New EUC Checkup - What to Check

[euccommuter]

When I received my brand new EUC I was clueless about how to see if it was good to ride, I remember I only checked that the tire was ok and that it powered on. It was midweek afternoon and I was impatient to try riding it before the sunset. Of course I scratched my Tesla a lot because I didn't pad it, fortunately nothing broke during my 2 weeks learning because I always went to a park.

When I found this forum I learned that before riding one should:

• Have enough battery, at least more than 50% and depending on the ride
• Update the firmware if possible (ideally step updates) to the latest working one (check this forum otherwise you may brick your EUC)
• Calibrate the wheel if you feel pedal dipping in curves (probably there won't be a need for calibration out of the box)
• Have the tire with 30-35 PSI  Pump the tire until it feels firm but bouncy. Use the Forum Downloads > Tire Pressure Calculator as a reference.
• Check if the wheel wobbles a lot while lifting the EUC in the air
• Pad the EUC if you are learning

Recommended by @houseofjob:

• spray anti-rust agent like Kroil on all exposed metal parts (pedal grub screws, exposed axle between the shell body and motor, etc.)
• spray lubricant like white lithium grease on the pedal rods to prevent rusting and getting that piece stuck when de-pedaling

• in winter cold, top up charge as often as possible, due to artificial battery depletion in cold.
• in the summer, limit extreme heat exposure as much as possible (indoor A/C), as with all computer-like electronics, extreme heat is the most damaging.
• check the wheel internals in general for loose screws, especially the ones securing the pedal arm, main axle nut, and main board MOSFET screws. also check for stripped wires, etc.
• buy one replacement inner tube ahead of time.

Also one should balance the batteries once a month and store the EUC with 40-70% of the battery to try maximize its lifespan. In cold weather pre-heat the EUC if the temperature is below 5ºC (41ºF) before riding and also for charging it if the temperature is below 0ºC (32ºF). Plus putting gorilla-tape in the openings of the case may help keeping water and dust out of the internals.

Is it recommended to check more in detail any specific component (such as the motherboard, battery, cables, etc) or have other precautions before riding or charging it?

Edit: Corrected following the thread's responses.

Edited March 5, 2020 by euccommuter
Corrected following the thread's responses

[Biped Phil]

Check that the lights work.

[euccommuter]

4 minutes ago, Biped Phil said:

Check that the lights work.

 Right, as well as the USB and all the additional features.

[euccommuter]

Although it would be a pain having to send back the EUC to the seller if just one light was broken for the sake of not voiding the warranty by repairing it yourself

[houseofjob]

2 hours ago, euccommuter said:

• Update the firmware if possible (ideally step updates)

If you read on the forums of the horror firmware upgrade stories of wheels past (notably the Ninebot E+ firmware debacle circa 2016), you'll know that brand new firmware OTA update rollouts should be more of a wait-and-see approach; upgrade at-your-own-risk.

 

2 hours ago, euccommuter said:

• Have the tire with 30-35 PSI

Um, no, PSI is not a finite value. Proper riding PSI depends on the tire ratings, tube vs tubeless, and most importantly the rider payload and rider comfort preference. Don't go by the number, go by the feel while riding: firm bounce to stiff is adviseable, as going towards super bouncy/cushy risks damaging the rim (bending) on impact (potholes, curbs, etc).

 

2 hours ago, euccommuter said:

• Check if the wheel wobbles a lot while lifting the EUC in the air

Er, if you can't feel it while riding, then it doesn't matter if the wheel wobbles on no-load lifting.

 

I would add:

• spray anti-rust agent like Kroil on all exposed metal parts (pedal grub screws, exposed axle between the shell body and motor, etc.)
• spray lubricant like white lithium grease on the pedal rods to prevent rusting and getting that piece stuck when de-pedaling
• in winter cold, top up charge as often as possible, due to artificial battery depletion in cold.
• in the summer, limit extreme heat exposure as much as possible (indoor A/C), as with all computer-like electronics, extreme heat is the most damaging.
• check the wheel internals in general for loose screws, especially the ones securing the pedal arm, main axle nut, and main board MOSFET screws. also check for stripped wires, etc.
• buy one replacement inner tube ahead of time.

 

[meepmeepmayer]

13 hours ago, euccommuter said:

Calibrate the wheel

No need to calibrate unless you get pedal dipping in curves or any other strange pedal behavior. Never change a running system

[euccommuter]

21 hours ago, houseofjob said:

If you read on the forums of the horror firmware upgrade stories of wheels past (notably the Ninebot E+ firmware debacle circa 2016), you'll know that brand new firmware OTA update rollouts should be more of a wait-and-see approach; upgrade at-your-own-risk.

Good point. If you agree I'll update my OP to "Update until the latest reliable firmware (search for it in this forum) or do not update at all"

21 hours ago, houseofjob said:

Um, no, PSI is not a finite value. Proper riding PSI depends on the tire ratings, tube vs tubeless, and most importantly the rider payload and rider comfort preference. Don't go by the number, go by the feel while riding: firm bounce to stiff is adviseable, as going towards super bouncy/cushy risks damaging the rim (bending) on impact (potholes, curbs, etc).

