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Mountain Wheelchair Build Log
The official build log for the Mountain Wheelchair. Please enter your email address to subscribe for updates →
It’s Starting to Look Like a Mountain Wheelchair!
This is just a very quick post to demonstrate (how excited I am) that progress is being made on the wheelchair frame: Bits of it are [...]
Building of the Mountain Wheelchair has Commenced
At long last, I finally decided to go ahead and start building the mountain wheelchair frame. For a long time I’ve been using a [...]
Learning to TIG weld
Whenever I’m sat at home and I turn on the TV, my first port of call is almost always The Discovery Chanel. Many of their shows [...]
Lots of Adventures, now back to the Wheelchair
Wow! It’s been over two months since I last updated the mountain wheelchair build log! Several things have attributed to this. [...]
All Six Motors for the Mountain Wheelchair are Working
There were a couple of tasks that had been causing me a bit of a mental block and preventing progress with the mountain wheelchair so [...]
Words of Encouragement for the Mountain Wheelchair
As I’ve said many times before, my engineering background is extremely limited, yet this mountain wheelchair project demands [...]
Working Radio Controls for the Mountain Wheelchair
At long last I managed to get the radio controls for the Mountain Wheelchair to work! It’s taken so much and time and effort to [...]
The Mountain Wheelchair Project now has a Tube Bender
At long last, I now have a Tube Bender! This means that I can actually start fabricating the frame for the Mountain Wheelchair! There [...]
The Mountain Wheelchair Braking System
Most of my time of late has been spent working on the electronics for the mountain wheelchair and more recently building the wheels, [...]
All of the Wheels are Laced… and a Big “?”
Yesterday, when I got home from work, I was absolutely shattered and didn’t want to do much of anything other than lay down on [...]
Mountain Wheelchair Bogie Mockup
It’s taken me the best part of the day to filing away so that the motors fit onto the forks, but it’s done, and all six [...]
The Mountain Wheelchair has its first Wheel
Woohoo! It’s been a busy day in the shop. The spokes FINALLY arrived from China today and I managed to get the first wheel made. [...]
Composited 3D render of the Mountain Wheelchair
Just for fun, here’s a render with the mountain wheelchair composited onto a HDRI background. [...]
Another Updated Concept Drawing of the Mountain Wheelchair
Just a very brief post as I wanted to share an updated concept drawing of the Mountain Wheelchair: [...]
Wiring for the Mountain Wheelchair is Coming Along
Some more parts arrived from China today which have enabled me to make some progress with the wiring for the mountain wheelchair: Put [...]
First Outsourced Parts for the Mountain Wheelchair Arrived
I finally bit the bullet last week and outsourced the manufacturing of parts for the first time. The mountain wheelchair frame is in [...]
I broke the Mountain Wheelchair Motor :(
So, the other day I was over the moon when I wired up one of the mountain wheelchair motors and witnessed it spinning for the first [...]
The Actual Mountain Wheelchair Motors are Working!
…plus lots of other updates It’s been a little quiet on the blog over the last week or thereabouts so I wanted to I’d [...]
Mountain Wheelchair Motors have been left at Halfords
This was the scariest moment so far in the mountain wheelchair build… Last night, I dropped off all of the motors and wheel rims [...]
First look at the Mountain Wheelchair Motors
So the 6 motors which will be used on the mountain wheelchair arrived this morning and I couldn’t help but open them up to take a [...]
Motors for the Mountain Wheelchair Arrived
This is just a very quick post as I was excited to answer the door this morning and see three large boxes plastered in Chinese [...]
Battery Charging for the Mountain Wheelchair
The post man arrived today with more goodies for the mountain wheelchair; another 8 LiFePo4 batteries, a 48v LiFePo4 charger, a [...]
Time to start building a Mountain Wheelchair!
Some really good news for the mountain wheelchair project… I’ve purchased a welder which is capable of welding aluminium, [...]
Just a Quick Update on the Concept Drawing
Just a quick update on the 3D drawing of the mountain wheelchair as I’ve now taken measurements from the 6 BMX forks I purchased [...]
LiFePo4 – Power for the Mountain Wheelchair
It became apparent quite early in the project that batteries for the mountain wheelchair would need considerable research. In a [...]
Pre-Made Trials Bike Forks
Over Christmas I spent considerable time looking at the properties of different metals to find which is suitable for building the [...]
Full Size Wheelchair Model
When designing the wheelchair it was important that Ada found it comfortable to sit in for hours on end. With this in mind I made a PVC [...]
“Adventure of a Lifetime for Ada”
I was just digging around for background information about the Juniour Adventurer competition, went on to the Adventure Map website, [...]
It’s a Real Mountain Wheelchair Bogie!!!
The the post man knocked on the door this morning with several parcels for me. After opening them up and laying some of the parts on [...]
First Parts for the Real Wheelchair Arrived Today
It feels like we’ve reached an important milestone today as the first parts for the actual mountain going wheelchair arrived in [...]
