Related
Recommended
Engagement
  • Author Author: tariq.ahmad
  • Date Created: Date Created
  • Last Updated Last Updated:
  • Views 144075 views
  • Likes 7 likes
  • Comments 22 comments

DIY Electronic Controlled Motorized Wheelchair -- Episode 550

Taking a manual wheelchair and making an adaptable system that would work on most chairs out there is something I thought about for sometime. Making it cost effective and something anyone with a 3D printer and a few tools can put together in no time. Featuring Low cost parts and hardware.

 

Mobility is a huge issue when getting older and doing the same tasks you once did you might not be able to accomplish anymore without the aid of an assistive device like a power chair or scooter. Since I do work in the medical field where I see many people struggle with simple tasks and some with even more of a simple task not being able to accomplish this. So,  Why not try to build something that can be used in multiple situations but for starters lets start with something as simple as being able to inch forward to the kitchen table or move out of the sun or turn to watch tv at a better angle. I thought creating a powered wheelchair out of a manual wheelchair would be the best thing to try to do motorizing something at a low cost that anyone can build and be able to adjust based on their needs. Now like most projects this is a proof of concept and may not hold up over the long term but making a manual chair with off the shelf parts like Arduino’s, Stepper motor controllers, and Nema17 motors.  As well as many really accessible parts from a hardware store or electronics parts shop like Newark, we can start the process of prototyping things at a reasonable price and hopefully help someone in the long run come up with an idea that can be used to help others. I had an idea and so many ideas for that one I had to start building it to see where it would lead me on my learning path of what's going to work, what's not going to work and finally a product that moves and does what it should. Making a motorized wheelchair can be upgraded to fit so many people's needs whether it's a simple task or just being able to rip around the mall for a bit.

Supplemental Content

Bill of Materials

Product Name Manufacturer Quantity Buy Kit
Stepper Motor, Single Shaft, Hybrid, 42 mm, Bipolar, 1.8 °, 49 N-cm, 1 A TRINAMIC 1 Buy Now
12V Battery Float Charger PERFORMANCE TOOLS 1 Buy Now
Fuseholder, Automotive, In-Line, ATO, 30A MULTICOMP PRO 1 Buy Now
Rechargeable Battery, 12 V, Lead Acid, 7 Ah, Quick Connect ENERSYS 1 Buy Now
XLR Connector, 3 Contacts, Jack, Cable Mount, Silver Plated Contacts, Metal Body, XX Series NEUTRIK 1 Buy Now
Slide Switch, SPST, Off-On, Panel Mount, R13, 16 A, 125 V MULTICOMP PRO 1 Buy Now
Rotary Potentiometer, Rotary Switch, 10 kohm, 1 Turns, Linear, 200 mW, ± 20%, P162 Series TT ELECTRONICS / BI TECHNOLOGIES 1 Buy Now
XLR Connector, 3 Contacts, Plug, Cable Mount, Gold Plated Contacts, Metal Body, DL Series NEUTRIK 1 Buy Now
Arduino Uno ARDUINO 1 Buy Now
Joystick, 2, 5 A, 250 V, 4 Position APEM 1 Buy Now
 

Additional Parts

2 x Generic L298n motor controllers

Actions
Parents

  • This is a great project.

    Might want to consider adding an enable/disable and kill switch close to the joystick. Sometimes you would want to temporarily disable the joystick to prevent accidental movement as well as to be able to stop the motors if the controller went haywire. You could also add trim pots to allow the max speed to be adjusted at the control panel. A button for a beeper might be beneficial as well.

    You could extend the usefulness by allowing tool-free removal of the rear power frame. Quite often people who have an electric wheelchair at home have to transfer to a folding wheelchair if they need to travel somewhere by car. If you can remove the rear frame easily by hand, then it allows the wheelchair to be folded for travel and then the rear power frame be put back on once at the destination, thus restoring some freedom of mobility and independence.

  • in reply to beacon_dave

    Great idea's yes there has been a slew of ideas I have had since the completion of this project.  And yes the tool free removal was high up on the list for sure.

Comment Children
  • in reply to gam3t3ch

    Some of the modern eBike conversion kits may reveal some ideas as looking at similar sort of wheel and loading.

    Rubbee X tyre coupling

  • in reply to beacon_dave

    well that is interesting I was actually trying a similar design on one of the smaller rollers guess I should have tried just making it bigger but that would certainly grab more on the edges of the tire as well.... I was thinking of making a round one then having more of a tpu printed sleeve for around it but have not played around with tpu before but it was an idea.

  • in reply to gam3t3ch

    A tyre drive is probably the least efficient design but it's probably the easiest to adopt.

    A more U-shaped groove with a slight taper on the sides of the U may grip the sides better. A bit like a vee-pulley. 

    The trick is going to be to maintain the optimal tension between the drive wheel and the tyre. Just the right amount and it will cause the tyre to bulge at the sides increasing the contact area but without overdoing it. 

    The problem though is that the tyre won't run true so there will be some lateral tyre shift to consider. May need a spline drive with spring spacers to allow the drive wheel to float a little to compensate. 

    There is an advantage here in that people can easily adjust the 3D-printed part (parametric model ?) to best suit their tyre profile and if it's pneumatic they can also adjust the tyre pressure slightly for a better drive.

  • in reply to gam3t3ch

    A spring-loaded split-pulley design might also work and allow a bit of quick adjustment by turning a tension wheel or lever to suit.

  • in reply to beacon_dave

    The main thing with the design was being adaptable so that regardless of width of chair you would be up and running in no time.  But this being said I was thinking of it being retractable and we could use a a better wiring harness for quick connect then when removing it all in a tool free version would work great and be able to adjust motor lengths based on the chair being used.

    Very good points there and I am certainly adding info from that to my notes when I revisit this in the future.  loving the ideas here and if someone else gets to it before me I hope they are getting a bunch of information to consider when they do their build.