Bionx doesn't run

sarma

1 µW
Joined
May 5, 2022
Messages
4
Hello,
I put together a Bionx bike - D500 motor, RC3 controller, DS3 display. There is no throttle available, only pedal assist and even the pedal assist does not work. All looks well on the display, battery charges and holds well. The notch on Torque Blocker points down.
I reseated all connections.
I am able to change assist level and regen level on the controller, and there are no errors on the display. Odometer and speedometer work well so I believe the communication with the wheel is ok. Just there is no assist from the motor when I pedal. I even went to higher speeds (over 25 km/h) as someone suggested somewhere that may engage the assist. Nothing helped.
Does anyone have a suggestion what might be wrong or how to test the motor?

Thank you
 
Did the system work correctly on the bike it came from?

If not, what problem(s) did it have originally?

If it did not come from a previous bike, where did it come from? (Bionx has been out of business for quite some time, so unless someone has started making new ones, there won't have been new ones available in quite a while.) This might help figure out why it isn't working as expected.

The system works via a torque sensor in the axle itself. If the sensor is damaged, it won't respond (or not correctly) to torque at the axle, created by the pulling force of your pedal chain on that axle.

Is the motor in the wheel being driven by the pedal chain?

I haven't seen the settings available in the display menus in person, so I don't know which settings you have available. If there is a setting for what speed the assist engages at, and what torque level it engages at and how it responds to that torque, I would recommend noting those down before experimenting with them, so you can put them back if they don't fix the issue.

The controller itself is inside the motor; if the controller has failed for any reason, it can't drive the motor regardless of assist levels or sensor operation.



sarma said:
Hello,
I put together a Bionx bike - D500 motor, RC3 controller, DS3 display. There is no throttle available, only pedal assist and even the pedal assist does not work. All looks well on the display, battery charges and holds well. The notch on Torque Blocker points down.
I reseated all connections.
I am able to change assist level and regen level on the controller, and there are no errors on the display. Odometer and speedometer work well so I believe the communication with the wheel is ok. Just there is no assist from the motor when I pedal. I even went to higher speeds (over 25 km/h) as someone suggested somewhere that may engage the assist. Nothing helped.
Does anyone have a suggestion what might be wrong or how to test the motor?

Thank you
 
Thanks for the reply.
I am not sure if it had run correctly. I got it used without charger and display. After I bought those two, I charged battery and installed the display to find out it does not run.
In the setup menu, there is not much you can play with - wheel diameter seems like the only important option available. The bike runs via pedal chain (if that was your question).
Is there a way to test torque sensor or the controller? I see that someone talks about BBI software and BIB interface. Would those give testing option?
Thanks again
 
Presuming the DS3 display has a diagnostic mode like the earlier G2 display does, can you enter the diag. mode? Should give readings of actual battery voltage, realtime assist or regen current, and especially helpful in your case, realtime strain gauge sensor value. That should at least tell us the controller is seeing signal from the torque sensor.
 
There is no valuable info available in the menu. I found software online and have ordered the interface to connect to the controller and hopefully find out the issue. Will post here if I am able to find out the problem.
 
When I get a non-running Bionx bike at the community bike shop where I work, I de-electrify it. There's no time-efficient way to get these overly proprietary bikes running again.

They offer a cautionary tale against buying a system that won't let you keep it running without Mama's consent. Sometimes, Mama won't be there for you.
 
I finally got the interface. After hooking it up and  running software (debug mode), it seems like there is no user torque input - User Torque = 0 Nm. Also, Strain Gauge signal reads as n/a. Any suggestions what this means? Strain Gauge is shot? Is there a way to actually run the test for Strain Gauge?
Thanks
 
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