Gen2 Electric Unicycle

[dining0philosopher]

why not li-ion??

[electricunicycle]

@dining0philosopher This is a "2nd Generation Uni" The Gen3 will support a higher end lighter motor with a lifepo4 power source (safer than l-ion). Digital sensors fuel a redesigned custom bulletproof controller in the Gen3. Also, since the time of this original post, lithium technology has become more affordable.

[becomepostal]

It looks cool !

So, is this like a mini-Segway or did I miss the point here ?

[electricunicycle]

@becomepostal Yep a mini-segway ... with one less wheel

[jimmy42135]

What do you use for a brushless esc?  Is the motor sensored?

[electricunicycle]

Controller is custom. Sensoring is required as back EMF does not generate enough quality feedback for the servo at low speeds.

[MysteriousDoor]

Lol, you cheat at unicycling. Nice job man.

[darklightningitachi]

can you fall off or is it impossible?

[electricunicycle]

Certainly not impossible! The electronics work hard to reduce the risk, but just as you can fall over when standing, the same applies here.

[bno112300]

it keeps you up front and back but you still can fall sideways.

[electricunicycle]

Correct. The point is to remove the hard part of unicycling (pedal/forward-backward balance) while keeping the fun part (turning/left-right balance).

[RoboTekno]

cool people use lipos though lol jk, really cool invention :D

[electricunicycle]

Lipos are in the plan. They add cost and quality. SLA's and NiMh are more regen friendly - and easier on the pocket!

[REMZROLLER1]

where can i buy one of these

[serveri950000]

nice work man! :D

[wennesla]

wow nice

[javierenchina]

how do you control the speed. is it just a 1 wheeled segway?

[electricunicycle]

Yes, it is "just" a 1 wheeled Segway - all motion controlled by leaning

[thecyclepath]

that is amazing i didnt think there was anything better than a regular unicycle but i was wrong totally amazing

[AfroGel01]

you are very enthusiastic

[Zypkin]

Great work! I just wonder how did U manage to embed the motor in the weel... I'd like to implement this kind of solution but I cant find anything commercial :(

[electricunicycle]

Finding an affordable easy-to-get motor is a goal that I have found illusive. For prototype quantities, you can't beat eBay.

[MauroContreras4]

Do you make these on your spare time, buy them or do you have a shop of some sort. You seem to be quite good at building cool vehicles. Also i was wondering if you could post a video showing how the one wheeled skateboard rides.

[electricunicycle]

I make them in my home shop. Nothing to sell right now. Just R and D phase.

[electricunicycle]

I hope to post soon (Jan '08)

[unicycle6869]

I would love to try to ride that someday soon. I live in Huntington Beach. Do you think I could try riding it someday? I'm a level 10 rider and have been riding for 17years. Email me at unicycle6869 at yahoo if it's possible. Thanks, that thing looks awesome!

[Oddman1980]

How far will it go on a charge, and how much of a grade will it handle? I know I have trouble with steep hills on my unicycle, I lose momentum and have to step off.

[electricunicycle]

It goes a little over an hour at about 8 to 10 mph. The steep hills of Aliso Viejo pose no problem for this 1KW unit.

[Borgschulze]

You should ride it backwards.

[electricunicycle]

I agree. The limitation is not the machine, it's me. I must first learn to ride a regular unicycle backwards ... always learn traditional before motorizing the danger!

[electricunicycle]

Yes crazyrog17, it uses a gyro and an accelerometer merged together with a Kalman filter.

[crazyrog17]

does it have gyroscopic sensors? how else would it stop when you lean back, or stand?