XiaoMi M365 Electric Scooter

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#2160921 14-Jan-2019 13:28

jonathan18:

Handsomedan:

Those that have had one longer term - anything I should know re pitfalls, maintenance issues etc? I see they can be reflashed to produce a tad more power and torque, but I don't fancy voiding my warranty for an extra 5km/h, to be honest.

@Handsomedan - have you read some of the earlier posts in this thread re the identified issues with the hinge and brake light cable wear? I posted some links to the parts on eBay (or you can download the 3D plans and print them yourself). I've not installed the brake light piece yet but this is a good reminder to do so; the hinge piece I keep in place with blutak (critical if you're ever folding the scooter as otherwise it'll easily fall out).

I've not bothered with the battery cover replacement - I find the ground clearance is pretty damn high so am comfortable I'm not going to damage the base.

I've also no done the flashing for the same reason, though it's easy enough to flash it back to the original firmware. Extra speed also means extra heat - not sure I want to risk this.

Regarding accessories: @robfish is completely correct that the damn expensive hooks are a complete waste of money - I can't even screw mine in properly! I was at the Mi Store the other week when in Akld and couldn't see any of the bags they were supplying with the scooter (assume this is what you've got, Handsomedan), as I think that'll be a useful thing to have.

Thanks - yes, I'm aware of the hinge and rear light fixes and do need to get onto that sooner rather than later...

The bag is the Mi Home one that they had, but I got it from PB Tech when I got the scooter - also got a disc brake lock for when I need to pop into a shop or similar.

Not going to bother with the hook, as I don't feel like the scooter is well enough balanced with narrow handlebars to hang anything off it other than the bag I have secured firmly.

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jonathan18

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#2160931 14-Jan-2019 13:40

Handsomedan:

The bag is the Mi Home one that they had, but I got it from PB Tech when I got the scooter - also got a disc brake lock for when I need to pop into a shop or similar.

Not going to bother with the hook, as I don't feel like the scooter is well enough balanced with narrow handlebars to hang anything off it other than the bag I have secured firmly.

You'd be surprised at how stable the scooter is with a bag simply hanging from the handlebars - I hang one handle over each side of the bars so it sits pretty much in the centre, hanging over the front end of the deck. I've not noticed it making it unstable (the turning circle's not particularly tight).

I see PB Tech sells the bag and other accessories, which is good to see - a pity the Mi Store itself is so poorly stocked. They've even got the clip-on seat, which looks so weird! I'd be interested in a storage bag for it, as mine got a few scratches on it when it was in the boot of the car for a few days (took it on holiday).

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#2160933 14-Jan-2019 13:43

Has anyone had any experiences with custom firmware? I'd actually quite like to try it out to see if it improves hill climbs substantially.

Also, does anyone to participate in a bulk order for parts? I'm looking at the Dochello upgraded case as well as the 10" tyre kit.

There doesn't seem to be any combined shipping via ebay, but perhaps via the Dochello site they might accommodate combined shipping?

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#2160944 14-Jan-2019 13:56

Hatch:

Has anyone had any experiences with custom firmware? I'd actually quite like to try it out to see if it improves hill climbs substantially.

Also, does anyone to participate in a bulk order for parts? I'm looking at the Dochello upgraded case as well as the 10" tyre kit.

There doesn't seem to be any combined shipping via ebay, but perhaps via the Dochello site they might accommodate combined shipping?

@Hatch: the 10" tyre upgrade sounds interesting - do you have any links to decent info on this, including demos of what difference it makes? Do you need to buy new wheels as well as tyres and the Dochello parts?

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#2160952 14-Jan-2019 14:11

jonathan18:

Hatch:

Has anyone had any experiences with custom firmware? I'd actually quite like to try it out to see if it improves hill climbs substantially.

Also, does anyone to participate in a bulk order for parts? I'm looking at the Dochello upgraded case as well as the 10" tyre kit.

There doesn't seem to be any combined shipping via ebay, but perhaps via the Dochello site they might accommodate combined shipping?

@Hatch: the 10" tyre upgrade sounds interesting - do you have any links to decent info on this, including demos of what difference it makes? Do you need to buy new wheels as well as tyres and the Dochello parts?

