Ebco m45 help please

[cyclebuddy]

But only holds on the initial 0 for a few seconds before going into the error code on repeat

Lockdown boredom... I'm still here!

Your mates' wife may be in luck... This page says the M45 was only introduced in 2018, so it can't be too old - maybe under 2 years old?:

Products | EBC Bikes (ebco-ebikes.co.uk)

Rifling through my draws, I've found an Ebco manual that includes the M45 model. It states:

All electrical components inc battery are covered with a 2-year warranty (battery limited to 500 charge cycles).

If error codes appear on the display, refer to the error code list (in the manual, a similar but shortened version of the one vfr linked to above - nothing about "0Hot" though) and contact your dealer for diagnostics.

Elsewhere, FAQ says "the motor can overheat on very steep hills, but the built-in heat sensor will automatically shut down the system before any damage can occur to the internals of the motor".

As your DP27 is booting-up properly, do you think your "0Hot" message may mean "0" mph, then "Hot", as in an overheat event occurred? Okay, so I'm clutching at straws here...

 

[Deleted member 33385]

A reset might be an exclusive preserve of the diagnostic software. If it's still under warranty, ignore the following:

The PC Repair part of my mind, is wondering if this DP27's memory can be reset by removing it's internal battery (if it indeed has one) for a minute, then replacing, or alternatively clearing the enduring terrible memory of it's hypothesised traumatic overheating event, by shorting two CMOS memory wipe pins (if indeed is has those) on it's internal board?

 

[Kneebiker]

It's not under warranty so maybe I'll be disassembling the dp27 as next step

The hot motor trauma event theory is a good one!

 

[Kneebiker]

A reset might be an exclusive preserve of the diagnostic software. If it's still under warranty, ignore the following:

The PC Repair part of my mind, is wondering if this DP27's memory can be reset by removing it's internal battery (if it indeed has one) for a minute, then replacing, or alternatively clearing the enduring terrible memory of it's hypothesised traumatic overheating event, by shorting two CMOS memory wipe pins (if indeed is has those) on it's internal board?

Blast, having just taken the dp27 off the handlebar it is apparent it is a sealed, glued unit

 

[cyclebuddy]

If we're buying into the heat-stress theory, I accidentally omitted a bit...

It actually says ""the motor can overheat on very steep hills and under heavy loads, but the built-in heat sensor will automatically shut down the system before any damage can occur to the internals of the motor".

Given the way the rear-rack battery is robustly supported, you can image a second body riding shotgun and exceeding the stated 120kg max payload.

I'd avoid trying to manually reset it for risk of bricking it - that would be expensive, whereas all it likely needs at the moment is hooking it up to the diagnostics and resetting.

 

[Nealh]

As it's a hub motor maybe time to simply just ditch the locked in electrics and replace with a decent reliable non oem system that is far easier to negotiate, it may mean dumping the battery BMS for a generic one or you might be able to use the battery without issue.

 

[Deleted member 33385]

If it's glued, the DP27 isn't designed to be opened and is unlikely to contain a battery, so it's using non-volatile memory (doesn't need power to maintain settings), or error logs are kept somewhere else on the bike (which might or might not be on non-volatile memory). Even if you managed to reset it - it could be reporting a persistent problem elsewhere anyway, so you might still get the same 0Hot message, whatever that means. From the looks of this Tranzx system, various subsystems likely communicate using an ethernet network, which means various components have their own MAC address on that network - so simply changing the DP27 for another DP27 is unlikely to work without adding it to the network using the vendor's software - like subsystems on a lot of modern cars. If it were me, I'd take as much as possible apart to look for physically obvious problems hoping I could clear whatever was causing the error (who knows? It might still need resetting anyway, even after repairing fused wires, blown fuses or whatever), but I think the best thing to do is find someone with the diagnostic software. If Halfords sold the bike originally, they may still be licensed for that software... unless they haven't renewed it because they're not selling EBCO bikes. Why not do as Nealh has suggested? Turn it into an easily repairable bike?

 

[Kneebiker]

I've tried Halfords who didn't want to know. Also two other local dealers who say they no longer are dealers and never had the diagnostic software

That leaves trans x who just emailed me back saying they can't help me as an end user - I must try the dealer!!

OK, going to have one last take apart and rebuild tonight otherwise I guess its Nealh approach.

But I suspect there is a hand shake with the battery as there are are a few pins giving full voltage as well as signal voltages (I presume anyway, I do not have the technical know how you guys have with pc repair, cmos and other stuff!)

 

[vfr400]

As it's a hub motor maybe time to simply just ditch the locked in electrics and replace with a decent reliable non oem system that is far easier to negotiate, it may mean dumping the battery BMS for a generic one or you might be able to use the battery without issue.

