Bosch CX Intermittent power loss - error 530 - FIXED

dalemanuk

Finding my (electric) wheels
Apr 22, 2017
10
3
uk
Long time lurker on here - I couldn't find much in the way of info to help with my problem so I’m posting this so that others may benefit from my experience – it’s no fun worrying about suffering a power loss 20 miles from home at my age!

My 3 year old 6000 miles Cube Reaction recently developed a habit of shutting down at random points in a ride, usually with the display showing a flashing empty power pack, but no error message. It refused to power up again unless I removed the power pack and reinstalled it. Sometimes I made it back home without any further shut downs, and sometimes not. A battery reset didn't solve the problem

It did eventually show error 530 which gave me something to go on. “remove and reinstall power pack – if this doesn’t work consult a dealer”. Hmmm, that sounded expensive!

Fortunately my partner has a similar bike so I tried her battery on my bike which solved my problem. I also tried my battery on her bike and it worked perfectly!

OK, so it had to be something to do with my power pack connecting to my bike. After searching umpteen forums for advice I cleaned all the terminals and adjusted the power pack mountings so that the pack was held as tight as possible but the problem persisted.

Next I decided to try swapping out the wiring loom from the power pack to the motor – problem solved!

Once I could closely inspect the original socket/terminals I was surprised how badly the terminals had worn and become pitted. In future I’ll mostly charge the power pack on the bike to at least avoid some wear



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daniellondon

Finding my (electric) wheels
Oct 26, 2019
16
1
Hello,

Getting this problem a lot recently on my Riese and muller although I think it’s something to do with bad soldering since it only started happening after I upgraded to the m99 pro which was soldered onto the motor since it’s 12v.

in case my issue is the same as yours, where did you get the replacement wiring loom? Don’t think I could do it myself but I will take it to an expert

thanks
 

dalemanuk

Finding my (electric) wheels
Apr 22, 2017
10
3
uk
 

daniellondon

Finding my (electric) wheels
Oct 26, 2019
16
1
Hi, thanks for the reply!

Is it this one by any chance?


Bosch Connection Cable for Powerpack Rack
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/bosch-connection-cable-for-powerpack-rack

There’s also another option:
Bosch Cable PowerPack Frame
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/bosch-cable-powerpack-frame

And I saw a video on YouTube (see attached picture) of a person taking a bosch battery pack apart and the cables attached to the logic board / BMS look completely different than what’s shown on wiggle. Do you have to cut the wires apart and manually connect them somehow? Sorry I’m a DIY newbie and I’ll probably take it to an expert but I’m just trying to understand.

Thanks!

P.S. if my local bike shop isn’t able to help I’m happy to send it for you to do for a few quid if you’d be up to it? I have a dual battery set up so I will test both individually on a long ride and see which battery needs fixing (might not be a problem with the actual battery since the problem is intermittent, but I’ll try to find out).40968
 

dalemanuk

Finding my (electric) wheels
Apr 22, 2017
10
3
uk
Mine was the first one that you identified..... there's no soldering and it's nothing to do with the battery as such. It's simply a replacement connecting cable between the motor and the battery dock/charger socket on the frame.
 

daniellondon

Finding my (electric) wheels
Oct 26, 2019
16
1
Mine was the first one that you identified..... there's no soldering and it's nothing to do with the battery as such. It's simply a replacement connecting cable between the motor and the battery dock/charger socket on the frame.
Aah my bad. I thought you replaced the actual (female) socket inside the battery. I did give the terminals a good clean today and it worked well but after I started going up hill and had a few bumps I kept getting 530.

I’ve got two battery terminal on my Riese muller delite 2019 so I will use a single battery for now and test each terminal.

I’m still thinking that it might be a loose solder connection between the Supernova M99 Pro light (which my eBike store installed for me) - this is connected to the battery. The m99 pro uses the 12v connection straight from the battery since it’s so powerful. Since it’s a series circuit then I assume it the light loses power for a second then the whole circuit breaks which causes error 530. I may be wrong.

They tried crimping it originally but I also kept getting the error so they soldered it instead.

Anyway I’ll keep investigating.
Cheers
 
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dalemanuk

Finding my (electric) wheels
Apr 22, 2017
10
3
uk
I believe that the CX is designed to power lights from a port on the motor. Max output is 18 watts? Best check what power your light requires
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
15,973
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there are 4 connectors on the motor 2 are for the display and speed sensor and 2 are for the front and rear light on the left hand side of the motor if you remove the plastic cover.


the male end of the connector is where it will get worn down or corroded loose connection esp if it was not a tight fit in the first place so that should solve your problem.

 
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daniellondon

Finding my (electric) wheels
Oct 26, 2019
16
1
there are 4 connectors on the motor 2 are for the display and speed sensor and 2 are for the front and rear light on the left hand side of the motor if you remove the plastic cover.


the male end of the connector is where it will get worn down or corroded loose connection esp if it was not a tight fit in the first place so that should solve your problem.

Thanks for the reply.

I’m attaching a page from the manual for the m99 pro light. This is how it was connected up (they crimped and then soldered when I returned to the eBike shop due to the 530 errors).

Do you think there’s any chance it’s because of a loose solder connection with the new light? Or is it just a coincidence that it started happening after the new light installation?

