Kit stopped working mid ride

Hi all,

I've had a kit for 3 weeks. Perfect for commuting to work, but occasionally it would shut off near the end of the long commute. No problem, just turn the battery off and on again and all is well. However, this week, it did the same thing and it has never worked again.

No changes to anything, but now no lights on the speed controller. All the connections check out. The battery checks out. Yes, I pressed the red button I'm struggling with troubleshooting this and a bit distraught to see this the third week. Can someone help with troubleshooting tips and how to follow up.

Thank you in advance.

-Rob

Mine shut off twice today as well. I figured the controller was getting too hot, although it wasn't very hot to the touch.

I left it off and pedaled for a while. It wouldn't turn back on -- the lights on the power meter blinked, and that was it.

I unplugged it from the battery, then re-plugged it, then it came on and all was well.

(My battery switch isn't working -- it's always on, which is better than always off. Maybe yours went the other way?)

-David

Thanks David. It sounds like a good place to start looking.

I don't really have testing equipment to check the battery, but I guess no choice but to go get that today.

Is your battery the lithium tube also? How did you test it to know the switch is broken?

-Rob

Yes, I'm talking about the switch on the top of the tube battery. It does not turn off the power now, rendering it useless. (Although, it's unclear what it was for in the first place.)

My controller cut out again this afternoon. I stopped, unplugged it from the battery, re-plugged it after a few seconds, and was on my way again. It was barely warm to the touch, so I'm not sure what that is happening. (I bolted it to my rear rack so it's exposed to the air.)

You don't need any equipment for any of this.

If your battery switch is frozen "off" instead of "on" like mine is, they you probably need to return it for repair. I wouldn't try to fix it myself, as I think that would void the warranty.

-David

Yeah, it sounds best to leave it to the experts. I'll send it in for warranty service.
Thanks again.

try resetting the BMS. Instructions under tube battery installation :

" If at anytime you are not getting power or the LED's on the battery are not working this means that the BMS has tripped. Simply leave power switches on the battery and handlebar in the on position and unplug then re-plug the power cable. This will reset the Battery management system inside of the battery. If this method does not work, leave all switches on and plug in the charger, this will also reset the BMS.

Also, cannot stress the importance of good connections. Only took me 24 hours to learn that lesson the hard way. Mine behaved the same way as yours before it finally fried for good. Loose connections to the Hall Sensor or using the throttle to power up hills or start from a dead stop can all fry your controller, be careful.

What I did: I ensured all wires/contacts were fully inserted into each connector and taped them all together first so they will all move together, then taped that to the connector itself when fully inserted to prevent them from backing out. I did this with all of my connections methodically and after plugging each connector into it's mate, ( makine sure all pins and sockets lined up with no forcing involved ) proceeded to tape the connectors together so they can't back out either. I have had absolutely no trouble since.

By the way, if you are skilled, you can terminate anderson powerpole connectors with a pair of pliers, a pair of channel locks and the right sized cotter pin, straight with a small space pried to size to fit around the wire insulation but still inside the connector end. I use the cotter pin and the regular pliers to drive home the crimped wire/terminal end into the back end of the connector housing while holding the housing just right with the channel locks ( not too tight or you'll marr the slots that attach the andersons to each other ). It takes skill and I had a 40% success ratio meaning I ruined a bunch of connectors, but now I can almost do it right "every single time" ( voice of Miss Swan - Mad TV LOL ).

Good luck...

Excellent troubleshooting tips!

Thanks for the info on the BMS. I did check that and I do get LED lights on the battery, but not the throttle. I'm not sure how to test if power is coming out of the battery. As you advised, I checked connections again. I really liked you idea for making the connections solid. I'm afraid to go that far right now as it may need sent to the company, but that is great info.

You said a quick start with the throttle could fry the controller. I was switching from pedal-power to throttle at the time it stopped. Even if already moving, can the rate of change fry the controller? If you think so, the controller is the current suspect. I'm following up by phone to see how to test/replace the controller.

Thanks!

-Rob

either way, whether loose connections or too much juice on demand if the controller fried like mine, it acted up first then finally went and you won't know until you send it in to get it tested. My recommendation, order a new one and send the old one back only if the new one solves the problem. If it doesn't, you'll have a spare or a return and can troubleshoot from there. Before you send anything back, recheck all of your connections. be careful to do this when the power is off or disconnected.

No changes to anything, but now no lights on the speed controller. All the connections check out. The battery checks out. Yes, I pressed the red button

I'm assuming you have a tube battery.

On the side of the lower plastic cap there is a recessed fuse. From the outside, it appears to be a round plastic cap with a philips-type head on it:



Turn off the battery, and unscrew that cap. Remove the fuse and eyeball it.

Thank you. I had not seen the fuse part and assumed that screw held the battery cap on. Yes, the fuse is blown.

After going to every store in my area that I can think of, I was unable to find a replacement. I was also unable to find details on the website here. Is it really 20Amp 250V like everyone in the stores tells me? Is a ceramic fuse really equivalent? Is there an easy place to order this that anyone would recommend?

-Rob