WED, 04/03/2013 - 12:25PM

Spring is here and its that time of the year that the forgotten Segway PT’s begin to resurface for the months ahead.  Its also that magical time of the year that customers tend to realize they have battery problems or have lost their InfoKeys.  If you are one of the unfortunate few who fall into this category you are in luck as we have decided to run specials on Segway Lithium Ion batteries as well as Segway InfoKeys for the month of April.
Segway Lithium Ion batteries (MSRP $999+ shipping) will be selling for a flat $867 INDEFINITELY.  I know, its still a kick in the teeth to have to buy one of these but hopefully this lessens the sting a little.  As for Segway InfoKeys (MSRP $235), we will have them on sale for $200 a piece granted you have the programming codes.  If you have never gone through the process of ordering a new key please read our article here on the ways to do so.
As you are getting your units ready for the warm weather here are some tips and information on how to do so.

Switch batteries front to back.  This is something that Segway has never confirmed nor denied as a necessary maintenance procedure but  may be a good idea.  The reason this helps is because the rear battery is constantly receiving a draw from the radio board which is always sending out a signal to communicate with the key, just like a radar.  Over time this takes its toll on the rear battery which explains why when it comes time to replace batteries the rear one almost always goes out first, normally about 6 months to a year before the front.  When  you switch batteries front to back periodically this effectively distributes the stress associated with the radio board’s parasitic draw and will prolong the health of your battery, and your bank account!

Another commonly ignored maintenance issue on Segway PT’s  is tire pressure.  Many times people simply pump up their tires, give them a squeeze, and say to themselves “yep looks good”.  Staying in character with other aspects of the Segway PT, tire pressure is another one of those “sensitive” things that can cause problems if ignored.  We will explain what your tire pressure needs to be, why it is important, and some of the common mistakes people make.
Segway i2 tire pressure needs to be kept at 15 PSI and the X2 model needs only 4 PSI.  If the tire you are running says anything different on the outside simply disregard the information.  

So why does it matter what my Segway’s tire pressure is? The way I put it to people is that your machine is essentially blind, and the only way it can communicate with the world is by feedback it gets from gravity and the tires.  I can’t explain the exact algorithm Segway has created to calculate distance and other things (they wont tell me!) but lets keep this simple.  Your PT has an odometer on it and if the distance traveled/calculated doesn’t match up with what it is actually experiencing the machine begins to think that something is not working properly.   Tire pressure affects this because it can create drag, and in worse case scenarios an uneven drag.  

In this case where one tire on your PT is lower than the other you must compensate to keep the machine straight by slighting leaning the other direction, compensating for the drag.  Your PT, which remember is blind, now thinks that it is on a curved path.  The reality is that it is on a straight path (you’re only compensating, not turning), creating a disparity between what it is reading and what is actually happening (distance traveled is distorted).  At some point in there this difference becomes too great and the software takes a step back and shuts down the machine.  Another way to induce this error would be to drive your machine straight along an incline (ex. drainage ditch) for long distances, causing the same circumstances.

Some of the common mistakes that people make when inflating tires is the already mentioned uneven inflation and also the somewhat dangerous over inflation.   I have seen Segway tires inflated until they are hard as a rock with the claim that “its gets more mileage”.  Ummm, yeah that may be true but you loose all of your shock absorbing capabilities.  Ive ridden them this way and trust me it is extremely bumpy and quite frankly not even all that safe.

So there you have it! Summer sales and a few tips on how to get your Segway PT ready for the coming months.  We look forward to the busy season of the year and wish everyone a safe summer!