Kiox Display Need Charging?

Bike Gorilla

Member
Jul 2, 2020
49
14
Linslade
Hi, I wondered if anyone who's had a Kiox for a while, know if you need to charge it separately? I read the manual and think it charges in the cradle from the bike battery, but wanted to make sure. I've got it plugged in to the wall at the moment!
 

Jackware

Fat-tyred Freakazoid
Subscriber
Oct 30, 2018
2,058
2,261
Lancashire
You can recharge it manually if you're not going to use your bike for 6 months?

I'm guessing the translation isn't ideal - if they'd just put 'Kiox' instead of 'on-board computer' it would have been clearer.

Energy supply of the on-board computer If the on-board computer is in the holder (5), a sufficiently charged eBike battery is inserted in the eBike and the eBike system is switched on, the on-board computer battery will be powered by the eBike battery. If the on-board computer is removed from the holder (5), the device will be powered by the on-board computer battery. If the on-board computer battery is running low on power, a warning message will be shown on the display. To charge the on-board computer battery, put the onboard computer back in the holder (5). Note that if you are not charging the eBike battery, the eBike system will automatically switch off after 10 minutes if it is not activated. If this happens, the on-board computer battery will also stop charging. You can also charge the on-board computer via the USB port. To do this, open the protective cap (17). Connect the USB port (6) of the on-board computer via a micro USB cable to any commercially available USB charger (not included with the product as standard) or the USB port of a computer (5 V charging voltage, max. 500 mA charging current). If the on-board computer is removed from the holder (5), all values of the functions are saved and can still be displayed. If the Kiox battery is not recharged, the date and time will be retained for up to six months. When the onboard computer is switched on again, the date and time will be reset if a Bluetooth connection to the app has been established and the smartphone has successfully identified the current location via GPS. Note: The Kiox only charges while it is switched on. Note: If the Kiox is switched off during charging via a USB cable, the Kiox can only be switched on again once the USB cable has been disconnected. Note: To maximize the lifespan of the on-board computer battery, it should be recharged for one hour every three months.
 

Legendof1973

Member
Jul 9, 2020
22
3
Scotland
With regards to this, my kiox display was saying it’s battery was low but was connected to the mount and the 625wh battery was 100% charged. I went out on the ebike and the display just kept cutting out after about a minute. I thought the 625wh battery should allow the kiox to be used even though it’s needing charged?
 

Mteam

E*POWAH Elite
Aug 3, 2020
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With regards to this, my kiox display was saying it’s battery was low but was connected to the mount and the 625wh battery was 100% charged. I went out on the ebike and the display just kept cutting out after about a minute. I thought the 625wh battery should allow the kiox to be used even though it’s needing charged?

yes, the bike battery should charge the kiox. If yours isnt being charged, then it could be due to one of two things:-

1. if the motor system is experiencing a problem it can stop sending power to the kiox, if you are experiencing error 550, then this condition stops sending power to the kiox, but you should be seeing an error 550 message on the screen. I guess there could be other error conditions that also stop the power being suppplied, but you'll see an error message I would think.

2. There is a problem with the power feed to the kiox - is the kiox correctly seated in the cradle and the contacts are clean?
 

Legendof1973

Member
Jul 9, 2020
22
3
Scotland
yes, the bike battery should charge the kiox. If yours isnt being charged, then it could be due to one of two things:-

1. if the motor system is experiencing a problem it can stop sending power to the kiox, if you are experiencing error 550, then this condition stops sending power to the kiox, but you should be seeing an error 550 message on the screen. I guess there could be other error conditions that also stop the power being suppplied, but you'll see an error message I would think.

2. There is a problem with the power feed to the kiox - is the kiox correctly seated in the cradle and the contacts are clean?
Thanks for the reply. I think it’s sitting fine as it seems to be working the motor okay. Surely if it wasn’t it would effect the actual motor working? I’ve not had any error messages so I don’t think it’s that either. I’ve emailed Bosch directly to see what they say. ?
 

Mteam

E*POWAH Elite
Aug 3, 2020
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Thanks for the reply. I think it’s sitting fine as it seems to be working the motor okay. Surely if it wasn’t it would effect the actual motor working? I’ve not had any error messages so I don’t think it’s that either. I’ve emailed Bosch directly to see what they say. ?
You think so wouldn't you.

There are 4 connections between the kiox and the motor.

One is positive volts
One is negative volts
One is canbus signal positive
One is canbus signal negative

I guess its technically possible, but unlikely, that the two canbus signal wires are connected fine, but one of the voltage wires is not making proper contact?

Or maybe the cable between kiox and motor has got damaged?
 

Legendof1973

Member
Jul 9, 2020
22
3
Scotland
You think so wouldn't you.

There are 4 connections between the kiox and the motor.

One is positive volts
One is negative volts
One is canbus signal positive
One is canbus signal negative

I guess its technically possible, but unlikely, that the two canbus signal wires are connected fine, but one of the voltage wires is not making proper contact?

Or maybe the cable between kiox and motor has got damaged?
Only thing is, when I put the battery on to charge with it in the bike and via the frame plug the Kiox turns on so it definitely knows it’s connected as it then reads what charge the 625wh battery is at and stays on. Hope that makes sense.
 

Legendof1973

Member
Jul 9, 2020
22
3
Scotland
Will it charge if you plug the kiox into a USB power source?
Yes, it charges fine. I’m just concerned about it running out whilst out on a ride and then the motor goes off. I got the bike in June last year but haven’t charged the kiox once. Didn’t realise I needed to. The Bosch website says you need to do it for an hour every 3 months so it clearly doesn’t charge from the 625wh battery, but it also says it should work if powered from the 625wh battery even if the kiox battery is low, which my one isn’t doing from what I can see as it just cut out. It’s a mystery.
 

