Permobil Chairman Basic User manual

Owner´s manual
Chairman Basic
US

How to contact Permobil
Permobil Inc. USA
6961 Eastgate Blvd.
Lebanon, TN 37090
USA
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Owner’s Manual
Chairman Basic
Produced and published by Permobil AB, Sweden
Edition no 2, 1998
Order no. 201109-US-0
PAB 1109:2

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Chairman Basic Owner’s Manual Contents
Contents
Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
General introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Specially adapted wheelchair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Design and function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Chassis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Reflectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Electrical system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Maneuvering panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Tool bag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Releasing the brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Driving rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Charging the batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Air transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Preventive maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Repairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Changing fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Changing batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Changing inner tubes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Filling with air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Important information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

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Chairman Basic Owner’s Manual Saftey instructions
Safety instructions
General
An electric wheelchair is a motorized vehicle and special care must, therefore,
be taken when it is used.
Incorrect use may both injure the user and damage the chair. In order to reduce
these risks, you should read the Owner’s Manual carefully, in particular the safe-
ty instructions and their warning texts.
Any inappropriate modifications to the wheelchair and its various systems may
entail an increased risk of accidents. Carefully follow the recommendations in
the Handling section to prevent the risk of accidents in connection with driving.
All modifications to and interventions in the vital systems of the wheelchair must
be performed by a qualified service technician. Always contact a qualified ser-
vice technician in cases of doubt.
Warning
Please show great caution where this warning symbol appears. There is
a risk of personal injury.
Maximum user weight
The wheelchair is intended for one person and the maximum weight is 240 -
260 lbs, depending on chair configuration.
Passengers
It is absolutely prohibited to carry passengers on the wheelchair.
Driving
Do not drive the wheelchair over curbs and other obstacles higher than 2 1/4
inches.
When driving downhill, use the lowest speed and take great care.
The wheelchair is not designed to be driven down slopes greater than 7
degrees.
Do not drive up slopes greater than 7 degrees. If you drive up steeper slopes,
there is a risk that the wheelchair cannot be maneuvered safely.
WARNING

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Chairman Basic Owner’s Manual Saftey instructions
Do not drive the wheelchair along slopes greater than 10 degrees. There is a risk
of tipping.
Releasing the brakes
In order to prevent the wheelchair from rolling away, ensure that the wheelchair
is on a level base before releasing the brakes.
Tire pressure
Do not over-inflate the tires. Failure to follow these suggestions may cause the
tire to explode and cause bodily harm.
Charging the batteries
The batteries must be charged in a well-ventilated room. DO NOT charge the
batteries in a bathroom or wet room.
Use only chargers with a maximum 8A charging current (mean value).
When the charger is connected, the chair must not and cannot be driven.
If acid batteries are used, the acid-proof battery case must be used to avoid
damage to the wheelchair and adjacent surfaces.
Transport
Ensure that the wheelchair is properly secured.
If the chair is not properly secured and comes loose, it can cause serious injury
to persons in the vehicle and serious damage to the vehicle.
Service
Carry out only the service and maintenance which are stated in the Owner’s
Manual as being suitable to be carried out by the user. All other service and
maintenance must be carried out by persons with sufficient technical skill to be
able to carry it out in a professional manner.
During all work on the electrical system of the wheelchair, the connection to the
negative pole of the battery must always be removed.
Take care when using metal objects in connection with work on the batteries.
Short-circuiting can cause an explosion. Always use protective gloves and gog-
gles.
The recommended air pressure is 30 lbs. Overfilling entails the risk of explosion.
The seat is heavy and must be handled with care in order to avoid personal inju-
ry.

