My Smartdrive MX2

[nonoise]

I wonder what is the expected amount of time that the Bluetooth module will hold charge when idle. I've been left with a dead battery after only a couple of days when it's not been used at all (and has been switched off).

My phone earpiece is reliable after two weeks with infrequent use. My car audio dongle likewise will last over a week even when it's used moderately for music and phone calls.

OK it's my fault for letting it run dry, but I'd expect it to hold charge for some days unused.

Bummer, test it by fully charging it, don't use it but turn it off and let it sit a few days and see if it's still charged. I don't know what type battery it's using, but yours might need replacing.
Lithiums with at least 60% charge are supposed to last for months in storage. I have a big one that hasn't been used for about a year and it is holding up fine. But if the charge is allowed to drop too low, the lithium batteries will self destruct in storage. I have one that starts beeping when the charge gets low, telling me to charge it back up.

[mishahu]

turn it off and let it sit a few days and see if it's still charged.

And go back to life pre-SD? OMG!!

[betazoidgal]

I just got my MX2 today and I was having some trouble with it. Hoping y'all can help.
When I was trying to use it when my dealer first brought it, the wristband kept blinking red, which according to the manual meant it wasn't connecting to the drive. Charged it a little, it would only occasionally go, and then only twice could I get it to stop with the tapping motion.
I agreed to let it charge for a bit and he left. An hour and a half later, I put the wrist band on and tried it inside the house (which...was pretty stupid) and I kind of ran into a wall because I couldn't stop no matter how I tapped. Eventually after pressing and holding the button it did stop. Now there seems to be a little side-to-side motion with the drive where there wasn't before. Does that happen to anyone else? Do I need to get a new clamp? I don't think it's bent but I can take pictures. As I'm not at all delicate with things I'm starting to wonder if the SD was a good idea.

Edit: I charged both the drive and the bracelet completely. I can get it to start but it won't stop. I put it in training mode like the tech support dude suggested so I'd be able to stop by holding the handrims but that didn't work and I flipped over.

[grommet]

I am sorry about the trouble you are having. Hitting things and coming out of the chair is serious. I don't have the new model but with my SmartDrive I did all the things you talked about. It was pretty rough learning how to use it. I drove right up on a person in that first week, hit walls, crashed in to my front door and because the motor wouldn't stop it rotated underneath me completely actually lifting me up and letting me down as it did it and ended up backwards in front of me. I've been through a few iterations of the SD and I've gotten much better with it. I've had it for a few years now and I would say to you, you just got it and you're learning how to use it, don't give up just yet. My SD has changed my life. Many times if it weren't for my SD I would have stayed at home or had to use a powerchair.

I would talk to Max Mobility, they have some good people there who I hope will help you. Stay with the SmartDrive for a while. Talk to MM and get everything in working order then, practice very slowly. Eventually it might seem like second nature and you can enjoy the help it gives. Maybe you will decide it isn't for you but give it a good long try before you really make up your mind.

[betazoidgal]

I am sorry about the trouble you are having. Hitting things and coming out of the chair is serious. I don't have the new model but with my SmartDrive I did all the things you talked about. It was pretty rough learning how to use it. I drove right up on a person in that first week, hit walls, crashed in to my front door and because the motor wouldn't stop it rotated underneath me completely actually lifting me up and letting me down as it did it and ended up backwards in front of me. I've been through a few iterations of the SD and I've gotten much better with it. I've had it for a few years now and I would say to you, you just got it and you're learning how to use it, don't give up just yet. My SD has changed my life. Many times if it weren't for my SD I would have stayed at home or had to use a powerchair.

I would talk to Max Mobility, they have some good people there who I hope will help you. Stay with the SmartDrive for a while. Talk to MM and get everything in working order then, practice very slowly. Eventually it might seem like second nature and you can enjoy the help it gives. Maybe you will decide it isn't for you but give it a good long try before you really make up your mind.

