The new Rad semi-integrated battery has internal fuses that are a bit difficult but not impossible to replace.
I got a battery from a Facebook group member that refused to charge after a couple of months. She sent it to me to examine. (She got a warranty replacement from Rad.)
The new battery has an aluminum tube-like case, and is opened from the ends. To open it, you must first pry off a cover at either end of the battery to expose T10 Torx screws. Remove 4 screws at each end.
The battery is well sealed against moisture. The end caps have rubber gaskets, and all exposed connections are sealed in silicone rubber. The battery assembly itself is fastened to the case at either end with silicone rubber. This must be cut at both ends to remove the battery assembly. To remove the assembly, I pushed from the power connector end, rotating the end cap to fit through the case.
The entire assembly is sealed in shrink wrap and more silicone. The fuses are at either end. Not knowing the internal construction, I made a bit of a mess opening the shrink wrap. Now knowing where the fuses are located, small flaps could be carefully cut in the shrink wrap to expose the fuses and then reseal the shrink wrap. Another Facebook member used my information and photos to replace a charge fuse by just opening the end caps, cutting the silicone, and pushing the charge fuse end out of the case a few inches. He then cut a small flap in the shrink wrap to expose the fuse. It is not necessary to completely disassemble as I did.
The charge fuse is 10A, possibly because the new charger is higher amperage? I'm charging with my standard 2A charger to confirm the fix. The battery arrived depleted, with 1 of 10 LEDs lit. At present I have 3 LEDs lit. The battery is presenting about 46V at the power port, consistent with 3 LEDs. I cannot test it on my Rover 5, but I have no reason to believe that it will not work; in fact it was working fine, just not charging.
I'm sure many other than me question the decision to require such disassembly to replace a fuse. Including Rad. This inexpensive fuse cost them a replacement battery.
Way to go, Dick; nice work and I'm sure she appreciates having a working spare now. Seems like a pretty dumb engineering design to prevent easy inspection and access to a 10-cent part that's designed to break and be replaced. Reminds me of the new keylock design that can't shut down power to the bike at all.
Thank you for this info, Dick! My wife went on her first ride today and tried to remove the battery after the ride by accidentally putting the key in the charing port. It made a spark and the fuse was blown. I was able to remove the one end cap and cut just in front of the fuse and replace it. I put some Permatex Ultra Black (chosen because it is acetal acid-free) over the opening to seal it back up. It appears to be charging now. RadPower wasn't at all sympathetic about this and just told me it wasn't covered under warranty. At least there is a way to save these.
Quote from: sputnik3 on December 14, 2021, 07:56:03 PM
Thank you for this info, Dick! My wife went on her first ride today and tried to remove the battery after the ride by accidentally putting the key in the charing port. It made a spark and the fuse was blown. I was able to remove the one end cap and cut just in front of the fuse and replace it. I put some Permatex Ultra Black (chosen because it is acetal acid-free) over the opening to seal it back up. It appears to be charging now. RadPower wasn't at all sympathetic about this and just told me it wasn't covered under warranty. At least there is a way to save these.
Glad you were able to save it!
What I find interesting is that my 2021 Standard battery has diodes in the charge circuit that SHOULD prevent this from happening. I have an older Standard battery that I repaired by replacing the power connector. That battery has the entire inside assembly covered in shrink wrap, which I did not need to remove to make the repair, so I could not examine the circuitry. The newer battery was not covered in shrink wrap, leaving the circuit board open for inspection. However, it appears that the older batteries do not have the diodes. I say this because the full battery voltage is present at the charge port. On the newer Standard battery, the full voltage is not present at the charge port, because the diodes allow only a very small amount of leakage current to flow out of the charge port. It is curious that Rad would not include this type of protection in the semi-integrated battery.
Thank you all for your help. The photos were really useful. Some tips I learned:
1. The black cap that hides the two screws on top can be tapped off if you use a small screw driver and tap it from each side. It is just friction fit on. You will need a torx bit that is at least an 1" deep. Some shorter bits won't fit in the deep well.
2. You only have to take off the charge cap side. Once you take off the cap you do not need to slide the battery out. Just make an incision on the upper left. If you make a horizontal slit you can use needle nose to pull out the fuse.
3. It is a mini fuse.
Quote from: Gigantes8 on December 19, 2021, 06:46:38 PM
Thank you all for your help. The photos were really useful. Some tips I learned:
1. The black cap that hides the two screws on top can be tapped off if you use a small screw driver and tap it from each side. It is just friction fit on. You will need a torx bit that is at least an 1" deep. Some shorter bits won't fit in the deep well.
2. You only have to take off the charge cap side. Once you take off the cap you do not need to slide the battery out. Just make an incision on the upper left. If you make a horizontal slit you can use needle nose to pull out the fuse.
3. It is a mini fuse.
Thanks - good tips!
Can anyone offer some guidance on how best to reseal after replacing the fuse?
I used some vinyl tape. Rad uses silicon seal, all the black stuff in the photos.
The attached photo is how another owner made the repair without removing the entire battery. As previously mentioned, another owner did not move the battery at all; just cut a slit at the fuse and used a needle-nose pliers. A bit of silicone would seal that slit.
If you use silicone to seal the battery, I would recommend avoiding any silicone with acetic acid (it smells like vinegar). Acetic acid can corrode the electronics in the battery pack. Permatex Ultra Black gasket maker does not have acetic acid and is available at most automotive supply stores.
Photos courtesy of Scott Bulloch.
Im having a really hard time popping off the end cap. Any tips on what actually will fit in the crack to pry it open?
Quote from: schecska on January 20, 2022, 10:26:31 PM
Im having a really hard time popping off the end cap. Any tips on what actually will fit in the crack to pry it open?
I don't own one of these batteries. For tight parts, I use a small $13 carving knife which is as sharp as a razor blade but stronger. I push it in as like I am cutting it apart. Then a crack opens and I stick in a tougher blade and twist.
I do feel stupid.... I too touched key to the charge post, not used bike for while and went to remove it to charge and sparked of course... Now will not recharge so I am sure fuse below.
I understand the details and photos but do not want to try to do work myself. Very sad Rad designed it this way, grrr.
If anyone knows of a repair center that would repair my battery (integrated Rad Rover 6 battery) please pm me or post reply.
Contact Rad if under warranty. If you're honest about what happened, they may not cover it.
You might try Batteries +. They say that they have battery rebuild services. Bring photos from this post.
Thanks a million for sharing, @DickB.
I needed to register with this forum to view the photos... radpowerbikes.eu told me they would replace the battery, but due to changes in dangerous, or hazardous goods' regulations in January 2022, they have been unable to ship any batteries and it will still be around 2-3 weeks from now until they can possibly ship due to ironing out the bureaucracy between Customs and the their suppliers and manufacturers. At this time they are not advising customers to do the fuse fix themselves. I hope they may provide support on their help pages soon... additionally I encourage them to include the following warning in the manual: Don't poke the charge-port with your key!
Thankfully, it's an easy enough fix.
1. Remove the end cap was tapping the ends with a hammer and screwdriver. Don't lever with your carving knife, the tip will break off!
2. Remove the 4x torx #10 screws holding on the endcap.
3. Carefully make a slit in the thick plastic wrap.
4. Firmly grip the Red 10A fuse. It's a micro type and it's seated very firm.
5. Replace the fuse with another 10A micro-fuse.
6. Tape (or silicone) it up. I used electrical insulating tape and Duct tape over that.
7. Charge your battery as normal (I charge mine to 80-90% for longevity, unless I'm doing a big ride)
I just did this fuse replacement. It mostly went well and now the battery is charging again! I would like to add one thing to the instructions above. Just to the right of the fuse is the flat ribbon that conveys the battery state to the exterior indicator lights. Without knowing it was there I cut through it completely! Now those lights no longer work. So, keep the cut to expose the fuse to the smallest possible size.
A very big thanks to all that responded and gave freely of their help. I will be riding again tomorrow!
First off a big thanks to Dick and Scott for your input. Very helpful.
To anyone who's put the key into the charging port and feel stupid I feel doubly stupid cuz I've done it twice. I've got some yellow electrical stickers and a big stop sticker to put next to the power socket now. I will also be leaving the key in. Seems like the key on the other side would have been a better idea.
