Broke connector between handlebar display to controller (Pinacle Mercury)

[Lfcrd]

Hello

I was fixing a punctured tyre outside when a gust of wind blew my bike over. Unfortunately the 5-pin connector that connects the handlebar display to the controller cracked and bent all the pins. I tried unbending them and fitting the connector back together but now the bike doesn't work properly.

When I turn it on it displays 4 out of 5 bars of battery before jumping up to five bars (battery is full) and I can adjust the level of assist. It works for about ten seconds when I peddle then suddenly the assist cuts out completely. The assist indicator light pulses three times then goes off and repeats this a few times before the power goes off completely. Here's a video.

I have no experience with electrical repairs whatsoever. Tried contacting Evans customer support and they said to bring it in for a Service (costs £50) and they will go from there. However having read some experiences with Evans I don't have much faith that they would be able to repair it.

I don't have photos of the controller/ motor etc but a post here has photos with an identical bike. And here is a link to the display. Looking at the error messages it seems the error is the last one: "Communication fault: 1. Check the connectors between the EB-BBUS and the controller. 2. Replace the controller.

Can anyone advise what I can do from here? I didn't know the first thing about how ebikes work until I came across this problem so if you could explain in layman's turns that would be very helpful.

Thanks for any help or suggestions.

 

[thelarkbox]

can you post pics of both plug and socket and the headset with any id numbers visible.

If the damage is limited to the headset and its plug AND 'we'can identify the lcd headset used a replacement should sort you out.

if the other cable end is damaged you may also need to replace that too ? and that would require further investigation and pics perhaps to clarify the correct cable,

should be a simple replace and fit job tho..

 

[Nealh]

You are stuck with Evans back up for this repair as the bike has EB-BUS /CANbus type hand shaking, CANbus type systems are anti third party repair so one is locked in to a dealer to even be able to get parts.

 

[matthewslack]

I would carefully unwrap the insulation layers and document the colour and order of the 5 wires each side, and then cut off the damaged connectors, and rejoin in the way that best suits your needs.

I would temporarily reconnect using screw terminal block to check the bike then works properly, then unless I could foresee needing to disconnect in the future, solder and heat shrink and protect with insulation tape and/or self amalgamation tape.

 

[saneagle]

You have error code 30, which means the control panel can't communicate with the controller. If you're lucky, that's because one pin is still not making contact. if you're unlucky, one of the 36v pins touched a data pin or something else, which zapped either the controller CPU or the control panel cpu. Only you know what you did.

Normally, you'd only get that error code at start-up and your bike wouldn't work at all, so there's reason for hope. It might just be a dodgy connection still.

Those connectors have both battery voltage and 5v stuff in them with the pins close together. if the wrong ones touch, it can be disasterous.

 

[Lfcrd]

can you post pics of both plug and socket and the headset with any id numbers visible.

If the damage is limited to the headset and its plug AND 'we'can identify the lcd headset used a replacement should sort you out.

if the other cable end is damaged you may also need to replace that too ? and that would require further investigation and pics perhaps to clarify the correct cable,

should be a simple replace and fit job tho..

Here are some pics

 

[Nealh]

Show some pics .
EB-bus is a bafang system afaik and one may be lucky to get a third party replacement , though evans is likely your best bet . It will depend on the firmware and if they use differing firmware.

 

[Nealh]

8fun is a Bafang brand name so the connectors will be Higo type, only Bafang parts will work.
The EB-bus is used on the BBSHD and other Bafang oem systems .
It will depend if Evans use a customer custom firmware or the std Bafang software.

 

[thelarkbox]

Here are some pics

Taking @Nealh 's comments above into account and since i am not familiar with your bike specifically I would change my suggestion to attempt to rejoin the cable connection by connection as suggested by the others above battery out first.. but??

 

[thelarkbox]

punt worthy?

or gender switched

if the cable hack fails

 

[saneagle]

Looking at your pictures, it's clear that one of the pins is not going in its hole because the hole is blocked. You need to sort that out, then try again. In the second picture above, the hole is in the 1 o'clock position, and in the 4th picture, it's at 4'oclock. Unfortunately, you photo of the other side connector is unclear to show the problematic pin.

 

[Lfcrd]

punt worthy?

or gender switched

if the cable hack fails

Thanks. I will try @matthewslack's suggestion above then have a look at this. If all else fails, I might resort to taking it to Evans.

 

[saneagle]

Thanks. I will try @matthewslack's suggestion above then have a look at this. If all else fails, I might resort to taking it to Evans.

Sort out the bent pin first.

 

[Lfcrd]

Sort out the bent pin first.

I did try the best I could to straighten out the pins and put it back together but I just get the issue of it cutting out after 10 secs as described in the original post.

 

[Lfcrd]

Update: so I thought I'd try and fit the connector back together again (as suggested by @saneagle ). With the display removed from the handlebars it was easier to line up the pins and now the bike seems to be working as normal. I've taped the connector together so it doesn't come loose. Fingers crossed it continues working. Thank you for the help all.

 

[guerney]

I've taped the connector together so it doesn't come loose.

I don't think it'll be as waterproof as before - if you haven't done so already, I suggest you cover the connector with self-amalgamating rubber tape.

I would have suggested self-adhesive marine heatshrink over the connectors, because it sets hard and keeps connectors immobile... but to do that, you'd have to take it apart again. 4:1 will shrink enough to grip the cables..

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