Those were basically the choices my PT gave me (stay at home or get a powerchair) as I needed a push from someone else if I was going up an incline or longer distances. I actually own the SD so I'm stuck with it, haha. I don't think it's user-error as I had no trouble with the MX2 when I demo'd it in May. I 'm really hoping that the folks at MM will have a solution for me when I get a hold of them tomorrow and ask what's with the braking issue. It does make me feel better that I'm not the only person who's been crashing into things and/or people.

[mishahu]

I just got my MX2 today and I was having some trouble with it.

In my early experiences one of the problems was the wristband not switching the motor off reliably, and the motor restarting unpredictably. This was eventually recognised as a faulty unit which was replaced (motor and wristband). There were other symptoms of a faulty unit which I enumerated in post #44.

With my new MX2 all operations are as advertised. The wristband tap-to-stop is a very intuitive action that has now become reflex for me, ie not needing full attention.

Over this weekend I was at a music festival (if you ever want to come to Sydney make it the first weekend in October and meet me at Manly Jazz) in some very tight crowds and moving through knots of people. At first I needed to concentrate to make sure I wouldn't bump into people but soon it again became quite natural (although I did switch off among thick slow-moving crowds).

Regarding the wristband continuing to blink red, that happens to me sometimes when first started but switch off motor and/or wristband and on again makes the connection.

Side to side motion? Is you chair rigid or folding? If folding make sure that the bar has been set up correctly (again discussed in earlier posts). If rigid the clamp could be installed incorrectly.

Stick with the SD; it will change your life! Get back to your supplier and insist that it be set up correctly and not a bum unit.

On a topic asked earlier - is it possible to revert to the MX1+ indoor mode - press and hold the wrist button till the light turns green and it reverts. Personally I don't think it's necessary. Hold-to-stop requires resisting the motor's power which makes quite a sharp jolt in the hand/arm. Tapping the wristband allows you, depending on the situation, to just coast to a stop or control the already slowing chair. Again, the action is a natural sequence. What I'd like is to get into indoor mode without having the wristband at all. That is needed for when the wristband has lost charge, and the SD has become a dead weight.

[grommet]

You are not the only one :-)

I feel better knowing that I'm not the only one who has that powerchair choice dangling out there.

Maybe it is the unit, sometimes that can happen. I have also had a lot of bad collars. It seems to me the only weak part of the system. Then again, Mark Richter is a great guy and very very smart. If I had a problem with something he thought up my first thought is that I am using it wrong. But nobody is perfect and Mark acts like he knows that and everyone at Max Mobility is so nice and they've helped me every time I've needed anything.

For me the SmartDrive is the solution. It drives me crazy some times, even today it made me crazy while I was trying to get it engaged, but as power-assist goes I haven't found anything else that suited my needs better. I can get in or out of the car with my girlfriend and it takes just a minute or two to attach the drive, now I can keep up with her wherever she goes. Independence is amazing. I forget how great it is as I get used to having less but then get some back and wow. That's what the SD has been for me.

Two things I still want Max Mobility to do, 1. improve the programming to make it easier and 2. make collars that fit better. On the latter, I had collar after collar that would break in and then loosen up so much I had terrible side-play in the drive which made it very noisy and have less traction.

Whatever happens, I hope you'll let us know and I hope it does get better for you.

[mishahu]

powerchair choice dangling out there.

I think the SD will hold that off for at least 5 years, maybe 10 when I'll be 70 (eek!!)

I can get in or out of the car with my girlfriend and it takes just a minute or two to attach the drive

A matter of seconds with the MX2. No fussing with placing battery and wires. Slip on wristband, put SD on chair and away you go.

Whatever happens, I hope you'll let us know and I hope it does get better for you.

I second that.

[betazoidgal]

In my early experiences one of the problems was the wristband not switching the motor off reliably, and the motor restarting unpredictably. This was eventually recognised as a faulty unit which was replaced (motor and wristband). There were other symptoms of a faulty unit which I enumerated in post #44.