First time I called Red power bikes was honest what happened they sent me a new charger to try and that didn't work then I never heard from them so I called back and they asked me to send pictures of the charger with and without the battery plugged in showing it was the battery and then they sent me a new one under warranty. I did originally make them aware that it was my mistake. Skip forward a few months and guess what I did again. Not expecting them to cover it again I went ahead and ordered a new battery. Gulp. It hasn't shipped yet so I decided to do another search and ran across this thread. First I tried just look cutting a slit but I put it in the wrong place and there's no fuse there so then I started opening up that end a little bit more found the fuse but for the life of me could not get it out. So I decided to take the other end off and push it out a little bit couldn't get it to budge. So I went back to town on the fuse with needle nose pliers again and finally got it. Of course the two prongs pulled out of the plastic and were left behind. I was able to get those out put a new fuse in and I just need to close up the patient. Decided to confirm it was charging before reassembling everything and it was.
Scott you must be a laparoscopic surgeon because that seemed close to impossible getting out of that little slit you had. I had pretty much the whole back end opened up and had trouble getting to it.
Tomorrow I plan on calling them and hopefully I can cancel the order before they ship the new battery.
So I had another confirmation it is possible. I'm sure there was a reason to seal the fuse up but it having it accessible would have been so much easier.
I shorted it and had to replace the fuse again only one week later.
The good news is the first time will take an hour + research, the second time only takes 5 minutes.
Thanks all for posting your insights and experiences!
My charging fuse blew when I plugged it in to the charger (not sure why; charger still works). Rad is replacing the battery under warranty (after a little back and forth - it needed to be escalated to a supervisor customer support before they would cover it), but it is going to be at least a month for shipping unfortunately. I was able to get my battery working again following these instructions. It took about 10 minutes. I scratched the plastic cover for the T10 screws trying to get it off with a screwdriver, but other than that it seems to be a very easy fix. I used a small piece of electrical tape to seal the hole in the plastic and then the Permatex Ultra Black gasket maker suggested above to seal over that.
I really can't understand why Rad designed the battery this way. $600 for a new battery is absolutely crazy when the fix is a $0.50 fuse.
Quote from: BriainO on February 23, 2022, 07:03:01 AM
Thanks a million for sharing, @DickB.
I needed to register with this forum to view the photos... radpowerbikes.eu told me they would replace the battery, but due to changes in dangerous, or hazardous goods' regulations in January 2022, they have been unable to ship any batteries and it will still be around 2-3 weeks from now until they can possibly ship due to ironing out the bureaucracy between Customs and the their suppliers and manufacturers. At this time they are not advising customers to do the fuse fix themselves. I hope they may provide support on their help pages soon... additionally I encourage them to include the following warning in the manual: Don't poke the charge-port with your key!
Thankfully, it's an easy enough fix.
1. Remove the end cap was tapping the ends with a hammer and screwdriver. Don't lever with your carving knife, the tip will break off!
2. Remove the 4x torx #10 screws holding on the endcap.
3. Carefully make a slit in the thick plastic wrap.
4. Firmly grip the Red 10A fuse. It's a micro type and it's seated very firm.
5. Replace the fuse with another 10A micro-fuse.
6. Tape (or silicone) it up. I used electrical insulating tape and Duct tape over that.
7. Charge your battery as normal (I charge mine to 80-90% for longevity, unless I'm doing a big ride)
The only thing I love more than my new RadCity is this forum. You guys are the bomb. I have a non-charging battery likely due to this and one that will be like you said, probably a month away. Ordering what I need to change the fuse and will report back. Thank you everyone for such great info!!!
Just did a fuse replacement of the red 10 amp fuse and totally fixed the charging problem for a $1.39 fuse. A few suggestions:
1. I used a small wood chisel to pop off the plastic end caps. Easy.
2. You do need a narrow, long torx bit to get out two of the screws. I ground my bit down on a surface grinder holding it fast with vice grips to make it narrower. It worked.
3. I found it easier to slide the whole battery pack out and access the fuse with it out. The 10 amp fuse is on the end where the plug in charging port goes. Use a utility knife to cut the black glue/adhesive on both sides before sliding it out.
4. A utility knife also works well to slice open the plastic wrapper.
5. Once the fuse was swapped out I used standard electrical tape to tape things back. I then coated the patched area and the tape with liquid electrical tape for a good seal. This brushes on nicely.
6. Test this before reassembly. Charger lights should both be red now.
7. Start to finish this is a 30 minute project with the right tools.
I also touched my key to the charger port. The battery was 9/10s charged but the charger indicated it was fully charged with a green light. I read on this forum that some had admitted to Rads tech support that they had touched the port with the key causing the fuse to short but still received a replacement battery at no charge. I chose to be honest with them and I contacted tech support yesterday and explained exactly what I did. In my case the battery was dropping in power before I ever touched the key to the charge port. I had charged my battery and my wife's at the same time for the same amount of time. Even though I had not used the bike it dropped one bar. That is what prompted me to remove the battery and put it back on the charger. I explained all this to tech support and they had me submit a video showing all parts of the battery, bike connections and the charger attached. They denied my claim under warranty. Funny thing was even the tech guy said it was a confusing placement of the key hole and charge port. He admitted he's had to stop himself from putting the key in the charge port several times. Rad has some redesign to do.
Since the battery warranty was now void, I performed the fuse replacement like many of you have and it went well. Thank you GSC for suggesting to use a small wood chisel to remove the plastic trim. I used a 1/2 inch chisel and lightly tapped the plastic trim off both ends. No damage whatsoever to the trim. The screws came out easily. I cut around the battery edges to loosen it so I could slide it forward an inch to get to the fuse better. I used a Bussmann brand 10A fuse. With the new fuse in place, I plugged in the charger and the light was now red indicating it was charging again. Great. I covered the cut in the blue wrap with electrical tape and then sealed the whole thing with liquid electrical tape. I sealed it all up and plugged the charger in to raise it to 10 bars. It reached the 10 bars but the red light remained on. I left it for almost an hour and the charger became very warm. The light never turned to green. I plugged the same charger into my wife's fully charged battery and it turns green. I have a second charger as well and the red light stays on connected to my battery. So something is still not right with the battery even though it charges. I questioned if there is another 10A fuse I could have used but all of one ones I found regardless of brand had the same specs. The fuses were purchased at Walmart. $3.50 for a 5 pack. I'll run the battery down a ways and try charging it again. If the green light ever comes on, I'll update this post.
Update: I ran the battery down on a 10 mile ride. After leaving the charger on for about 4 hours it finally showed a green light! It took that long for the last 3 bars to fully charge. Like it never happened.
So what about this new battery style makes it so temping to put the key in the charging port?
I don't know if tempting is the right word because I definitely let off a few cuss words after I did it the second time.
The key to unlock the battery from the frame and the charging port are probably an inch or two apart on the same side of the bike. The prior model it looks like they were on alternate sides of the bike.
So if you're not really paying attention you just stick it in the slot and find out it was the wrong slot.
To limit this in the future, I've done two things.
One I leave the key in the bike because I don't leave my bike anywhere. If I do, of course I'll remove the key. At least I hope I will.
The second thing I've done is add red electrical tape above it to bring my attention to it and then after that I bought some yellow electric symbols from Amazon and put those around the charge port.
Not the prettiest thing in the world but hopefully it will bring my attention to it being the charge for it and not put key in there.
Once fuse was removed, definitely noticed a waxy material on top of fuse and on both of fuses's two blades, thick enough that you can actually scrape it off with fingernail. Some sort of moisture protection? Was not sure if I should use some sort of car bulb contact grease or electrical contact protectant on new fuse? Maybe just overkill?
First time I've heard of a waxy material on the fuse. Mine did not. I put nothing on the new fuse. It's working great now.
Hey guys. I followed the procedure show in one of the posts where you only cut a slit in blue plastic on the one end that has the 10 amp fuse. Unfortunately I cut just a hair two far to right with razor blade and cut into ribbon wire 1/8 inch. So although with the new fuse installed and the charger light now showing red instead of the previous green, and the charger itself heating up like normal, the battery is still cold after several hours of charging. It appears I cut 2 or 3 wires of ribbon necessary for circuitry to allow incoming charge to actually charge battery. There is also no response to pushing button on battery to see charge level. Any ideas on ribbon wire replacement or patching it? Thought I might scrap insulation back on both sides of the three cut ribbon wires and try to solder small wires across to bridge but will be difficult with such thin ribbon.
Quote from: needabreak on April 07, 2022, 06:32:04 PM
Hey guys. I followed the procedure show in one of the posts where you only cut a slit in blue plastic on the one end that has the 10 amp fuse. Unfortunately I cut just a hair two far to right with razor blade and cut into ribbon wire 1/8 inch. So although with the new fuse installed and the charger light now showing red instead of the previous green, and the charger itself heating up like normal, the battery is still cold after several hours of charging. It appears I cut 2 or 3 wires of ribbon necessary for circuitry to allow incoming charge to actually charge battery. There is also no response to pushing button on battery to see charge level. Any ideas on ribbon wire replacement or patching it? Thought I might scrap insulation back on both sides of the three cut ribbon wires and try to solder small wires across to bridge but will be difficult with such thin ribbon.
