A DIY One Wheel as Good because the Actual Deal

In the event you reside in a hip city space, you have in all probability seen somebody zipping round on a Onewheel. That is a model identify for a kind of electrical skateboard that balances on a single giant wheel. However a Onewheel is a fairly costly car, with probably the most inexpensive mannequin beginning at round $1,500. Luckily, John Dingley and Nick Thatcher had the ability and expertise to create their very own DIY Mega-Wheelie that’s simply nearly as good.

Dingley and Thatcher began constructing one-wheeled self-balancing skateboards means again in 2008 and have been impressed by the same mission accomplished by Ben Smithers in 2007. The Onewheel firm wasn’t based till 2014, so it might be inaccurate to referred to as the Mega-Wheelie “a DIY model of a Onewheel.” As an alternative, it might be extra truthful to say that “the Onewheel is a commercialized model of the prototypes constructed by Smithers, Dingley, and Thatcher.”

Timeline apart, Onewheel electrical autos are fairly well-liked as of late. However the Mega-Wheelie, constructed in 2019, appears simply as succesful. Like a Onewheel, it balances on a single giant tire. The rider mounts the car by putting one foot behind the wheel and the opposite foot in entrance. The rider can speed up by leaning ahead and switch by shifting their weight to both aspect. A handheld “useless man’s swap” acts as a security measure to cease the motors if the rider lets go or falls off. The big tire makes Mega-Wheelie significantly adept at touring over tough terrain, like gravel roads and sandy seashores.

A robust 450W gear motor drive’s Mega-Wheelie’s big wheel via a series and sprocket. It will get energy from a 24V LiFePO4 battery pack and an Arduino controls the motor by way of a Dimension Engineering SyRen driver. The Arduino displays an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) to allow the self-balancing capabilities.