Swytch kit death

[Greg_London]

Hi people,

So I'm a handful of months over a year since I've had my Swytch Pro v2 kit. I've had a cradle failure, PAS failure and both brake sensors fail in this time. Now, the big one though as the main bag/pack has failed this time around. I get LED's up and it's operation all seems to be normal except it just won't fire, both for PAS and walk mode. If I spin the wheel backwards I notice quite a lot of resistance which does not happen if spinning the wheel forwards. This only happens with the pack cradled. With the pack uncradled there's no resistance. It all works perfectly with another pack so it's either the battery or the controller. My experience with the support team means I need to come up with a plan B. I've looked for my options on the LSW1542-1-6F controller but can't seem to find anything online for this.

The Swytch pretty much lives on full power and I only use the power button when it comes to controls. Is there a replacement removeable battery with integrated controller that I could replace the Swytch bag/pack with? Ideally located on the downtube while keeping the Swytch motor and PAS sensor? I'm not too fussed on lots of control options. If not, does this seem like a problem with the cells in the battery or the controller? Can a replacement controller be sourced if it's not a dead cell?

 

[peterjd]

Hi, I don't have any experience of the Swytch Mark 2, I have the earlier Mk 1 but I understand the motorised front wheel & hub are compatible (perhaps the same). Some parts on the Mk 1 eg the LCD display were also used on some Juicy Bikes at the time. I'm not sure about the separate controller which is used on the Mk1, but if you are having no joy with Swytch (they tend to recommend expensive over the top solutions in my experiene outside warranty) you could try the Juicy distributor in the UK. Regarding the Mk 1 battery I am now using alternative '36v' batteries ( a Yose 10Ah and Bosch compatible 5Ah lawnmower type). Good luck. Peter

 

[Greg_London]

The other Swytch pack I have is the Eco version. It's controller is a LSW1542-12M. It seems to have the same specs with a rated voltage of 36V, maximum current 12A, rated current 6A and low voltage protection at 31v with throttle adjustment voltage of 1.2v-4.4v.

Does anyone know if I could swap batteries into this unit from the pro kit to determine if the controller or the battery is the failing component? I'm guessing the LSW1542-1-6F controller is different in that it provides power to the LED lights on the front of the pack for the pro kit. I've never used this light so it's not an issue for me to be without it.

 

[cheesemonkey]

First post here, so glad to find a forum about ebikes. I'm following this thread with interest.

I also have Swytch PRO kit, since Oct 2020. I've done nearly 3,500miles on it and overall the experience has been positive as a first ebike experience. I echo the comments about support team and failing parts one after another. I've had my fair share of troubleshooting and problem solving by myself.

This morning I came across a similar issue with the OP. The "motor current abnormality" error came up (flashing light at level 1). Noticeable resistance when spinning the motor backwards with the PowerPack connected (both switched on/off). My use of Swytch kit is exactly same as the OP (I turn it on, leave on full power, ride, and switch it off when I'm finished).

I feel I've had enough with Sywtch. I want to emphasise that Swytch kit was excellent for making my current bike an "e"bike without plashing out £xxx on a new purpose-built eBike. Now that I have basic understanding on what to expect from an electrified bike, I'd be keen to go off-piste and find DIY solutions to sustain the bike with the current set up. The quality of support team has improved since Oct 2020 but I'm not keen on being invoiced an extortionate amount to blindly replace parts in "hope" to resolve issues.

 

[ChrisMeBike]

I had the Swytch Pro kit for a year on my bike. It continues to work well. I got my wife a Swytch Pro kit for her bike this spring. That kit developed an issue. I received responsive technical support although the initial new controller module didn't fix the problem. Then they sent an entirely new battery pack/controller. That has largely fixed the problem. The is occasional drop out that may sometime be related to the PAS system. I am learning more about how to do things myself as I go however. I may be experimenting with my own modifications going forward.

 

[MikeKP]

It seems like Swytch kits can fail in use. Mine had intermittent failure of power to the motor during a long cycle tour and a complete failure at the start of the next tour. (I left the batteries in the car and went "manual"). The problem appears to be fixed by a new handlebar bracket which I paid for, out of warranty. Swytch did eventually send me a wiring diagram with pin-outs for my Gen 2 Pro kit. It does give a lot of information for anyone wanting to use other controllers. I am embarking on a project to avoid the need for the handlebar bracket which would then give me room for a proper handlebar bag for touring. There are plenty of cables out there to mix and match (and solder). I just don't want to throw away good parts and spend more money on a new kit.
Anyway, here's the wiring diagram