Hacker News Reader

rainsurfon CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

Unfortunately the CPSC warning is too vague to know if this is people pushing the device past its documented limits or the device failing within the standard limits.

rainsurfon CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

Yes, agree with you both - probability * severity. The severity is high (unless you know how to run off the board - that lowers the severity quite a bit). The probability is unfortunately unknown.

rainsurfon CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

Sure, anything can fail.

For these kind of "catastrophic failures" I think the important thing is the probability of the event.

I am not aware of evidence showing a Onewheel can fail at an unacceptable rate.

rainsurfon CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

I assume you mean the board fully power off while riding?

If yes, then no.

It is possible to overload the motor by going over the maximum speed or going uphill by at too high of a speed but in that case the board will not actually power off.

The only way the board may turn off is if is fully charged and you immediately ride it downhill (regenerative breaking). To protect the battery from overcharging the board it will turn off in that case but the app will warn you before that happens and for newer boards they have implemented the ability to charge to less than 100% if that is how you start your route.

rainsurfon CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

I strongly disagree with this recall.

I own a Onewheel (XR) and have ridden nearly ~1,000 miles on it in a variety of conditions.

I've only had one incident and it was entirely my fault (riding at night without proper lights and hit a pothole).

The Onewheel definitely has a learning curve. Like most things in life if you are patient in learning it and respect the limits it is entirely safe.

I think the safeguards Onewheel has implemented are completely adequate (primarily pushback).

I think the big problem is people not wearing safety gear and/or maxing out the board (speed specifically) too early.

rainsurfon Sending spammers to password purgatory

This is a cool project, but I would more concerned that replying to spammers confirms you are real and that could result in much more spam. So is the net increase in pain your own?

rainsurfon Maxing out your Dropbox referrals (how I got 16GB for less than $10)

http://db.tt/CwK0pHJq

Thank you sir!