Tonaro Compy lost all power

[fatboy]

Hello
I had a problem this morning when the motor cut out, on previous occasions it has cut out for a few seconds and then restarted, but this morning it did not come back leaving me with 2 miles still to go. The battery Leds remained at full charge so I don't suspect a battery problem, could it be a bad connection somewhere.
Have you any ideas?
Eric

 

[Deleted member 4366]

If it were a battery connection issue, you might see the battery indicator LEDS temporarily switch off. Also, connection issues tend to be related to bumps, so pick up the back and drop it a few times to see if you can make it switch off.

 

[trex]

check the motor connection then try disconnecting the brake sensor one at a time to isolate the problem.

 

[hoppy]

Hello
I had a problem this morning when the motor cut out, on previous occasions it has cut out for a few seconds and then restarted, but this morning it did not come back leaving me with 2 miles still to go. The battery Leds remained at full charge so I don't suspect a battery problem, could it be a bad connection somewhere.
Have you any ideas?
Eric

How old is the bike and battery? I had a bad connection inside my 4 year old Compy battery which cut all power but led's became erratic.

 

[fatboy]

The bike is about 3 years old and was 6months when I got it, but is in good condition.
When I rode home this evening it worked perfectly, except for a 2 second loss of power, later I had a look at the connections to the controller unit, all seems good with no burnt contacts. Have remade all these connectors and then tried again... and guess what, no power to the motor. Will have to leave it now till Saturday

 

[Cyclezee]

If anyone needs a Tonaro battery send me an email

 

[fatboy]

check the motor connection then try disconnecting the brake sensor one at a time to isolate the problem.

Have tried tracing the cables for the brake sensors, the 2 figure of eight cables go into the hole in the frame tube but do not come out at the bottom, maybe this explains why the brake sensors don't work. I can account for all the other cables going to the controller,
The problem with no power to the motor remains after looking at all connectors and bouncing the rear off the ground, is it likely to be a controller or motor problem ?

 

[hoppy]

Have tried tracing the cables for the brake sensors, the 2 figure of eight cables go into the hole in the frame tube but do not come out at the bottom, maybe this explains why the brake sensors don't work. I can account for all the other cables going to the controller,
The problem with no power to the motor remains after looking at all connectors and bouncing the rear off the ground, is it likely to be a controller or motor problem ?

Have you checked all the connectors inside the frame tube? On my Compy there were seven, I think.You need to prise out the rubber grommet and very carefully extract the connectors, one at a time.

 

[fatboy]

Have you checked all the connectors inside the frame tube? On my Compy there were seven, I think.You need to prise out the rubber grommet and very carefully extract the connectors, one at a time.

Have taken the connectors out of the tube and tested the brake sensors, these need a hard pull on the lever to give a closing contact so are not stopping the motor from going. What else can stop the motor, I was cycling along and it just stopped. I don't suspect the battery as the Leds show full charge.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Do you have a throttle connected?

 

[fatboy]

Do you have a throttle connected?

It doesn't have throttle control, found the 3 way connector in the frame tube and tried touching the volts onto the middle pin, but no response from the motor.

 

[mike killay]

I know that it sounds obvious, but I should check the battery, have you tried charging it?
Could be that the battery is worn out, shows a full charge on static test, but cuts out when you try to draw serious power

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Check that you have 5v between two of the pins. That will determine if the controller is switched on.

 

[hoppy]

It doesn't have throttle control, found the 3 way connector in the frame tube and tried touching the volts onto the middle pin, but no response from the motor.

If no throttle are you sure pedal sensor is ok?

 

[fatboy]

If no throttle are you sure pedal sensor is ok?

I measured across 2 of the pins and got 4.5v, which shows the controller is alive. Then shorted the 4.5v onto the 3rd pin to simulate a fully open throttle, this should over-ride the pedal assist, but not a kick from the motor.

 

[hoppy]

I measured across 2 of the pins and got 4.5v, which shows the controller is alive. Then shorted the 4.5v onto the 3rd pin to simulate a fully open throttle, this should over-ride the pedal assist, but not a kick from the motor.

Whereabouts are you? Anywhere near Phil Hughes of Powerpedals in Tiverton; or me in Wiltshire? Could try my new battery just to eliminate that possibility.

 

[fatboy]

Thanks for the offer, but I am in Co Armagh.
I was riding round the back garden to see if it would start, then there was a strange noise like a chain jumping over teeth or perhaps cogs not meshing properly. It only happened for about 3 seconds and then went quiet. Maybe worth looking at the motor assembly.

 

[fatboy]

Have checked the gears and bearings inside the motor assembly, all turn freely and are not worn. Split the motor from the crank gears and tried to run the motor but it doesn't turn. Measured the motor windings, all 3 are equal at 0.8ohms, do I need to check the other 5 hall wires ?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

It's easiest to check the hall wires with an ebike tester that you can get from Ebay for a few quid, otherwise you need to power the red and black hall wires with 5v, then measure the three hall wires to ground while you rotate the motor. they should pulse on and off with 5v as it rotates.

 

[fatboy]

Managed to get the motor to run, although with vibration and more noise than usual. If the motor is given a quarter turn, then it runs. Measured the volts on the motor winding wires when the motor is running, between 2 there is 2.6v but the last one is very low 0.15v.
So could this be a controller fault, or maybe a break in one of the hall sensor wires, or a hall sensor itself ?
Would the ebike tester say if it is a motor or controller fault ?