Shimano Steps

[Mikett]

Back in January I made a mistake and bought an Ebike. In fact it really was hardly an Ebike as it had no motor or battery. Basically it was a new bike from which bits had been robbed to keep other bikes running. It has taken all this time to assemble (coronavirus) the complete bike.
Unfortunately the thing does not work. I am unsure how to address this issue so let me explain the situation. The bike was based on the Steps e7000 motor. I had the opportunity to buy an e8000 motor and that sounded OK as general discussions indicated that the e7000 other components would work with e8000.
Of course it does not work, but when I switch the battery on there is a very brief flash of “Shimano Steps” on the computer then the screen blanks. The battery remains lit up and I think this is the only component I feel is OK. I have disconnected and reconnected all connections with no effect. In addition to the components I am not sure about the wires themselves as they could have been yanked off without mercy.
I am not sure how to proceed. Taking it to a dealer I feel could be a serious mistake as I have no idea of their competence with this newer technology. Their solution may well be let’s replace components until it works. The most obvious approach is to invest in a SM-PCE1 or 2 but would that be a waste. Apart from obvious component or wiring failure I can only think that maybe the computer is confused by the e7000 motor being replaced by an e8000 - though some say that does not matter.

 

[kdog]

Welcome to the world of proprietary integrated systems with little user friendly attributes. Unfortunately for you (bc it's what you don't want to do) I would suggest taking it to a bike shop with shimano steps diagnostic capability. They can review the error codes and see what the issue is. I can imagine any of the parts could be at fault. Failing that, you're pretty much up the creek without a paddle. Even if you start replacing parts often they need refreshing on the software before the system will accept them. Or error codes wiped, or any number of communication/compatibility issues. I mostly deal with the Bosch systems so I can't remember ottomh the shimano specifics. If you've had a bad experience with your lbs maybe try someone else, I fear it's the only way to proceed as I don't think the software is made available to customers.
That is one benefit of buying cheap generic gear, sometimes less reliable or robust but way easier to repair/replace etc