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HOW TO RECALIBRATE A SELF-BALANCING SCOOTER
Your hoverboard has a red blinking light that flashes and won’t let you use it.
Maybe whenever you ride your hoverboard, it turns to one side slower than the other. That would be great if this were NASCAR. Make sure you wear a helmet when riding.
Unfortunately, this is your brand new hoverboard. Don’t worry; this is a common problem, and I’ll teach you how to fix it in a couple of minutes.
Before I get into that, though, I’d like to introduce you to the what I hope will become a resource for anyone looking to troubleshoot a hoverboard.
Since they are such a new product, little information has been created with a step-by-step guide to troubleshooting and repairing self-balancing scooters.
This article is the first post in a series: Hoverboard Troubleshooting 101: Recalibrating Your Hoverboard.
Stay tuned for more in this series. If you’ve got a different problem that is affecting your hoverboard and you can’t find an answer, send me a comment in the form below, and I’ll help you figure a solution out.
Now, let’s figure out what’s wrong with your hoverboard.
You don’t know what happened to your hoverboard. It was working fine last time you used it.
Today, when you tried turning it on it began beeping and had a red led in the center flashing.
Attempting to ride it was pointless because one side went faster than the other, or it vibrated and shook while riding.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOUR HOVERBOARD
Somehow your hoverboard has an imbalance in gyroscopic sensors that it uses to control itself.
The fix is easy, and will only take you a few minutes to recalibrate your hoverboard.
It’s so easy you won’t even need any tools. Just use a flat surface that is level.
IN CASE THIS DOESN’T FIX YOUR SCOOTER
There are more steps involved to troubleshooting more advanced issues. Check the Scooter repairs page to see the latest articles on repairing your hoverboard.
If you need to get a replacement part for your scooter, you’ll find the most common one’s people need to fix their hoverboards here.
Are you just wanting to make your hoverboard custom or maybe you need some scooter accessories?
CALIBRATING YOUR HOVERBOARD: THE STEPS
STEP 1 – THE WORK AREA
Find yourself a flat area to work on your hoverboard. Place your hoverboard down in the work area and check to make sure that it is level. This means:
- Both sides of the hoverboard are even and completely matched up.
- The left, and right sides are level and at the same height.
- You’re just double checking your board to make sure that it level.
Hoverboard Calibration – Step 1 – Place your self-balancing scooter on a level surface.
STEP 2 – PRESS THE POWER BUTTON
After your hoverboard is on the level surface, press the power button once to turn your hoverboard on.
Your hoverboard’s LEDs blink 4x in a row.
CONVINCED?
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STEP 3: PUTTING THE HOVERBOARD INTO CALIBRATION MODE
Locate the power button and press and hold it for 5-10 seconds.
The whole time the battery LED and the red LED should be flashing.
Hold the power button until the two lights change the pattern of how they are blinking.
As soon as they change the pattern, let go of the power button.
Hoverboard calibration – Step 3 – Press and hold down the power button until the lights flash
STEP 4 – CALIBRATION COMPLETE
Now that you’ve let go of the power button push it in again and turn off your hoverboard.
That’s it; your hoverboard should be recalibrated. I told you that it was an easy fix.
Try powering your self-balancing scooter back up and see if the recalibration has helped. It should be as good as new.
SIDE NOTE
Some quick points:
- Make sure that your hoverboard is level when you recalibrate it. If you try to calibrate it when it isn’t level, you will make the situation worse. It needs
to be level and not moving when calibrating so the sensors recenter themselves correctly. - You will have to recalibrate your hoverboard every few weeks as you notice the alignment begins to get out of sync.
See that was quick and painless, and this should be your first step when you need to troubleshoot a problem with your hoverboard
WHAT’S WRONG WITH MY HOVERBOARD? IT’S LIGHTS KEEP FLASHING
Do the lights on your hoverboard keep flashing at you? Do the LEDs blink whenever you turn on your hoverboard? Maybe it was working fine, and then after a quick stop you went to turn it on, and now the lights keep turning on and off?
Sound familiar? It’s like the Red Ring of Death wanted to go for a hoverboard ride with you.
Don’t worry, though; there’s some easy troubleshooting that can be done, and most likely you’ll be able to fix the issue yourself.
Maybe you should have gotten an extended protection plan for your self-balancing scooter.
In this article, I show how to diagnose problems your hoverboard has and the parts you’ll need to fix it.
First, you need to try recalibrating your hoverboard. Calibration should become your first step whenever it starts acting weird.
HOW TO CALIBRATE A HOVERBOARD
- Power off your hoverboard and place it on the ground in a level spot.
- Press and hold the power button for 10 seconds. After 10 seconds let go of the power.
- Try turning your hoverboard on.
When you turn the power on there the LED lights will flash in a specific pattern. That will let you know the next steps that you need to do.