40969
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
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wow i see what you mean now n fook that if they have spliced that light in to the main batt power cable in to the motor and it is cutting out that is your problem.



DSC_0150_01_01.JPG

or this is there new one ;)
 

daniellondon

Finding my (electric) wheels
Oct 26, 2019
16
1
wow i see what you mean now n fook that if they have spliced that light in to the main batt power cable in to the motor and it is cutting out that is your problem.



View attachment 40970

or this is there new one ;)
Yeah I think so too. Just an idea, but is it also possible that too much power could be drawn from the batteries? I know the light is definitely compatible since Riese / muller use this model on their 45kmh unrestricted versions - I’m just not sure how they install it in the factory...if it’s crimping or if they have some proprietary system.

Maybe it’s a coincidence but the error usually happens when I travel up a steep section or if I’m on a section which requires a bit of motor power. And since I weigh 120kg, maybe the motor is being overwhelmed? But I thought the battery management system would be smart enough to deal with this instead of throwing up an error.
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
15,973
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well bosch uses a hand shake system to communicate between the battery motor and display so wiring a light in to the main power cable seems a bad idea to me but could be why it is cutting out when more power is needed.

it could be a bad connection where it is wired in to the motor or could be a problem with the software making it cut out when the light is on.

just seems more hassle than its worth doing it like that and its not like it uses that much power anyway.

id just have it removed sell it and get something else as those lights are way overpriced for what they are.


that just looks a right mess with wire taps lol.
 
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daniellondon

Finding my (electric) wheels
Oct 26, 2019
16
1
well bosch uses a hand shake system to communicate between the battery motor and display so wiring a light in to the main power cable seems a bad idea to me but could be why it is cutting out when more power is needed.

it could be a bad connection where it is wired in to the motor or could be a problem with the software making it cut out when the light is on.

just seems more hassle than its worth doing it like that and its not like it uses that much power anyway.

id just have it removed sell it and get something else as those lights are way overpriced for what they are.
The light is is honestly amazing so I’d be hesitant to sell it. Nothing comes close. It has a gorgeous day time running light around the edges, has a low and high beam, and automatically comes on when it’s dark or when I’m in a tunnel due to its sensor.

From the technical specs it says:

24 V – 60 V DC (75 V max.)

So I don’t think it’s physically possible to attach it any other way apart from directly to the battery? Supernova who make the light is a well known Germany company so I doubt they’d sell something that isn’t compatible. I have contacted bosch and Riese and muller to see how they connect it in the factory and if they have had any complaints.

I was reading about “voltage sag” which means there’s less voltage if the motor has to work harder on hills. The light does take quite a bit of power so I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what’s causing it.

if not I’ll take it to another eBike shop to see if the original bike shop installed it badly.

p.s. here’s a picture or the light for you to admire40974
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
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High beam: 1,600 lm, my light is 8000lm so you wont win that one lol but if you have any warranty id get the shop you got it from to have a look and run a diagnostic test.

looks like that is the correct way to get power to that light but id not use wire taps and solder the cables together for the best connection.

DSC_0071_02.JPG

:p
 

daniellondon

Finding my (electric) wheels
Oct 26, 2019
16
1
High beam: 1,600 lm, my light is 8000lm so you wont win that one lol but if you have any warranty id get the shop you got it from to have a look and run a diagnostic test.

looks like that is the correct way to get power to that light but id not use wire taps and solder the cables together for the best connection.

View attachment 40975

:p
Some hopefully good news. I went for a ride today and normally I have two batteries attached like in the picture below but today I only used one battery. I tried using both the top and bottom battery holder and only when the battery was in the top one it kept giving me errors. I’ll do some more testing this week and hopefully it’s only a case of the top battery ports needing replacement like the OP stated. I’ll try some really bumpy routes

too many coincidences so I won’t get my hopes up just yet lol.40991
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
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is it a loose fit or is it solid as 530 is a intermittent connection fault.

this is the cable you will need and not cheap or a easy fit if that is the problem.

 

daniellondon

Finding my (electric) wheels
Oct 26, 2019
16
1
is it a loose fit or is it solid as 530 is a intermittent connection fault.

this is the cable you will need and not cheap or a easy fit if that is the problem.

On a bike that expensive, £90 seems a bargain. Spent £400 on the light itself.

I’m not rich lol but I don’t have a car so this is one of my little luxuries.
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
15,973
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my light cost £150 but if you have warranty that should be covered if not then you will have to pay labour on top of any parts and need the light cable spliced in again.

my lbs wants £45 just to plug in a usb cable and do a diagnostic test that takes 5 mins it adds up fast.
 

daniellondon

Finding my (electric) wheels
Oct 26, 2019
16
1

my light cost £150 but if you have warranty that should be covered if not then you will have to pay labour on top of any parts and need the light cable spliced in again.

my lbs wants £45 just to plug in a usb cable and do a diagnostic test that takes 5 mins it adds up fast.
They charged I think £80 for the soldering so I guess you’re right.

Regarding the fit...it’s as tight as the bottom bracket, only very slightly moves. So it might be the actual charging pins that have worn out. I guess the gravity doesn’t help either since the battery is essentially hanging upside down.
 

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