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Table Of Contents_
Time to Complete: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Moderate
Tools Needed: Phillips head screwdriver, Allen wrench, needle-nose pliers
Steps: 10
When you run into problems with your hoverboard’s wheels, then you may need to do the repairs yourself. If you don’t know how to take apart a hoverboard wheel to perform the necessary maintenance, you’ve come to the right place. Keep reading to learn how to fix your hoverboard’s motor and wheel.
Follow these steps to fix your hoverboard’s wheel and motors.
Here are the overall steps to successfully take apart a hoverboard wheel
Before getting to work on your favorite hoverboard, ensure the device is completely turned off by pressing down the power button. This way, you won’t give yourself a shock or ruin any of the electrical components while working. To be extra safe, you can leave the hoverboard powered on until the battery is completely depleted.
Once you’re ready to get to work, you’ll want to be sure all of your tools are present. For most hoverboard wheel repair, all you’ll need is an electric or manual Phillips head screwdriver, a pair of needle-nose pliers, and an Allen wrench.
Start the disassembly process by unscrewing the screws that keep the back panels in place. This is the bottom of the hoverboard and not on the side with the footpads. If you see footpads, flip your board upside down and you should see the screw slots. Since the screws are small, you can easily lose them unless you have a bowl handy in which to store them.
If your ride has LED lights and Bluetooth speakers, like many self-balancing scooters, you’ll need to disconnect the wires powering them from the hoverboard circuit board to complete disassembly. Simply follow the wires with your fingers to where they are connected to the motherboard and disconnect them from there. These wires may be difficult to disconnect, in which case you should use your needle-nose pliers.
It’s also a good idea to disconnect the hoverboard’s battery to prevent hoverboard fires or any other mishaps. Fortunately, most UL-certified hoverboards are very safe, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Unscrew the battery from the board’s frame, unplug it, and place it to the side.
Use your Phillips head screwdriver to disconnect the gyroscope and place it gently to the side. Save yourself some time and don’t disconnect any of the wires from the gyroscope. This is unnecessary.
Disconnect the wheel from the hoverboard using your Allen wrench to remove the bolts holding the wheel in place. Remove the wheel from the housing and then disconnect the wires connecting the wheel and motor to the hoverboard circuit board.
Insert the replacement wheel and motor in the exact place where the old one sat. Once placed, connect the wheel to the hoverboard circuit board and then bolt it back into place with your Allen wrench.
Now it’s time to put everything back together again. Simply reverse these steps to put your board back together. Reconnect the gyroscopes first and then reconnect your battery. Remember to screw the battery back into the board’s frame. Then reconnect the wires to the back panels, if present, and screw the panels back together.
Once you have your hoverboard reassembled, it’s time to test out your hard work. Press the power button to switch the device on. If you depleted your self-balancing scooter’s battery life before getting to work, connect one of your hoverboard chargers to get a full battery.
There may be times when full wheel replacement is completely necessary. In these cases, you can save yourself some time with the following simple fixes.
You can easily replace a flat tire without removing the hoverboard motors. Press your power button to turn off the hoverboard and then remove the tire and replace it with a new one.
In some cases, you may simply need to recalibrate the board. Follow the steps for calibration located in your user manual and see if that fixes the problem.
STAT:
Most hoverboards have 6.5-inch wheels.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-balancing_scooter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YgrNYZ_XFE
https://transporthistory.wordpress.com/2019/01/30/the-history-and-evolution-of-the-hoverboard-by-charles-watson/
https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/Hoverboard-Safety-Alert.pdf?mSAM5F_iz1JtmMI8UvtzohHxB6xSqARX
https://www.nfpa.org/-/media/Files/Public-Education/Resources/Safety-tip-sheets/HoverBoard.ashx
Yes! Follow the steps listed above.
Simply unscrew the screws holding the back to the hoverboard with a Phillips head screwdriver.
It could simply be a matter of debris or a jammed washer. In this case, the repair is simple. However, if these aren't the problem, then you may have a bad gyroscope or motor.
A smell of burnt rubber is always a sign of excess friction. This may be a sign of a bad wheel or motor, but it could also be a one-off scenario where you braked too hard.