There was another person on this post that cut the ribbon completely. His battery charged up fine but the charge level indicator did not work at all like yours. You may have to live without the indicator lights on the battery. I think the battery level will still be visible on the LCD panel on your handlebar. As far as charging a long time, when I repaired mine it charged 4 hours to go from 9 bars to 10. But it works fine now. Maybe your battery will eventually charge to full if you give it more time.
Quote from: needabreak on April 07, 2022, 06:32:04 PM
Hey guys. I followed the procedure show in one of the posts where you only cut a slit in blue plastic on the one end that has the 10 amp fuse. Unfortunately I cut just a hair two far to right with razor blade and cut into ribbon wire 1/8 inch. So although with the new fuse installed and the charger light now showing red instead of the previous green, and the charger itself heating up like normal, the battery is still cold after several hours of charging. It appears I cut 2 or 3 wires of ribbon necessary for circuitry to allow incoming charge to actually charge battery. There is also no response to pushing button on battery to see charge level. Any ideas on ribbon wire replacement or patching it? Thought I might scrap insulation back on both sides of the three cut ribbon wires and try to solder small wires across to bridge but will be difficult with such thin ribbon.
Quote from: BriainO on February 23, 2022, 07:03:01 AM
Thanks a million for sharing, @DickB.
I needed to register with this forum to view the photos... radpowerbikes.eu told me they would replace the battery, but due to changes in dangerous, or hazardous goods' regulations in January 2022, they have been unable to ship any batteries and it will still be around 2-3 weeks from now until they can possibly ship due to ironing out the bureaucracy between Customs and the their suppliers and manufacturers. At this time they are not advising customers to do the fuse fix themselves. I hope they may provide support on their help pages soon... additionally I encourage them to include the following warning in the manual: Don't poke the charge-port with your key!
Thankfully, it's an easy enough fix.
1. Remove the end cap was tapping the ends with a hammer and screwdriver. Don't lever with your carving knife, the tip will break off!
2. Remove the 4x torx #10 screws holding on the endcap.
3. Carefully make a slit in the thick plastic wrap.
4. Firmly grip the Red 10A fuse. It's a micro type and it's seated very firm.
5. Replace the fuse with another 10A micro-fuse.
6. Tape (or silicone) it up. I used electrical insulating tape and Duct tape over that.
7. Charge your battery as normal (I charge mine to 80-90% for longevity, unless I'm doing a big ride)
Quote from: jrnelsonla@gmail.com on April 02, 2022, 08:20:27 AM
I don't know if tempting is the right word because I definitely let off a few cuss words after I did it the second time.
The key to unlock the battery from the frame and the charging port are probably an inch or two apart on the same side of the bike. The prior model it looks like they were on alternate sides of the bike.
So if you're not really paying attention you just stick it in the slot and find out it was the wrong slot.
To limit this in the future, I've done two things.
One I leave the key in the bike because I don't leave my bike anywhere. If I do, of course I'll remove the key. At least I hope I will.
The second thing I've done is add red electrical tape above it to bring my attention to it and then after that I bought some yellow electric symbols from Amazon and put those around the charge port.
Not the prettiest thing in the world but hopefully it will bring my attention to it being the charge for it and not put key in there.
I just thought about something. You don't have to use the key unless you're taking out the battery. You can charge the battery while it's connected to the bike so you can basically forget about the key if you wanted to do that. I guess you might stick the charging plug in the keyhole doing that though. I'm not sure if that would do anything because I think the hot wire is in the center but I'm not going to test it either 😂
Quote from: needabreak on April 07, 2022, 06:32:04 PM
Hey guys. I followed the procedure show in one of the posts where you only cut a slit in blue plastic on the one end that has the 10 amp fuse. Unfortunately I cut just a hair two far to right with razor blade and cut into ribbon wire 1/8 inch. So although with the new fuse installed and the charger light now showing red instead of the previous green, and the charger itself heating up like normal, the battery is still cold after several hours of charging. It appears I cut 2 or 3 wires of ribbon necessary for circuitry to allow incoming charge to actually charge battery. There is also no response to pushing button on battery to see charge level. Any ideas on ribbon wire replacement or patching it? Thought I might scrap insulation back on both sides of the three cut ribbon wires and try to solder small wires across to bridge but will be difficult with such thin ribbon.
Just leave it on the charger. I believe that cable is for the display on the battery only and will not affect charging.
Hello,
This is my first post. Thank you for the great information as my battery also failed. I followed the steps outlined and it was a 30 minute job. I will share pics of some the tools I used. Great recommendation on a wood chisel to remove the small cap. I had to remove both ends as it was easier to push the battery through the case. I only pushed it a bit.
I would advise anyone trying to take their time and don't rush it. I cut a small portion near the fuse, then used my finger to manually rip some of the blue tape off. I wanted to avoid cutting the ribbon.
Boy howdy Rad has an issue here. As cool and handy as it is that the solution has been found for desperate future distressed customers I sure hope Everyone has called and registered their collective distain. Hopefully they redesign this lemon.
Radio Runner, No doubt. A $400 to $500 dollar part replaced on warranty for a failed part that costs less than $1.50. It's common for fuses to blow and the average person can change them. I don't understand the thinking behind the design.
That has to hurt the business and their reputation for quality. Especially when one considers they don't get the old battery back to fix or repair it themselves and then resell it. Total loss for them.
The prior year models it looks like the fuse is easier to access. So they definitely changed it for some reason. Maybe people were putting larger fuses than they should I don't know.
I also noticed it appears on the Red Rover 5 that the battery and the charge portal on alternate side so the bike.
The charge port side could easily be redesigned by replacing the plastic cap with the port on the other side.
Wow that doesn't solve the fuse replaceability it would reduce user error some.
A huge thanks for the generosity of time and effort to help others. The combination of photos and tips everyone contributed saved me the $500 discounted battery price Rad offered and the recycling of a perfectly good (except for the fuse) battery.
If I can return the favor by lending a hand to someone living nearby who doesn't have the tools or isn't confident to do the repair, just send a private message. I live in the California central coast area.
I just found this video walk-through on the Semi-integrated battery fuse replacement. Very well done.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q287-kQNDsM&ab_channel=2feetNOsox
Quote from: daver6640 on April 11, 2022, 04:42:16 PM
Hello,
This is my first post. Thank you for the great information as my battery also failed. I followed the steps outlined and it was a 30 minute job. I will share pics of some the tools I used. Great recommendation on a wood chisel to remove the small cap. I had to remove both ends as it was easier to push the battery through the case. I only pushed it a bit.
I would advise anyone trying to take their time and don't rush it. I cut a small portion near the fuse, then used my finger to manually rip some of the blue tape off. I wanted to avoid cutting the ribbon.
Thank you so much. I finally talked to Rad tech support today. They told me, as I had read somewhere also, that thus new battery dud nit even have a fuse (?????)
Go figure made in sense to me. I also have 2 Rad City 4 bikes and one is about 3 years old and I had blown the fuse in that one also no. Once I bought the fuse it was a very simple 20 minute job and I was up and running again. This 5 plus commuter
battery is completely different. Rad had convinced me I had to buy a new battery now. They said nothing could be done to fix or repair it
SO, to begin with the bike came in brand new with a faulty controller straight from the factory. I am a repeat customer. It was according to Rad customer service policy they said they could not and would not overnight or even expedite the shipping for the faulty controller that I simply had
Received. It took a MONTH to arrive. Rad did cover the cost of the controller but the test was up to me. The closest Rad City certified repairs to me is 3 hours away.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quote from: michaelolvey on April 18, 2022, 11:51:27 PM
Quote from: daver6640 on April 11, 2022, 04:42:16 PM
Hello,
This is my first post. Thank you for the great information as my battery also failed. I followed the steps outlined and it was a 30 minute job. I will share pics of some the tools I used. Great recommendation on a wood chisel to remove the small cap. I had to remove both ends as it was easier to push the battery through the case. I only pushed it a bit.
I would advise anyone trying to take their time and don't rush it. I cut a small portion near the fuse, then used my finger to manually rip some of the blue tape off. I wanted to avoid cutting the ribbon.
Thank you so much. I finally talked to Rad tech support today. They told me, as I had read somewhere also, that thus new battery dud nit even have a fuse (?????)