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Chairman Basic Owner’s Manual General introduction
General introduction
In order that you can obtain the greatest possible benefit from the chair, it is
important that it is used in the intended manner. We would, therefore, like you to
read the Owner’s Manual carefully, in particular the safety instructions. Keep the
Manual together with everything else associated with your Permobil wheelchair.
The first thing to do is to charge the batteries. Read the Batteries chapter if you
are uncertain about how to do this. Charging takes approximately 8 hours.
Specially adapted wheelchair
If your Permobil wheelchair is marked with the decal ”specially adapted product”,
it has been adapted to your requirements and wishes. This means that its design
and functions may differ from the text in the present Owner’s Manual or from the
design and functions of other Permobil wheelchairs of the same type.
The design and functions of your Permobil wheelchair are stated in the written
or oral instructions provided when your wheelchair is delivered.
Specifications
All the information and specifications contained in the present Owner’s Manual
were valid at the time of delivery of this wheelchair. As development and impro-
vement take place continuously at Permobil, we reserve the right to make chan-
ges without prior notification.

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Chairman Basic Owner’s Manual Design and function
Design and function
General
Figure 1. Chairman Basic with MPS B seat
1. Seat
2. Maneuvering panel
3. Electronics unit
4. Chassis
5. Drive wheel
6. Chassis cover
7. Rear wheel
4
1
7
6
2
3
5
Seat
See the supplied Owner’s Manual for the seat.

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Chairman Basic Owner’s Manual Design and function
Wheels
The wheelchair’s front wheels, the drive wheels, have pneumatic tires. The rear
wheels, the steering wheels, have solid rubber tires.
Reflectors
In the standard version, the wheelchair has no lights, but is equipped with reflec-
tors.
Figure 2. Reflectors
Seat elevator
Chairman Basic is equipped with a powered seat elevator alternative a fixed
seat tube.
The powered seat elevator, controlled from the switch box, makes it possible to
steples adjust the height of the seat to a comfortable height to tables and
desks.
When the seat elevator is elevated from its lowest position, the maximum
speed of the wheelchair is limited to 3.5 km/h.

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Electrical system
The wheelchair’s batteries are located under the chassis cover behind the elec-
tric motors. Permobil recommends the use of maintenance-free, gel-type batte-
ries.
If acid batteries are used, it is important to check the level of liquid regularly. A
battery with too low a level of liquid may dry out, which means an increased tem-
perature and damage to the battery.
Figure 3. Batteries
Chairman Basic Owner’s Manual Design and function
If acid batteries are used, the acid-proof battery case must be used to
avoid damage to the wheelchair and adjacent surfaces.
Figure 4.
Acid batteries are placed in the
battery case before being placed in
the wheelchair.
WARNING

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Chairman Basic Owner’s Manual Design and function
1. Magnetic brake fuse, 5A
2. Main fuse, 70A
3. Function fuse, 15A
Fuses
There are three fuses in the wheelchair: the main fuse, the function fuse and the
magnetic brake fuse. The fuses are located by the left drive motor.
Driving
The wheelchair has a drive motor for each drive wheel. The motors regulate the
speed, turning and braking. A joystick on the maneuvering panel sends signals
to the electronics unit placed in the maneuvering panel.
The electronics unit then controls the motors.
Electric motor
Driving gear
Figure 6 Fuses
Figure 5. Electric motor with driving gear

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Chairman Basic Owner’s Manual Design and function
Maneuvering panel
The maneuvering panel of the wheelchair is mounted on the right arm rest and
its location can be adjusted to achieve the most comfortable position in connec-
tion with maneuvering. The maneuvering panel can also easily be moved to the
left arm rest of the wheelchair if required. The figure below shows the various
functions of the maneuvering panel.
Figure 7. Maneuvering panel
1. Battery voltage indicator
2. On/off power switch
3. Joystick
4. Speed selector (stepless)
2
4
3
1

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Chairman Basic Owner’s Manual Design and function
Main power switch
The main power switch functions has
an on/off button for the power supply
to the wheelchair and must be swit-
ched on for the wheelchair to work.
Figure 8. Main power switch
Speed selector
The maximum speed can be set step-
lessly by turning the control.
Always start at a low speed.
Battery voltage indicator
The window display on the maneuve-
ring panel (figure 9) shows the follo-
wing indications (from the joystick):
Red/yellow/green = Fully charged
Red/yellow = Semi-charged
Red = Charge the batteries
Figure 9. Battery voltage indicator
Figure 10. Speed selector

