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4-day old V11 Issues


TruckNutz

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Hello.  I am new to this forum and new to EUC.  A week ago I decided to purchase an InMotion V11 and received it 3 days after purchase from EUCO in Las Vegas.  The device worked as expected until today.  During training I did a slo-mo t-bone crash into my RV tire at and the wheel of the V11 blocked against the truck tire.  I did not fall over, and neither did the wheel.  When I repositioned and attempted to mount the wheel, it was not running.  It would not respond to the power switch and when moved there was lots of magnetic cogging (I assume these devices use brushless DC motors that normally cog).  I tried many things, but could not get the device to respond.  I re-attached the wheel to the charger and was able to establish BT communication and run the diagnostics.  The tests showed "good", but it would still not respond to the power button except after being removed from the charger.  In that case, I would see about 1 second of normal power-up indications on the top display, then darkness.  

After reading this and other forums, I have concluded that the likely culprit is that  when rubber-met-rubber, the wheel's servo logic attempted to put infinite current to the motor to continue forward motion (which could not occur) resulting in a blown power transistor(s).  I read elsewhere that the cogging was indicative of a toasted MOSFET.  I have notified EUCO and given that I have had the wheel for 4 days, I would hope they would stand behind their products.  Not sure how this will resolve, or even if it will be resolvable.

Has anyone else on this list had a similar issue?  Should I be expecting to get stiffed on this?  Is it possible to user-repair this device or are the parts proprietary?

Thanks in advance, TruckNutz (AKA Bill)

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Those are exactly the symptoms I had.  After plugging in the charger I could connect, but no self balancing.  After removing from the charger, you could attempt to turn it on but it would die as soon as it finished the startup animation (partway through to boot sound).

Mine was about 12 days old with less than 20kms.  Never crashed once.

Turns out that the motor wires had been pinched by the metal shell that encloses the main board.  The insulation was damaged and I guess with some unlucky movement of the wires they shorted out against the shell.  Mine is still being repaired but the tech said it needs a new motor and maybe a new main board.  Little strange to me, I would have expected the main board to be a definite casualty and the motor to be okay, but whatever.

I bought mine from a local reseller.  They took the wheel in for repairs with no problem.  On one hand I would rather get the repaired wheel back because I know this time it should be put together properly, but on the other hand I kinda just want a new wheel so I can get out riding instead of having to wait potentially 6 weeks or so for parts to get it.

Edited by Firebat45
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I'm jealous of your truck!  I've been living in a Sprinter for the last few years and love the freedom of the lifestyle, and I am building my dream expedition truck to do the PanAm Highway. 

I chose EUCs for the exact reason that they are small and storable inside a vehicle without taking up tons of space, but still fast and capable.  Even a folding bike takes up way more space. 

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Blowing a mosfet trying to balance with a stuck tire is unfortunately a common issue with EUCs. Some modern EUCs are strong enough to handle the excess current, some have a firmware based current limiter that can help, and some (KingSongs) indeed have a fuse that tries to protect against it. But none is them are definitive solutions to the issue, and mosfets can still burn if the tire is jammed.

Sorry to hear that you have to go through installing a new board so soon in your riding career! But sounds like you are prepared and up for it. I do suggest finding a good instructional video on how to do it, and follow it closely. The process is definitely not self-explanatory, self-guiding, or even logical.

 On the bright side though, once you have installed the new board, confirmed that the firmware versions match, and calibrated the wheel, you are ready to ride and have a special intimate connection with your wheel and a decent understanding of it’s mechanics.

 Good luck with the process! If there’s anything you doubt while swapping the board (like the order of the motor cables and such), ask, do not try! 

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Firebat45: we have had our truck "Thor" since 2010.  We replaced our Unimog 1300 that we had for 15 years and drove all over, even to the Arctic ocean at Prudhoe Bay.  We went through Calgary, but not Edmonton.  Our plan is to do a trans-Canada trip from the west coast to the maritimes "soon" (likely after the covid thing blows over).  Sprinters are good and easy to get parts for.  Our truck is a garden variety ex-Nato 5 ton, very common in europe.  If you want more info or to start an off topic conversation, email to bcaid at yahoo dot com and I can give you my reflections on the whole "expedition truck" topic.  I have many friends in that world and have seen many solutions to the problem, some good and inexpensive and some off the charts pricey (like a BlissBox on a 1222AF Mercedes).  Best, bc.

 

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On 5/6/2022 at 9:33 PM, Firebat45 said:

I'm jealous of your truck!  I've been living in a Sprinter for the last few years and love the freedom of the lifestyle, and I am building my dream expedition truck to do the PanAm Highway. 

I chose EUCs for the exact reason that they are small and storable inside a vehicle without taking up tons of space, but still fast and capable.  Even a folding bike takes up way more space. 

Hell yeah man that sounds like the life !! I’ve got Hungarian gypsy in my blood and the nomad life sounds like a dream 🤘🏻😎🤘🏻

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  • 5 months later...

Here is an update on my wheel.  Sad to say, but I am quite impatient and when the motor driver board fried, I expected the replacement in MONTHS.  I ordered an additional wheel and got functional in 3 days.  When the board finally arrived, it sat on the shelf for 7 months; I just got to addressing the cause(s) of my failure.

A detailed write-up on this issue is on my website http://www.billcaid.com/2022/V11 EUC Control Board Replacement 20221027/V11 EUC Control Board Replacement 20221027.htm

Best regards.  bc

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3 hours ago, TruckNutz said:

Here is an update on my wheel.  Sad to say, but I am quite impatient and when the motor driver board fried, I expected the replacement in MONTHS.  I ordered an additional wheel and got functional in 3 days.  When the board finally arrived, it sat on the shelf for 7 months; I just got to addressing the cause(s) of my failure.

A detailed write-up on this issue is on my website http://www.billcaid.com/2022/V11 EUC Control Board Replacement 20221027/V11 EUC Control Board Replacement 20221027.htm

Best regards.  bc

That was the nastiest cable pinch I’ve seen on any EUC. Incredibly lousy assembly. Luckily cases like these are very rare.

 You did a great job fixing the issue in a high quality manner!

Btw, the new boards are nowadays provided already installed to the heat sink, because getting the mosfet-heat sink connection to work well enough was an issue for too many customers.

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