Have you ever gotten on your self balancing scooter to find it spinning or vibrating on its own? Sometimes, it happens while you are riding it. At other times, for other people, the spinning and shaking take place after they must have stepped off of it.
In this article, we will look at some of the factors that could lead to a shaking hoverboard. Of course, we will also consider how to fix the hoverboard’s problem in each case.
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Causes Of Hoverboard Vibration
Below are some of the things that could cause your hoverboard to shake. Once you identify the possible cause, the problem can be fixed with the solutions that follow.
1. Lack Of Pressure On The Hoverboard
Hoverboards need to receive a minimum pressure to function well. When your self-balancing scooter begins to vibrate excessively, the first thing to consider is if the rider has a light weight.
Most of the hoverboards in the market require that you have a weight of at least 44 pounds to ride it.
So, when the rider weighs less than this standard weight, issues with tremors of vibrations of the device are very likely. This is because the weight isn’t enough to push the tab down far enough to engage properly with the sensor.
This is one of the easiest hoverboard problems to fix because it doesn’t involve taking the scooter apart.
While you need to learn how to balance yourself on the footpads, to fix the problem with the shaking hoverboard, you need some extra balance learning. This involves you learning how to balance yourself on the pads well enough to get the sensors properly engaged.
You can achieve this by moving your feet to the outer sides of the footpads and riding the scooter this way. Spreading your legs this way will put enough pressure on the tabs, thereby, stabilizing the hoverboard and decreasing the vibrations.
However, you need to be careful not to spread your legs so much that you lose your balance on the hoverboard.
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2. Badly Calibrated Hoverboard Sensors
Sometimes, even when the rider has the recommended weight, you still find the hoverboard vibrating.
When the sensors are not aligned properly or out of adjustment, it can cause the hoverboard to shake. Recalibrating your sensors is the way to fix this hoverboard problem.
Calibration entails informing your sensors on the measurement value to be taken in a specific situation. This is usually a straightforward process. Let’s just get right into it.
- The first thing to do is to turn off the hoverboard and unplug it
The button for turning the power on or off is usually found at the side or bottom of the hoverboard. Press and hold the button for a few seconds to turn it off. Depending on the model of your scooter, the lights will go off and a beeping sound might be heard.
- Place the scooter on a flat surface
This is important as it will directly affect the result of the calibration. By placing the hoverboard on a flat surface, you are simply setting a reference point on which the scooter will act in the future. Also, make sure the foot pedals are aligned with each other and the ground.
- Long press the power button until the LED lights start to flash
Depending on the model, you might have to press the button for about ten seconds to get the LED lights flashing. Once the lights begin to flash, the gadget will go into calibration mode.
- Turn off the hoverboard
Just like it took about ten seconds for the lights to begin to flash, it will take about the same time for the lights to go off.
- Turn on the hoverboard one more time
Just like before, you will need to get the LED lights on.
- Test the hoverboard in different directions
Ride the hoverboard going forward, backward, making abrupt turns, making slight turns, and just stay still on the board.
This final step is to confirm that the hoverboard works perfectly irrespective of the direction you are moving in. If everything goes smoothly, then your scooter is back now in its perfect shape – mobility with no shakes.
Not all hoverboards will respond in the same way, though. That is, the vibration issue may not be fixed at the first attempt.
So, sometimes, to solve the vibration problem, you might need to repeat the calibration process about two or three times. Just be sure to wait for between five and ten minutes before making another attempt at calibration.
3. Air Pocket Under Foot Pad
What causes your hoverboard to vibrate when you get off of it might be an air pocket under the footpad. This is a very likely cause especially if your hoverboard is one of the early ones that were designed without vent slots.
This could mean that the air got trapped and started causing the vibrations. Taking care of the air pocket is fairly easy.
- Turn off the hoverboard.
- Press down on both sides of the footpad and let go.
When you let go of the footpad, a distinct hissing or sucking sound will be heard if there is an air pocket in the hoverboard. It is this pocket of negative pressure that keeps triggering the sensor causing the hoverboard to vibrate.
The sound heard is air slowly filling the space between the footpad and the rubber sensor triggers. Due to the suction, the footpad will remain pressed and keep triggering the sensor.
- Locate the rubber edge of the pad and use a small knife or something sharp, like a pin to poke holes in the rubber pads.
Ensure that you do not press the sharp object too far in. This will allow the release of air, so, your footpad will no longer hiss, as air will be free to move around. With no vacuum, there should be no hoverboard shaking.
- After this is done, recalibrate your board. The steps for recalibration have already been stated in the previous section of this article.
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4. Very Long Or Unevenly Shaped Rubber Triggers
Sometimes, the problem is not air pockets, especially as most of the hoverboards available in the market come with vent slots to allow the free flow of air.
Your hoverboard’s sensors are likely still engaged with no one being on the scooter because the rubber sensor triggers are either too long or unevenly shaped.
The fix for this problem is straightforward and will require that you have a pair of sharp scissors and a screwdriver.
- Switch off the hoverboard.
- Flip it over and take off the back cover on the side giving the problem.
- Set the cover and screws aside.
Please note that the longer and pointy thread screws go into the plastic, while the shorter and flat-ended screws go into the metal.
- Take off the four screws holding the sensor bracket to the frame and set them aside.
There is no need to unplug any cables or wires.
- Using your scissors, trim off the tips of the two, round black rubber pieces you see.
These black rubber pieces whose ends are not exactly flat are what connect the footpad to the sensors. Cut the tips off about the thickness of your thumbnail, say 1 millimeter. If you cut it any thicker, the rubbers may likely not reach the sensor anymore. Also, ensure that you cut them completely flat all the way through.
- After trimming the rubber tips off, replace the sensor bracket mount and the corresponding screws.
- Then, replace the plastic housing and the corresponding screws.
Doing all that should eliminate the hoverboard shakes or vibrations.
5. Damaged Sensor Board
If you have tried all the fixes mentioned above and none seems to get rid of the hoverboard shaking and spinning, the root cause may be a damaged sensor board.
To fix that, you will have to carry out a new sensor board replacement. To implement this fix, you will need a new sensor board and a screwdriver or a wrench.
- Switch off the hoverboard.
- Flip it upside down and take off the bottom panel of the side giving the problem, that is the side with the damaged sensor.
Before you disconnect anything, be sure to study the circuit arrangement to know what goes where. It won’t hurt to take a picture of the arrangement with your phone to help keep you on track.
- Disconnect the cables connected to the sensor board.
The sensor board is mounted near the wheel. The sensor board is the little circuit board connected to a plastic U-shaped bracket, which is, in turn, connected to the foot panels.
- Remove the four screws connecting the bracket to the panel, and set them aside from other screws.
- Remove the screws holding the sensor board to the bracket, and set these screws aside also.
We are particular about these two sets of screws because they won’t fit perfectly anywhere else on the hoverboard.
- Take off the old sensor board, and place the new sensor board on the bracket.
- Replace the corresponding screws in this order: the coarse, thread screws go into the plastic, while the thin thread screws go into the metal.
- Replace the bracket onto the frame with the corresponding screws.
- Referring to the photograph of the circuit arrangement, replace the cables connected to the sensor board, and the cover, with the corresponding screws.
Discussed above are the major causes of hoverboard shakes. Going through the fixes provided is sure to get your hoverboard working in perfect shape.
Getting a sensor board replacement is usually in the most unlikely cases. Except, of course, your hoverboard has suffered some intense damage.
