say, not bothering you with "beeps" and slowdowns anymore.

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An update from me on Firmware update.  Last year I disabled my beeper (Actually unplugged it from the board) using guidance from this post

After reading about the Extreme firmware – I felt I would have to plug the beeper back in or risk over-driving the unit.  So instead I opted for Swallowbot (remote upgrade service through More4Mini) and the Hybrid tires/fenders. 

First, I borrowed an Android from a friend and did the Swallowbot firmware upgrade.  They did it over WhatsApp and the whole process took about 20 minutes. BEFORE the upgrade I was getting up to 10 MPH on 100% battery.  AFTER the upgrade I was getting max speed 13.3MPH (according to a handheld GPS) with a comfortable cruising speed of 12.5MPH on 100% battery.  Minimal pushback.  Can’t comment on any change in beeper behavior since I have mine unplugged.

Hybrid tires came next.  I installed them along with the higher fenders.  Took about 90 minutes to install them.  Old circumference was 31 inches.  New circumference is 35 inches.  Basic math says I should see an increase from 13.3 MPH to 15MPH.  Actual measurement is max speed 15.5MPH with a comfortable cruising speed of 14.2MPH on 100% battery. 

So the Extreme firmware + Hybrid tires would be GREAT... just not for me.

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On 6/1/2020 at 12:34 PM, Arjuna said:

Hi folks, I just updated my Ninebot S with @MRN76 FW, I'll try it today going to work. For now let me say that this guy is fast-replying, kind and serious, in a matter of 20 minutes I contacted him on telegram, paid via PayPal and he assisted me on installing his FW from 1.1.7 to 7.6.4; it's a straightforward procedure, the android app works without problems. Just wanted to share my experience ;)

Please 

Which one app do you used to flash the firmware ??  NineTool 1.7 or NineTool Beta 2.3.5 ??

Thanks

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4 hours ago, frantisheq said:

beta

Thanks... but seems to me I'll must use the 1.7 because the Beta can't be installed in my Android OS 4.3.....

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Ok so am i right?:

 

Right now i am using the legendary original FW 1.1.7 at the MiniPro. At first i have to install the original earliest original FW of Ninebot back (cause for the Swallowbot and the ExtremeFW is 1.4.0 or higher needed), install the newest NineTool on my Android, generate the Key, get in contact with MRN76, paying 60 Dollars, send my Key and after that Ninetool will allow the Installation for the Extreme Version.

Am I right with these price and this procedure?

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just did the procedure for a Ninebot S. I borrowed an android phone and installed Ninebot Beta on an Samsung S20+ and contacted MRN76 by Telegram, pressed Get SN and sent a screenshot to MRN76 by Telegram, sent a payment by Paypal for ExtremeFW (60USD) and then pressed Flash Paid FW. Everything took 5 minutes and MRN76 replied immediately and very helpful. It made my dusty Ninebot S usable since I found it way too slow after getting used to Segway S Plus. I am now waiting to unlock the S Plus.

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Performed the LITE edition firmware upgrade on two of Minipros. I must say the process was very easy and @MRN76 was super responsive.

At first was skeptical, so did the Unit# 1 yesterday, tested 'in and out' this morning. I am super impressed, this is how the minipro should have been by default. It goes upto 23.5 km/h until the tilt-up kicks in. I do about 19/20 comfortably. Both my Minipros are brand new 310Wh ones , so the battery holds well too. At 100% battery, I did 11kms on GPS and had about 59% left. This is better than stock minipros, coz prior to this upgrade I did the same run yesterday evening on the same unit, I had only 52% battery left. I ride very sedate with no abrupt accelerations. So with my experience due not spending any energy in tilting back, the unit delivers better range? not sure. (I do turn off all lights and use a external  led flash light)

I did the second unit just now, will test it this evening and update the forum.

But this is a must have for every Minipro, the speed does not impress me much as the default one went upto 17.5 km/h. The best part is not having tilt backs and being able to enjoy the ride. I have seen retailers sell the same firmware for over twice the cost. I would highly recommend anyone with a minipro to get in touch with @MRN76 and get the upgrade done.

 

One minor issue while performing the upgrade.

