ABEhrhardt Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 On a ride to a nearby doctor's office, I bumped the Airwheel against the curb, and got dumped. Problem is that 1) it is now hard to roll (where it wasn't this hard before), and 2) every time I turn it on, it just has a constant tone until I turn it off (with button and remote). My guess is that its wheels are somehow stuck a bit, and that, since it can't control the wheels, it can't finish the startup sequence. Does anyone have any idea how to regain control of the wheels without taking it apart? How to reset the software (if that's what's wrong)? I searched this forum and the web and the Airwheel.net site and read/watched everything without luck. Next step will be the eBay dealer I bought it from (got extended coverage). It's still under warranty - but sending it back for warranty repair means I have no way to get around for quite a while except with a walker. I've gotten very used to sailing smoothly around! Suggestions most welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meepmeepmayer Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 (edited) That bump may just have fried the board. A tire is "locked" even if the machine is off, making it very hard to turn? If yes, that can be a fried board (presumably) causing a short, locking the tire. Not just a software issue. You could disassemble it, unplug the battery, and plug it back in. That should reset any software. If that is the problem. Asking your seller is always a good idea. Edited January 30, 2020 by meepmeepmayer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriull Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 1 hour ago, ABEhrhardt said: On a ride to a nearby doctor's office, I bumped the Airwheel against the curb, and got dumped. Problem is that 1) it is now hard to roll (where it wasn't this hard before), and 2) every time I turn it on, it just has a constant tone until I turn it off (with button and remote). Most probaly 14 minutes ago, meepmeepmayer said: can be a fried board Just the 1 hour ago, ABEhrhardt said: every time I turn it on, it just has a constant tone until I turn it off sounds a bit strange. But however, get in contact with your reseller as you have extented coverage and warranty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABEhrhardt Posted January 30, 2020 Author Share Posted January 30, 2020 Thanks for the suggestions. I tried one more thing: I put it up on a box (so the wheels would have NO friction), and turned it on - no dice. The wheels are still very hard to turn, and the tone is a constant whine. Darn. It was such a slight bump - nothing major. I'll get back to the seller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABEhrhardt Posted January 30, 2020 Author Share Posted January 30, 2020 52 minutes ago, meepmeepmayer said: That bump may just have fried the board. A tire is "locked" even if the machine is off, making it very hard to turn? If yes, that can be a fried board (presumably) causing a short, locking the tire. Not just a software issue. You could disassemble it, unplug the battery, and plug it back in. That should reset any software. If that is the problem. Asking your seller is always a good idea. The wheels aren't locked, but they are much harder to turn. I guess that could count as 'locked.' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABEhrhardt Posted January 30, 2020 Author Share Posted January 30, 2020 54 minutes ago, meepmeepmayer said: You could disassemble it, unplug the battery, and plug it back in. That should reset any software. If that is the problem. Asking your seller is always a good idea Probably not going to open it up (no tools after the move to the retirement community, though there is a toolroom) as that would probably void the warranty. I would if it were older, but I've only had it since September, and we've had harder bumps than that just running around outside. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meepmeepmayer Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 (edited) Your case is pretty clear. You blew your board when a tire was stopped from moving by the vertical curb, causing a huge current spike which fried (a mosfet on) your board. That's a typical if unlucky thing that can happen with curbs and similar vertical walls. No need to disassemble or puzzle over it. Since you have the warranty, let your seller deal with this. He can replace the board and check that nothing else is broken (the short can cause secondary damage at the battery, wiring, etc.), or just send you a replacement. Edited January 30, 2020 by meepmeepmayer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABEhrhardt Posted January 30, 2020 Author Share Posted January 30, 2020 Thanks. I can't tell if the board is fried without getting inside, but the symptoms are clear - it isn't working, though the power seems okay - it charges, and the led lights work. Getting ready to contact the seller now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrelwood Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 Sorry to hear this happened with your Airwheel! 5 hours ago, ABEhrhardt said: I can't tell if the board is fried without getting inside Actually you might. If you turn on the wheel to it’s ”beep of death” and then connect with the Airwheel app, it should show you some kind of an error message. For the Airwheel A3, error codes 4 and 7 were for a fried control board, one for either side. How do I know? Unfortunately I had the exact same thing happen on my A3. I was checking something on my phone, and to stay in place I leaned extremely lightly on a curb. All of a sudden the motors went dead and started a constant beep tone whenever the wheel was powered on. And the other wheel was hard to turn even when powered off. 5 hours ago, ABEhrhardt said: Getting ready to contact the seller now. If your dealer does what it’s supposed to with the warranty, you’re in luck! Not that the control boards are expensive, just 25€ in my case, but replacing one is a bit of a bigger project. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABEhrhardt Posted January 30, 2020 Author Share Posted January 30, 2020 11 hours ago, mrelwood said: If you turn on the wheel to it’s ”beep of death” and then connect with the Airwheel app, it should show you some kind of an error message. For the Airwheel A3, error codes 4 and 7 were for a fried control board, one for either side. Unfortunately, the app refuses to connect - so no error codes to see. Wish I could have - it would be better to have a specific code to tell them about. Thanks. I'm about to tackle the process of repair/replacement/not covered under warranty - I bought the most protection eBay offered, so let's see if it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kroneage Posted December 9, 2023 Share Posted December 9, 2023 On 1/29/2020 at 5:23 PM, meepmeepmayer said: Your case is pretty clear. You blew your board when a tire was stopped from moving by the vertical curb, causing a huge current spike which fried (a mosfet on) your board. That's a typical if unlucky thing that can happen with curbs and similar vertical walls. No need to disassemble or puzzle over it. Since you have the warranty, let your seller deal with this. He can replace the board and check that nothing else is broken (the short can cause secondary damage at the battery, wiring, etc.), or just send you a replacement. It's SIMPLE but don't tell any of us it is and that's AIRWHEEL's AIR HEADS for YOU> It has to be "RE-CALIBRATED"! But you won't find this out till after you keep watch this video on "Replacing your motherboard on your S8" > "How To Calibrate It"! Then you'll watch it again and again only to realize you'll need to make up your own connector to short out two contact points on the motherboard! ...that's it > at 5:21 into the video! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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