Powertap troubles

[Jason]

I've been having troubles with my powertap while riding on the road. It works intially but then after about 10 minutes it loses signal, so I get no readings and then after a couple of minutes (10 -15) the reading is back?

I had the problem yesterday and then had to come home and get on the indoor trainer which I really hate! It worked for the full hour, no problems.

Today at Kyalami, it gave me problems again... lost signal for 10 minutes and then worked for the next 1h:30 minutes... What is it? Batteries? Faulty hub? Faulty computer? Or just a lack of power?

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

[Dr. Watt]

Hi Jason

 

Sorry to hear of your problem.

 

PM me your phone number and I'll give you a call. We'll get it sorted out ASAP.

 

Regards

 

Adrian - Bicycle Power Trading (PowerTap Distributors)

[Christie]

Jason, I've been having the same symptoms on my brand new PT SL in my race wheel. The PT in the training wheel does not have the problem. From a past thread it seems that it is not a rare phenomenon, somebody (Marius?) suggested mounting the shark fin receiver thingy on a piece of rubber or sponge. I have not tried it myself, the symproms may not have the same cause.

[Jason]

somebody (Marius?) suggested mounting the shark fin receiver thingy on a piece of rubber or sponge. I have not tried it myself' date=' the symproms may not have the same cause.[/quote'] Thanks Christie, Adrian suggested that I open up the PowerTap and let any moisture if there is dry out... Will follow up with him tomorrow... So my Tap is busy drip drying... Got caught in the thunderstorm this past weekend for 20 minutes but it was giving me problems before that... Doesn't make sense?!? It worked on the indoor trainer?

I have the shark fin mounted on the rubber and it gives the problem so I doubt it's that... I was thinking, when you open the powertap, you get the receiver with the batteries mounted that you can pull out... Is there any chance that the connection could come loose while riding and then some how make connection again?... I dunno, I'm not the guru, I was thinking of changing the batteries?

I'll just wait and hear what Adrian says... I was in the bath when he called so I couldn't take his call... It just doesn't seem right bathing and speaking to a guy  

Anyway...

Jason2007-12-19 12:24:42

[Christie]

My race PT never ever saw a drop of moisture. It gave the problem om my first ride with it, seems to happen most often on rough road. I also think that the battery pack rattles in the hub, depending on the manufacturing tollerance of the pocket it fits into. If you are lucky, you get one with a tight fit, but if you are unlucky, you get a loose fit, which works fine on smooth road, but rattles on rough road.

 

Let me know if you get a fix for the problem.

 

If you are taking a bath alone, talking on the phone should be ok, unless you videocall

Christie2007-12-19 13:10:51

[Windbreaker]

I had exactly the same thing a long time back. Also think that rain was a culprit (I was hub deep in water at one point) my case. Sent it in to Adrian and it was sorted.

[Christie]

Another hint: If you have the old style 2-piece handlebar mount (I think it has since been re-designed), fill the gap between the the 2 up with silicone. Myne rattled loose over time, and I believe my computer got shaken around badly enoug to damage the heartrate function. The unit is out of warranty, so a new computer & strap will cost R1800. I'm considering rather getting a Polar CS400, which has a lot of additional functionality, like altitude and temperature.Christie2007-12-19 13:37:27

[Dr. Watt]

Hi everyone <?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

I?d like to clarify 2 matters raised in this thread.

 

Moisture and its affect on PowerTap hubs:

 

The release of the PowerTap SL in 2005 heralded a significant improvement in the PowerTap hub's water resistance. Especially if sealed properly, an SL hub should be able to tolerate heavy rain without problems. However, I will admit to having seen a few exceptions to this. In cases where water had penetrated the hub cover, leaving the hub to dry solved the problem more often than not.

 

A few months ago, all PowerTap hubs were redesigned to incorporate a new waterproof seal over the internal electronics, which now makes them impervious to water. So much so, that our suppliers claim that they operated a unit successfully for quite some time while it was filled with water! Water exposure is no longer a problem as far as the subsequently manufactured hubs are concerned.

 

Because I'm not sure which version Jason has, I figured he'd have nothing to lose by letting the hub dry overnight.

 

Vibration and its effect on PowerTap hubs:

(Note that this does not apply to SL2.4/wirless PowerTaps)

 

It has been noted that on certain bikes where the PowerTap SL (and new style PowerTap Pro) are used, the vibration of riding on the road can cause intermittent disruptions to the transfer of data between the hub and the receiver that is mounted in close proximity to it on the frame. This problem leads to "data drops" where power and speed are lost momentarily. We have found that mounting a small cushion (e.g. high density foam) under the receiver helps to minimise the vibration transferred to the receiver and can often resolve this problem completely.

 

Where data are lost for extended periods, this is not the result of vibration, but another cause, such as incorrect receiver position or dying batteries.

 

Christie asserted that ?I also think that the battery pack rattles in the hub, depending on the manufacturing tollerance of the pocket it fits into. If you are lucky, you get one with a tight fit, but if you are unlucky, you get a loose fit, which works fine on smooth road, but rattles on rough road.? This isn?t correct.