Go figure made in sense to me. I also have 2 Rad City 4 bikes and one is about 3 years old and I had blown the fuse in that one also no. Once I bought the fuse it was a very simple 20 minute job and I was up and running again. This 5 plus commuter
battery is completely different. Rad had convinced me I had to buy a new battery now. They said nothing could be done to fix or repair it
SO, to begin with the bike came in brand new with a faulty controller straight from the factory. I am a repeat customer. It was according to Rad customer service policy they said they could not and would not overnight or even expedite the shipping for the faulty controller that I simply had
Received. It took a MONTH to arrive. Rad did cover the cost of the controller but the test was up to me. The closest Rad City certified repairs to me is 3 hours away.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
This is my first post, but I want to give an appreciative thanks to all of you who have contributed to solving this problem. I also inadvertently touched the key to the charging port and blew the fuse on my wife's RadCity 5 Plus Step-Throu. The small rubber cap does not stay closed on our battery charging port, which makes it even easier to short it out. I was able to replace the fuse with the battery still fully in the case. There is limited space but thanks to the excellent advice from everyone, I was able to cut the blue plastic without damaging the ribbon cable and replace the fuse with narrow needle-nosed pliers. The half-inch wood chisel worked very well for removing the u-shaped cap without damaging it. My wife is happy, and we are grateful for self-help communities like the Rad Owners Forum.
I would love to speak speak with you a moment if possible. I did the same thing on my new Rad city 5 plus. I've had it about 2 months and so fat only have 15 miles on it. It all started because it was shipped with a faulty controller from the factory. Absolute nothing I was responsible for! I finally was shipped a new controller ( took about a month to get here), new bike came in about 9 days???
Also I had ordered and received the same day 2 new Rads. A new Rad 4 city commuter and the 5 plus city commuter.
They were my 3rd Rad bikes. First bike was purchased in 2019, a Rad 4 city commuter .....never had 1 problem with it other than blowing a 5 AH fews and repairs it and up and running in less than 45 minutes.
But due to my nightmarish experience with Rad customer service this Rad City repeat customer is no longer a Rad Customer. As a matter of fact a friend of mine has taken possession of the new Rad 4 and currently I have a Rad 5 plus with 15 miles on it for sale!!!
I've already lurched a new Pedego Commuter from a local dealer with a showroom and repair service 12 minutes from my house.
I am but mechanically inclined. I've watched someone's video on this site concerning replacing the 10 Ah fews on my 5 plus. I understand it to say remove 4 screws. I can only locate 3 screws on mine. Other than that I have about 10 minutes left to replace the fuse and put the bike on the market for sale.
So I'm asking fir some help. I'd be glad to even compensate for your time.
My email is michaelolvey@gmail.com
My cell is 205-305-5056
Thank you
Sincerely
Michael Olvey
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
First of all... Thank you to the people who posted solutions and their experiences.
Second... people should stop beating themselves up over sticking the key into the charging port. I can see this happening because every battery pack I've seen in the past has the key on the battery itself, and not on the frame.
The thing that bothers me is that there should be a reset-able fuse rather than having to disassemble the unit.
Love the bike... happy riding to all!
What an amazing thread. I also touched my key off the charging port but just repaired it using this thread as guidance. I just wanted to add that the hole doesn't need to be big. I dented the silicone with my knife and then carefully used pliers to open it wider. It's a bit fiddly with a small opening but it saves having to open the other end.
Hello,
does any one have the newest rad rover 6 plus battery that has the black plastic wrap, looking for fuse(fuses)
Usually the fuses sold in store are for 32 volt.
Will it work on the 48 volt battery?
I fixed my broken fuse with a standard automotive 12V 10A mini fuse, no issues so far.
I just recieved a warranty replacement battery for my radrover6+. Today ATTEMPTED to repair the old battery. I removed both ends, and after significant effort, cut through the silicone in both ends and ended up having to use an adjustable clamp and a small block to force the battery rack out of the housing.
I then cut open the ends of the BLACK plastic covering to expose the fuse - alas, there are NO FUSES! I have completely removed the plastic to expose the board and cannot find a fuse anywhere.
Does anyone have experience with this version of the semi integrated battery? Thank you!
I have attached pictures of the board...
Quote from: Monty316r on June 27, 2022, 03:29:34 AM
Hello,
does any one have the newest rad rover 6 plus battery that has the black plastic wrap, looking for fuse(fuses)
Same question- aligned with my previous post...
The white rectangular components with silver endcaps at either end of your circuit board are surface-mount fuses. Labeled 10A and 40A. They will require desoldering to replace.
Quote from: DickB on July 01, 2022, 07:51:10 AM
The white rectangular components with silver endcaps at either end of your circuit board are surface-mount fuses. Labeled 10A and 40A. They will require desoldering to replace.
Oh my! What have they done now?
so relieved... very very happy.... to find just the 5 amp fuse was burnt out.
My battery would not charge... charger lights were green and red and would not accept a change.... so happy it was a simple fuse.
spent hours trying to get thru to RAD service line.... waist of time.
This site helped resolve the issue.
cheers
M
Oliver, BC
Quote from: Radio Runner on July 01, 2022, 08:49:16 AM
Quote from: DickB on July 01, 2022, 07:51:10 AM
The white rectangular components with silver endcaps at either end of your circuit board are surface-mount fuses. Labeled 10A and 40A. They will require desoldering to replace.
Oh my! What have they done now?
They made it where you couldn't semi easily fix your own bike and have to wait a month for a replacement battery. I had mine for 3 days and the battery quit working. Thanks for all the help, but mine is the black wrap too. If somebody comes up with a fix for this that doesnt require a soldering iron, please post. Thanks!
I repaired the battery on my Rad City 5 Plus yesterday after accidentally touching the charging port with my key apparently shorted out the fuse. Rad wouldn't replace my battery under warranty because it was "customer error". Already ordered a new battery so I had nothing to lose by trying my repair.($560! - great way for Rad to make money since, from a brief scan of the internet, LOTS of people make this same expensive boo boo...). Anyway, watched a couple of youtube videos. I only needed to remove the charging port end of the battery to replace the 10 amp mini fuse. (You do not need remove both ends and slide the battery out as one video showed. That is extremely difficult.) You need a T10 screwdriver to remove the 4 screws from the charging end cover. Two at the bottom, two more under a plastic cover that must be removed. I pried it off with a putty knife. The fuse is located in the upper left corner of the exposed end of battery. Carefully cut the inner plastic to expose the top of the fuse, remove and replace the fuse, tape your small cut closed, screw the end cover of the battery back on. Mine works fine now.
Quote from: phkadel on July 15, 2022, 07:47:56 AM
I repaired the battery on my Rad City 5 Plus yesterday after accidentally touching the charging port with my key apparently shorted out the fuse. Rad wouldn't replace my battery under warranty because it was "customer error". Already ordered a new battery so I had nothing to lose by trying my repair.($560! - great way for Rad to make money since, from a brief scan of the internet, LOTS of people make this same expensive boo boo...). Anyway, watched a couple of youtube videos. I only needed to remove the charging port end of the battery to replace the 10 amp mini fuse. (You do not need remove both ends and slide the battery out as one video showed. That is extremely difficult.) You need a T10 screwdriver to remove the 4 screws from the charging end cover. Two at the bottom, two more under a plastic cover that must be removed. I pried it off with a putty knife. The fuse is located in the upper left corner of the exposed end of battery. Carefully cut the inner plastic to expose the top of the fuse, remove and replace the fuse, tape your small cut closed, screw the end cover of the battery back on. Mine works fine now.
Glad to hear you were able to fix it. And thanks for the updated instructions. I'm waiting for Rad to make a decision on my battery RadRover 6+ warranty claim (it just quit charging for no explanation after only 2 months). Once they decide, I'll crack open the battery and try to fix it.
Quote from: Me on July 14, 2022, 07:04:36 PM
Quote from: Radio Runner on July 01, 2022, 08:49:16 AM
Quote from: DickB on July 01, 2022, 07:51:10 AM
The white rectangular components with silver endcaps at either end of your circuit board are surface-mount fuses. Labeled 10A and 40A. They will require desoldering to replace.
Oh my! What have they done now?
They made it where you couldn't semi easily fix your own bike and have to wait a month for a replacement battery. I had mine for 3 days and the battery quit working. Thanks for all the help, but mine is the black wrap too. If somebody comes up with a fix for this that doesnt require a soldering iron, please post. Thanks!
Not possible.
A quality design after prototyping and testing would have put the charging port on the opposite side of the battery and maybe even at the other end of the battery as well, if the electrical design is dumb enough for an accident like this to happen at all, much less fairly frequently.
