LhttaM Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Hey guys, today I was out trail-riding on my 16x when I had to bail (my overconfident ass), and my wheel fell into the river . I've been told it's beyond repair, but I'm not sure what to do with this thing. How can responsibly dispose my 16x? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsnapper Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 (edited) beyond repair? tear it down dry & clean it up. the mboard can be replaced if toast. of course u hv to like tinkering to do complete tear down/debug but u will feel great after wheel repaired. if u prefer to dispose i will pay shipping + - please send to me! seriously - i will gladly accept the challenge! u r new user so u cant pm - txt me if u consider shipping my way - five06.eight50.776eight sorry to hear abt this bad luck. major drag :-( Edited August 19, 2020 by amelanso add nt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinkererboi Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 (edited) 8 hours ago, LhttaM said: Hey guys, today I was out trail-riding on my 16x when I had to bail (my overconfident ass), and my wheel fell into the river . I've been told it's beyond repair, but I'm not sure what to do with this thing. How can responsibly dispose my 16x? Unlikely to be unrepairable. The motor is basically watertight and batteries are sealed pretty good. If I were you, as long as batteries are healthy i'd give it a go - The rest of the parts are relatively cheap to replace. Too bad I live across the globe or I too would have offered to take it off your hands 😂😉 Edited August 19, 2020 by Tinkererboi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rywokast Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 naaaaah.... not unrepairable by any means... if you dont want to deal with it then sell it for cheap but if shipping take out batteries first, the batteries alone are worth 1000 bucks lol.. unless it sat underwater for a week its fine besides maybe the board Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartL Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 Don't listen to everyone above. It's not repairable. Honest. Ship it to me for responsible disposal. Honest... Seriously, though, it's very unlikely that it's beyond economical repair. It is likely that the motherboard/controller is toast but the remainder is probably recoverable. Even if it's not you may as well break it for parts. Someone somewhere will have a busted motor, bent rim, fried battery, broken charge port, etc. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 Motor bearings will need replaced and the motor stripped down and any corrosion treated. Don't leave it too long before you open it up and ensure it gets completely dry. Its probably worth fixing if you are able to do this yourself. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rywokast Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 19 minutes ago, Nic said: Motor bearings will need replaced and the motor stripped down and any corrosion treated. Don't leave it too long before you open it up and ensure it gets completely dry. Its probably worth fixing if you are able to do this yourself. they should be fine if he was able to get it out right away.. im just assuming he did, after all people ride in heavy rain all the time without issues it's sealed pretty good.. but you should be able to tell... luckily it's a river so fresh water there shouldn't be any corrosion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriull Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinkererboi Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 Oh forgot to mention, rinse everything with ordinary bottled distilled water. Literally the kind you get from a supermarket. Dry completely before reassembly. Makes all the difference. Many times a wheel will start up at first but die weeks later cause of the leftover salts and minerals. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 4 hours ago, Rywokast said: they should be fine if he was able to get it out right away.. im just assuming he did, after all people ride in heavy rain all the time without issues it's sealed pretty good.. but you should be able to tell... luckily it's a river so fresh water there shouldn't be any corrosion Here is an example of a Xiaomi M365 Pro motor after riding in rain often (it wasn't submerged)... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LhttaM Posted August 19, 2020 Author Share Posted August 19, 2020 The thing was completely submerged for 5 to 10 minutes, and I heard the control board pop when I fished it out of the water. I'm glad to hear that there's a chance my 16x will live on, but at this point I'm leaning towards selling it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandin J. Mercer Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 On 8/19/2020 at 11:31 AM, LhttaM said: The thing was completely submerged for 5 to 10 minutes, and I heard the control board pop when I fished it out of the water. I'm glad to hear that there's a chance my 16x will live on, but at this point I'm leaning towards selling it. ya i'd just disassemble the wheel an let it dry real good for a week, then sell. more than likely a new main board will get it going again if the battery survived. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RagingGrandpa Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 (edited) https://www.facebook.com/groups/ElectricUnicycle/permalink/3193651164066158/?comment_id=3193780380719903 Please don't transport or ship those batteries until they're opened and tested... Edited August 21, 2020 by RagingGrandpa 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsnapper Posted August 22, 2020 Share Posted August 22, 2020 guys - is the bms of this batt likely to be toast and if so can the bms be replaced (assuming the cells are ok)? also someone in this thread ( or another) said the motor wld be fubared. can windings not be rinsed with isop alchl and bearings not be regreased? or bearings in sealed assembly (but not watertight)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RagingGrandpa Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 @amelanso - everything can be replaced or refurbished... but most of this work is not practical for the average consumer. If it were my wheel, I'd open the packs and discard anything inside that showed evidence of moisture (cells, pcb's, straps, etc). Opening the motor cover is also practical, and I like your rinse/dry/lube concept. All of this involves considerable labor, and if mistakes are made, the outcomes are very risky. On 8/18/2020 at 7:48 PM, LhttaM said: How can responsibly dispose my 16x? " Your neighborhood The Home Depot Store has partnered with Call2Recycle, a non-profit battery recycling program. You can recycle rechargeable batteries free by placing them in Call2Recycle bins at the store. Any rechargeable battery, including lithium batteries, or cellphone that weighs up to 11 pounds is accepted." 