What Are EUC Cutouts and How To Prevent Them

In the world of electric unicycle (EUC) , the term ‘cutout’ refers to situation where an EUC loses the ability to maintain self-balance and sustain upright position. It is a topic that strikes fear in even the most advanced riders. But what leads to cutouts, and how can they be prevented? Understanding the causes is essential and critical to operating an EUC safely.

The Main Causes For Cutouts

The main causes for a cutout can include:

  • exceeding the maximum speed on the device
  • accelerating too quickly (leaning too hard) on a device with low battery
  • accelerating too quickly while exceeding the maximum weight limit on the device
  • riding in the rain. Water ingress causing damage to the main board
  • ‘jumping’ the wheel and leaving the wheel suspended in the air for too long
  • crashing the wheel, causing the wire connection to loosen
  • going up steep slope for a prolonged period of time, causing mainboard to overheat and fail
  • going down steps too quickly, leaving the wheel with little contact with the steps and spinning too fast
  • Mechanical failure of major components

With the exception of the last scenario, which is very rare and hard to predict, the majority of the situations are created by the users, and can be avoided by modifying riding behaviour and giving better care to the device.

Ways to prevent cutouts

Below are a few ways to prevent cutouts. The list is not exhaustive, but it provides some ideas on the kind of preventive measures one can take.

  • look out for warning beeps, pay special attention in noisy environments
  • periodically check battery status and your riding speed
  • pay attention to tiltbacks, which are designed to signal the user to slow down or charge up
  • sufficiently charge the wheel before a long ride
  • avoid riding in the rain and other adverse weather conditions
  • avoid stressing the wheel from constant and excessive speeding, torquing and jumping
  • perform MOT on your wheel periodically

Take care of your wheel, and it will take care of you.