I wonder what it's like inside Rad these days? Seems like a lot of new dumb designs, ideas and cost-reduction cheaping out (no ability to power off the bike without removing and carrying away the heavy battery, an expensive, kludgy "optional" dongle-thingie to restore the USB port that has always been standard up to this more-expensive series???) that they're hearing about from customers they spent a fortune to attract in the first place. I'm still astounded that my MiniST2 can have its battery stolen with a blank key, but other than that it's been a great bike and I added a U-lock to prevent battery removal so even that's not really an issue, just an insult to my recovering-engineer brain.
Quote from: Sasheise on June 30, 2022, 04:15:00 PM
I just recieved a warranty replacement battery for my radrover6+. Today ATTEMPTED to repair the old battery. I removed both ends, and after significant effort, cut through the silicone in both ends and ended up having to use an adjustable clamp and a small block to force the battery rack out of the housing.
I then cut open the ends of the BLACK plastic covering to expose the fuse - alas, there are NO FUSES! I have completely removed the plastic to expose the board and cannot find a fuse anywhere.
Does anyone have experience with this version of the semi integrated battery? Thank you!
I have attached pictures of the board...
Is it the black blob in upper left of middle picture? That looks like where the fuse is located from pics of what others have posted. Others? pics and videos online just show the fuse without any covering. Did they start sealing the fuses in with something?
What is your battery serial number? I?m wondering if there Rad made some changes to the battery.
Anyone else have a guess to help out Sasheise?
10A charge fuse in red, 40A discharge fuse in blue.
Quote from: DickB on July 17, 2022, 09:39:51 AM
10A charge fuse in red, 40A discharge fuse in blue.
Thanks - should be a sticky post with an ?Idiot?s Guide to Rad Issues.? Couldn?t tell from the resolution on my ipad. It is soldered in.
bought a RadRover6 Plus for my son for his birthday...we've both had a great time riding it on the initial charge...then went to unlock the battery to charge it and when trying to unlock in my garage where it was kinda dark, I thought the charging port was the place to unlock it and immediately a spark came out. I thought I was an idiot but now see it's a very common mistake and obvious design flaw not having a simple way to replace the fuse. My main issue is Rad's response saying it's not covered and I have to spend $600 to get a new battery. I'm now seeing here that it's just a simple 10 cent fuse that can be replaced and other users are fixing it themselves. Why can't / won't Rad offer to fix the battery rather than requiring us to buy a new one? I liked this company initially but their response to this issue is very frustrating for me. I was going to buy another one but not now. Thanks to all of you for showing how to fix the battery- not sure I'll be able to figure it out but will give it a shot- otherwise I might be taking this thing to the dump I'm so pissed at them.
I?m surprised they don?t offer a repair service on this as a customer courtesy even if you have to pay for it. Would be far cheaper than a new battery and everyone benefits from it including the environment. From what I have read a simple SMD fuse replacement is easy money. Certainly not worth the cost of future business.
A big thanks to everyone who shared instructions and tips! I too blew the fuse in my semi integrated battery, and thanks to this forum and help from a friend, I got my battery working again today.
If anyone else is in this situation, I encourage you to try the repair route. If you lack the tools, you could check repaircafe.org to see if a local volunteer can help.
Below I will share detailed instructions consolidating what I learned in this forum and from doing my own repair. It is a long post, but I am hoping the extra detail might help someone.
VIDEOS/PHOTOS
Both these videos are worth watching to see some visuals:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q287-kQNDsM&t=4s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoHOZZpu6oo -- you probably do not need to take the whole thing out like this guy does
I also made a login account to this forum so I could see the photos others have posted.
WHAT YOU NEED
- 10 amp mini fuse -- available at an auto supply shop
- Something to pry off black end cap -- e.g. flathead screw driver, putty knife, wood chisel; a hammer or mallet helps too
- Torx 10 screwdriver -- needs to be long and skinny enough to access a narrow, recessed opening. What my friend had on hand did not work, so I had to run to the hardware store
- Utility knife -- for cutting through the blue plastic and black silicone rubber
- Needle nose pliers -- for removing the broken fuse
- Electrical tape -- for sealing up the plastic when you finish
STEP 1: REMOVE END CAP
This first step is a bit challenging. You need to pry something in like flathead screwdriver and then you can use a mallet to tap your tool at an angle and eventually knock off the end cap to reveal the screws underneath. I recommend starting with the end cap that is close to the charge port. Several posters here reported that is the ONLY end they had to mess with. Eventually I had to open up both ends (will explain later), but maybe you will have more luck.
STEP 2: REMOVE TORX SCREWS
There are four torx 10 screws on each side. Two are relatively easy to remove, but the other two are buried deep in the recessed opening, which is why you need a torx 10 screwdriver that can go deep.
STEP 3: MAKE SURE FUSE IS ACCESSIBLE
This step seems to be easier for some than others. The fuse is around the top left corner on the charge port end of the battery. Some people say they just pulled the blue casing out a bit and were able to move onto the next step. In my battery, there was a LOT of black silicone rubber so things were really sealed into place. I had to do a lot of careful cutting around all the edges to get through the rubber, and I also had to do the same on the other side. It was a frustrating process, but eventually I cut enough of the black stuff all around and used a mallet to push the bottom end of the battery so a portion was sticking out the top, finally making the fuse accessible.
STEP 4: CAREFULLY MAKE A SLIT IN THE BLUE PLASTIC TO ACCESS FUSE
Use your utility knife to make a small slit so you can remove the broken fuse. Proceed slowly and carefully. To the right of the fuse there is a flat ribbon that conveys the battery status to the exterior lights. Some other forum posters accidentally cut through that during this step.
STEP 5: REMOVE FUSE
You will see a red fuse with the number 10. You can pull it out using needle nose pliers.
STEP 6: REPLACE THE FUSE WITH ANOTHER 10 AMP MINI FUSE
I went to an auto supply story and got a 5-pack of fuses for $5. Much cheaper than a $600 battery replacement! Luckily this step is pretty easy. You just insert the fuse in the same spot where you removed the broken one. Once this is done, I recommend plugging in your charger to confirm that both lights are red indicating it is fixed and now charging. If it works now, congrats!
STEP 7: TAPE IT UP
I used some electrical tape to seal up where I had cut. I could only add one piece of tape because it was a really tight fit getting my battery back in. Here are some comments left by others in this forum:
--I used electrical insulating tape and Duct tape over that.
--I used standard electrical tape to tape things back. I then coated the patched area and the tape with liquid electrical tape for a good seal. This brushes on nicely.
--I used some vinyl tape. Rad uses silicon seal, all the black stuff in the photos. If you use silicone to seal the battery, I recommend avoiding any silicone with acetic acid (it smells like vinegar). Acetic acid can corrode the electronics in the battery pack. Permatex Ultra Black gasket maker does not have acetic acid and is available at most automotive supply stores.
STEP 8: REASSEMBLE
Make sure to get the gasket back on correctly, and then you just add the screws back in and put the end caps back on.
STEP 9: ASK RAD TO REDESIGN THIS BATTERY
Seriously. Anyone have ideas on how to best influence their design team? When my fuse blew earlier this month, I submitted a warranty inquiry and sent some follow-up messages, and also called and waited on hold for two hours, and weeks later I have STILL not gotten a response from their corporate help center. So based on my terrible experience with customer support, I feel like sending design feedback to that generic email is a black hole. But if anyone knows the email address for their head of engineering please send it to me! ;) Designing this thing with repair in mind will be better for Rad, for customers, and for the planet.
Quote from: Eevv_ii on July 17, 2022, 09:46:12 PMSTEP 9: ASK RAD TO REDESIGN THIS BATTERY
Seriously. Anyone have ideas on how to best influence their design team?
Well, they already have. Unfortunately, it looks like both fuses are now surface-mounted and soldered to the circuit board. How's
that for improving customer access, maintainability and satisfaction?
Rad seems to be running off the rails in a number of ways since the new series of bikes were releases, including the
Expand Contract 5. They may be begging for a class-action lawsuit from pissed-off customers for poor design and engineering. It seems like every day now we're hearing about somebody sticking their key in the wrong hole and blowing the fuse, after which Rad says "too bad, you have our crap design - $700 please including tax and shipping, but don't try replacing that 20-cent part yourself."
So many things wrong with that design.......
Quote from: JimInPT on July 18, 2022, 06:49:58 AM
So many things wrong with that design.......
My wife is putting washi tape over her charger port to make sure she doesn't key it. . .
