Gotway Tesla just beeps and won't move after repairs

[mick]

I got a flat recently on my Gotway Tesla. I took it apart, put in a new triple thick tube, filled it with sealant and air, and put the wheel back together. But now when I turn it on, the gyro does not start so the wheel won't move. It just beeps and beeps and beeps. I keep turning it off, taking it apart again, checking for any kind of loose connection, but I can't see anything wrong. Any ideas what is happening? I really love this wheel and miss riding it!

[meepmeepmayer]

What beeps?

[mick]

Thanks, but that post is a list of beeps that happen when the wheel is running. My wheel is not running. So I turn it on and it lights up, but the gyro does not activate. And yes, it beeps constantly. It's the same tiny speaker inside that does the speed warning beeps and low battery beeps, but this battery is full and not moving at any speed. So that's not it.

[meepmeepmayer]

Did you disconnect any plugs that you might have plugged back the wrong way?

Maybe when disassembling you damaged the thin, brittle hall sensor wires coming out of the motor cable sleeve. Sometimes they also come loose out of their small white connector on the board, check if something looks off there and they are firmly in the connector.

A quick googling makes me think it might be hall sensor related: https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Aelectricunicycle.org+tesla+beeps+and+does+not+balance

Your seller should also know such things and be familiar with all the possible things that can go wrong, so ask him too.

[mick]

43 minutes ago, meepmeepmayer said:

Did you disconnect any plugs that you might have plugged back the wrong way?

Maybe when disassembling you damaged the thin, brittle hall sensor wires coming out of the motor cable sleeve. Sometimes they also come loose out of their small white connector on the board, check if something looks off there and they are firmly in the connector.

A quick googling makes me think it might be hall sensor related: https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Aelectricunicycle.org+tesla+beeps+and+does+not+balance

Your seller should also know such things and be familiar with all the possible things that can go wrong, so ask him too.

Thank you. I suspected that might be the case. I opened it up multiple times, shined a light inside, and checked for loose wires. I can't find anything that is hanging loose or broken. There is one plug-in spot that has nothing plugged into it, but I can't find anything that is available to plug into that spot.

[Marty Backe]

1 hour ago, mick said:

Thanks, but that post is a list of beeps that happen when the wheel is running. My wheel is not running. So I turn it on and it lights up, but the gyro does not activate. And yes, it beeps constantly. It's the same tiny speaker inside that does the speed warning beeps and low battery beeps, but this battery is full and not moving at any speed. So that's not it.

A slight clarification. Those beep codes include a few that only occur with a broken wheel. So if your wheel is beeping with any kind of pattern, it can be useful in diagnosing what has failed.

[Marty Backe]

1 hour ago, mick said:

I got a flat recently on my Gotway Tesla. I took it apart, put in a new triple thick tube, filled it with sealant and air, and put the wheel back together. But now when I turn it on, the gyro does not start so the wheel won't move. It just beeps and beeps and beeps. I keep turning it off, taking it apart again, checking for any kind of loose connection, but I can't see anything wrong. Any ideas what is happening? I really love this wheel and miss riding it!

I think it's safe to say that you did not reconnect everything properly. Otherwise you had an amazingly coincidental random failure.

Either the Hall Sensor cable was not connected properly (if we knew your beep code that may help) or you connected the wrong motor cables (there's a blue, green, and yellow cable, but the green and yellow cables can both look somewhat green).

[mick]

Thanks Marty. It might be the Hall Sensor beep. I will check it when I get home. Do you know where to find that and fix it on a Gotway Tesla?

[mick]

I didn't disconnect ANY cables when I took it apart to replace the inner tube. I only removed screws and the snap-on things like the edge covers and the LED covers. Do you know where the hall sensor is and how I repair it?

[meepmeepmayer]

13 minutes ago, mick said:

Do you know where the hall sensor is and how I repair it?

Inside the motor. It counts the magnets going by to get a precise speed/revolution measurement as needed for a EUC.

