IPS Zero Mod - Cutting case to improve wheel clearance?

[Tom]

Has anybody done this, or thought about it as I currently am?

I love my IPS but the case is so tight against the wheel at the bottom that it sometimes causes rocks to get jammed in it and can have trouble on some steep slopes. The solution to this seems to be cutting off a small part of the case at the front and back, this would improve the ground clearance. It should be possible, just really annoying to open the case and get a clean cut, so I was wondering if anyone has any tips before I start butchering...

[dmethvin]

The Rockwheel was probably the most open design anybody made. Everyone else has made very closed designs with the wheel almost entirely covered to the point where you can't even get an air pump into the valve of the tube without an extension.  There are a lot of good reasons to keep the wheel as enclosed as possible, for example if anything were to slip in there and jam the wheel it could burn out the MOSFETs almost immediately. If it was your hand or foot it could be even worse for you! A more enclosed wheel also prevents dirt or mud from being thrown up onto you. 

I have the same problem with my Firewheel where the case sometimes hits the ground on steep slopes. However, my case has spines and curves that add strength to it and cutting those parts out might make it more prone to crack. Is it the same for your case? As for the junk inside, if you feel pretty confident that the battery and electronics compartments are sealed well, you could spray a hose up into the wheel well to get a lot of the mud out. 

[esaj]

22 minutes ago, dmethvin said:

As for the junk inside, if you feel pretty confident that the battery and electronics compartments are sealed well, you could spray a hose up into the wheel well to get a lot of the mud out. 

Don't know about IPS Zeros, but I definitely wouldn't try this with Firewheel, dmethvin probably knows what I mean   IP65, right?

[Tom]

I was thinking about just cutting the part in the red circle

 

 

The LED's don't start until further up the black strip, so nothing functional is affected.

[Mono]

I did this on a Gotway MCM2s with a small saw and without disassembling anything.

[Jurgen]

It seems obvious, but I'm going to say it anyway: make sure nothing important sits behind the part you're cutting even if it's just a stud that improves structural regidity of the wheel.

Haven't tried it myself on a wheel, but in general my attack strategy for polymeres depends on how hard and thick it is.

Thin and soft = cut it; thick and soft = cut it with a hot knife; up to moderate thickness and hard = cut it with miniature saw; thick and hard = drill it first and then cut it with a miniature saw

For ex. for moderate thickness kydex, I use a miniature saw, and file the edges afterwards.

Maybe try a very small part first to improve your technique.

Good luck.

 

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

Maybe a Dremel and an acrylic pear cutting bur could trim a nice curve out of that area.  Just be cautious not to overheat plastic as it can get gooey and bunch up as you're cutting.  If it's hard enough it might not be a problem.  Have a vacuum nearby.