Good post Eevv_ii 🙂
Quote from: Adams on July 18, 2022, 10:18:55 AM
Quote from: JimInPT on July 18, 2022, 06:49:58 AM
So many things wrong with that design.......
My wife is putting washi tape over her charger port to make sure she doesn't key it. . .
Don't those batteries have a flip-open rubber cover over the charging port like other batteries? In addition to keys, you don't want dust, dirt or water getting into that port either.
Quote from: JimInPT on July 18, 2022, 11:53:53 AM
Quote from: Adams on July 18, 2022, 10:18:55 AM
Quote from: JimInPT on July 18, 2022, 06:49:58 AM
So many things wrong with that design.......
My wife is putting washi tape over her charger port to make sure she doesn't key it. . .
Don't those batteries have a flip-open rubber cover over the charging port like other batteries? In addition to keys, you don't want dust, dirt or water getting into that port either.
They do, but hers isn't staying shut. She thought an extra reminder to not make a dumb mistake wouldn't hurt. . .
I want to thank everyone here for the super helpful instructions for replacing the fuse. After waiting on hold for 2 hours customer support told me they?d give me $100 off a new battery. Ridiculous for a bike I?ve had for a couple of months. Super disappointed and I likely would not recommend anyone I know to buy a RAD bike because of this ridiculously stupid battery design and the lack of accountability on their part. But on the positive side all of the helpful info here helped me replace the fuse and I?m back up and running without shelling out $500 or throwing the battery away. THANK YOU to everyone who contributed the photos and videos!
Thank you for your help on this Dick. many thanks
Thanks to all who posted. Fix worked. Photos and info saved the day. I?d did the key to the battery twice. The first battery was replaced by rad. Knowing what I do now I could have fixed the first one. Thanks again.
I needed to register with this forum to view the photos... radpowerbikes.eu told me they would replace the battery, but due to changes in dangerous, or hazardous goods' regulations in January 2022, they have been unable to ship any batteries and it will still be around 2-3 weeks from now until they can possibly ship due to ironing out the bureaucracy between Customs and the their suppliers and manufacturers. At this time they are not advising customers to do the fuse fix themselves. I hope they may provide support on their help pages soon... additionally I encourage them to include the following warning in the manual: Don't poke the charge-port with your key!
Thankfully, it's an easy enough fix.
1. Remove the end cap was tapping the ends with a hammer and screwdriver. Don't lever with your carving knife, the tip will break off!
2. Remove the 4x torx #10 screws holding on the endcap.
3. Carefully make a slit in the thick plastic wrap.
4. Firmly grip the Red 10A fuse. It's a micro type and it's seated very firm.
5. Replace the fuse with another 10A micro-fuse.
6. Tape (or silicone) it up. I used electrical insulating tape and Duct tape over that.
7. Charge your battery as normal (I charge mine to 80-90% for longevity, unless I'm doing a big ride)
[/quote]
Thank you very much for this info i was able to change the fuse on my wife bike and we are up and running again !!!!
save me $800 canadian
Thanks everyone very much. Took about 90 minutes once I had all of the tools.
The 10 amp automotive fuses cost $5.49 for five
The R10 torx bit was harder. A one inch bit didn?t work. I found a two inch on Amazon.
My pictures show the placement of the fuse. It is upper left. But on top!
Moving the battery pack out was a bit tricky. I ended up using a piece of wood and a hammer.
That's a pretty shitty design. It's not only end user unfriendly, it's trained technician unfriendly.
Quote from: JedidiahStolzfus on August 21, 2022, 03:10:56 PM
That's a pretty shitty design. It's not only end user unfriendly, it's trained technician unfriendly.
And a far cry from the previous battery design, with two rubber plugs on the underside to keep moisture from the two fuses - pop them open, extract fuse with needlenose pliers, insert new fuse, done. But even those seem like a mystery to most - a couple weeks ago, I showed a guy in town who rents Rads to tourists that they were there, and how to change them; he had no idea they had fuses, or that they can be unlocked/stolen with a blank key.
Rad's going backwards in numerous small and large ways, and it's sad to see. I plan to keep my pretty-great, 35A MiniST2 from spring '21 (i.e. all original-spec components) going as long as she's willing to go.
How much of it is Rad's design vs them just buying whatever is available off the shelf?
Quote from: JedidiahStolzfus on August 22, 2022, 09:22:25 AM
How much of it is Rad's design vs them just buying whatever is available off the shelf?
As far as I know, the semi-integrated battery form factor is unique to Rad. So I doubt it is off-the-shelf. But, Rad may likely be relying on the battery supplier for electrical design. Even so, if Rad is dictating form factor, they could certainly be giving electrical requirements to their supplier - certainly they could specify fuse type and placement. I wonder if Rad even has an electrical engineer on staff.
Hi all! I have not one but TWO of these batteries where the fuse blew on me... (yeah, I know. Makes me wish I bought an Aventon, tbh, but what do you do now).
I followed the instructions to replace the fuse and thought it worked, but now on BOTH, the battery power indicator light on the batteries no longer work. I brought the into a bike shop to see what they thought, and they put both on a voltage meter and they said they were fully charged? (I did plug both in, which were at one or two lines when I blew the fuses, overnight.). When they were charging, the two red dots on the charging box were lit (not one red, one green).
Verdict is out still if they are fixed but just the power light indicator is now broken on both...just seems odd. Anyone else see this happen?
There is a flex cable to the battery meter next to the 10A fuse. You may have damaged it. It will not affect use of the battery. Use the meter on your bike's display.
OK, so I went through this whole thread and I think I have an even newer battery that wasn't charging. Got the bike in July. Went through the pictures and video, but I do not have a fuse at all that I can locate on the battery. Photo below. They try something new but same issue? Waiting on the phone for help over 2 hours. RAD has got issues and it?s a shame. Any help appreciated.
Can't be sure from the photo, but it appears the fuse is the white rectangular component on the right side of the photo. It's soldered to two large traces. See if you can research what markings are on that component.
Capt Slappy,
You've got one of the new bms boards with two soldered on fuses. The white rectangle on the lower right of your photo is a 10 amp fuse while the white one on the left is a 40 amp system fuse. Both of them are soldered to the mother board. A ridiculous system developed by a moron (accepted as suitable by a currently moronic company as well) as the item is a $500 to $700 dollar part that won't be replaced because a 10 cent (maybe a dollar) user replaceable fuse can't be easily changed.
If I had one of those I'd solder short leads to the fuses and install replaceable fuses somewhere accessible and if the original fuse blows then your replaceable one would simply take over. I don't have one so I can't guess where to locate the replaceable fuses but one wouldn't need to remove the old ones even if they blew.
POS fuse/BMS design at any rate!
Quote from: Capt Slappy on September 03, 2022, 12:28:54 PM
OK, so I went through this whole thread and I think I have an even newer battery that wasn't charging. Got the bike in July. Went through the pictures and video, but I do not have a fuse at all that I can locate on the battery. Photo below. They try something new but same issue? Waiting on the phone for help over 2 hours. RAD has got issues and it?s a shame. Any help appreciated.
Look here: https://www.radowners.com/index.php/topic,1655.msg12657.html#msg12657
Had the same problem with the battery not charging. looked at the videos and read this forum. Took battery to bike shop that tunes my bikes and she (without looking at the video or forum) popped off the cover - and there was the blue vinyl. She sliced carefully and saw the 10 amp fuse.
This was the first time she had worked on an eBike battery. We replaced the fuse and the battery is charging and working fine.
Like others, the display on the battery is not working. But I can see the charge on the battery with the bike display. I'm going to just keep trucking and putting the miles on my Rad.
Why does Rad make such a bad design? Fuses are meant to be replaced - so why do they and others say they can not be repaired?
When I contacted RAD, the first thing they asked for was a photo of my Bike keys (yeah, they know where people are sticking them) and a photo of my battery charger port. Wanted to see if there was a spark. THEY CAN'T FIX THEM BUT THEY SURE KNOW HOW TO FIND WHICH ONES WERE KEYED!)
Does anyone from RAD read these Forums? They should.
Quote from: Hareclips on September 08, 2022, 11:29:45 AMWe replaced the fuse and the battery is charging and working fine.
That's great to hear you're back up and running with that battery; the recovering engineer in me is sorely offended by that stupid design - you should be glad you didn't get a newer one with SOLDERED surface-mount fuses. That's just insane.
Our older shark batteries have easily-accessible fuses on the bottom underneath rubber weather covers that just pop off. So Rad used to know how to do batteries instead of doing their customers as they do now. Sometimes I give my MiniST2 a little pat on the butt to show my appreciation and thanks I got her before Rad drove over a cliff.
