tsdz2, no power to motor

There is no power to the motor on my tsdz2. I can turn it on and the screen (VLCD5) lights up. However, when I turn the pedals there is no power.

It has worked before, but not today after I transplanted the kit from my upright to my recumbent. I have re-read the manual and I am satisfied it is installed correctly.

Where should I start with troubleshooting?

Start with this. It worked before, you moved it to another bike, and now it does not work, YET...You are certain it is installed correctly. If it was, it would work. It doesn't, so it isn't.

You almost certainly have a loose connection somewhere, a pin backed out or not firmly locked in a connector is typically the problem. Go slow, check carefully. Eliminate everything not absolutely necessary to test the basic functionality you currently do not have.

Did you maybe accidentally turn off the power assist? If you have the open source firmware this is kind of easy to do. I somehow set the power assist levels to 0 and was troubleshooting for an hour like an idiot :lol:

Other possibilities: brake sensors (you'd see the icon on the screen though), speed sensor - disconnect it completely for testing, works fine without it but can mess up if not working properly. That's all I can think of at the moment.

AngryBob said:

You almost certainly have a loose connection somewhere, a pin backed out or not firmly locked in a connector is typically the problem.

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You're right @AngryBob. One pin between the motor & the controller was bent slightly. I straightened it with a nail clipper. It works now.

Thank you for coming back and verifying the cause of, and solution to, the problem. It is THIS ACTION which makes this informational exchange worthwhile. Without your confirmation, which so very, very many people FAIL to do, no certainty is achieved, no proper course of action is verified.

Kudos to you sir, you have contributed to a more useful database.

AngryBob said:

Kudos to you sir, you have contributed to a more useful database.

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You're welcome, but I'm back to square one. There is no power to the controller either, this time. A local electrician can do nothing. I have ordered another VLCD5 controller to test it with. Hopefully it is just a bad controller, because it is the cheapest part to replace.

Same symptom, or is the screen blank this time?

If blank screen, check battery.

Has it worked OK for the last month or two?

AngryBob said:

Same symptom, or is the screen blank this time?

If blank screen, check battery.

Click to expand...

There is no power to the controller at all. The battery is fully charged.

AngryBob said:

Has it worked OK for the last month or two?

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Yes, but there was a big spark when I was soldering some wire (I had forgotten to turn the battery off). I've asked the seller on Aliexpress for another one. The worst they can say is no.

This is not "back to square one", this is a completely different screw-up.

If the battery is fully charged, then unless it is unplugged, there IS "power to the controller". The controller shows no evidence of life or electrical activity.

Soldering wires to an active electrical connection - stating which wires EXACTLY might be useful information, but frock all who needs any of that - and seeing a big spark, should have been the first thing mentioned, almost certainly killed your controller, and, just in case you missed it, steps should be taken to avoid such a screw-up in the future. Disconnecting the battery is strongly recommended during such a procedure.

The VLCD5 is your display, which connects to your controller. It is not your controller.

You should pay for the replacement parts you carelessly destroyed. This will reinforce the apparently necessary learning experience.

AngryBob said:

Soldering wires to an active electrical connection - stating which wires EXACTLY might be useful information, but frock all who needs any of that - and seeing a big spark, should have been the first thing mentioned, almost certainly killed your controller, and, just in case you missed it, steps should be taken to avoid such a screw-up in the future. Disconnecting the battery is strongly recommended during such a procedure.

Click to expand...

Is it possible that I have simply blown a fuse, which I can replace instead? If not, I may retrofit one to a future power cable.

AngryBob said:

You should pay for the replacement parts you carelessly destroyed. This will reinforce the apparently necessary learning experience.

Click to expand...

I wish everyone was this direct in life.

If you want Direct, you have most certainly come to the right person.

On blowing a fuse, if there was one, most likely inside the battery, possible the battery has voltage but will not carry a load, unlikely, if you would describe EXACTLY which wire you were soldering on, connected to What, that might be useful, and note, this is the SECOND TIME, that I, have to ask YOU, for MORE INFORMATION , which ONLY YOU have, so that I, can help YOU, solve YOUR problem.

In most cases, a fuse will not act fast enough to save the electronics, physical components, maybe, but the electronics are just too sensitive. A carpet spark can screw up a circuit board.

Physically disconnect the battery next time. Do not use a switch, pull the friggin cables off. See them hanging in the air. No possibility of at least this particular error happening again.

AngryBob said:

If you want Direct, you have most certainly come to the right person.

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:lol:

Don't feel too bad Platypus. Once I went to test a battery and accidentally left the multimeter in current testing mode. Wow that gave me a bit of a heart attack, and melted the probe to the battery connector. Somehow it did no damage to anything aside from cosmetic!

I apologise for the late response; I have been ill.

AngryBob said:

On blowing a fuse, if there was one, most likely inside the battery, possible the battery has voltage but will not carry a load, unlikely, if you would describe EXACTLY which wire you were soldering on, connected to What, that might be useful, and note, this is the SECOND TIME, that I, have to ask YOU, for MORE INFORMATION , which ONLY YOU have, so that I, can help YOU, solve YOUR problem.

Click to expand...

I apologise. Let me make up for it:

Actually, I took a multimeter to the battery and found zero charge. I dismantled the battery and I found a blown fuse. It is the Shark type, oblong with the pull handle to remove.
- Remove all the screws from the outer casing. Peel back the outside labels so they don't cross over between the two halves of the case.
- The fuse is located where the wires exit and connect the battery cable. Remove the lockring on the outside. The cables are held in by two screws (perhaps obscured by glue). Remove these.
- The fuse is green and just pulls out. It is the size of a thumbnail. Get an identical fuse, also 30amp, same colour from the hardware store for £1 and push it in.
- Reassemble the battery. You might need to try twice to get the springloaded handle together; and the screws in exactly the same place. They are different lengths.
- My bike now works fine, except that it always says it has a flat battery. I could do worse. I probably will do worse.

Aquakitty said:

Don't feel too bad Platypus. Once I went to test a battery and accidentally left the multimeter in current testing mode. Wow that gave me a bit of a heart attack, and melted the probe to the battery connector. Somehow it did no damage to anything aside from cosmetic!

Click to expand...

I accidentally demoted a Ward Manager to Nurse, once. This was discovered by accident when she raised a routine. She never found out.