It's not going to work . The motor connector is non-standard and the battery is a non-standard fitting and it has CANbus. It would be easier to start from scratch with a new donor bike.

 

[cyclebuddy]

As vfr says, both the electronics and form factor don't lend it to change.

What about calling Ebco themselves? They'd been selling Tranzx driven ebikes for donkeys years and their range included (amongst Bosch and Shimano driven ebikes) 11 different models using Tranzx systems right up to the point when they consciously moved to totally new models, systems and manufacturers for 2020 (I suspect because of the new EU Tariffs imposed on all Chinese made ebikes introduced then). There has to be someone not too far from you who has the diagnostics, and Ebco should know (they used to do the dealer training on how to use it EDIT: click here).

The manual says: "If your Ebco has a problem, please contact your local dealer or our technical support hotline:
01926 437700, info@ebco-ebikes.co.uk, service@ebco-ebikes.co.uk"

Shame to consign such a distinctive, relatively new £1400 ebike to vfr's infamous garden trellis collection for the sake of a £50 ride on a dealer's system. Ebco should know where they are.

 

[Deleted member 33385]

I've tried Halfords who didn't want to know. Also two other local dealers who say they no longer are dealers and never had the diagnostic software

That leaves trans x who just emailed me back saying they can't help me as an end user - I must try the dealer!!

OK, going to have one last take apart and rebuild tonight otherwise I guess its Nealh approach.

But I suspect there is a hand shake with the battery as there are are a few pins giving full voltage as well as signal voltages (I presume anyway, I do not have the technical know how you guys have with pc repair, cmos and other stuff!)

I'm glad I've never bought a bike from Halfords!

I can't believe any manufacturer would design a system without providing a simple way for the user to easily reboot it. Have you tried all of the button press combinations on this video?

Also, try switching it off and pressing the "On" button for a minute. Also try that without the battery connected. I'd try all possible button press permutations, including all three buttons at once.

If vfr says the motor is non-standard, and that it'd be easier to start with a new donor bike, you can bet that's the case, and your only hope for that system is the diagnostic software.

Before risking permanent breakage through more substantial disassembly, ask Ebco what they can do to assist you.

 

[Deleted member 33385]

Too many appliances end up as landfill because they are not designed to be repaired. Maybe the new "Right To Repair" law will improve matters:

'Right to repair' law to come in this summer

Manufacturers will be obliged to make spare parts for appliances available to consumers.

www.bbc.co.uk

I once bought a high quality amplifier which I knew was part of a closed system... I could not find a way to make it work as a standalone unit - it needed codes from various other units - and what those codes were or what protocols were used to transmit them, were unfathomable and the communication ribbon interconnect cable impossible to source. I'm ashamed to say I threw it in the bin.

 

[Nealh]

It would certainly apply to Bosh but ebikes aren't White goods.

 

[Deleted member 33385]

It would certainly apply to Bosh but ebikes aren't White goods.

Alas, my hopes are dashed.

 

[sjpt]

It would certainly apply to Bosh but ebikes aren't White goods.

especially after a ride ...

 

[cyclebuddy]

I can't believe any manufacturer would design a system without providing a simple way for the user to easily reboot it.

TranzX 2021 catalogue introduces Bluetooth to their handlebar displays - models DP29 and DP30. These allow a user to self-diagnose faults without the dealer diagnostics system using a LogiX 'phone App.

AFAIK, the new displays are 100% interchangeable with the older (still current) DP27 model and drive systems of all recent TranzX e-bikes that use their CANbus system, including the OP's e-bike.

But I doubt we'll find these new Bluetooth displays being fitted as standard equipment on a mass-market £1400 shopping/leisure e-bike like the OP's anytime soon.

 

[Deleted member 33385]

Seems unnecessarily complicated for use on ebikes:

CAN bus - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[cyclebuddy]

Seems unnecessarily complicated for use on ebikes:

CANbus is brilliantly simple... when it's working. Just like in all modern cars, it saves the cost and complication of long unwieldy multi-stranded wiring looms.

 

[vfr400]

This is what I keep warning people about. Stick with standard Chinese electrics or Bosch or Shimano. Anything else might lead to a situation like this. Unfortunately there are hundreds of new ebike systems springing up and fading out all the time. Sooner or later whatever you have will need to be fixed.

 

[Kneebiker]

Hi folks, I had a final go last night..... Really thought I'd cracked it!

By disconnecting the, I presume, can bus connector between the battery cradle and the controller I can make the error disappear. For about one minute before it reassert itself.

Thing that confuses me is that the overheating thing should resolve itself when it cools down again according to a manual I found.

But it hasn't,

Is it worth taking the motor apart to see if the heat sensor is fried, and if so can it it be bypassed or replaced?

Any thoughts?