Not seen any reviews, but I simply like the idea of larger tyres? It's not particularly well thought out to be honest.

10" m365 tyre kit

There was a brief reddit discussion which touches on reduced max speed.

10" tyres reddit

It's a widely available mod so it is interesting there isn't any feedback on this upgrade as far as I can see.

jonathan18

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#2160961 14-Jan-2019 14:27

Hatch:

Not seen any reviews, but I simply like the idea of larger tyres? It's not particularly well thought out to be honest.

10" m365 tyre kit

There was a brief reddit discussion which touches on reduced max speed.

10" tyres reddit

It's a widely available mod so it is interesting there isn't any feedback on this upgrade as far as I can see.

Ah, good to see my googlefu isn't as bad as I feared - that was the same stuff I found, but had hoped there was something I'd missed.

There's a Youtube video of someone riding a Mi scooter apparently with 10" wheels (in the rain, no less), but it would have to rate as one of the less interesting and more uninformative videos I've watched.

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Handsomedan

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#2161003 14-Jan-2019 15:15

@Hatch - I have seen multiple reviews of custom firmware flashes and the general gist is that the torque and output improves drastically (maily the off-the-mark and uphill pulling power), but with an increase in heat and some serious degradation of battery life.

There's a couple of interesting chats on Reddit about it. Reddit - M365 Firmware update

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#2161020 14-Jan-2019 15:43

Handsomedan:

@Hatch - I have seen multiple reviews of custom firmware flashes and the general gist is that the torque and output improves drastically (maily the off-the-mark and uphill pulling power), but with an increase in heat and some serious degradation of battery life.

There's a couple of interesting chats on Reddit about it. Reddit - M365 Firmware update

Thanks for that, I actually recently saw a m365 advertised on FB for parts only. The motor had died and the battery was gone but I don't know what exactly happened.

I think the risk may be too high, I'm a solid guy and unless you can very fine control, a minor increase in torque is all I need, then it may be not worth the risk.

Handsomedan

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#2161023 14-Jan-2019 15:49

Hatch:

Handsomedan:

@Hatch - I have seen multiple reviews of custom firmware flashes and the general gist is that the torque and output improves drastically (maily the off-the-mark and uphill pulling power), but with an increase in heat and some serious degradation of battery life.

There's a couple of interesting chats on Reddit about it. Reddit - M365 Firmware update

Thanks for that, I actually recently saw a m365 advertised on FB for parts only. The motor had died and the battery was gone but I don't know what exactly happened.

I think the risk may be too high, I'm a solid guy and unless you can very fine control, a minor increase in torque is all I need, then it may be not worth the risk.

Yeah, as tempted as I am to have a bit more torque and output, at 100kg (more or less) I know I am already putting enough strain on this thing myself...the risks don't seem to outweigh the benefits to me.

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michaelmurfy

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#2168218 27-Jan-2019 02:03

I've taken the plunge today and bought one.

I've been playing around with custom firmware - have got some tested packages here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14iChAntgnwuGlsmT8WcvrpJ6OuhfrUo2?usp=sharing

You need an Android phone to do this - install the APK at the bottom of https://m365.botox.bz/

Since your Mi Scooter is likely running v141 or v142 of the firmware you need to downgrade this to v140 first - use the file 140-DOWNGRADE.bin in the Google Drive folder to achieve this. Basically v141&2 don't allow downgrading and after much searching managed to find a package that downgrades successfully. After this, flash DMS115.bin to ensure the battery management system is up-to-date.

DRV138-Conservative.bin - general all around performer. Gives a little extra speed and acceleration at the cost of around 2km range (however ECO mode works as per normal if you need all the range you can get).
DRV138-Power.bin - as the name suggests. This is just for having a bit of fun. It does cause the motor to heat up a little but you can really pick up some speed. With a tail wind I managed just under 50km/h on a slight downhill incline. Don't expect great battery life, all values are within the recommended tested options and so this shouldn't damage your scooter. I've just got this profile handy for when we go on the next Geekzone Lime Scooter race (assuming I'm allowed to use my own scooter).
DRV138-Stock.bin - This is just the stock configuration running on v138 of the firmware (the best firmware for this scooter in my testing).

