An accident years ago left me needing to use a powerchair full time. After a few years of using what money could buy I decided nothing available was suitable to give me the freedom I needed. I built the first one in 2012 or so. It took a few years and a LOT of trial and error over several iterations. This page is documenting the fourth one I have built. Most of the difficulty came from my requirements: A few days worth of battery range, silly powerful for towing, fast charging, compact, durable, reliable, lightweight, and safe. That meant it was going to have to be lithium powered and brushless, which has not and still is not properly done off-the-shelf. Adding to the complication is there are no acceptable wheelchair controllers that fit the bill for these goals either.
I have built everything from 8 second 1/4 mile drag cars to automated conveyor systems to fuel injected street rods to small CNC machines to remote control lawnmowers to 3d printers to computers. Designing and building a PROPER outdoor capable powerchair with indoor size and manners from scratch has been the most time consuming and complicated project that I have taken on.
A few quick specs:
Length: 35 inches long from the back of the tires to the front of the casters
Max Height: 42 inches to top of the backrest depending on adjustments.
Minimum Height: Folds down to 24 inches to fit through most airline cargo doors
Seat Height: 18 inches from the ground to seatpan
Width: 28 inches at the widest point from outside to outside of the rear wheels
Voltage: 14S, which is about 46.5v in use
Battery Capacity: 4,650 Watt Hours
Speed: 8.5mph
Ground Clearance: 5.5 to 6 inches
Suspension Travel: 3.5 inches front. 3 inches rear.
Tilt: 46 degrees
Weight: 264 pounds
Follow along on the pages below to see how it came together. None of this is pulitzer worthy documentation. It's mostly just cellphone snaps while working.
Build Pages