Building a DIY Segway From a Broken Electric Wheelchair

As the saying goes, “When life gives you a broken electric wheelchair, you fix the motors, hook them up to an Arduino and construct Segway.” Or so you might think based on the father-son project seen here. The personal transporter is outlined on Imgur, beginning with a clip of Dad successfully riding it “fast enough,” before doing a bit of an“endo” when he leans forward a bit to far.

After fixing the broken motor – a shorted e-brake wire – the build started out with “absolutely nothing drawn up for the chassis. In what’s apparently typical fashion, however, Dad was able to create a workable vehicle from wood and other parts on-hand. Slots on the bottom hold a pair of 12V batteries, which were wired in series to provide 24V to the motors. An Arduino Uno controls the device, powered by its own 12V loop.

A couple of motor drivers actuate the two former wheelchair motors directly. These can handle 30A each, well beyond the direct capabilities of an Arduino. Forward/backward speed is dictated by the tilt angle and a PID loop, sensed by an MPU6050 IMU. Steering is accomplished via a potentiometer linked to a bent-pipe control stick, using a bottle cap and glue. Electronics are left bare on top of the chassis, so riders need to watch where they step

It’s a great example of what can be done with a bit of ingenuity and hacking, and it looks like a lot of fun to ride – when you stay on!