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Chairman Basic Owner’s Manual Design and function
Figure 11. Joystick
Figure 12.
Locking the controller
If your wheelchair is provided with a
security key, you can lock the Pilot
controller to prevent unauthorized use
of the wheelchair.
To lock the wheelchair it must be swit-
ched on, the key should then be inser-
ted into and withdrawn from the batte-
ry charging socket, the wheelchair will
now be locked.
To unlock the wheelchair, firstly switch
it on. The battery gauge will ripple up
and down but driving will not be possi-
ble. The key should now be inserted
into and withdrawn from the battery
charging socket, the wheelchair can
now be driven.
Joystick
The joystick is used to regulate the
speed of the wheelchair forwards or
backwards, to turn and to brake.
The speed is regulated steplessly by
moving the joystick forwards or back-
wards. The speed is directly proportio-
nal to the movement of the joystick
(small movement low speed – large
movement high speed).
The wheelchair is turned by moving
the joystick to the left or right.
The wheelchair is braked by moving
the joystick back to the neutral position
or letting it go.

Chairman Basic Owner’s Manual Design and function
Figure13. Seat elevator
Figure 14. Tilt-in-space
Switch box
The switch box is mounted at the right or left side, behind the control panel. The
switches at the box are labeled to indicate chosen options, e.g. seat elevator
and tilt-in-space.
The pictures below show the different functions and labeling of the switch box.
Seat elevator (option)
Control switch for seat elevator up or
down. When the seat elevator is ele-
vated from its lowest position, the
maximum speed of the wheelchair is
limited to 2.8 MPH ( 4.5 km/t).
Tilt-in-space (option)
The seat can be tilted backwards.
The tilt angle can steples be adjusted
from 0° to 30°.
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Chairman Basic Owner’s Manual Accessories
Accessories
Tool bag
The wheelchair is supplied with a tool bag which contains the following tools.
Figure 15. Tool bag
Tool Area of use
1. Pair of protective goggles Work on the batteries
2. Set of Allen keys General maintenance/adjustment of the seat
3. 4 Pole shoes For use with acid batteries
4. Seat lift crank Raising the seat
5. 2 Battery straps Changing batteries

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Chairman Basic Owner’s Manual Handling
Handling
General
This wheelchair is designed for use inside and for limited use outside. When dri-
ving inside, take normal care. However, outside you must remember to drive
very slowly on steep slopes and not to drive over curbs and other obstacles hig-
her than 2 1/4 inches. Also drive carefully along steep slopes as there may be a
risk of tipping over.
Do not make the first test run on your own. The test run is to find out how you and
the Permobil wheelchair work together and you may need some assistance.
Driving
1. Switch on the power by pressing the main power switch on the maneuvering
panel.
2. Select a suitable speed range by turning the speed selector to the required
position. You would do well to start with a low speed.
Figure 16. Main power switch

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Chairman Basic Owner’s Manual Handling
3. Move the joystick carefully forwards to drive forwards or backwards to
reverse.
Figure 18. Joystick
Figure 17. Speed selector
Driving forwards Reversing

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Chairman Basic Owner’s Manual Handling
Figure 19. Steering
Steering to the left Steering to the right
4. The speed of the wheelchair is regulated steplessly by moving the joystick
forwards or backwards to different extents.
The Permobil wheelchair’s electronics make it possible to move slowly over
curbs and other obstacles. You can drive up to the curb or obstacle and then
carefully drive over it.
When you drive down an obstacle or a steep slope, you must drive slowly
and brake gently. The maximum speed should be set to low speed. You can
brake gently by pulling the joystick back to a position just before the neutral
position
When the speed has been reduced, you can let the joystick go.
Steering
The wheelchair can be turned in the required direction by moving the joystick
to one side or the other while driving forwards or backwards.

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Chairman Basic Owner’s Manual Handling
In order to prevent the wheelchair from rolling away, ensure that the wheel-
chair is on a level base before releasing the brakes.
Releasing the brakes
The brakes can be released to make it possible to move the wheelchair manually.
1. Switch off the Permobil wheelchair by switching off the main power switch.
2. Move the brake release lever forwards (see figure 19). The chair can now
be moved manually.
NB: Reset the brakes after moving the chair by pulling the lever backwards.
Figure 20. Releasing the brakes
WARNING