Reference for blinking light errors

[rgrempel]

I have a RadRunner 1 which I've been enjoying greatly, but it currently has a problem which I'm going back and forth with Rad support on.

First symptom was that the bike would turn on, but when I applied the throttle (or pedalled, so that pedal assist kicked in), the motor would apply power momentarily (the back wheel would spin a bit), but then the bike would power off, with no error indication as such.

After a bit, the bike wouldn't power on at all -- at first, the lights would come on briefly as usual, but then power off, and later it just wouldn't power on at all.

Rad kindly sent me a new controller, diagnosing the problem as likely being a faulty controller. Unfortunately, the new controller doesn't seem to be helping. Except, that I'm now getting a more interesting actual error condition. What I'm seeing now, when I power on, is this:

- The first battery indication light (on the left) blinks fairly quickly.
- The second pedal assist light from the left (that is, PAS Level 1) blinks much more slowly.

Also, there is a faint clicking sound, possibly coming from the controller -- it's a little hard to tell exactly where it's coming from.

So, I'm curious whether anyone has experienced anything like this, and whether there is a reference somewhere for what the blinking lights mean.

I did also try re-installing the original controller, to see whether it shows anything differently now. But it still behaves as though it's completely dead -- no lights at all.

Of course, Rad support is likely to get back to me shortly as well -- they've been quite pleasant to deal with. I'll update this here once we do get this sorted out.

[2sailors]

Hope that this is resolved now?

My brother has another brand of ebike, he got into the settings and tried a few things, and then it didn't work quite right, with a blinking error light.  He called support and they sent him instructions on how to set it back to the default settings.

Most of these bikes have the same korean or chinese manufacturer for the "brains" in the batteries, so hoping this is resolved for you

[rgrempel]

Rad support's current theory is that there is a problem with the connection between the battery and the controller, which seems like a reasonable theory to me. I have been able to test the battery itself -- it works on a friend's RadRunner, so the battery itself is fine. However, there is some corrosion on the contact points in the battery tray. It doesn't seem too bad to me, but perhaps it is just enough to prevent things from working properly. It certainly isn't as shiny yellow as the contacts on my friend's bike.

So, Rad will be sending me a new battery tray. Unfortunately, they don't have any in stock, and don't have an ETA. The last time (when they sent a controller), it took a month before they were able to ship. I'm sort of resigned to that again, at this point. I suppose I could take apart my friend's battery tray and try it on my bike, but I'm a little reluctant to be too invasive.

Rad support has been pretty pleasant to deal with, but these shipping delays are inconvenient in cases like this when it's not absolutely clear which part needs to be replaced. The purely mechanical issues are probably easier than electrical issues.

[Ddaybc]

rgrempel, you said you've got what appears to be corrosion on some of the connections of the battery tray? correct? Have you tried electrical contact cleaner spray? I've used it on automotive electrical connections with reasonable results.

If you are unable to find some electrical contact cleaner then use spray on brake cleaner as both of them work well to clean contacts and both of them leave no residue. The brake cleaner is cheaper too.

[rgrempel]

I have now tried some electrical contact cleaner spray. Interesting stuff -- it certainly does leave no residue. The contacts do look better, but the bicycle still doesn't turn on.

So, I guess I'll wait for the new battery tray to be in stock -- these troubleshooting exercises would be less frustrating without the supply chain problems. I suppose bricks & mortar bicycle operations probably have trouble keeping parts in stock these days, too.

[rgrempel]

Well, I'm still waiting for Rad to ship a new battery tray (their current theory about what needs to be replaced).

It's been three months now that I've been without a working bicycle. Rad isn't responding to my online support queries at the moment, though I suppose responding to "Can't you do something?" with "Still not in stock" wouldn't be very exciting anyway. I suppose I should call them again.

I knew when going with Rad that "remote service" had potential to be problematic. But, I didn't really anticipate months of stalemate due to problems stocking and shipping parts. Presumably these are problems that affect many businesses nowadays, but I can't say that I'll be eager to repeat this experience.

[rgrempel]

I've had a bit of good news. I found a local bicycle shop that was willing to take a look at the RadRunner, and they've determined that it really is a problem with the terminals on the battery tray. So, it seems that once Rad is able to send me a new battery tray, the problem will be solved.

The only remaining frustration is that Rad currently has no battery trays to send, and doesn't know when to expect them. This seems bizarre to me, to be honest -- I mean, I understand supply chain problems, but to be entirely out of critical spare parts for bicycles that you're still selling must also be some kind of problem with prioritization.

BTW, it was Red Lion Cycle in Winnipeg that helped me out -- I'm impressed so far -- https://redlioncycle.com/

[rgrempel]

More good news!

Rad was able to send the replacement battery tray, and it has solved the problem!

So, what I have learned from this process? One thing is that it can be helpful to get a local bicycle shop involved. They were able to definitively zero in on the exact source of the problem, which would have saved some time if I had gotten them involved from the beginning. Though, Rad's support process would actually have been fine if they were able to ship replacement parts in a timely manner -- the issue would have been solved in a couple of weeks rather than several months.

Anyway, my bicycle works again, and so I'm happy.