Levo Gen 2 Attempted 7.4.1 motor update and now motor won't work

[CodyDog]

Have a new Levo Comp and in Mission Control it showed a needed update. Started the update and it stuck at 50% for over 20 minutes. Turned off and back on. Mission control shows software for motor updated but motor won't run. Have power to the display. Any suggestions?

 

[Mikerb]

reboot as per manual

 

[Supratad]

This is exactly what's happened to mine, and my update stuck at 50% too.

 

[Mikerb]

one reason I would never update via the phone!!

The usual process for software updates is first to request the receiving device to accept a system download, then download, then remove/enable overwrite of the file being replaced, then install the update. So if it stalled at 50% it is done the first stage and probably only partially done the second. That is why I said a system reset would possibly work in terms of getting the bike back where you started because the system is probably unable to boot up whilst it is in prep mode for a download.
So to reset: press and hold down the mode button on the TCU
press and release the power button on the TCU
keep the mode button depressed for a further 10 seconds
now release the mode button.
nb the pedal assist and max power settings will be reset to factory settings so you will then need to set those to your liking.

 

[Tim22]

 

[CodyDog]

Attempted the reboot with no success. Taking my bike into the LBS tomorrow.

 

[Supratad]

Attempted the reboot with no success. Taking my bike into the LBS tomorrow.

Same thing. Reset did nowt. I was able to get to notveryLBS today and the "blerk in the shop" [/Harry Bold] re-did it on the laptop. Basically just a re-install. He said that they has predicted OTA updates might fail and his and many other LBS's had told Specialized there would be problems.

 

[Zimmerframe]

It would be interesting to work out why some fail. Obviously they extensively tested this, also with a test group from here. As was discussed at the time, no matter how bullet proof you think something is, with enough people, someone will break it. Is it certain phones, is it people wondering off part way though. Bikes with flat batteries ? People turning the microwave on or some other bluetooth item connected to their phone ? Or just a certain batch of TCU's which had a slightly different chipset one week ..

 

[Mikerb]

Blutooth is notoriously unreliable. I would never use it for a software update. Spesh are still a long way behind companies like Gopro when it comes to managing software. Gopro updates are all done OTA and have been for years. The difference is that Blutooth is only used to set up the initial connection and then a local wifi connection is created. That is far more stable and has greater bandwidth. My advice to Levo/Kenevo owners is essentially leave well alone. Unless a software update delivers a perceivable rider benefit there is no reason to install it.........and if there is a need to do an update, get it done by the LBS.

 

[CodyDog]

Update: Went in to the LBS and they reloaded my firmware. Apparently when the initial process held at 50% (stuck) and the unit was dicommected, all the firm ware was lost which kept me from doing a reboot. All is good now. lesson learned....have the LBS do all updates.

 

[Zimmerframe]

With all the OTA update system there has always be a few where it's failed. Spesh avoided doing this for this very reason.

Eventually, with enough testing, they decided the proportionate chance of failure outweighed the risks. Especially with the number of people who complained relentlessly about having the visit the LBS for an update and then several being charged at the same time.

It's interesting that two of you failed at 50%. I wonder if this is 50% - being, it's finished the download to the Android device and has just begun the upload and for some reason the connection drops out at that point on certain TCU/certain other external factors.

@Specialized Rider Care - interesting for your future upgrades. Maybe certain TCU serial number's or just environmental conditions. Certainly not location specific, one UK and one USA.

 

[Mcharza]

Blutooth is notoriously unreliable. I would never use it for a software update. Spesh are still a long way behind companies like Gopro when it comes to managing software. Gopro updates are all done OTA and have been for years. The difference is that Blutooth is only used to set up the initial connection and then a local wifi connection is created. That is far more stable and has greater bandwidth. My advice to Levo/Kenevo owners is essentially leave well alone. Unless a software update delivers a perceivable rider benefit there is no reason to install it.........and if there is a need to do an update, get it done by the LBS.

Bluetooth operation also depends a lot on what version of it is used. Version 5 is already starting to be really good.