Mteam

E*POWAH Elite
Aug 3, 2020
1,864
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Yes, it charges fine. I’m just concerned about it running out whilst out on a ride and then the motor goes off. I got the bike in June last year but haven’t charged the kiox once. Didn’t realise I needed to. The Bosch website says you need to do it for an hour every 3 months so it clearly doesn’t charge from the 625wh battery, but it also says it should work if powered from the 625wh battery even if the kiox battery is low, which my one isn’t doing from what I can see as it just cut out. It’s a mystery.
yep, you shouldnt need to charge it separately, there is clearly a fault somewhere, I was just asking whether it would charge off usb to aid in troubleshooting/determining where the fault was. Its time to go back to a bosch dealer and have them look at it I reckon.

Could you try someone elses kiox in your bike, see if theirs works?
 

Legendof1973

Member
Jul 9, 2020
22
3
Scotland
yep, you shouldnt need to charge it separately, there is clearly a fault somewhere, I was just asking whether it would charge off usb to aid in troubleshooting/determining where the fault was. Its time to go back to a bosch dealer and have them look at it I reckon.

Could you try someone elses kiox in your bike, see if theirs works?
I don’t think that’s correct. The Bosch website says you need to charge your Kiox every 3 months for an hour so it must not get any charge from the 625wh battery at all, albeit it should still work if it’s on the mount, even if it has a low battery.
 

Mteam

E*POWAH Elite
Aug 3, 2020
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I don’t think that’s correct. The Bosch website says you need to charge your Kiox every 3 months for an hour so it must not get any charge from the 625wh battery at all, albeit it should still work if it’s on the mount, even if it has a low battery.

It does get charge from the bike battery, I know this because I ran the kiox down to zero battery by fiddling with it for an hour while it was not connected to the bike. I depleted the battery to the point that the kiox would turn on for 2-3 seconds then turn off due to low battery. Then I put the kiox back in its cradle on the bike for an hour, then took it back off and the battery in the kiox was fully charged.

Note : the bike does need to be switched on to charge the kiox, if the bike is switched off then it will not charge.

it also states the following on page 3 of the kiox manual

"To charge the on-board computer battery, slide the on-board
computer back onto the holder (5)."

"
You can also charge the on-board computer via the USB
port"
 
Last edited:

Legendof1973

Member
Jul 9, 2020
22
3
Scotland
It does get charge from the bike battery, I know this because I ran the kiox down to zero battery by fiddling with it for an hour while it was not connected to the bike. I depleted the battery to the point that the kiox would turn on for 2-3 seconds then turn off due to low battery. Then I put the kiox back in its cradle on the bike for an hour, then took it back off and the battery in the kiox was fully charged.

Note : the bike does need to be switched on to charge the kiox, if the bike is switched off then it will not charge.

it also states the following on page 3 of the kiox manual

"To charge the on-board computer battery, slide the on-board
computer back onto the holder (5)."

"
You can also charge the on-board computer via the USB
port"
Ok, fair enough, but how did you know that the kiox was fully charged as their no indicator telling you, as far as I’m aware.
 

Legendof1973

Member
Jul 9, 2020
22
3
Scotland
Take it off the bike and switch it on, it tells you the battery level
The battery level shown on the Kiox is still the ebike 625wh battery level. It stores it even when you disconnect it. Likewise it does not go up when you charge the kiox using a usb cable. It’s not the kiox level. I do not think you can get that anywhere.
 

Legendof1973

Member
Jul 9, 2020
22
3
Scotland
My Wifes had exactly this issue on Sunday.
I have loaded it over USB now.
@Legendof1973, did you get a reply from Bosch or sort this issue out?
No, they never came back to me. After a bit of investigating, and being told various different wrong stories, I found out that the kiox is meant to charge when the bikes on and your using it. If it’s not, theirs an issue with the connection as I’ve not had an issue since and that’s been a while. I think my issue came about after the bike was in the shop for 6 weeks getting warranty work done so it’s just went flat over time. It’s been fine ever since I charged it via the USB and put it back on the bike. I gave the contacts a good clean too. Seems to be fine now.
 
Oct 20, 2021
2
1
lake district
Hi, I wondered if anyone who's had a Kiox for a while, know if you need to charge it separately? I read the manual and think it charges in the cradle from the bike battery, but wanted to make sure. I've got it plugged in to the wall at the moment!
I have had a similar issue when the E- main bike fails to give power to the motor even at 30% battery on the bike. Apparently according to my investigations with Bosch the Kiox unit needs to be independently charged every 3 months to avoid failure, charging for two hours to ensure 100% charged.. Charging from the main unit while charging the bike battery is not guaranteed as the slightest ingress of damp, water, dirt or anything else can negate the micro charge sent to the kiosk while charging the main bikes battery. Similarly if the Kiosk is 30% or less charged it will not accept charge from the main battery. To me it seems unfit for purpose as all the other Bosch displays in my hire fleet do not have any of these issues and the 2022 Bosch system is totally different I believe. I have now been stranded miles from home off road on 3 different Mondraker E-bikes on 3 occasions with the failure of the Kiox as until the most recent Bosch update there was nothing to let you know the Kiox battery was about to fail. PLAY SAFE AND CHARGE INDEPENDENTLY FOR TWO HOURS, and ensure your software is up to date.
 

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