Smart S1 2-wheel self-balancing scooter Personal Transporter

Smart S1 2-wheel self-balancing scooter
Personal Transporter

Though not an R/C unit, it shares some common points as far as the drive system is concerned – this personal transporter device is powered by two, independently-controlled BL (brushless) motors and runs on a lio-ion 36V DC battery/powerpack. So it deserves some documentation on quality, useability and first-hand overall observations on the unit.

The S1 personal transporter is a scaled-down version of the more popular Segway scooter, without the upright drivehandle, it has smaller wheels and is slower and lighter. Though weighing in at about 10kgs, its something still quite heavy to carry around for the average user.

It took me about 45 minutes to learn how to balance, get used to the control of speed, acceleration and of course the turning which is surprisingly intuitive to learn once you get to know the basic operation of the motors. So I think anybody who can stand upright and walk normally on their two legs can and will eventually learn how to use this device, its just a matter of time and if they have the assistance of an experienced user to coach them, it would be so much easier and safer. I’d suggest donning the usual protective wear/clothing as you would if you’re going out mountain biking, skateboarding, etc. and that means a helmet, elbow and knee crashpads and thick comfy clothing like jeans and long-sleeved shirt, gloves are also a must if you wish to protect your hands from scrapes and such when you fall down.

I could imagine that any sport or activity that requires balancing like skating, boarding (surf, skim, skate, etc.), cycling and the like would greatly help in learning to use this transporter. It has only two wheels so you need to balance on it constantly since there’s no third point to supprt and be lax, at first it seems to be so but as you get used to it, it becomes more natural and comes to the point that you’re not thinking about the balancing act anymore, kinda like learning how to ride the bicycle.

First time I stepped on the thing the wheel part where I put my foot on quickly rotated, unknowingly I had my foot slightly tilted (whether forward or backward I couldn’t remember), but the important thing was that you should step on one foot first and your step should be LEVEL! If you know this from the start then the wheels wont move, and if it doesn’t move then you’ll have an easier time to mount, otherwise you’ll end up like me mounting on jerkily since I was trying to compensate the movement of the wheels. And this awkward movement can lead to a slip and/or fall. Once you mount on one foot and making sure its level then mount with the second foot, and as with the the first, it should also be LEVEL! when you step on. The wheels are small enough that the center of gravity of the device (and you on it now) is low so balancing isn’t as difficualt as one can imagine, its akin to tiptoe-ing and it becomes second nature once you get the hang of it. Of course, having someone to hold on to (helping hang/arm) or even trekking poles, walking canes, etc. can help with those initial steps. REMEMBER, you’re feet should be LEVEL!

* 11/25/16 1026h – for reference, diagram for a single board 6.5″ unit.

Hi-res below…