More stupid design issues the last couple of years, too, but that's for other threads.
I'll quote Brittany Spears and say "oops I did it again....". Stuck the key in the battery charge port this morning when I got to work...spacey lately dealing with some family issues. I'll be doing another fuse replace again. And this time putting lime colored duct tap over the port when not being used. I wondered about the person who said he'd done it more than once...now I get it. I just hope the zap doesn't discharge the power left so I can get home!
I believe the 2022 integrated battery has been changed. I had mine go bad and replaced and decided to take the old one apart. I don?t believe there are fuses in the ends anymore. It looks like the pcb is different as well.
Quote from: JSedge on October 14, 2022, 05:10:23 PM
I believe the 2022 integrated battery has been changed. I had mine go bad and replaced and decided to take the old one apart. I don?t believe there are fuses in the ends anymore. It looks like the pcb is different as well.
Look at posts #46 and #48 in this topic.
Yahoo!
With the help from the info posted here, I just "fixed" (okay....replaced a blown fuse) a Semi-integrated battery.
Feeling happy at the moment.
Not sure why the fuse blew in the first place. We certainly did NOT stick the key in the charger port.
A few observations on the "repair" process, although the above post has a good summary and excellent info/photos.
0) It may not be obvious to everyone, but the fuse replacement occurs at the top charge port/gauge end of the battery (not the end near the high current connector to the bike).
1) I believe the (flat) screwdriver approach for removing the plastic cap covering the two screws would work well for most people. ...as long as the wide part of the flat screwdriver blade is sharp/square and the right width. The idea is to tap the plastic cap where the seam is to drive the plastic cap "open". After getting one side of the cap loose, you may need to go to the other side to loosen the cap completely. I actually used a small sharp 3/8" wide chisel that worked great, but same idea. I have no gouges or scratches on the plastic cap from removing it.
2) Yea, the shaft of the T10 torx-head wrench has to be the long enough to reach the screw head in the holes. As was mentioned, one inch minimum. Almost had to buy a set with longer shafts, but had something just long enough.
3) I noticed the four torx-head screws had a small amount if blue loctite near the tips of the threads. I didn't bother to put any new on them.
4) Mind the gasket when removing the end after loosening/removing the screws.
5) The 10A (ten amp) fuses are readily available and are referred to as ATM type (mini, not micro). These are the ones I bought/used: https://amzn.to/3UCuCHp. Hopefully these are not junk. Although with a package of 20, I can do a lot of replacements... ;D
Thanks to the people who put this info together, and best of luck if you attempt the "repair"!
******* HAHAHAHAHAHA After posting this, I noticed there was a LOT more pages to this thread. I just looked at the first page!
Feeling even luckier that I had a fixable battery :o **********
I have a soldering set up and pretty good hang of it, so I think I could replace the soldered fuses. But I'm unsure where to source this particular style of fuse on the new batteries. Anyone with electrical/engineering background have any idea how to hunt these down?
Only asking because I have a 6+ en route to me from rad now and all this battery talk has me thinking I should have a plan if/when it happens to me. I'm assuming I'll be receiving the newer battery configuration with the soldered fuses. Maybe I'll luck out and get the older style though.
EDIT: Looks like I found it. It's a surface mount fuse (SMD). I'll need to get it in hand to see how easy it is to solder. https://www.tti.com/content/ttiinc/en/apps/part-detail.html?partsNumber=0451010.MRL&mfgShortname=LTF&customerPartNumber=&minQty=1000&customerId=
Quote from: JimInPT on December 11, 2021, 09:41:38 AM
Way to go, Dick; nice work and I'm sure she appreciates having a working spare now. Seems like a pretty dumb engineering design to prevent easy inspection and access to a 10-cent part that's designed to break and be replaced. Reminds me of the new keylock design that can't shut down power to the bike at all.
you forgot to mention the key is generic and anyone can buy one. i don't get the point of the lock on the 6 plus.
Quote from: rory on November 01, 2022, 01:56:25 PM
I have a soldering set up and pretty good hang of it, so I think I could replace the soldered fuses. But I'm unsure where to source this particular style of fuse on the new batteries. Anyone with electrical/engineering background have any idea how to hunt these down?
Only asking because I have a 6+ en route to me from rad now and all this battery talk has me thinking I should have a plan if/when it happens to me. I'm assuming I'll be receiving the newer battery configuration with the soldered fuses. Maybe I'll luck out and get the older style though.
EDIT: Looks like I found it. It's a surface mount fuse (SMD). I'll need to get it in hand to see how easy it is to solder. https://www.tti.com/content/ttiinc/en/apps/part-detail.html?partsNumber=0451010.MRL&mfgShortname=LTF&customerPartNumber=&minQty=1000&customerId=
Another source:
https://amzn.to/3FY0T7Q
Another option might be to just leave the old fuse in place, bend the leads on an axial lead fuse, and solder in parallel.
https://amzn.to/3tayP9C
That?s a great idea. I guess it all depends on how easy it is to remove the solder on the surface mount/pads.
I wonder if you could solder something like this on instead and route it externally in case it blows again?
https://amzn.to/3t6zxEP
Quote from: crorris on November 02, 2022, 07:12:38 AM
I wonder if you could solder something like this on instead and route it externally in case it blows again?
https://amzn.to/3t6zxEP
do you mean like this?
Nice!
Oh snap that looks great. Are you just soldering the wire ends to the fuse pad on the board and then running this out through the plastic battery case? I'd love to see the inside and how you ran the line out. My only concern would be keeping those 12AWG wires attached to the board, how would one go about securing them so they don't become detached with any moving around and jostling.
Quote from: Si1Dia on November 02, 2022, 07:55:14 AM
Quote from: crorris on November 02, 2022, 07:12:38 AM
I wonder if you could solder something like this on instead and route it externally in case it blows again?
https://amzn.to/3t6zxEP
do you mean like this?
Also, can anyone who has the initial battery fuse design, and the new soldered battery design tell us if there is any other differentiating trait? Maybe in the serial numbers. I'd love to know if my battery is the initial design or later soldered design without having to take it apart to see it's black or blue shrink wrapping.
Quote from: rory on November 02, 2022, 09:03:57 AM
Oh snap that looks great. Are you just soldering the wire ends to the fuse pad on the board and then running this out through the plastic battery case? I'd love to see the inside and how you ran the line out. My only concern would be keeping those 12AWG wires attached to the board, how would one go about securing them so they don't become detached with any moving around and jostling.
Quote from: Si1Dia on November 02, 2022, 07:55:14 AM
Quote from: crorris on November 02, 2022, 07:12:38 AM
I wonder if you could solder something like this on instead and route it externally in case it blows again?
https://amzn.to/3t6zxEP
do you mean like this?
I took the old fuse apart and soldered the wires to the posts then inserted them into the old fuse holder. this way I could easily reverse my decision later if I wanted to. I then secured the wires with hot glue to the end of the battery before running it out the hole I cut into the end cap. the only problem with this was it would no longer fit into the battery tray on my HS version of the rover 6+. it worked fine on my wife's ST version though since it has a lot more clearance to go in.
Just received a pack of 10A surface mount fuses to test with. If anyone has a dead battery that has the soldered fuses (battery serial numbers will start with CAP) let me know. I?d be willing to try a repair at no cost (just cover the shipping to WI, USA)
Rory, where do you live? I live in Horicon WI.. I Know 3 people who have RR6+, they might need you some day.
I?m in Mequon, just north of Milwaukee. Looks like Horicon is pretty close. At least close enough that it?s more practical than spending $600+ on a new battery. I?m excited to tinker with them when I get the chance.
Quote from: rjp on November 05, 2022, 05:41:15 PM
Rory, where do you live? I live in Horicon WI.. I Know 3 people who have RR6+, they might need you some day.
Me too. Used the key to short out the charging port. Will work on fix this week. And many thanks DickB your the man. Also Batteries Plus Bulbs should be a good source to do this type of repair. Kramer
Talked to RAD and said I shorted it out with a key and CR said not under warranty now. She said RAD would replace and reduce my cost by $100 US (700 for new). I asked if anyway to repair. She said NO. Have to think RAD would not repair. Purchased RAD CITY Plus June 2022.
Today got fuses at NAPA $5 and NOW MY BATTERY IS CHARGING. May thanks for contributors here.
Quote from: babymilo0329 on November 06, 2022, 08:26:54 AM
Me too. Used the key to short out the charging port. Will work on fix this week. And many thanks DickB your the man. Also Batteries Plus Bulbs should be a good source to do this type of repair. Kramer
You're welcome.