Edit: But don't know which version Specialized is using

 

[Mikerb]

It supposedly removed some power spikes in motor output. Forgive my scepticism but it also stated that the power spikes being removed were far too brief to be anything a rider would notice. Sounds a tall story to me!! At the same time the update seemed to wreck the walk assist function, whilst delivering no rider benefits. The reason given for changes to the walk assist function being that it was implemented by Brose to concur with new regulations. Yet the control software of the Brose motor was designed by Specialized not Brose! So who knows!
My Levo Comp is 2019. All software is as I bought it and it works as well as ever including the walk assist function. The motor still has 2 years warranty so I intend just leaving it alone!

 

[Mikerb]

here you go

 

[Pyr0]

Awrdo
awesome!!!! Can you please send me the link, thanks in advance.

Levo Gen 2 - Warranty extension & Firmware Update for all 2019/20 Levo/Kenevo with 2.1 motors

To all owners of 2019/20 Turbo Levo & 2020 Kenevo featuring the Specialized 2.1 motor, here's a letter to you from Mike Sinyard - our founder and CEO. Thanks for all of your support & feedback on this forum. We'll keep a close eye on this thread and do our best to answer any questions.

www.emtbforums.com

 

[Pyr0]

You're welcome. I had the link handy in an email I'd sent to the shop where I purchased my bike as they thought the extended warranty was dependant on running the new firmware.

 

[Mikerb]

Update: Went in to the LBS and they reloaded my firmware. Apparently when the initial process held at 50% (stuck) and the unit was dicommected, all the firm ware was lost which kept me from doing a reboot. All is good now. lesson learned....have the LBS do all updates.

that is ridiculous!! If correct it means the download process deletes/overwrites all or part of the existing firmware before installing the new version and that is a very high risk workflow.

 

[Dustjunky]

It supposedly removed some power spikes in motor output. Forgive my scepticism but it also stated that the power spikes being removed were far too brief to be anything a rider would notice. Sounds a tall story to me!! At the same time the update seemed to wreck the walk assist function, whilst delivering no rider benefits. The reason given for changes to the walk assist function being that it was implemented by Brose to concur with new regulations. Yet the control software of the Brose motor was designed by Specialized not Brose! So who knows!
My Levo Comp is 2019. All software is as I bought it and it works as well as ever including the walk assist function. The motor still has 2 years warranty so I intend just leaving it alone!

Same here with my Kenevo ....leaving it alone ?

 

[happi777]

Having same problem, anyway to revert or reset to old settings? Reason is my dealer is in neighbouring country Malaysia.
I am from Singapore stuck here due to COVID-19.

 

[Zimmerframe]

There is another thread on this and people have found that in the uk it's the covid application which causes the failures - because of the way it keeps pinging bluetooth. So when you do this, make sure you have no other applications running on your phone which might not have been written/tested correctly and could hijack your bluetooth connection.

 

[Mikerb]

so......if you get tested positive and a contact trace is done......and you have been for a few rides..........hunted down some roadies and overtaken them....they will of course all have Strava running on their phones.............you will get a load of roadies taken off the road to self isolate!! RESULT!!

 

[Canmore TLCC 29]

I just did the update this morning. I have good wifi and bluetooth connections. The update took less than a minute or two. I had the dealer do the previous update in their shop last summer.

I checked the settings and they were all the same as they were before the update. I used 0 acceleration and 0 shuttle. I have 1455 km on the motor and have experienced no issues to date other than three motor start errors over the course of 3 months. They seemed to be associated with a restart after an hour long shut-down for lunch. When this happened, the motor was disabled until I unplugged the motor and then restarted. The issue never reoccured during each of those three rides. SO, I am firmly in the group of riders with little or no motor issues, and I successfully installed 7.4.1 update via my iPhone. These bikes are a remarkable engineering achievement.

BTW, I am so happy I purchased this bike in July last year. I call it my White Rabbit because riding it has broadened my horizons. Much like Jefferson Airplane psychedelic rock call to the '60's to "Feed your head" . Outdoor experiences do the best job of feeding our heads, and especially so my experiences on my Turbo LEVO!