Permobil Koala User manual

Owner´s manual
Koala
US

Where to find Permobil
The Permobil Group's Head Office
NB! Servicing and maintenance by the user should be restricted to tasks desig-
nated as suitable for home servicing in the instruction book. All other servicing
and maintenance tasks must be carried out by persons with sufficient knowled-
ge to ensure a competent result.
Permobil Inc USA
6961 Eastgate lvd.
Lebanon, TN 37090
USA
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Permobil AB
ox 120, 861 23 Timrå, Sweden
Tel: [phone]. Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]

Owner´s manual
Koala
Produced and published by Permobil A , Sweden
Version 1, 9901
Order no.: 201126-US-0
PA no.: 1126:1

Contents
Safety precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
General introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Specially adapted wheelchairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Design and Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Chassie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Seat lift/seat adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Reflectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Electrical system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Control panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Tool wallet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
umper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Driving rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Releasing the brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
attery charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Air transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
atteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Repairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Changing fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Changing batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Changing an inner tube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Filling with air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Owner´s manual Koala Contents
Page 5

Safety precautions
General
An electric wheelchair is a motorised vehicle, so extra care should be taken in ope-
rating it. It is inadvisable for children to use the wheelchair without supervision.
Mistakes in operation could cause injury to the user or damage the chair. To
reduce the risks you must read these User Instructions carefully, especially the
safety precautions and the warning messages.
Improper alterations to the wheelchair and its systems may increase the risk of
accident. Follow closely the recommendations of the section on Handling to pre-
vent accidents when driving the wheelchair.
All changes or repairs to the essential systems of the wheelchair must be carri-
ed out by qualified servicing engineers. Always contact your servicing engineer
in case of doubt.
Warning
Wherever you see this warning symbol, take special care There could
be a risk of personal injury
Maximum weight of user
See the supplied Owner’s manual for the seat.
Passengers
It is absolutely forbidden to carry passengers on the wheelchair.
Operation
Do not let children drive the wheelchair without supervision.
Do not attempt to drive the wheelchair over any edges higher than 60 mm.
When driving downhill, select the slowest speed and take great care.
The wheelchair is not designed for driving down slopes with a gradient greater than 10°.
Do not drive up slopes with a gradient greater than 10°. There is a risk that the
wheelchair will not manoeuvre safely.
Do not drive the wheelchair where the sideways gradient is more than 10°.
There is a risk of tipping over.
Owner´s manual Koala Safety precautions
Page 6
WARNING

Driving with seat lift
Take care that nothing is trapped between the chair chassis and the seat when
using the seat lift. Raising the seat lift raises the centre of gravity and increases
the risk of tipping over, so only use the seat lift on level ground.
Releasing the brakes
To prevent the wheelchair rolling away, make sure that the wheelchair is on a
level surface before releasing the brakes.
Charging the batteries
Charge the batteries in a well-ventilated space, not a wardrobe etc. Do not
charge batteries in a bathroom or other wet room.
Only chargers with a maximum 8A charging current may be used.
When the charger is connected, the chair must not and cannot be driven.
Transport
Make sure the wheelchair is securely fixed.
Apoorly fixed chair could cause serious injury to passengers if it came loose, not
to mention damaging the car and the chair itself.
Owner´s manual Koala Safety precautions
Page 7

Servicing
Servicing and maintenance by the user should be restricted to tasks designated
as suitable for home servicing in the instruction book. All other servicing and
maintenance tasks must be carried out by persons with sufficient knowledge to
ensure a competent result.
When working on the wheelchair's electrical system, the connection to the nega-
tive pole on the battery must always be removed.
Take care with metal objects when working on the batteries. Ashort circuit could
easily cause an explosion. Always wear protective gloves and goggles.
Make sure nothing is trapped between the chair chassis and the seat when ope-
rating the seat lift.
Recommended air pressure is 0.2 MPa (2kp/cm2). Over-inflation could cause an
explosion.
The seat is heavy and must be handled with care to avoid personal injury.
Owner´s manual Koala Safety precautions
Page 8

General introduction
To gain the maximum benefit from the chair it is important to use it in the inten-
ded manner. Please, therefore, read these User Instructions thoroughly, espe-
cially the safety precautions. Keep the User Instructions together with the other
Permobil items.
Your first task is to charge the batteries. Read the chapter on atteries if you
are uncertain how to do this. Charging takes about eight hours.
Specially adapted wheelchairs
If your Permobil is marked "specially adapted product", it has been adapted to
your needs and purposes. This means that the design and function may differ
from these User Instructions, or from the design and function of other Permobils
of the same type.
The design and function of your Permobil will be communicated in the written or
verbal instructions given when the chair is delivered.
Specifications
All information and specifications in these User Instructions were correct at the
time of delivery of this wheelchair. As developments and improvements are con-
stantly being made by Permobil, we reserve the right to make changes without
prior notice.
Owner´s manual Koala Allmän introduktion
Page 9

Design and Function
General
Fig. 1 Permobil Koala
1. Chassis
2. Seat
3. Drive wheel
4. Rear wheel
5. Control panel
6. Chassis cover
7. attery cover
1
2
3
4
5
6
5
7
Owner´s manual Koala Design and Function
Page 10