Multiple reminders on the DIY repair articles that read something like: “Only attempt to repair your own hoverboard if you feel comfortable performing all of the required steps, and have some technical experience. If your hoverboard is broken beyond a simple fix, why not consider a brand-new UL certified hoverboard from SwagTron? Click here to see our hoverboards“
HERE’S WHAT THE LIGHTS MEAN:
THE LED FLASHES ONCE:
There’s a loose cable or connection inside the scooter. Find a comfortable area to work on your hoverboard. You’ll need a Phillips screwdriver. There should be 18 screws holes on the bottom of the scooter that you’ll need to undo. Be careful when you open it up, some models have a cable that’s connected to the part you are removing.
OPENING UP YOUR HOVERBOARD
TIP: keep two containers handy to put the screws into while you are working. There’s 10 for the outer edges of the chassis, and then 4 in the center and 4 in the corners.
After it’s opened, you’ll see the electrical cables. To make life easy on yourself, start at one corner of the hoverboard and systematically work your way around the inside. Disconnect and then reconnect any of the connections you see. After that’s done, you can tuck everything back in and replace the shell. Screw in all the screws and try powering it up.
If all goes well, you’ve fixed your hoverboard.
First you’ll have to unscrew the 18 screws around the edge of the case.
THE LEDS FLASH TWO OR THREE TIMES
Flashing 2-3x ‘s hard to determine what’s wrong with your hoverboard. Is it a white/yellow light? It is often more of a problem if it is a red light that is blinking. The diagnostic is showing that there is an internal circuit error and will require testing and troubleshooting. It’s fixable, but there’re too many things that it could be for me to explain it here. If this happens to you, shoot me a message and I’ll try to help. This can sometimes happen after riding it for hours before its broken in.
The diagnostic is showing that there is an internal circuit error and will require testing and troubleshooting. It’s fixable, but there’re too many things that it could be for me to explain it here. If this happens to you, shoot me a message and I’ll try to help.
It’s fixable, but there’re too many things that it could be for me to explain it here. If this happens to you, shoot me a message and I’ll try to help diagnose the problem.
Your hoverboard’s LEDs blink 4x in a row.
THE LEDS ON YOUR HOVERBOARD FLASH FOUR TIMES
If the LEDs blink four times:
Whatever have you been doing to your poor hoverboard?
You’ve managed to break one of the wheels, and you’ll need to replace it.
The blink pattern means that the wheel that’s NOT on the battery side is the damaged one.
You’ll need to order a replacement. Here’re the best replacement wheels for hoverboards.
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6.5″ HOVERBOARD WHEEL – 1 PC.
This is a replacement hoverboard wheel for any 6.5″ self-balancing scooter or hoverboard. This should fit most hoverboards.
It’s easy and quick to replace your hoverboards wheel, all it takes is a screwdriver and about 15 minutes.
– Size: 17 * 5.7cm
– Cable length: 26cm
– Motor Power 350w, brushless
– Electric braking system
– Rated voltage 36V
– Rated speed 800rpm
– Loading weight 240 lb
This is only a single replacement wheel for your hoverboard. You’ll need to replace the wheel if the motor on one side isn’t working.
8″ HOVERBOARD REPLACEMENT WHEEL – 1 PC.
A replacement wheel for any 8″ self-balancing scooter. You can use this on most 8″ hoverboards. Be sure that you use wheels of matching sizes and that you are getting the correct size wheel for your hoverboard.
– Size: 20.5 * 7cm
– Cable length: 30cm
– Motor Power 350w
– Electric braking system
– Rated voltage 36V
– Rated speed 800rpm
– Maximum speed of 15km / h (according to user weight decision)
Installing a new wheel and motor for your self-balancing scooter is extremely easy and should only take about ten minutes. Shop here
10″ WHEEL FOR A HOVERBOARD – 1 PC.
The standard replacement wheel for any 10″ hoverboard, this should fit most models.
To install:
- open your hoverboard case
- disconnect the wires to the wheel
- unscrew the old hoverboard wheel and motor mount
- mount your new wheel and screw into place
- reconnect the wiring
- close the hoverboard case
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- Sleek design with chrome rims
- 6-inch wheels with rubber tires
- Dual 350 W motors
- 10 km/h top speed
- Lithium-ion battery
- Fully charged in 3 hours
- 20 km range with full charge*
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YOUR HOVERBOARD LED FLASHES FIVE TIMES:
Run!!!!!!! Just kidding, but it’s not a good idea to go max speed.
If it’s blinking red, the wheel/motor on the side with the battery is damaged. You can use the same wheels that I just listed above; there’s no difference between a left and right wheel.
Replacing the wheel isn’t difficult and only takes a screwdriver and a few minutes.
THE LIGHT FLASHES SIX TIMES:
You’ve got a bad battery, my friend. Battery life is kaput.