 

The design of the PowerTap?s battery cartridge (and the cavity into which it fits) prevents it from any significant movement, even under bad road vibration. Furthermore, the part that plugs into the battery cartridge penetrates so deeply that it can only be unplugged when removing the cartridge by hand.

 

Having said this, I was aware of this concern and was recently asked to investigate further with the PowerTap manufacturers. They said that they had never before seen the problem with the SL style hubs, and regarded it as ?highly unlikely?.

 

I suppose it may be possible to experience vibration-related problems from the battery cartridge if it has an electrical fault or if it/its batteries are not correctly inserted.

 

Jason?s Problem ? to summarise.

 

For the benefit of anyone reading this who may be encountering similar problems with their PowerTap, Jason?s problem (as he reports it) is almost certainly not related to the effects of vibration on the hub. The most likely cause would be low battery strength (usually indicated by a flashing transmission icon in the top left corner of the screen) or an incorrectly positioned receiver. An intermittent fault could also be occurring in either the hub or the wiring on the bike.

 

When PowerTap problems occur, the best place to start is usually our troubleshooting guide, available at: http://www.bicyclepower.co.za/PowerTap-Troubleshooting-Guide-Basic.pdf

 

Jason, I look forward to chatting to you tomorrow.

 

Adrian - Bicycle Power Trading

[Jason]

OK... Adrian aka Dr. Watt, I've replaced the batteries in the hub (With Silver Oxide one's)... Replaced the batteries in the computer and re-wired the cables... I've included some pics just to show you and if anything looks like it could use a tweak, let me know.

As you can see in the pic below... The computer is resting on some sponge just to prevent that vibration. The wire runs along the top tube now instead of the down tube and under the BB
 


Below we can see the sensor is postioned nicely... Approximately 4.5cm from the hub.



Another view of the sensor and hub. If there's anything that looks dodgy just shout/scream/yell, I'm all ears.



I've tested it and everything looks OK. Will be on the road tomorrow and hopefully everything is hunky dory but I'll let you know if there's any issues.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions!

[Dr. Watt]

Well well well, I could get used to this online troubleshooting thing!

As far as the pictures reveal, your set-up is good.

 

Let's see what the battery change does. I'm looking forward to seeing the results. Perhaps you could e-mail me your data files for analysis?

 

Thanks, Adrian

[Jason]

Well well well' date=' I could get used to this online troubleshooting thing!

As far as the pictures reveal, your set-up is good.

 

Let's see what the battery change does. I'm looking forward to seeing the results. Perhaps you could e-mail me your data files for analysis?

 

Thanks, Adrian

[/quote'] No problem... one condition, don't laugh at my power

[Dr. Watt]

Another thing...

 

While the sponge under the computer can do no harm, the sponge (or any suitable cushioning substance) should actually be under the shark fin-shaped receiver. It's the vibration of this part that can cause "data drops". I see something under the receiver.... a cushion, perhaps?

 

Bye the way. Sweeeeeeeet ride!

[Skye]

 

OK... Adrian aka Dr. Watt' date=' I've replaced the batteries in the hub (With Silver Oxide one's)... Replaced the batteries in the computer and re-wired the cables... I've included some pics just to show you and if anything looks like it could use a tweak, let me know.

As you can see in the pic below... The computer is resting on some sponge just to prevent that vibration. The wire runs along the top tube now instead of the down tube and under the BB

 

 

Below we can see the sensor is postioned nicely... Approximately 4.5cm from the hub.

 

 

Another view of the sensor and hub. If there's anything that looks dodgy just shout/scream/yell, I'm all ears.

 

 

I've tested it and everything looks OK. Will be on the road tomorrow and hopefully everything is hunky dory but I'll let you know if there's any issues.

 

Thanks for all the help and suggestions!

[/quote']

 

Jason Jason Jason, you have to get with the program.....you are seriously lacking behind you need to keep up with THE KING OF BLING and get the new white Cervelo

 

[Jason]

Jason Jason Jason, you have to get with the program.....you are seriously lacking behind you need to keep up with THE KING OF BLING and get the new white Cervelo

Skye Skye Skye... Pantani's waaay behind, the apartheid days are over... Whites no longer the ruler... It's all black .

[pgfourie]

It has been noted that on certain bikes where the PowerTap SL (and new style PowerTap Pro) are used' date=' the vibration of riding on the road can cause intermittent disruptions to the transfer of data between the hub and the receiver that is mounted in close proximity to it on the frame. This problem leads to "data drops" where power and speed are lost momentarily. We have found that mounting a small cushion (e.g. high density foam) under the receiver helps to minimise the vibration transferred to the receiver and can often resolve this problem completely.[/quote']

Hi Jason

 

I can confirm what Adrian said.  I had data drops on the road (sometimes even on the indoor trainer!!).  I installed the pickup on high density foam - all problems solved.

[Skye]

 

Jason Jason Jason' date=' you have to get with the program.....you are seriously lacking behind you need to keep up with THE KING OF BLING and get the new white Cervelo

[/quote']Skye Skye Skye... Pantani's waaay behind, the apartheid days are over... Whites no longer the ruler... It's all black .

 

Remind me about the Ying and Yang thingy..... you two would look awesome together