“Comfiest Seat Ever”
…is what Ada said when she sat on it :) Here it is, the first full size prototype of the wheelchair seat: I realise that it looks [...]
Building a Full-Size Model of the Wheelchair
I’m reaching a point where I think I have all of the dimensions nearing completion for the 3D version of the wheelchair but [...]
Free Give Away – Competition Time
It’s Competition Time! And we’re giving away this unique, radio-controlled, six-wheel-drive, one of a kind, all terrain [...]
Fat Wheels are Too Fat!
In a previous post I’d demonstrated that wheels from a fatbike where the most aesthetically pleaseing on the wheelchair. [...]
Mountain Wheelchair Concept Update
I’ve been updating the concept drawing of the finished mountain wheelchair so that it is now to scale and working out how some of [...]
What an Incredible Week!
It’s been an absolutely amazing week, not in terms of wheelchair progress, but in terms of Ada’s achievements. As [...]
Funds are Raising
Wow, what an incredible surprise! Yesterday, out of nowhere, £200 was donated to the website! In addition to this Mummy held a raffle [...]
A Compact Differential Bar
Just a quick update on differential mechanisms. In previous posts I’ve looked at different types of differential mechanisms such [...]
I Want One Too!
I’ve decided that I should make myself one too, just so Ada doesn’t feel singled out of course :D [...]
First Concept of Finished Wheelchair
Here it is, the first concept drawing of what the finished thing might look like. When I showed it to Ada I got a massive hug and an [...]
The First Field Test Went Brilliantly!
On previous occasions where I’ve taken the larger prototype out for a drive I’ve had issues with the chains coming off. [...]
Steering on the Smaller Prototype
Ok, it’s currently held together with electrical tape, but, the smaller prototype now has steering and the ability to reverse. [...]
Support for our Project has been Overwhelming
Last week, when the new motor controller arrived, I managed to get the larger prototype up and running again. On Thursday evening I [...]
Whizzing the Robot
It’s been a day full of appointments so I didn’t manage to get out and do much with the Robot/Wheelchair thing but [...]
Arisen from the Ashes
I know it’s late so this is going to be a very short but post but… It’s alive again and working far better than it [...]
Tuning Power Curves
What a great start to the day; I awoke to the sound of the doorbell, dragged myself downstairs, and as I opened the front door was [...]
Hydraulic Differential for Rocker Bogie
Recently, whilst building the larger prototype, one of the things that has caused delay is one of 3D printers being busy with other [...]
Wow, that’s just Amazing!
Watch to the end! So it was working well for a moment. Still struggling to turn without drive to the rear wheels but otherwise going [...]
It Turns! Right round! Like a Record!
Yeah! It can turn! It’s not yet perfect; sprocket mounts for the back wheels haven’t been printed yet so whilst it does OK [...]
Radio Controls are Working!!!
Wow, I can’t believe how easy that was. After hacking the transmitter yesterday without testing to make sure it worked first I [...]
Drive on One Side
Woohoo, I have fully working drive down one side of the robot-wheelchair-thing: It looks like one of the chains is a bit baggy though [...]
Better than Yesterday’s Mess
Yesterday I’d spent considerable time trying to weld aluminium to steel to create some mounts for the motors. Having Googled it [...]
Frankenstein’s Wheelchair
Although my aluminium/steel welded motor-mount failed, the excitement to see it working got the better of me and after temporarily [...]
It’s Alive, Oh No, It Died
So today I discovered that you can’t weld aluminium to steel, no matter how hard you try, and for a brief moment my larger [...]
24v Motors Arrived!
Walking through my front door to find the motors had arrived I completely forgot how tired I was after walking up Snowdon. In my haste [...]
Scaling Snowdon
It’s difficult in a college with so many levels of command to get things done at times, but two weeks ago I submitted a request [...]
Radio Controls Almost Working
After finding that my home-made radio controls didn’t quite work, I added some capacitors this morning and it’s made a huge [...]
1st Sprocket Mounted
It works! Or at least it looks like it’s going to work. The first sprocket arrived today and using a 3D printed template I [...]
Hydraulic Syringe Cylinder
Finally managed to free up some time on the 3D printer for this project and the first thing to come out is the syringe housing to make [...]
Just for a bit of Inspiration
…it is possible for an electric wheelchair to climb a staircase: [...]
Volts, Watts, Amps – Clearing the Confusion
In previous posts, trying to calculate the power requirements for electric motors and batteries was causing me some confusion. However, [...]
Rolling Chassis
Heehee; I have a rolling chassis :D I decided not to weld in the front and rear axles so as to allow me to move the axles [...]
Back to the RC Drawing Board
I managed to build a radio control transmitter and receiver on Saturday night, attached it to the small prototype and woohoo – [...]
More Welding with the Help of a Minion
Ada’s little brother and I continued working on the frame for the next prototype this evening. Behold the result: [...]
First Weld
Just before midnight last night I decided to bring the welder into my living-room and have a go. As you do. I’m certainly no [...]