It’s easy to fix. You will have to make a decision about what battery you want to replace the defective one with.
I recommend getting a quality battery since they are safer and better performing than a cheap, generic battery.
SENTRYSHIELD BATTERY FOR HOVERBOARD
The SentryShield battery is the safest hoverboard battery that you can buy. Encased inside of the SentryShield the Samsung battery is protected from accidental damage or exposure.
- Specially designed fire-proof aluminum chamber.
- Fits the Swagway X1, Swagtron T1, and T3.
- Should fit other hoverboard brands as well.
- UL-2272 Certified
STREETSAW HOVERBOARD REPLACEMENT BATTEY
The StreetSaw hoverboard replacement battery is either a Samsung or LG battery.
This means that you are getting a battery that has the best durability and is the longest lasting.
It’s great for anyone with a hoverboard, with endurance for long distance trips and performance for when you’re playing around.
Hoverboard Battery Type: Samsung & LG
Technology: Lithium-Ion Battery
Voltage: Hoverboard battery 36V
Capacity: 4.4Ah Power: 158W
Cut-off voltage: 26V
Maximum Voltage: 42V
Max. discharging current: 30amp
Max Continuous Discharging Amperage: 20 Amps
Rated Discharging Amperage: 15 Amps
Charging Current: <5 Amps
Charging Voltage: 43.2 Volts
Dimensions: 133mm x 60mm x 85mm
Net Weight: 970g
Run time: 12-15miles (Depends on weight and road condition)
Lifecycle: > 95% capacity after 1000 cycles.
THE LIGHTS BLINK SEVEN OR EIGHT TIMES
Your self-balancing scooter is more like a “good luck keeping your balance” scooter.
One of the balancing circuits inside has malfunctioned.
As with the second and third blinking patterns, it’s difficult to know what is causing the failure. This is a good value replacement circuit board kit for a hoverboard. Use this to replace all of the circuits in your hoverboard.
While you can just replace the balancing sensor circuit boards I don’t recommend you do so.
Why?
One of the circuit boards failed inside your hoverboard, which means somewhere inside of the electrical system there’s been a short circuit. If you don’t replace the whole system, there’s a very strong chance that you’ll cause the same damage to the new board that you install.
If you don’t replace the whole system, there’s a very strong chance that you’ll cause the same damage to the new board that you install.Additionally, there’s the compatibility of the old system and new part. Without inspecting your hoverboard, I can only make a general suggestion. The parts I recommend should be compatible, but they may not. By replacing all the circuit boards at one time, you can ensure that all the pieces work together.
HOVERBOARD GYROSCOPE REPLACEMENT SENSOR
This replacement circuit/sensor is used to fix a broken self-balancing scooter which has one or both sides that fail to move.
Installing couldn’t be easier. Unscrew and unplug the old sensor and then connect this in its place.
- Best-selling hoverboard replacement part on Amazon.
COMPLETE HOVERBOARD COMPONENTS REPLACEMENT KIT
Completely replace the components inside your hoverboard or self-balancing scooter with this set of parts. You’ll find all the parts you need in order to fix any electrical problems your hoverboard may be experiencing,
Included with this kit:
- 1 High Quality Non-Bluetooth Main Control Hoverboard Motherboard
- 2 Gyro Sensor Boards (3 Female Interface Connections)
- 2 Front Headlight LED Boards and 2 Top Indicator LED Boards
- 1 Standard Charger Port and 1 Power Switch with Panel Nuts
HOVERBOARD REPLACEMENT KIT WITH BLUETOOTH
All the parts and components you need to replace the parts inside any hoverboard or self-balancing scooter. You’ll be able to install all these parts in no time flat. You can also use this kit to add Bluetooth to any hoverboard.
Included with this kit:
- 1 Bluetooth Motherboard
- 2 Gyro Sensor Boards
- 1 Bluetooth Module
- 1 Bluetooth Speaker
- 1 Bluetooth Remote
- 2 Front LED Headlights
- 2 Top Indicator LEDs
- 1 Power Button Cable
- 1 Charging Portal Cable
You could use the Bluetooth circuit board kit to completely customize your hoverboard and add Bluetooth to it if you wanted to.
YOUR LED FLASHES NINE TIMES
Are you wearing the proper hoverboard safety gear? What are you doing testing your hoverboard while it’s upside-down? Turn it over and try the test again.
Turn it over and try the test again.
If the LEDs flash nine times in a row the hoverboard is reporting that it is upside down. You’ll have to return it to the normal upright position and try the process all over again.
That’s all the different status codes that are displayed by most of the current models of hoverboards.
If you follow the steps listed above you should be able to figure out what you need to do to be able to fix your hoverboard yourself.
If you have any more questions, feel free to send me a message, and I’ll see what I can do to help you out.
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