I hope this post will be one of many projects I work on beyond my comfort zone. The goal is to learn and challenge myself by stepping outside of my boundaries, and hopefully, it inspires you that you can achieve any task as long as you put in the effort. I typically like to tackle problems I face within my daily life. Hopefully, these problems don’t have life-threatening consequences, or at least they are limited or irreplaceable. If they do, I will definitely leave them to the experts.
The Black Panther power wheel (taken after I realized I forgot to take a picture of the front)
Preface: I lack experience in modifying power wheels, and my knowledge of tinkering with electrical components is limited to the few classes I took at university.
We purchased this power wheel at Walmart in late 2020 when my daughter was 2 years old. Since then, she has grown significantly. I recall when she was initially scared of the Black Panther appearance on the vehicle and hesitant to get on. Now the same daughter is much older and heavier. She no longer enjoys the power wheel due to its slow speed, and as a result, it has been collecting dust in the garage.
Before it turns into a mountain of dust, I decided to attempt to make her power wheel faster successfully. It’s a bit tricky when working with electronics and especially batteries because, if not done properly, wires can generate a spark, which can cause a fire.
The Black Panther power wheel bottom view
The first part was analyzing the components. I observed that there was only one motor gearbox, and there was room on the other side to potentially add another motor gearbox.
Unscrew the seat. Please excuse the mess, it was actually collecting dust
The next step was to take the screwdriver and disassemble the seat to examine its components. Inside, I found some wires and a battery. I began disconnecting the connectors to get a better view. I decided to cut the wire connected to the battery for a clearer perspective. Hopefully, that’s safe to do, as it was intended to be replaced.
The battery
An easy fix would be to replace the battery since an old or worn-out battery can cause low voltage, but that’s not much of a challenge. Out of curiosity, I decided to look up the price for the same component. I simply Googled what I believe to be the identification number, JJ190721-C-4A.
A similar battery on Amazon. Only difference is 4.5Ah vs 4Ah
Examining each component, I noticed an intriguing black box, later identified as an overload protector. When the load exceeds the rated current, the circuit breaker reset button cuts off the circuit to protect the line. This particular protector is rated for 5A (amps), so if I replace the battery with a higher amp, I’ll need to upgrade this component as well. I didn’t identify any more components for further analysis, so I opted to remove the gearbox to examine it closely.
I unscrewed the wheel, revealing the gearbox. Removing the gearbox was a straightforward process. I then chose to unscrew the gearbox further to inspect its internal components.
The brown goo around the gear is motor greese
Upon disassembling the gearbox, I noticed a brown sticky substance around the gears. I grew suspicious that it wasn’t merely dust or dirt. Later, I learned it’s motor grease, intended to reduce friction and prevent components from rusting. It was intriguing to discover that some of the gears were made of metal, contrary to my initial assumption of filament. I had presumed this because the product was inexpensive, and I imagined the manufacturer using cheap components.
This is as far as I am going to get today. My next steps will be researching into what components I can buy and hopefully putting it together soon!