Throttle and pedelec stop working on bumps

[cwah]

Hello there,

Everytime I have a bump on my bike, my pedelec and throttle stop working. However the power is still on and the wattmeter keeps recording the total Wh used. So no electric disconnection.

I have to turn the power off and on again to have the pedelec and throttle working again. It's really not practical because I have to turn off/on my power at every bump!!

I'm thinking about maybe adding some foam inside the controller box to prevent the bump being too harsh on the controller?

Any idea what's causing this? Poor connections somewhere I suppose? But where?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

It's probably your battery connections - the ones in the battery. Try using a small screwdriver. You have to get behind the bulging copper strip and twist the screwdriver to increase the bulge. Not so easy to describe but easier to do. Basically, you need to reduce the gap between the contacts so that they grip the prongs tighter.

If it's not that, you'll have to check all the connections inside the controller compartment,

 

[cwah]

Sorry but I don't understand all the words. What is the bulging cover strip and what's the bulge?

Is it pushing inside the the connectors?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Take your battery off and look at the two connections (holes) in it. Then look at the battery's support plate. Just behind the seat-post, you'll see the two prongs that go into the battery. You have to make the ones in the battery grip the prongs tighter.

 

[cwah]

Is it this area?

Can't see what screw to twist. None of them seem to have impact on the 2 prongs

 

[Cyclezee]

If I may but in here, Dave is probably having lunch.
Dave means in the base of the battery where the 2 electrodes (prongs) enter.
Use an insulated screwdriver and one at a time!

 

[cwah]

It's like this:

Not sure what I should twist? Or shall I open the battery box?

 

[bode]

Blimey, this is hard work! Just bend the contacts outwards slightly to make a tighter fit against the inserted prongs.

 

[Cyclezee]

From what I can see cwah, they look OK.
If you fit the battery and try to move it around whilst it is locked on the bike with the power switched on, do your lights or battery meter show the power cutting in and out intermittently?

 

[Cyclezee]

From what you said on another thread cwah, your controller case is broken and it the bike stopped working in the wet, therefore the controller could be faulty.
If you have checked that all connections are good including the battery, then the controller looks even more likely to be the culprit.

 

[mike killay]

If all else fails, try reading the instructions!!!!
Seriouly though, let's try and re-construct what is happening. You go over a bump, the throttle and pedelec fail. You stop, switch off and back on and everythings OK?
So, exactly what is being moved etc. when you do this? Could it be the on/off switch? What type is it, just a handlebar switch or a key switch. With the bike stationary, try simulating the bump by moving the switch etc.

 

[JuicyBike]

Check the fuse is firmly screwed into place...

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Last time I did mine, I used one of those tiny screwdrivers like you need for your spectacle screws. It was a bit fiddly, but there was just enough room to get the screwdriver behind the copper and bend forward.

It might be easier to open the battery. I just opened mine to see what's involved, and it looks pretty easy:
Undo the 4 screws and take the top half of the case off.
There's one more screw that holds the connector block in place. The screw head is on the outside, but there's a small nut on the inside that you need to hold still with a pair of pliers while you turn the screw. Then you can slide out the connector block, and bend the copper to make them tighter. Don't break them.

While mine was open i could see that the main fuse had never been connected! However, the array of 26650 cells was beautifully done.

Show us a picture of inside yours, Cwah. I have two and they're both different. One has pouch cells and the other 26650 cells.

 

[cwah]

Here's the picture of the battery opened:

Not sure what I should do next? Twist the middle screw?

 

[cwah]

From what I can see cwah, they look OK.
If you fit the battery and try to move it around whilst it is locked on the bike with the power switched on, do your lights or battery meter show the power cutting in and out intermittently?

No, there are no intermittent cut off. That's really strange.

 

[Cyclezee]

If there is no intermittent cut out of power when stationary and from what you said in a previous thread I suspect the controller.
How old is this kit cwah, the battery terminals look fairly new and clean?
What make is it and where did you get it? .
What happen to the controller, how did the case break and do you have a photo of it?

 

[cwah]

I purchased the whole bike with Conhismotor 4-5 months ago. So yeah it's fairly new.

The controller box doesn't fit perfectly the box and already cracked once. I asked Conhismotor for a new one (I changed 1 month ago) but it cracked again. The design doesn't fit the bike: the seat bar in which the controller box sits is too large to be fixed firmly. Vibration over time breaks the plastic.

I also suspect the controller as I cutted cables and soldered them to install connectors and my wattmeter. Not sure how to check because it only does that on bumps.

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi cwah,

If you haven't already done so, thoroughly check every connection, including the ones you soldered.
Post photos of the complete bike, the controller and soldered joints.
You may need to get a new controller and fix it in a secure location.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Not sure what I should do next? Twist the middle screw?

As it doesn't break contact by wiggling the battery, it probably isn't those connectors, but it won't do any harm to tighten them while you're there. You need to remove that screw. hopefully it's a self-tapper, so can just be unscrewed. if it just spins, look for a nut on the other side. once the screw is out, you can slide out the connector upwards.

Your problem must be between the battery and the controller,so you need to check every joint in that path - especially the ones to and from your watt-meter.

 

[cwah]

looks like this:

How do I tighten it?