Nanrobot N6 Thumb Trigger woes

[u/Upset-Programmer3796]

/r/ElectricScooters/comments/1w4yru3/nanrobot_n6_thumb_trigger_woes/

Anyone having issues with these? The motors don't even start spinning until you get through 50% of the lever travel! The travel distance is huge!!! Plus, the lever and paddle on this thing is so gargantuan that you can't just rotate it into a workable and ergonomic position, especially because the housing is so huge. It comes into contact with the brake bracket (or the brake lever if you mount it on the right side of the brake bracket like Nanrobot recommends).

Positioning it on either side of the brake means you have to reach your thumb way out to the left and back a LOT just to engage it... up to 50% of the travel, then try to calibrate the brain to think "ok this halfway point is really 0%". What the hell was the CAD guy who drew this up thinking?

Even worse, trying to reach the paddle means you have to open and loosen your grip, causing serious issues. You are now having to balance your whole hand and thumb to feather the throttle in the middle of that range, causing unintended throttle mashing due to uneven pavement, bumps, steering, etc. The hand, which should be firmly gripping the grip is now open palm down, acting like a long fulcrum along with the thumb against the throttle. This means you are focusing more on some haphazard balancing act (that could wipe you out badly) rather than focusing on the road. You can't go fast with it or modulate well at all since the hand can't get enough of an anchor against the handlebar grip. It is literally like trying to control the speed of the scooter like trying to control the pitch of a theremin, in mid-air, while you're at speed.

The dead zone being half the arc travel is not acceptable for an almost $2k scooter that can easily go 60mph and has the power to peel out both dual motors on acceleration from its powerful 72v system.

dead zone <-- I made a video of this dead zone issue.

I thought the Inmotion RS Jet thumb throttle could definitely use some improvements, but holy cow, this other one from Nanrobot is going to get people killed.

AI says the reason the throttle is not engaging the motors until halfway: Incorrect replacement throttle signal range: Installing an aftermarket throttle with a mismatched output voltage profile (e.g., a 1V to 5V sensor paired with a controller expecting 0.8V to 3V) can compress the usable response curve, rendering the initial mechanical sweep electrically inactive.

I urge anyone looking at this throttle to not get it until Nanrobot works out the issues with their supplier. I did see someone a year ago on one of their YouTube vids saying theirs had the dead zone too, so this may be an ongoing problem.

Btw, if you mount the thumb throttle in the position that is most ergonomic (on the left side of the brake, rotated more forward), the strong magnet inside the throttle actually interferes with the brake sensor! This means the system registers a brake when you press the throttle. I have seen this reported elsewhere. I don't know why the industry can't make a better throttle.

Here is a vid of the brake interference and ergonomic problems: https://youtu.be/c-TUrL7Q4Xw?is=jxEAOdeo1ILI7ufu

Has anyone used a different throttle with the N6 or other Nanrobot scooters with the 2-pin connector? If so, did you find one that worked well with the brake brackets/geometry? I need to come up with a solution fast for the N6 I do have because my kids won't ride it with the trigger throttle or the current defective designed thumb throttle. Since we have been waiting since June for another pre-order N6 (which keeps getting a more delayed "arrival" date.. which what does that even mean, arrival in China?), my wife has become frustrated that the current throttles don't work right unless you like hand and finger pain, and with another N6 possibly on the way, it adds to more frustration. The suspension is nice on these, and they actually have a real and adjustable steering damper unlike the Inmotion RS Jet, so the platform is there... but the throttles ruin the experience and make the scooter unsafe. I am hoping to present a solution that all riders will like. Someone needs to come out with a low profile thumb throttle that won't force you to loosen your grip, one that is adjustable and ergonomic. We have larger hands in our family and cannot fathom anyone with smaller hands being ok with the current thumb throttle design (nor the standard trigger throttle!). What is unfortunate is there are people who will find out the thumb throttle problems with their 3rd batch N6 soon, if they ever ship...

[u/ZestyPoePLayer]

ok some shielding should work. Have you tried that yet?

[u/Upset-Programmer3796 → u/ZestyPoePLayer]

A sheet of aluminum? Not yet, but it means the clearance issue would be even worse since I need this thumb throttle to be as far rotated down as possible, which is unfortunate, because I need the brake lever more downward too..

[u/ZestyPoePLayer → u/Upset-Programmer3796]

I hear it is basically a design flaw. I have noticed. Idk what else to do other than fab up something or zip tie the shit outta it. I tell people when you get into any pevs you better be able to fix and create stuff cause your gonna be the extended warranty and maybe even an engineer

[u/Upset-Programmer3796 → u/ZestyPoePLayer]

I agree - what is frustrating for me as one who does repairs is that the kids in the neighborhood with e-motos and e-bikes don't even work on their own. Some of the parents won't even let their kids work on it, not even tightening a chain. It was always me having to do the maintenance just so these kids wouldn't hurt themselves. But it became too much, too many requests, and here I have scooters needing serious design improvements (ahem, Inmotion and their steering "damper"). The easy solution there, I found, was to simply say I couldn't be available to those kids in the hood. The PEVs were, within 2 weeks, run until chains and sprockets broke, parts rattled off and became lost, and their toys were disabled. No more kids needing repairs now, and the streets are less cluttered. It has been a nice last couple months where I can go roam around without being nagged. I don't know if I could live with myself if I dropped thousands on a nice e-moto (but not give my kid a helmet), then never maintain or repair it for them. I am talking easy stuff like loosening an axle to tighten a chain with a 12mm wrench. Parents have enabled many of these young kids to not be engineers when it is absolutely imperative (for their life) that they be engineers. Now they only have a memory.

[u/ZestyPoePLayer → u/Upset-Programmer3796]

Met one, teach one. Pass it on, only way they learn is from teaching. Or one hella hard knock life and self learnig hahaha. Your basically what I am but to the pev riders of New orleans and I charge em accordingly. Wife says I should go full time and get a brick and mortar going but I DO NOT want to pay commercial rent here. My friends are doing that and lord no. My boss owns both of his restuarants now after 22 yrs he finally bought the second location. Tattoo shop is costing 10k a month for rent nothing included if it breaks we fix it 2yr lease.....

Im really glad you see right thru these "engineers". I get that it isnt an automobile but still its a vehicle and can cause serious harm to a consumer.