Teaching your battery

[Peaky Rider]

Is there a 'learning routine' for the Shimano battery?
Yesterday, after 25 miles and with two cells still showing on the display on my Canyon Spectral, the display switched to 'off' and cut the power with me still 10 miles from home. I turned the battery off then on again and two cells popped up and power resumed.
The same then happened when down to one cell with a re-boot restoring the power again.
I can find nothing in the manual so don't know if this is a fault or a failure on my part.

I have also posted this question on the Canyon forum

 

[StealthChesnut]

Do you have the Light option enabled (i.e. to allow connecting your bike lights to the battery)? that might be reserving battery power to keep the lights on, using the rationale that it's better to be able to see/be seen and keep moving than just go completely dark all at once.

Should be able to check it by powering the system on, then looking in the menus on the display.

 

[Peaky Rider]

Do you have the Light option enabled (i.e. to allow connecting your bike lights to the battery)? that might be reserving battery power to keep the lights on, using the rationale that it's better to be able to see/be seen and keep moving than just go completely dark all at once.

Should be able to check it by powering the system on, then looking in the menus on the display.

Thanks for the suggestion, but no, I haven't initiated the lighting option.
I posted this question on the Canyon forum also and there is a guy there who seems to have had the same experience.

 

[StealthChesnut]

Even if you haven't turned it on, it might be worth checking? I nearly got a Canyon myself, and with the USB port being on the bikes they may have turned it on? I did see the other thread, but can't comment for sure on those suggestions - I haven't ridden my bike down to empty.

I have seen my battery last a long way before the first bar goes, then it doesn't last the same for the 2nd bar so it doesn't seem like a linear gauge.

 

[Changleen]

Also check for small amounts of dust or dirt on the battery/bike connectors. Might seem insignificant but can make a difference, and produce the exact behaviour you describe.

 

[thebarber]

I read somewhere the battery display reads out battery left at current output / cadence etc. this is also displayed in range function, And drops into the red with only so much left in the tank, I think this is adjustable.
Also do the lights on you're battery match the ones on the display?
Mine are sometimes out of sync so turning off then back on resets them.

 

[Peaky Rider]

Also check for small amounts of dust or dirt on the battery/bike connectors. Might seem insignificant but can make a difference, and produce the exact behaviour you describe.

Will keep an eye on this but I do keep the terminals clean and have even made my own neoprene cover that wraps around both the battery and the frame and this keeps the mud out of everything.

 

[Dave_h34]

Had similar with mine and found an explanation on the web somewhere but unhelpfully can't remember where. Symptom was 2 bars of battery left, trail mode, heading up a long 'power' climb. The power cut, 2 beeps and the display showed 'off'. Selecting eco then trail by pressing the button as normal, all was well again. The explanation I found on the web said that the system monitors the battery and if it thinks it's going to be pulled below its minimum voltage and therefore turn properly off (i.e. not to come back on until charged), the system turns assistance off. You can then go a bit easier or select a lower power mode to get home. Whether that's true I've no idea but it did seem to fit with what I was doing and what happened at the time.

 

[Peaky Rider]

Had similar with mine and found an explanation on the web somewhere but unhelpfully can't remember where. Symptom was 2 bars of battery left, trail mode, heading up a long 'power' climb. The power cut, 2 beeps and the display showed 'off'. Selecting eco then trail by pressing the button as normal, all was well again. The explanation I found on the web said that the system monitors the battery and if it thinks it's going to be pulled below its minimum voltage and therefore turn properly off (i.e. not to come back on until charged), the system turns assistance off. You can then go a bit easier or select a lower power mode to get home. Whether that's true I've no idea but it did seem to fit with what I was doing and what happened at the time.

Same symptoms as yours (two bars/long climb) but all I did was turn off the battery switch and then turn it on again. All then was well, just a bit of a scare.

Then cut out again with one cell showing, just 100 yards from my car. Battery switched off/on again and, once again, all was well.

Thirty odd miles this morning and well down into two cells but all was well.

Beginning to think I've got a bit of a gremlin.

 

[Dan63]

Check if the light setting is enabled, im lead to believe If your bike has USB port it will be powered by the light terminals. I just installed a light and enabled the light setting which resulted in the same thing happening to me yesterday 30km into a ride... 2 bars...1bar flashing red no assist. I did some testing today and confirmed toggling the light setting on/off in etube affected the "range" reading by 20km! I have used STUNLOCKER to turn the battery light reserve function down from the default 180mins to 0mins. This sees a "range" loss of 4-5km when toggling this on/off at 0 minutes. so this will almost eliminate the battery issue with light function on. If the usb port goes unused you could just leave it switched off as well

 

[Peaky Rider]

Thanks, but light option is definitely turned off.
Didn't know you could turn the USB port off, didn't even know that its default setting was on.

 

[Mabman]

There is a low voltage cutoff, LVC, feature in your battery. When riding in the lower range of the battery capacity your voltage will not allow as much power on demand as it is when fresh. If you make power demands such as trying to go turbo at the lower levels it draws too much voltage and can set off the LVC which cuts the power off completely. The bike will restart and the system will float back to the remaining available voltage and will allow you to continue but you should know to not make any more than eco demands on the system from that point if you have very far to go.

 

[Peaky Rider]

There is a low voltage cutoff, LVC, feature in your battery. When riding in the lower range of the battery capacity your voltage will not allow as much power on demand as it is when fresh. If you make power demands such as trying to go turbo at the lower levels it draws too much voltage and can set off the LVC which cuts the power off completely. The bike will restart and the system will float back to the remaining available voltage and will allow you to continue but you should know to not make any more than eco demands on the system from that point if you have very far to go.

All that makes sense except that I don't think I exceeded any of the parameters you identify.
Of the three occasions it has so far happened to me, I wasn't in turbo in any of them (rarely use it) and on two occasions definitely in eco. On the third I was in trail when the power was cut and when power was restored I continued on a climb in trail for half a mile before doing another five miles in eco. On two occasions I had two cells showing on both the battery and the display indicating at least 20% battery left.

As someone who has experienced several issues with another E8000 setup I am resigned to my 'glitch' theory however, I will bear in mind the information and recommendations you have provided if/when it happens again.

 

[thebarber]

This post just got interesting, love the adds.....

 

[StealthChesnut]

@Peaky Rider When you're saying the power is cut, does it just go dead with no warning? Could it be a loose cable or connection? It might be worth trying to find patterns, such as does it happen after a bump, only when the battery is over half discharged, etc.

 

[Gary]

love the adds.....

And so you should. They are afterall based on your browsing history

 

[thebarber]

And so you should. They are afterall based on your browsing history

Haha
My boy must be on the prowl....

 

[Peaky Rider]

@Peaky Rider When you're saying the power is cut, does it just go dead with no warning? Could it be a loose cable or connection? It might be worth trying to find patterns, such as does it happen after a bump, only when the battery is over half discharged, etc.

The display changes to 'OFF' with no warning and the motor dies. Can't remember what was showing on the battery.
Two of the times it happened I was riding on the public highway on the way home. I don't think it is bump related.