Although this is an excellent point, you may not know the ridding feel of your new wheel until you have obviously ridden it for a while. Hence I thought that giving a PSI range number was good enough, specifically for newbies that may have never even tried an EUC. If you agree I'll update my OP to "Pump the tire until it feels firm but bouncy"

21 hours ago, houseofjob said:

Er, if you can't feel it while riding, then it doesn't matter if the wheel wobbles on no-load lifting.

Maybe you are right, but my point is that a brand new EUC should not wobble. If it does right out of the box, then you are better off asking for a replacement. The seller won't give you much trouble honoring the warranty if the wheel does not have a single scratch than a week later. Also have in mind that most newcomers have balance issues the first weeks when learning, and they wouldn't want to have an extra hard time learning because they got a wobbly wheel.

22 hours ago, houseofjob said:

• spray anti-rust agent like Kroil on all exposed metal parts (pedal grub screws, exposed axle between the shell body and motor, etc.)
• spray lubricant like white lithium grease on the pedal rods to prevent rusting and getting that piece stuck when de-pedaling

Interesting. How often would you recommend to do this?

22 hours ago, houseofjob said:

• in winter cold, top up charge as often as possible, due to artificial battery depletion in cold.
• in the summer, limit extreme heat exposure as much as possible (indoor A/C), as with all computer-like electronics, extreme heat is the most damaging.
• check the wheel internals in general for loose screws, especially the ones securing the pedal arm, main axle nut, and main board MOSFET screws. also check for stripped wires, etc.
• buy one replacement inner tube ahead of time.

I'll add this to my OP if you agree

[euccommuter]

12 hours ago, meepmeepmayer said:

No need to calibrate unless you get pedal dipping in curves or any other strange pedal behavior. Never change a running system

Good point, if you agree I'll add it to my OP as a note.

Anyways when I first started writing the OP I did it with the intention of stating the checkups that should be done on a brand new EUC (as the title of the thread says) but I admit I got interrupted halfway and then forgot the main point

This said I still think that one should calibrate their brand new EUC after the first ride and again probably after the learning period.

[houseofjob]

4 hours ago, euccommuter said:

Although this is an excellent point, you may not know the ridding feel of your new wheel until you have obviously ridden it for a while. Hence I thought that giving a PSI range number was good enough, specifically for newbies that may have never even tried an EUC. If you agree I'll update my OP to "Pump the tire until it feels firm but bouncy"

Sure, but you really can't just quote numbers blind, especially seeing as a 100kg rider and a 50kg rider will have completely different numbers, for example.......

Maybe if you said the number based on the rider weight, wheel model, tire size, and model tire. Then people can scale up or down from there.

 

4 hours ago, euccommuter said:

Maybe you are right, but my point is that a brand new EUC should not wobble. If it does right out of the box, then you are better off asking for a replacement. The seller won't give you much trouble honoring the warranty if the wheel does not have a single scratch than a week later. Also have in mind that most newcomers have balance issues the first weeks when learning, and they wouldn't want to have an extra hard time learning because they got a wobbly wheel.

Interesting. How often would you recommend to do this?

I'll add this to my OP if you agree

Er, but every wheel when you lift up will have at least some wobble. You really need to ride it to actually see if there is an issue.

 

4 hours ago, euccommuter said:

Interesting. How often would you recommend to do this?

After any significant periods of riding in rain or dirt/debris, especially if you notice any visual signs of metal screws rusting anywhere. Also, definitely initially before you start riding the wheel.

[Blicky Te⚡️la]

I’m 320 lbs and that PSI would sink me.

[meepmeepmayer]

9 hours ago, euccommuter said:

Good point, if you agree I'll add it to my OP as a note.

You don't need anyone's permission to edit your posts

9 hours ago, euccommuter said:

This said I still think that one should calibrate their brand new EUC after the first ride and again probably after the learning period.

Why? If it works already, it won't get better. But it can get worse.

On the other hand, a calibration is no big deal, so it won't kill anyone either

My opinion is: No need to introduce a possible point of error. I'm mainly worried about a newbie calibrating a good wheel (no pedal dipping or such) and then having to re-calibrate a few times until everything works again, possibly not knowing the side-lean is what counts. Some boards (sensor) seem to be a bit finicky if you have bad luck.

Well, it's no point where one opinion is wrong and the other is right. Just preferences... I calibrated my ACM once 3 years ago and everything is perfect today still so that's where I am coming from.

[mrelwood]

A newbie will most probably be unable to tell an obviously bad calibration or even pedal dip, so I can see how a calibration is a good recommendation. But @meepmeepmayer is absolutely right in that doing a correct calibration is not at all straightforward, and the wheels don’t generally even come with a guide on how to do it. And even this forum has varying opinions on wether leaning on a wall is vertical enough, etc... Tough call!

A newbie can absolutely not tell a badly too low tire pressure from way overpressured one either, yet a 14” and a fat 18” alone require a vastly different pressures. Solution: Forum Downloads > Tire Pressure Calculator!