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abbas child

Very helpful member
Joined
Feb 29, 2008
Messages
2,168
Reason
PALS
Diagnosis
07/2007
Country
US
State
Maryland
City
Eastern Shore
Last week my power chair stopped, with a "drive lock out" briefly stated on the window of the joy stick. I was able to move just a few feet, then it returned, and this happened several times. Then, the chair totally quit, and a repair tech, Bob, came to check it out. Now am waiting for a new joystick and am using one that was broken but patched together, with a "two week wait" for the return of a new one and the repair finished. Well, the loaner has done the "drive lock out" twice now, both times (all three counting the original) while not moving, but in tilt or in chair elevated position. So far I'm able to turn this one off, and when it's turned back on, it works. I'm not, needless to say, trusting this chair right now.

Yesterday at the ALS Clinic, I was seen by the owner of another company which sells my chair, who adamantly believed I never needed a new joystick, and as he asked his chief tech over the phone about the cause, Phil (my husband) said, "Mercury switch." So did the tech whom I could hear over the phone. They--the owner of the company, Phil, and the tech said to take the mercury switch off the chair and the problem will stop. Anyone else ever have a similar problem? I've got an Invacare TDX-SP.
 
That is exactly what the problem is. There are several for different purposes and we took them all off. The chair now works flawlessly.
 
Joel, God bless you. I think the owner of that company is mailing us the tool to use to remove them through the joy stick, if that makes any sense... and (this amazes me) will trust us to mail it back to Richmond, Virginia. I'm so glad you also know about this and confirm the problem. I've just told Phil about there being "several" of these switches. Thank you!
 
Ann-

Thanks for this. I am putting it in my memory bank ( which is actually a box since my memory is shot these days). Jim's loaner is a TDX; no problems so far and "knock-on-wood", no problems in the future.

Are you due to get your own soon?
 
Depending on the model, we have seen several different makes, the mercury switches are not in the controller, they are in several places under the seat. I am not sure about your make and model. The person sending you the tool should know and be able to instruct you to take them out. That is great he will do this!
 
We have had the same exact problem with our invacare tdiagnosed. We are supposed to have our mercury switch replaced as well. We have definitely been in some difficult situations. I have usually been able to turn the chair on and off a couple times and get things working. Of course are chair is out of warranty now. That is so frustrating..hoping no one else has this problem.
Kelly
 
What are the switches there for? To stop the person from doing loops or wheelies?
 
The switches are to slow up, or stop, the chair depending on how much you have reclined it or elevated it. They are supposed to be a safety item but always seem to be a source of problems.
So, if you recline too much the speed is diminished, if you recline more then you can't move the chair.
They always cause problems. It is easy to take them out, but you have to remember that they are gone so the chair will still move either reclined or elevated.
 
Joel-

I thought that was a safety feature, in that you should not be in the recline position when you are in drive. ( or forward )
 
Joel-

I thought that was a safety feature, in that you should not be in the recline position when you are in drive. ( or forward )

As I stated above, you are correct, they are a safety feature. But they seem to create more problems than they prevent. I think it is more dangerous to have your chair quit while departing from the vehicle and leaving you stranded in the line of traffic. This happened several times to me and it was very uncomfortable. Using a little common sense prevents problems when you take them out.

My 2 cents. LOL.
 
Thanks everyone, the timing of this post couldn't have been better. We just ordered an Invacare for Mike (with these mentioned feature) so I will print this out and hold on to it. Mike is home alone all day and I'd hate for him to get stuck in the chair with no place to go. Do you think I should address this immediately upon the chair arriving or wait and see if it becomes a problem? Maybe not a problem on newer models?
 
I would guess that a new chair would not experience this problem for a few years. But if it does you now know what to do. LOL.
 
My chair is less than a year old and under warranty (and it belongs to me), and I was nearly flat/level when my first and most serious problem happened. (and Phil wasn't due home for nine hours) I wasn't trying to "move" but rather to lower the chair the other two times it happened, so for my experience, "dangerous driving" wasn't the problem. According to Phil, if the mercury switch (think of the mercury in a thermometer) is a little loose or not positioned correctly, it just takes a little jiggle in the chair to cause the switch to shut you down.

Mare, tell Jim; Judie and Kelly tell your husbands or users of their chairs to always have a phone on them. I have a bag--I cut, then tied the handles in a knot and tacked them down with heavy thread--with a phone in it. The first morning this problem with the chair occurred, I hadn't yet gotten a phone from the cradle and all doors were locked. Now, my caregivers always make sure they leave me with a phone. I do also have an emergency pendant, but needed to change the number sequence so that anyone who I called had a key to the house.
 
Thanks Ann, very good advice. We are not using outside caregivers at the moment. Thankfully, my office is only 11 miles away so I could race home if need be to rescue Mike. Hopefully we won't have this problem. We did get the vertical movement in the chair and I know he will be using this feature more than he realizes now. (BTW ~ outside caregivers are in the not too distant future, particularly when travel for my job picks up). I usually travel a bit between May and September so something we have to figure out.
 
Ann, just wondered if it would be possible for you to "mail the tool to fix it" to Kelly and then she could mail it back to the company!
 
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