If it's the hall sensor, realistically you need a new motor ($$$). Those thin wires are quite susceptible it seems, and I've yet to hear from someone repairing them. Most likely the sensor itself is ok, just not the wires or their board plug

Edited September 24, 2019 by meepmeepmayer

[Marty Backe]

14 minutes ago, mick said:

I didn't disconnect ANY cables when I took it apart to replace the inner tube. I only removed screws and the snap-on things like the edge covers and the LED covers. Do you know where the hall sensor is and how I repair it?

Well, that a good sign (no disconnected wires), maybe.

The cable that comes out of the axle has the three motor wires and a separate bundle of very small wires that go to a 6-pin connector. Those are for the hall sensors. I'm thinking that maybe the connector came loose, but that sounds unlikely since they are semi-glued to the control board. It could be that while you were moving the motor around you pinched the bundle of cables from the axle and damaged one of those 6 wires.

I'm just throwing ideas out there to explore.

Edited September 24, 2019 by Marty Backe

[mick]

3 minutes ago, meepmeepmayer said:

Inside the motor. It counts the magnets going by to get a precise speed/revolution measurement as needed for a EUC.

If it's the hall sensor, realistically you need a new motor ($$$). Those thin wires are quite susceptible it seems, and I've yet to hear from someone repairing them.

I have only had to replace inner tubes and a tire. How do I replace the motor? Is it inside the wheel? Where do I even buy a motor? The website listed on my EUC's box does not work anymore. Does ewheels even sell them? I may be stuck just buying a new unicycle! And is there a way to open it up and see if the sensor is repairable? The crazy thing is that when I got the flat tire, the gyro was still functioning. All I have done is take the wheel apart to replace the inner tube and put it back together!

[mick]

1 minute ago, Marty Backe said:

Well, that a good sign (no disconnected wires), maybe.

The cable that comes out of the axle has the three motor wires and a separate bundle of very small wires that go to a 6-pin connector. Those are for the hall sensors. I'm thinking that maybe the connector came loose, but that sounds unlikely since they are semi-glued to the control board. It could be that while you were moving the motor around you pinched the bundle of cables from the axle and damaged one of those 6 wires.

I'm just throwing ideas out there to explore.

Thank you Marty! I will check again now that I have some clue what I may be looking for! I hope that I don't have to replace the whole EUC, but if I do, I'm probably getting the Gotway Nikola!

Meanwhile, my Solowheel Glide 3 got a flat too, so I'm completely out of commission until I take care of that as well!

[meepmeepmayer]

ewheels is guaranteed to have a Tesla motor should you need it.

[mick]

Thank you. Well I'm going to do whatever I have to do. I cannot be without this wheel. It's one of my favorite things ever!

[Marty Backe]

5 minutes ago, mick said:

I have only had to replace inner tubes and a tire. How do I replace the motor? Is it inside the wheel? Where do I even buy a motor? The website listed on my EUC's box does not work anymore. Does ewheels even sell them? I may be stuck just buying a new unicycle! And is there a way to open it up and see if the sensor is repairable? The crazy thing is that when I got the flat tire, the gyro was still functioning. All I have done is take the wheel apart to replace the inner tube and put it back together!

The "motor" is the assembly that you put the inner tube and tire on. The wheel rim and motor is affectionately referred to as "the motor"

[mick]

Thank you to everyone who commented on this post! I was able to determine that the beep was the Hallway Sensor beep (two quick beeps, half second pause, two quick beeps). And I was able to trace the bundle of tiny wires that apparently connect to that. I cannot reach the connection and could not tell if it was actually loose, but when I pulled out the screws on the speaker (the wires of which are bundled with those same wires), the beeping stopped and the gyro kicked in. So the tension created on the wires by the speaker placement was definitely part of the problem. I therefore moved the speaker up higher using 30 lb. rated double-stick tape. That allowed me to put the wheel back together and ride it. Just in case there is a loose connection, I'm not jumping off of curbs or stairs or speed bumps yet. But I did ride the wheel to work, which is 13.13 km (8.15 miles) at speeds up to 43.3 kmh (almost 27 mph), without a hiccup. I will check the wire connections again later using a dental mirror and might have to get a flex light or something. At least I'm riding again!

