In case you dwell in a hip city space, you’ve got most likely seen somebody zipping round on a Onewheel. That is a model title for a type of electrical skateboard that balances on a single massive wheel. However a Onewheel is a reasonably costly car, with essentially the most inexpensive mannequin beginning at round $1,500. Happily, John Dingley and Nick Thatcher had the talent and expertise to create their very own DIY Mega-Wheelie that’s simply nearly as good.

Dingley and Thatcher began constructing one-wheeled self-balancing skateboards means again in 2008 and had been impressed by an analogous venture accomplished by Ben Smithers in 2007. The Onewheel firm wasn’t based till 2014, so it might be inaccurate to known as the Mega-Wheelie “a DIY model of a Onewheel.” As an alternative, it might be extra honest to say that “the Onewheel is a commercialized model of the prototypes constructed by Smithers, Dingley, and Thatcher.”

Timeline apart, Onewheel electrical autos are fairly in style today. However the Mega-Wheelie, constructed in 2019, appears simply as succesful. Like a Onewheel, it balances on a single massive tire. The rider mounts the car by inserting one foot behind the wheel and the opposite foot in entrance. The rider can speed up by leaning ahead and switch by shifting their weight to both aspect. A handheld “lifeless man’s swap” acts as a security measure to cease the motors if the rider lets go or falls off. The massive tire makes Mega-Wheelie significantly adept at touring over tough terrain, like gravel roads and sandy seashores.

A strong 450W gear motor drive’s Mega-Wheelie’s large wheel by way of a series and sprocket. It will get energy from a 24V LiFePO4 battery pack and an Arduino controls the motor through a Dimension Engineering SyRen driver. The Arduino displays an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) to allow the self-balancing capabilities.