My local Batteries Plus Bulbs does not work on Li-Ion batteries. They would not touch a Rad battery.
Which end cap do you open...the side where the LED level bars are located or the opposite side?
Quote from: DickB on December 11, 2021, 04:36:49 AM
The new Rad semi-integrated battery has internal fuses that are a bit difficult but not impossible to replace.
I got a battery from a Facebook group member that refused to charge after a couple of months. She sent it to me to examine. (She got a warranty replacement from Rad.)
The new battery has an aluminum tube-like case, and is opened from the ends. To open it, you must first pry off a cover at either end of the battery to expose T10 Torx screws. Remove 4 screws at each end.
The battery is well sealed against moisture. The end caps have rubber gaskets, and all exposed connections are sealed in silicone rubber. The battery assembly itself is fastened to the case at either end with silicone rubber. This must be cut at both ends to remove the battery assembly. To remove the assembly, I pushed from the power connector end, rotating the end cap to fit through the case.
The entire assembly is sealed in shrink wrap and more silicone. The fuses are at either end. Not knowing the internal construction, I made a bit of a mess opening the shrink wrap. Now knowing where the fuses are located, small flaps could be carefully cut in the shrink wrap to expose the fuses and then reseal the shrink wrap. Another Facebook member used my information and photos to replace a charge fuse by just opening the end caps, cutting the silicone, and pushing the charge fuse end out of the case a few inches. He then cut a small flap in the shrink wrap to expose the fuse. It is not necessary to completely disassemble as I did.
The charge fuse is 10A, possibly because the new charger is higher amperage? I'm charging with my standard 2A charger to confirm the fix. The battery arrived depleted, with 1 of 10 LEDs lit. At present I have 3 LEDs lit. The battery is presenting about 46V at the power port, consistent with 3 LEDs. I cannot test it on my Rover 5, but I have no reason to believe that it will not work; in fact it was working fine, just not charging.
I'm sure many other than me question the decision to require such disassembly to replace a fuse. Including Rad. This inexpensive fuse cost them a replacement battery.
Quote from: boneshakin on November 07, 2022, 12:50:05 PM
Which end cap do you open...the side where the LED level bars are located or the opposite side?
https://www.radowners.com/index.php/topic,1655.msg9372.html#msg9372
Thanks to everyone for the solid information on this thread. I finally tore into mine this morning and lucked out - it has the replaceable 10 amp fuse.
The fuse is deeper in than I expected. To get better access to the fuse I ended up pulling off the other side as well, loosened up the silicone holding the assembly in place and pushed the assembly out a bit. I still cannot believe what a bad design this is.
But I had success - the battery is currently charging away!
Thanks everyone.
Thanks Everybody for all the pictures and information. I just did mine and it took about 15 minutes. I only had to takeoff the charging side and with the pictures you put up I found the fuse on the first try. The needle nose went in and plucked it out nicely. I resealed the hole with 10 mill tape and put it back together. It?s on the charger now and will be good to go in a few hours. :)
Thanks everyone for the methods and photos. I just went out to our garage to remove our RadCity 5 Plus batteries and moving fast due to it being really cold accidentally shorted the charge port on my wife's bike. Thanks to your help hope to have it back up this afternoon.
Quote from: rory on November 05, 2022, 01:47:45 PM
Just received a pack of 10A surface mount fuses to test with. If anyone has a dead battery that has the soldered fuses (battery serial numbers will start with CAP) let me know. I?d be willing to try a repair at no cost (just cover the shipping to WI, USA)
Rory
were you able to repair one of the new ones
I have 2 nonfunctioning batteries, the original one that came with bike, Rad replaced that with another battery that didnt work. They sent me a 3rd battery that works. I checked with Batteries +. They declined repair.
Turns out I was able to replace my fuse with ease.
Thanks everyone!
Rick
Might be looking for a second battery if any one has one for sale that needs a fuse... in Ontarto
I will be adding a fuse and a small torx to my repair kit just incase. Thanks
Dear Rad community, thanks for your instructions and comments on changing the fuse.
My story is not new: the battery key touched the charging port, a spark came, the battery was not charging.
Radpower support sent out an offer for a new battery for 650 euros including shipping to Germany (I anyway could not complete an order as when I clicked on the invoice, it said ?sold out?!).
Two reputable bike stores in our city (we?re in Bavaria) refused to help saying they didn?t really know about RadPower bikes (although RadPower bikes are widely used by Flink, a major company to deliver groceries)?.
Luckily I have found this forum and now we?re back on track!
Quote from: Valentina on May 03, 2023, 03:12:42 PM
Dear Rad community, thanks for your instructions and comments on changing the fuse.
Luckily I have found this forum and now we?re back on track!
That's great to hear; have you completed the repair?
I still don't understand why Rad decided to specify that battery fuses on the new bikes have to be buried and inaccessible without serious effort and tools, or even a soldering iron on some designs. The older battery design on my MiniST has two rubber flip-up covers on the bottom side with standard automotive blade fuses contained and waterproofed underneath, so I carry both as spare in my underseat toolkit.
I have a RadRover 6 purchased in February of this year. The battery port looks slightly different. Do you believe the fuse is in the same location?
Thanks!
John.
Quote from: jfkuehn on May 12, 2023, 09:15:57 AM
I have a RadRover 6 purchased in February of this year. The battery port looks slightly different. Do you believe the fuse is in the same location?
Thanks!
John.
What letter string does the battery?s serial number start with?
Thanks! Here's a picture.
John
Stop and think before lifting the flap :)
This is a two part post.
It seemed the chatter regarding this issue has died down (the last post was May 2023). So has RAD Power Bikes resolved this issue? Just the same, once my bike arrives. I think the first thing I would do is cut a one inch tape and tape it over the charging port. This is to remind me that I am putting something in the wrong hole. Electric tape are cheap compare to blowing your fuse.
Secondly, if the issue has not gone away. I'd like to revive it because it's good and very helpul thread that could save a lot of people money.
I have read from page 1 to 8 and it seemed RAD Power Bikes insulted a lot of RAD owners. Instead of listening and made changes. They did the opposite made life more difficult for the owners.
I thought adding a circuit breaker style fuse like what you see on household powerbars is a simple solution that doesn't require redesigning the battery.
Quote from: Naranja_CT5+ on August 28, 2023, 07:47:35 AM
It seemed the chatter regarding this issue has died down..... So has RAD Power Bikes resolved this issue?
I thought adding a circuit breaker style fuse like what you see on household powerbars is a simple solution that doesn't require redesigning the battery.
I think Rad fixed it. Today I thought my battery was toast so I took it down to the retail outlet. Actually, inadvertently, I'd activated the "ship" mode, and I needed to depress the battery button for ten seconds to turn the thing on again. The manager at the store said that Rad had changed things such that a mistaken key placement or connecting to a charger wrong will no longer burn out a fuse. I'm not going to test it to see if I have one of the new style batteries but I'd think the issue will come up with much less frequency as the old batteries reach the end of their lifespan or get fried.
I'm putting a little flap of inner tube over the charging hole, one more impediment to wrong key placement, and I'll forever more be plugging everything with a charger first into the charger then into the outlet.
Quote from: tagsoup on October 26, 2023, 01:19:56 PM
Quote from: Naranja_CT5+ on August 28, 2023, 07:47:35 AM
It seemed the chatter regarding this issue has died down..... So has RAD Power Bikes resolved this issue?
I thought adding a circuit breaker style fuse like what you see on household powerbars is a simple solution that doesn't require redesigning the battery.
I think Rad fixed it. Today I thought my battery was toast so I took it down to the retail outlet. Actually, inadvertently, I'd activated the "ship" mode, and I needed to depress the battery button for ten seconds to turn the thing on again. The manager at the store said that Rad had changed things such that a mistaken key placement or connecting to a charger wrong will no longer burn out a fuse. I'm not going to test it to see if I have one of the new style batteries but I'd think the issue will come up with much less frequency as the old batteries reach the end of their lifespan or get fried.
I'm putting a little flap of inner tube over the charging hole, one more impediment to wrong key placement, and I'll forever more be plugging everything with a charger first into the charger then into the outlet.
It took them long enough.
As I pointed out two years ago, Rad added protection diodes to the Standard Battery BMS that prevents reverse current flow through the charge port. For some reason, they dropped them again in the Semi-Integrated Battery. Simple, cheap protection from shorts.
All I can say is THANK YOU! I did use a hair dryer to make popping off the two plastic caps to expose two of the four screws. So glad this is an easy fix versus buying a $500 battery. Poor engineering on this battery especially since the older style battery was easy to replace the fuse.