[meepmeepmayer]

Cool! But be very careful. As far as I know, the hall sensors aren't needed at higher speeds, but for lower speeds. Probably still not ideal if they fail during riding. Not sure what happens then - just the beeps and you brake and stop, or worse.

Just be sure you don't crash. Investigate this a little further. Remove the board and make sure the hall sensor connector on the board is firmly in. Wiggle the wires when the wheel is on and balancing and see if you can produce any bad behavior or locate the faulty spot. EUCs are 100% or 0% devices and need to be at 100% to be safe. "I'll ride and see what happens" does NOT work for such devices (it works for most all other vehicles, which is why people assume it for EUCs too).

[Marty Backe]

56 minutes ago, mick said:

Thank you to everyone who commented on this post! I was able to determine that the beep was the Hallway Sensor beep (two quick beeps, half second pause, two quick beeps). And I was able to trace the bundle of tiny wires that apparently connect to that. I cannot reach the connection and could not tell if it was actually loose, but when I pulled out the screws on the speaker (the wires of which are bundled with those same wires), the beeping stopped and the gyro kicked in. So the tension created on the wires by the speaker placement was definitely part of the problem. I therefore moved the speaker up higher using 30 lb. rated double-stick tape. That allowed me to put the wheel back together and ride it. Just in case there is a loose connection, I'm not jumping off of curbs or stairs or speed bumps yet. But I did ride the wheel to work, which is 13.13 km (8.15 miles) at speeds up to 43.3 kmh (almost 27 mph), without a hiccup. I will check the wire connections again later using a dental mirror and might have to get a flex light or something. At least I'm riding again!

 

34 minutes ago, meepmeepmayer said:

Cool! But be very careful. As far as I know, the hall sensors aren't needed at higher speeds, but for lower speeds. Probably still not ideal if they fail during riding. Not sure what happens then - just the beeps and you brake and stop, or worse.

Just be sure you don't crash. Investigate this a little further. Remove the board and make sure the hall sensor connector on the board is firmly in. Wiggle the wires when the wheel is on and balancing and see if you can produce any bad behavior or locate the faulty spot. EUCs are 100% or 0% devices and need to be at 100% to be safe. "I'll ride and see what happens" does NOT work for such devices (it works for most all other vehicles, which is why people assume it for EUCs too).

Plus ONE with what Meep said. It's great that you've isolated the cause, but I would never ride the wheel if all I did was what you did. I would try and get the problem to reoccur based on the wire tension so that I could isolate whether the problem is in the connector or the wire cable (there could be a pinched wire that is making marginal contact).

And @meepmeepmayer, I thought we put to bed your theory that the hall sensors aren't used at high speed. Wouldn't it be great if we could talk to one of the KS or Gotway engineers so that they could tell us definitively.

[mick]

Yeah, I'm taking a bit of a chance. I rely a lot on my intuition and riding the wheel conservatively felt right. I do think there is likely either a pinched wire or a loose connection. I won't do anything too crazy until I get a chance to check it more fully. For example, I won't be trying to break my personal best speed record of 33 miles per hour until I am certain that the problem is resolved.

[meepmeepmayer]

You know the speed beeps mean you should slow down? 33mph on a Tesla! ☠ Don't ever try to "beat" that.

And the intuition thing is exactly what doesn't work with EUCs. Either everything works or you're on the ground, there's no warning signs or in-between state. That goes for the top speed attempts as well as hardware failures.

29 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

Wouldn't it be great if we could talk to one of the KS or Gotway engineers so that they could tell us definitively.

Wouldn't it...

[mick]

The top speed is 37. I will eventually get to that speed. But not until this issue is definitively resolved.

[meepmeepmayer]

3 minutes ago, mick said:

The top speed is 37.

No.

3 minutes ago, mick said:

I will eventually get to that speed.

Don't!

[mick]

Why not?

[meepmeepmayer]

If you have to ask...

It's just a bad idea trying to find the limits of a wheel. By principle you can only know after you've crashed. That's why the warning beeps exist, to keep you far enough from the danger zone.