Seat
See enclosed seat instructions
Seat lift/seat adjustment
Koala is fitted with an electrically controlled seat lift. A position adjuster opera-
ted from the control panel allows continuous adjustment of the seat to any height
between 370-610 mm, permitting simple matching with table, seat heights etc.
Whenever the seat lift is raised from its lowest position the chair's maximum
speed is lowered to 3.5 km/h.
If the seat angle catch (Fig. 2) is released, the chair will tilt back when the seat
lift reaches its highest position. Pull out the knob and twist to release the catch.
The chair will not tilt while the catch is engaged.
The chair is fitted with two safety switches which cut off current to the seat lift if
anything is trapped between the chassis and the seat. The safety switches are
located on the battery cover.
Make sure nothing is trapped between the chassis and the seat when
operating the seat lift
Fig. 2. Seat angle catch
when pulled out
Owner´s manual Koala Design and Function
Page 11
WARNING

Wheels
The front wheels of the wheelchair, the drive wheels, have pneumatic tyres. The
swivel-mounted rear wheels have solid rubber tyres.
Reflectors
The standard wheelchair has no lighting but is fitted with reflectors.
When travelling at night, lighting should be fitted. Available as an optional pur-
chase.
1. Position adjuster
2. Safety switch
Fig. 3 Seat lift
Fig. 4 Reflectors
1
2
Owner´s manual Koala Design and Function
Page 12

Electrical system
The wheelchair batteries are situated under the battery cover in the centre of the
chassis. The batteries are maintenance-free (jelly-type), so there is no need to
check fluid levels.
Drive system
The wheelchair has a drive pack for each drive wheel. The motors regulate
speed, turning and braking. A joystick on the control panel passes signals to the
electronic unit under the chassis cover on the right-hand side, which in turn con-
trols the motors.
Electric motor
riving gear
Fig. 5 Batteries
Fig 6. Electric motor with
driving gear.
Owner´s manual Koala Design and Function
Page 13

Fuses
The wheelchair has four fuses, the main fuse, the charging fuse, the lighting fuse
and the seat lift fuse. The main fuse is mounted above the left-hand drive pack,
while the other three are located in the electronic unit.
1. Lighting 7.5A
2. Seat lift 15A
3. Charging fuse 15A
4. Main fuse 80A
4
1
2
3
Fig. 7 Fuses
Owner´s manual Koala Design and Function
Page 14

Control panel
The wheelchair control panel is fixed to the right or left-hand arm rest, with adjus-
table location for optimum ease of use. The illustration below shows the diffe-
rent control panel functions.
Fig. 8 Control panel
1. No function at present
2. No function at present
3. Seat lift
4. On/off switch
5. attery voltage indicator
6. Horn
7. Speed selector (low, medium, high)
8. Joystick
9. Start key
34
5
6
7
8
9
2
1
Owner´s manual Koala Design and Function
Page 15

Main switch
The main switch acts as an on/off
switch for power to the wheelchair and
must be set to "on" before the chair will
operate.
Start key
The start key is a plug device which is
inserted in the box on the rear of the
back rest. The key must be inserted
before the main switch can be activa-
ted. Fig. 9 Start key
Seat lift
The seat lift switch moves the seat lift
up and down. When the seat lift is in
operation, the indicator lamp (Fig. 10)
lights. Whenever the seat lift is raised
from its lowest level, maximum speed
is reduced by half (3.5 km/h).
Fig. 10 Seat lift switch
- +
- +
Fig. 11 Main switch
Owner´s manual Koala Design and Function
Page 16

Speed selector
The speed can be set at three levels,
with one or more of the indicator lamps
lighting up, depending on the speed
range selected.
Low = 0-1.5 km/h, one lamp lit
Medium = 0-3.5 km/h, two lamps lit
High = 0-7.5 km/h, three lamps lit
Battery voltage indicator
The window display on the control
panel (Fig. 12) indicates the following
(left to right):
Red/yellow/green = Fully charged
Red/yellow = Half charged
Red = Recharge batteries
Fig. 12 Battery voltage indicator
Horn
Pressing this switch sounds the horn
and attracts the attention of other road
users.
- +
Fig. 13 Horn switch
Fig. 14 Speed selector
- +
- +
Owner´s manual Koala Design and Function
Page 17

Joystick
The joystick is used for regulating the
speed of the wheelchair forwards or
backwards, for turning and for braking.
Speed is continuously adjusted by
movements of the joystick, either for-
wards or backwards. The speed is
directly proportional to joystick move-
ment (a small movement causes a low
speed, a large movement a high
speed).
Turning is effected by moving the joy-
stick to one side or the other.
raking occurs by moving the joystick
back to neutral or by letting go of it all
together.
Fig. 15 Joystick
Owner´s manual Koala Design and Function
Page 18

Accessories
Tool wallet
A tool wallet for the wheel chair is provided, and contains the following tools
Fig. 16 Tool wallet
Tool Use
1st. Safety goggles Work on the battery
1 st. Allen key set General maintenance/seat adjustment
2 no. 13 mm spanners General maintenance, battery replacement
1 st. Screwdriver General maintenance/removal of covers
Owner´s manual Koala Accessories
Page 19

Bumper
A bumper attachment for the front of the wheelchair is available as a Koala
accessory.
Fig. 17 Bumper
Owner´s manual Koala Accessories
Page 20

Handling
General
This wheelchair is designed for use in and out of doors. Indoors, there are no
particular points to note. ut out of doors you must remember to drive very slow-
ly on steep descents and not to drive over edges more than 60 mm high.
Don't go out alone on your first test drive. The test drive is a check of how you
and the Permobil will function together and you may need a helping hand.
Remember that children should not drive an electric wheelchair unsupervised.
Driving
1 Insert the start key in the box behind the back support.
2 Switch on the power by pressing the main switch on the control panel.
- +
Fig. 18 Main switch
3 Select a suitable speed by pressing the speed selector until the correct
indicator lamp lights up for your type of driving. Preferably start with a
low speed.
Owner´s manual Koala Handling
Page 21