You can go back to true stock anytime by flashing it from the Mi app. If you ever want to go back to custom you'll need to flash v140 first. I recommend staying on v138 of the firmware for the best all around performance and battery life. You'll see why if you flash it and go for a decent ride.

I've also gone ahead and purchased one of these: https://www.m365dash.com/

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jonathan18

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#2168228 27-Jan-2019 07:21

I’m glad someone else is experimenting with this on our behalf! I haven’t had the confidence to do this yet, but would like a bit more grunt out of my scooter.

Any idea how much extra speed the DRV138 gives you?

That dash addition looks good, but isn’t cheap at £45; I’ll let you install it and report back before I take the plunge! (Also, unlike the firmware which can be reversed, I imagine this would void the warranty if it is clear the scooter has been mucked about with?)

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michaelmurfy

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#2168273 27-Jan-2019 10:41

jonathan18: I’m glad someone else is experimenting with this on our behalf! I haven’t had the confidence to do this yet, but would like a bit more grunt out of my scooter.

Any idea how much extra speed the DRV138 gives you?

That dash addition looks good, but isn’t cheap at £45; I’ll let you install it and report back before I take the plunge! (Also, unlike the firmware which can be reversed, I imagine this would void the warranty if it is clear the scooter has been mucked about with?)

Nominal speed I get is around 30km/h however it was quite hard to test as since I live in Wellington I have a problem with wind. I think firmware modding is worth it as assuming you're not being stupid with the values (hours of research went into my values!) then it is quite safe to do. Stock DRV138 gives you smoother acceleration without the cost of battery and gives a far smoother riding experience compared to DRV140-141-142 and was the best firmware recommended by any forum I read.

As for the dash extension - yes, expensive, but worth it IMO - you've got to remember somebody has gone to the effort of building this and it is clearly 3D printed also (so - somebody is making this at home). Since it is just 3 wires and the original dash is stuck on with double-sided tape you could quite easily reverse the mod for warranty purposes without anyone noticing so I am not at all worried about this. It gives you way more data on the scooter and allows you to change settings without the need to grab or have your phone on you. I'm very good at soldering also. Will report back on this once my unit arrives. I really like the attention to detail on it also with the sticker.

I've also done an additional mod to my scooter and that was to cover the exposed wire in the rear flap with hot snot (for now) until I 3D print a part to prevent the wire from wearing. This is also a design flaw with this scooter as with very little riding I already noticed some wire wear.

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#2168274 27-Jan-2019 10:45

jonathan18:

That dash addition looks good, but isn’t cheap at £45; I’ll let you install it and report back before I take the plunge! (Also, unlike the firmware which can be reversed, I imagine this would void the warranty if it is clear the scooter has been mucked about with?)

Plan B - buy a cheap $20 android phone and permanently attach it to the scooter. Make it so it boots up the Mi software automatically when it's turned on. There must be some way to run a 5V line into the phone to power it when the scooter is on.

jonathan18

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#2168292 27-Jan-2019 10:59

Price-wise a cheap/old phone may be an option, but I find even newish phones like my OnePlus 6 aren’t that great in direct sun, which is important . I’m thinking the screen on this add-on may be better in such circs? (Agree that I don’t like having my own phone in a bracket on the scooter as it’s sure to suffer in an accident.)

I hadn’t watched the video linked to above, but having done so now I see that it’s much more sophisticated than I had thought. Very tempted, but will wait to hear @michaelmurfy ‘s feedback, eg visibility in sunlight. Being sh!t at soldering means I’ll need to get a friend who isn’t to do that!

jonathan18

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#2168294 27-Jan-2019 11:04

michaelmurfy: I've also done an additional mod to my scooter and that was to cover the exposed wire in the rear flap with hot snot (for now) until I 3D print a part to prevent the wire from wearing. This is also a design flaw with this scooter as with very little riding I already noticed some wire wear.

Must get onto this, as I’ve had the part since I got the scooter, and given I use it to get to work every day, the wear on mine must be there.

I did find my rear brake needed to be adjusted last week as it had become nearly fully ineffective. Took only 20 seconds to fix, though...

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