With my new MX2 all operations are as advertised. The wristband tap-to-stop is a very intuitive action that has now become reflex for me, ie not needing full attention.

Over this weekend I was at a music festival (if you ever want to come to Sydney make it the first weekend in October and meet me at Manly Jazz) in some very tight crowds and moving through knots of people. At first I needed to concentrate to make sure I wouldn't bump into people but soon it again became quite natural (although I did switch off among thick slow-moving crowds).

Regarding the wristband continuing to blink red, that happens to me sometimes when first started but switch off motor and/or wristband and on again makes the connection.

Side to side motion? Is you chair rigid or folding? If folding make sure that the bar has been set up correctly (again discussed in earlier posts). If rigid the clamp could be installed incorrectly.

Stick with the SD; it will change your life! Get back to your supplier and insist that it be set up correctly and not a bum unit.

On a topic asked earlier - is it possible to revert to the MX1+ indoor mode - press and hold the wrist button till the light turns green and it reverts. Personally I don't think it's necessary. Hold-to-stop requires resisting the motor's power which makes quite a sharp jolt in the hand/arm. Tapping the wristband allows you, depending on the situation, to just coast to a stop or control the already slowing chair. Again, the action is a natural sequence. What I'd like is to get into indoor mode without having the wristband at all. That is needed for when the wristband has lost charge, and the SD has become a dead weight.

It did seem as if we were having super similar issues. After a full charge, the wristband no longer blinks red, but the stopping issue still persisted. I called Max Mobility and they diagnosed the problem in about a minute. They had me turn on the drive, then turn on the bracelet. Then they asked what colors were blinking, and when I told them just the green, they asked me to turn off the bracelet. Because the bracelet did not vibrate twice (or at all) to turn off, they determined it was something faulty with the bracelet. (He said something about programming but I'm hard of hearing so....) They're overnighting me a new bracelet module with return postage for the one I currently have.

I'm sure that once it's working, I'm going to love it. The demo seemed so effortless and I look forward to doing more (and going to music festivals again!). My unit doesn't make a ton of side to side motion. Just a tiny bit. The rep is supposed to stop by some time this week so I'll have him look at the clamp just in case. I have a rigid chair.

I like what you're talking about regarding the indoor mode sans wristband. I'd be interested in seeing if Max Mobility will work on that.

You are not the only one :-)



I feel better knowing that I'm not the only one who has that powerchair choice dangling out there.

Maybe it is the unit, sometimes that can happen. I have also had a lot of bad collars. It seems to me the only weak part of the system. Then again, Mark Richter is a great guy and very very smart. If I had a problem with something he thought up my first thought is that I am using it wrong. But nobody is perfect and Mark acts like he knows that and everyone at Max Mobility is so nice and they've helped me every time I've needed anything.

For me the SmartDrive is the solution. It drives me crazy some times, even today it made me crazy while I was trying to get it engaged, but as power-assist goes I haven't found anything else that suited my needs better. I can get in or out of the car with my girlfriend and it takes just a minute or two to attach the drive, now I can keep up with her wherever she goes. Independence is amazing. I forget how great it is as I get used to having less but then get some back and wow. That's what the SD has been for me.

Two things I still want Max Mobility to do, 1. improve the programming to make it easier and 2. make collars that fit better. On the latter, I had collar after collar that would break in and then loosen up so much I had terrible side-play in the drive which made it very noisy and have less traction.

Whatever happens, I hope you'll let us know and I hope it does get better for you.

I'll keep y'all apprised of how it goes with the new wristband. While I'm definitely frustrated, SD still seems like the best solution for me. Thankfully, as you said, their customer service has been fantastic. I hope it continues to give you the mobility it does.

[grommet]

They really are nice and helpful at Max Mobility. They've been there for me every time.