Powabyke fault.

[philh]

I have recently bought a secondhand powabyke euro.
Second time out I rode down over a kerb and from then on it has stopped working!
Im fairly competent with Electrics having previously worked with electric wheelchairs and similar, even so I find the system a bit baffling.
The battery is fully charged and the LED panel lights up normally.
All connections seen intact and the motor powers up when I connect it from an independant battery.
The throttle assembly is a recent new part.
The bike has what I describe as a 'motion sensor' in the rear hub and one also under the crank assembly.(are these 'hall effect' sensors?)
Has anyone any experience of simplifying the set up,possibly eliminating the two sensors mentioned altogether, and is there a way of teporarily bypassing the throttle assy (for test purposes only).If it had two wires I could 'jump' them together but there are 3 wires.Not sure how to test this.
I have a digital multimeter if anyone can offer a test sequence.
Any tips or advice gratefully accepted!
Thanks.
Phil.

 

[flecc]

I've never worked on powabykes, but those sensors are likely to be pedelec ones, controlling the bike speed to the legal maximum and also the need for pedalling to maintain power in pedelec mode.

The throttle sounds like a Hall sensor one. This carries voltage which is reduced by the magnetic sensor to increase the motor power, and it cannot simply be bypassed. Don't try a meter across the throttle wires, you could damage the sensor.

Three questions:

It sounds like yours is a bike that has to be pedalled off the mark initially before the motor will cut in, perhaps you'd confirm that.

When you connected the external battery, how and where did you connect it?

Doe it have pedelec, that is, does the motor operate only when pedalling the bike?

I'll try to help if I have those answers.

 

[philh]

Thanks for the quick reply.
To power the motor up on its own I disconnected the block connector which is a few inches up from the front hub and used a 12v supply connected to the red/black wires, so driving the front wheel directly with no other influences.
I think the bike is supposed to be a pedelec in that it only powers up if you pedal away first although you do not have to keep pedalling once on the move.
it has two positions on the key 1.power assist 2.pure power.
Seems a bit strange that it 'conked' after going down a kerb but I cant find any evidence of anything with apparent 'jarring' damage.

 

[flecc]

OK Phil.

It's not necessarily pedelec, the need to pedal away just tells me what type of motor it has.

I think the two sensors are as follows. The one on the rear wheel is a speed sensor to enable it to keep to the speed limit of 15 mph. The one at the bottom bracket will probably be a pedelec sensor, and that one might be the trouble.

Have a look at it. Is it a disc on the bottom bracket spindle with a wired sensor alongside? If so, the disc carries a ring of tiny inserted magnets which you'll see if you wipe the disc clean. The sensor alongside senses the rotation of these past it. In bumping off the kerb, you may have moved the sensor too far from the magnets for it to sense them, or moved the disc back away from the sensor. Alternatively, you might have damaged the sensor or broken a wire.

If the sensor doesn't fit that description, I don't have an answer. In that case, it might be best to try an experienced Powabyke dealer. Here's a web page with the dealers nationwide which might help you in that.

 

[philh]

Its not the type of sensor you mention.
The sensors just screw into the hub or crank housing. Whatever they take their 'sensing' from (hard to phrase ) is not visible.
You are probably correct about the rear one being the speed sensor.
Would it be possible to do away with both as Id pedal away first anyway and Im not intending to break any speed records.
Obviously the fault could be elsewhere and will probably need a process of elimination.

 

[Jonathan1]

Hi have you checked the connector from crank sensor to controller, assuming there is one. They are quite small and fiddly. It is possible to get an intermittent connection, also possible for a pin to be pushed partially out on connection, leaving it intermittent. (hence stopped after dropping off kerb).
Jonathan.

 

[flecc]

Jonathan may well be right, but I can't advise on removal of the two sensors since I know nothing about the controller other than it's type, deduced from the motor type.

As you say, probably a slow process of elimination, but don't write off speaking to some dealers, even on the phone. They can be very helpful if you find the right one. I once phoned a workshop manager of dealers in a particular type of car, tentatively to try and glean a bit of information about an odd electrical fault, and got an immediate answer of exactly what the fault was and how to fix it easily.

I notice some of the Powabyke dealers are listed as service specialists, so worth a try.

 

[philh]

I'll try quizing a few dealers see what their opinions are.
Pity I couldnt just have a simple on/off switch !!!!
Thanks for the advice so far.

 

[Gaynor]

Second time out I rode down over a kerb and from then on it has stopped working!

With my old Elran, I went a short distance and up a curb, when the power stopped. I was told it there was a problem with the magnets.