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsnapper Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 i hv acquired this special ks16x - submariner edition. it's a new partnership with rolex...I will advise on findings once rcvd. hopefully bms/batts are intact! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsnapper Posted September 20, 2020 Share Posted September 20, 2020 (edited) update - after full tear down and washing pcbs in isop controller was not salvageable. motor is not watertight and showed signs of water intrusion - pita to pop motor covers as ks appears to put some adhesive arnd edge of shells. washed windings/hall sensor pcb in isop. awaiting new mboard... special thx to @Marty Backe , @houseofjob,@RockyTop for some input on this rehab... more to follow... Edited September 20, 2020 by amelanso 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h3X Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 How does it look? Pictures? Did you manage to clean up the motor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsnapper Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 ya motor cleaned up as above with isop. new board this week. I was quite impressed with how much waterproofing inside - lift sensors in balloons! and lots of sealant where u want it. Batts look wtr tight but I know i hv to unwrap and chk carefully - only part of this i am dreading but also the most important... buddy of mine suggested i get an ammobox for this wheel if i find batts to b ok. i think i will as a precaution... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsnapper Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 (edited) bad news abt pack one - water has reached the cells/bms. the pack is balanced as all cells read between 3.85-3.81. but there is clear corrosion on nickel strips/spot welds. Seems like this pack is sadly beyond safe usage ... I assume cells with the dark green discoloration hv some water under wrapping? A good reminder that unless u open a pack that has been exposed to water, as tightly sealed as it may appear, u cannot know if it is dry inside... Edited September 29, 2020 by amelanso 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinkererboi Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 4 hours ago, amelanso said: bad news abt pack one - water has reached the cells/bms. the pack is balanced as all cells read between 3.85-3.81. but there is clear corrosion on nickel strips/spot welds. Seems like this pack is sadly beyond safe usage ... I assume cells with the dark green discoloration hv some water under wrapping? A good reminder that unless u open a pack that has been exposed to water, as tightly sealed as it may appear, u cannot know if it is dry inside... Scary. Shows that the flimsy shrink wrap simply isn't safe enough to handle batteries as sensitive as these. Will be coating all my batteries with truckbed liner on my next "servicing" for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsnapper Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 (edited) remember this wheel was actually submerged for 10 mins - the pack was pretty well sealed for normal riding conditions ( just not total immersion )... given what I saw from my tear down id be much more concerned abt rain getting into the controller area... Also the bms uses s wire free spot weld interface at all connection points - which seems to me to be a superior design. Edited September 30, 2020 by amelanso Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinkererboi Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 27 minutes ago, amelanso said: remember this wheel was actually submerged for 10 mins - the pack was pretty well sealed for normal riding conditions ( just not total immersion ).. Not taking any chances with a small bomb bewteen my legs 🤣. Nothing less than airtight will do it for me. My own pack seems to have become compromised from usual wear and tear although I have no doubt it left the factory waterproof. Of course I have reinforced the rub points with kapton tape and silicone where applicable but it still bugs me at night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RagingGrandpa Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 13 hours ago, amelanso said: A good reminder that unless u open a pack that has been exposed to water, as tightly sealed as it may appear, u cannot know if it is dry inside... Great post! And congratulations on reaching a final confirmation! For me at least, it's quite satisfying to discover an unambiguous failure after the effort of tearing everything down... hope you felt the same. Your effort paid off! The cells in the center of the pack that are immaculate in appearance could be useful in low-risk single-cell applications such as flashlights... but looks like nearly everything is just e-waste at this point. How do you plan to 'make it safe for disposal'? (I'd suggest breaking it down completely so that no cells are connected in parallel.) 9 hours ago, amelanso said: the bms uses wire free spot weld interface at all connection points - which seems to me to be a superior design. Thanks for the pics! Fuses inside the pack! And apparently no charge-stop in the pack! Good to know. If you end up detaching all the cells from the BMS, could you share a picture of the underside of the PCB? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post RagingGrandpa Posted September 30, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted September 30, 2020 On 8/19/2020 at 4:01 AM, amelanso said: u prefer to dispose i will pay shipping + - please send to me! On 8/19/2020 at 4:44 AM, Tinkererboi said: The motor is basically watertight and batteries are sealed pretty good. On 8/19/2020 at 6:55 AM, StuartL said: Ship it to me for responsible disposal. On 8/19/2020 at 8:10 AM, Rywokast said: luckily it's a river so fresh water there shouldn't be any corrosion On 8/21/2020 at 2:55 PM, Brandin J. Mercer said: i'd just disassemble the wheel an let it dry real good for a week, then sell. All of you ^^ please take this as a lesson learned: Shipping that battery put strangers at risk. We need to discourage this in the future, not only for safety of life, but also to preserve the public reputation of EUC's. (I intend this post as a lesson learned, not a condemnation... @amelanso did the commendable thing of reporting facts back to the group here, without which we wouldn't have the lesson.) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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