Scooters with shiny wheels: what are they and how to choose?

After learning to walk, the child moves from a pram to a scooter. It is the first mode of transportation that a child tries (and eventually learns) to drive independently. The principle of its operation is as follows: the child takes the steering wheel in his hands, stands on the deck with one foot, pushes off the ground with the second and moves.

Advantages - Disadvantages

Scooters with shiny wheels have advantages.

A child riding in a dark park with poor lighting is always visible. He won't be run over by cyclists or hit by other scooters - even when their lights are off, they'll all stop and/or get out of his way when they see him coming. The most important thing is the safety of all road users.

A scooter as a type of children's transport is another step in the physical development of a growing child. Contrary to the stories told by the myth-makers from the yellow press, an outdoor walk on a scooter or bicycle is much longer, more interesting and productive than simply walking. The growing child masters his first transport in his life - he learns to drive a wheeled vehicle. And flashing and lighted wheels will make this process more pleasant and fun for him.

The disadvantage of such wheels is that LEDs need to be driven into them. In general, placing LEDs on the most "hitting" part, which accounts for the bulk of the load, is not the best solution. It would be more correct to place them, for example, on the steering column.

What makes the wheel shine?

Light-emitting diodes in the thickness of colored transparent polyurethane, from which the "shoes" of the scooter are made, which make it possible to ride comfortably, light up due to electricity, the source of which is not the battery. The coils located on the moving part of the wheel are connected to each other and to the LED with wires.

Each coil moves in the field of a magnet located on a fixed axis, generating current pulses. As old as the earth itself, the operating principle of the illuminated wheel is the simplest "dynamo" in each of them that causes the LEDs to blink or blink continuously.

Sooner or later, these LEDs stop flashing. There are several reasons for this.

A single LED is burned out. This often happens when a child accelerates too fast on a scooter. The faster the wheel spins, the higher the voltage and current. LEDs quickly degrade and lose brightness from being picked up by voltage and current - colored and white LEDs have their own limits, which cannot be exceeded. But try to explain this to the child - he does not care how long they last, the main thing is speed.

The magnet is worn out, broken - a phenomenon due to the axis working slowly. A weak thin magnet does not give the same magnetic field. The required power has stopped being produced, the LEDs are flashing dimly or not all at once.

In some cases, it just spins with the wheel - it doesn't even generate current for the LED.

How to check and fix?

To restore the shine of scooter wheels, do one of the following:

A loose puff of the wheel is tightened with a hex key that fits the size. It also eliminates the rotation of the magnetic sleeve along with the wheel.

The bearings are removed and the magnet itself is removed. A badly damaged bushing (and the magnet itself) needs to be replaced as soon as possible. Lack of wheel shine is half the problem: a damaged bushing and broken bearing jam the wheel. Acceleration is impossible on such a scooter.

With the integrity of the hub part and the whole wheel, they are washed from dust and dirt, the remnants of old grease are removed and stuffed into a new process. After that, the wheels spin normally and the glow will work again. If the LED and coil fail, the wheel cannot be repaired - the entire current-carrying circuit is filled with a special glue like epoxy. Buy a new (same) wheel.

See overview

Scooters are divided into different types according to the number of wheels.

Unicycle - has only one wheel. The balance and smooth ride is supported by a special balanced frame and a gyroscope controlled by a microcontroller with a special firmware. The rider himself does not take last place in it.

Two-wheeler - standard, oldest design in history of use. Universal – regardless of owner's age. Minimum stability - in turn, it makes it possible to accelerate at almost the speed of the skier. Riding a two-wheeler requires skill and dexterity as well. The scooter, if you use it to get to the office, can be left under or next to your desk. It is a great helper when an adult tries to get on a bus that is ready to leave a stop at that moment. Suitable for home storage.

Tricycle – Many beginners start with this, who have not yet switched to the two-wheel scene. 3-wheelers include Jeep, Inertial Scooter and Flickr. The scooter is very reliable. Perfectly suited as the main vehicle, allows you to develop the speed of a running person. It allows you to keep your balance - but it has a more complicated design, not every office will let you in with it.

Four-wheeled - also refers to inertia: it is driven either by pushing a foot or by rotational movement of the lower body.

According to the size of the wheels, scooters are divided into products with large (200 or more millimeters), medium (145 or more) and small (125 or less, up to 70 or 80 mm) rolling parts. The larger the front and rear wheels, the more comfortable it is to ride on uneven roads, lanes and paths.

Scooters for boys and girls according to the gender of the child. Here, the colors and graphics applied to the product at the factory are mainly decided. In theory, there should be no restrictions on the gender of a child or teenager on a scooter - there are also "unisex" models.

Design

Regardless of the colors (pink, blue, orange or green) used to paint the frame, steering wheel or wheel, the product itself should be comfortable and safe for the child. Let her choose the colors for herself - it's up to you (as the parent or donor) to control the safety. However, there are also rules: giving a boy a pink scooter is not particularly welcome by most people: choose a more neutral color, such as between orange and blue.