3X3 Simple Gear Configuration via a Web Tool

Technologies

Timeframe from 2024

Customer benefits

Clear web app
Simple operability
Time expansions during device setup

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“Everything is better with Bluetooth.” This also holds true for the internal gear hub produced by Baden-Württemberg-based company 3X3. The company believes that cyclists should receive the best possible support not only through electric motors, but also through automatic gear-shifting technology. At the same time, adding Bluetooth connectivity allows workshops to configure the gear systems precisely to the required specifications.

inovex has developed a web tool for 3X3 which enables the company’s internal gear hubs to be clearly and easily configured, including by customers.

The challenge: from the workshop to the user

3X3 has developed an internal gear hub for e-bikes which enables gears to be changed at
the push of a button. A small switch on the handlebars sends a shift signal via Bluetooth to
an actuator on the rear axle. Previously, 3X3 configured these components via a
rudimentary workshop tool which, although practical, was not intuitively operable.

Schaltung am Lenker eines E-Bikes — E-Shift

inovex’s assistance has resulted in the development of a new tool which contains the most
important functions to connect the gear-shift button and the actuator and allows them to be
configured. The tool also required a platform  a lightweight web application to support the
Bluetooth connection.

The solution: a web tool with Bluetooth connectivity

For the new application, the workshop tool’s main functions were integrated into the new
solution and further developed. The first time the tool is started, the gears can be initialised
and tested by shifting through them. In addition to the update function and the component
pairing, inovex also made it possible to make millimetre-precise adjustments to the actuator
gear in order to link it seamlessly with the rest of the drivetrain.

Nabenschaltung an einem Fahrrad — Aktuator

An auto-downshift function, a nice quality-of-life feature, was also developed. When the bike
comes to a stop, this feature automatically shifts to a previously defined gear. This enables
easy acceleration with no need for additional manual shifting.

Bluetooth not only connects the components together, it also connects them with the
configuration tool. This enables even small fleets of bikes to be easily and simultaneously
configured.

Technology suited to the use case

The tool itself is a web application which runs in the Chrome browser. inovex decided to use
Vue.js for the development, as the most suitable framework for the application case. Angular
could, for example, also have been used, but its many features make it too heavily weighted.
Creating the connection between Bluetooth and the browser posed a particular technical
challenge, one which was resolved by accessing a defined Bluetooth interface in Chrome.

Looking ahead: a foundation for new functions

The new web tool’s first iteration made the most important functions accessible to more
users through an intuitive interface and easy operability. For the future, new functions can be
added quickly and flexibly, which will make maintenance easier and further improve the
product. As well as making mechanical improvements, therefore, 3X3 has laid a solid
foundation for optimally updating its product’s software.