You are supposed to follow this link for the upgrade,

http://mrn76.ru/index.php/es/ninetool-es/nenetoolminipro-es

In my case when I try to Get Key,SN the keys were different on different attempts. This was the same on both units (SN itself came out different in Unit#2 once). So when you give the keys/SN to @MRN76 he adds this to his ACL. Once you paid and he confirms you can go-ahead. You are supposed to hit Get Key,SN again and then choose Update Paid FW, make sure the keys/SN are the same as the ones you gave @MRN76. In my case the both units showed different keys, I have to disconnect and reconnect and in the next attempt the keys/sn were the same as what I gave to @MRN76.

In the first attempt on unit# 1, the keys/sn were different, still I hit Update Paid FW the process timed-out. I tried once again, this time the keys were same and upgrade was complete in 1.21 mins.

 

**UPDATE**

Tried the unit#2 on the same 11km course, I had about 58% battery left. So I can confirm both the units are doing well after the LITE firmware upgrade. I am sure running the unit over its designated speed might reduce the overall life of the unit, but that kills the point of having the unit and not being able to enjoy it. Will update the forum after a few months.

But for now this upgrade is highly recommended!

 

Edited by Harishmirror
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Great ! Thanks for your experience!!

 

Well I wish to ask... If it possible to rollback to some official firmwares if I would wish to do ?? I mean. . I have a backup firmware of the 1.1.7 can I use NineTools to flash back the 1.1.7 to the mini pro ?? Where must be positioned the files of the firmware I intend to flash ?? Is there an option on NineTools to locate and choose a firmware present in a dir of the smartphone??

Edited by zugu
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1 hour ago, zugu said:

Great ! Thanks for your experience!!

 

Well I wish to ask... If it possible to rollback to some official firmwares if I would wish to do ?? I mean. . I have a backup firmware of the 1.1.7 can I use NineTools to flash back the 1.1.7 to the mini pro ?? Where must be positioned the files of the firmware I intend to flash ?? Is there an option on NineTools to locate and choose a firmware present in a dir of the smartphone??

I asked the same question to MRN76 and he wants me to get in touch with him to revert back to default firmware. I am not sure if we can flash using his ninetools and I wouldnt do that myself without consulting him as there is a risk of bricking the unit. To me the unit more important than anything as they are no where to be seen. I spent four months to find these 310wh Minipros at a nominal price.

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2 hours ago, Harishmirror said:

I asked the same question to MRN76 and he wants me to get in touch with him to revert back to default firmware. I am not sure if we can flash using his ninetools and I wouldnt do that myself without consulting him as there is a risk of bricking the unit. To me the unit more important than anything as they are no where to be seen. I spent four months to find these 310wh Minipros at a nominal price.

Thanks

Will wait for an exhaustive answer cause I wish to have the opportunity by a tool like NineTools to flash back and forth as I like and I need... in the sense that is for example the Extreme version firmware is not in my tastes I could reflash my 1.1.7 to my devices...

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On 6/20/2020 at 3:50 PM, zugu said:

Thanks

Will wait for an exhaustive answer cause I wish to have the opportunity by a tool like NineTools to flash back and forth as I like and I need... in the sense that is for example the Extreme version firmware is not in my tastes I could reflash my 1.1.7 to my devices...

@Harishmirror thanks for your excellent review of the Lite firmware. I upgraded directly from v1.1.7 -> v7.6.4- Lite  yesterday using the Ninetools beta android app. I was told by @MRN76 that  if I did not like the custom firmware, he would compile a new firmware that would let me flashback to 1.1.7. So it is absolutely possible to go back, but it's just not something I can do quickly and without his involvement. As of now I am really pleased with the ride quality, fewer tilt-backs and see no reason to roll back.

PS: excellent thread and great discussions!

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Hello All, 

Can someone with the swallowbot share your experience?

I notice a slight wobble (front to back) on both my minipros. Particularly when crusing steadily above 18km/h on a perfect flat surface. While riding on uneven surfaces or broken roads, this wobble is unnoticeable

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I have finally updated a new MiniPro with a new Swallowbot updated controller from More4Mini/More4Motion (M4M) that I purchased last November.  It is speed limited to 23 km/h on a full battery.  Works Fantastic!  

Does anyone know if this update is equivalent to the LITE or the EXTREME Version?  [ Update: Looks like it is roughly the same as the LITE version. ]

This thread is documenting my experiences with this update: 

 

Edited by FreeRide
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