Hydraulic Syringe Mount Sorted
Few! Some progress was made today as I’ve just finished working out the details of how I’m going to mount a pair of [...]
Hydraulic Piston (Syringe) Mount
Today I finally decided to make the website public and posted it on Facebook. The response has been amazing and it’s fantastic to [...]
Just for Fun
…I got a bit carried away in the 3D environment: The 3D printed wheel-spacer/sprocket-mount turned out well though: [...]
Our Robot Wars Entry
Just a quick update; I’ve sat and worked out how I’m going to mount the wheels and sprockets for the large scale prototype [...]
Gear Effeciencies
A lot’s been happening with the project lately so I’ve not had the time to write everything up but thinking back over the [...]
Internet Shopping Works… Sort of!
I love the convenience of internet shopping and being able to come home from work to find that goodies have been delivered. Today I [...]
Soft Tyres
So that I can do some testing, I’ve placed some obstacles in the garden which I can leave in place and see how the modifications [...]
Quick Hydraulic Bodge
Syringes arrived in the post yesterday so last thing at night I made a quick bodge using some cable insulation and a glue-gun. Even [...]
Hydraulics Might be Better
My father has spent all of his adult life as a chief engineer in the merchant navy and although he’s now retired, I’m sure [...]
Differential Bar with Ball Joints
The ball joints work!!! …sort of! (That’s becoming a bit of a catch-phrase!) The ball joints have quite a small [...]
Some Initial Thoughts on Materials
I know very little about materials but as a mountain biker, I know that bicycle frames can be both strong and light, and as a maker, I [...]
Still Confused by Power Requirements
I’ve posted several times now about batteries and power consumption but they’re still a cause of substantial concern. [...]
Controlling the Beast
I’ve spent a lot of time watching the current prototype climbing over large obstacles and it appears that when it’s in an [...]
Some thoughts on Hydraulics
Last night I said the next thing I was going to do was explore ball joints, but as I was sat at a desk in work with no access to the [...]
Working Radio Control
It’s working! I arrived home from work today to find that a number of parcels had been delivered by the postman. Amongst the [...]
Just a dream?
So the other day I estimated that the wheelchair would need to be driven by six 3,000 watt motors. At a constant gradient of 40 [...]
Motor/Wheel Choice and Wheelchair Measurements
Over the weekend Ada and I went into Colwyn Bay KTM and Honda to look at quad bike wheels and see what inspiration could be drawn. [...]
Some Rough Estimations of Power Requirements
I’ve been doing some research into power requirements and to be honest a lot of the math such as calculating torque curves is [...]
Differential Bar with Ball Joints
Although I’ve been doing lots of research this week, it felt like not much tangible progress had been made. Frustrated, I quickly [...]
Differential Bar Working Prototype
I have discussed previously the problems with the existing geared differential and after last night posting an update on possible [...]
Differential Connection Solution
In a previous post I discussed a problem with the differential bar mechanism. Here I present two possible solutions. The first uses two [...]
Developing a Differential Bar
As mentioned previously, the existing rocker bogie design is working brilliantly: …however, I do forsee that it’s going to [...]
Power, Speed and Motors
One of the biggest unknowns at the moment is which motors are going to be used in the final wheelchair. The problem is that my [...]
Idea for a quick mockup
I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about motors and really like the simplicity of having a motor embedded in the hub [...]
Meeting the Principal
I haven’t yet wanted to publicise this website, partly because it’s still under heavy development, and partly because I [...]
Suggested Bogie Fix
In a previous post I had demonstrated that the bogie often flips upside down: Obviously, if this happened in the mountains with a full [...]
Student Projects are Underway
Although some of the Engineering students were busy doing English exams, these four got a first look at the prototypes today: The group [...]
Prototypes are ready for unveiling
All the prototypes are boxed and ready to be shown to my Engineering students for the first time tomorrow. I’m excited to see how [...]
Big chunky tyres working nicely
All of the new “off-road” tyres and (as requested by Ada) purple wheels are on the car. I’ve also been able to get [...]
It’s Awesome!
…and I built a website! Restless again at 2:00am I came down stairs to completed printed parts and assembled the new version of [...]
More progress despite the lurgy
I’ve been feeling really run down over the last few weeks and today was no exception. Despite being ill I spent the day sat at [...]
Not only is it alive, but it works, ish…
I woke up in the early hours of the morning and popped down stairs to see how the printers were doing. To my excitement all of the [...]
Radio controls
Last night I attempted to make a remote control for the motorised prototype but through trial and error I realised it wasn’t go [...]
How About Trailer Tyres?
Whilst picking up some tins of spray paint (for another project) I came across these trailer wheels. Wheels like this might be a good [...]
Quick mock up using Lego
Today all those years of playing with Lego as a child was finally put to good use as I made a couple of quick mockups of possible [...]
Definitely Not a Quad Bike
I’d been thinking about buying Ada a quad bike for quite some time but had decided it wasn’t the perfect solution. Unable [...]Permalink: Mountain Wheelchair Official Build Log