BC1600 computer problem

Dekka said:

I have a BC1600 cycle computer that has recently stopped showing the
speed. The cadence function works fine. Last night I took the wheel
magnet off and moved it back and forth across the fork sensor. That
worked fine but after I put the wheel back on it stopped reading when
the speed went above ~10 km/h. That made me suspect the magnet but
today it started reading after riding about 7 km (and I was going
faster than 10 km/h!).

Any suggestions about what to replace/test? I don't think it is the
wiring although I'm not sure how to test this. I replaced the battery
in case that was the problem but that didn't help.

Derek

I solved a similar problem by replacing the harness. They are fairly cheap and most shops seem to have them. You could also upgrade to wireless - about $27 at PBK (not including postage) - $45 and up locally.

Dekka said:

I have a BC1600 cycle computer that has recently stopped showing the
speed. The cadence function works fine. Last night I took the wheel
magnet off and moved it back and forth across the fork sensor. That
worked fine but after I put the wheel back on it stopped reading when
the speed went above ~10 km/h. That made me suspect the magnet but
today it started reading after riding about 7 km (and I was going
faster than 10 km/h!).

Any suggestions about what to replace/test? I don't think it is the
wiring although I'm not sure how to test this. I replaced the battery
in case that was the problem but that didn't help.

Derek

If it's reading fine off the bike, but has problems on the bike, then
most likely the magnet isn't mounted securely or is not lined up close
enough to the sensor.

I tested my wiring by cutting off the suspicious section of wire and
then reconnecting it the sensor to the computer. I determined it was the
wiring. I wouldn't recommend this if you think it's NOT the wiring ;-)

Tam

Dekka said:

I have a BC1600 cycle computer that has recently stopped showing the
speed. The cadence function works fine. Last night I took the wheel
magnet off and moved it back and forth across the fork sensor. That
worked fine but after I put the wheel back on it stopped reading when
the speed went above ~10 km/h. That made me suspect the magnet but
today it started reading after riding about 7 km (and I was going
faster than 10 km/h!).

Any suggestions about what to replace/test? I don't think it is the
wiring although I'm not sure how to test this. I replaced the battery
in case that was the problem but that didn't help.

Derek

Mine has the same issue with cadence - the pedal magnet keeps moving a tiny
amount due to contact with my shoes now & then. It's a PITA but I've learned
to live with it, as the crank is really not a good shape for fastening the
magnet securely

Karen

--
"I'd far rather be happy than right any day."
- Slartibartfast

Karen Gallagher said:

Mine has the same issue with cadence - the pedal magnet keeps moving a tiny
amount due to contact with my shoes now & then. It's a PITA but I've learned
to live with it, as the crank is really not a good shape for fastening the
magnet securely

Karen

Maybe you could get some more serious double-sided tape to supplement
the included tape and cable tie?

Tam

On 2006-04-21, Tamyka Bell (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

Karen Gallagher said:

Mine has the same issue with cadence - the pedal magnet keeps moving a tiny
amount due to contact with my shoes now & then. It's a PITA but I've learned
to live with it, as the crank is really not a good shape for fastening the
magnet securely

Karen

Maybe you could get some more serious double-sided tape to supplement
the included tape and cable tie?

I didn't use a cable tie on mine -- perhaps the cable tie is what is
being bumped by the shoe?

--
TimC
Never trust a man who can count to 1,023 on his fingers.

The magnet is about as close as possible to the sensor so I don't think
that's the problem. It is actually further away when moving it off the
bike.

Thanks for the info on the wiring, I don't think I'll try that!

Tamyka Bell said:

Karen Gallagher said:

Mine has the same issue with cadence - the pedal magnet keeps moving
a tiny amount due to contact with my shoes now & then. It's a PITA
but I've learned to live with it, as the crank is really not a good
shape for fastening the magnet securely

Karen

Maybe you could get some more serious double-sided tape to supplement
the included tape and cable tie?

Tam

That might make it worse, as it already hits my shoe - another, say, 1mm of
tape underneath it will mean one more mm to strike.

I got rid of the tiny cable tie & used a much heavier duty one, which worked
fine till the LBS replaced the pedals for me last week (one fell apart after
just 8 weeks use).

On another thread, my purchase of a road bike's been postponed - my German
Shepherd needed surgery to her cruciate ligament
(http://www.acslink.aone.net.au/ncc/Images/other/sick_puppy.jpg) which cost
more than the bike would have done, so sticking with the heavy hybrid for a
while longer till funds are a little more recovered

Karen

--
"I'd far rather be happy than right any day."
- Slartibartfast

Dekka said:

The magnet is about as close as possible to the sensor so I don't think
that's the problem. It is actually further away when moving it off the
bike.

are you using a HRM or anything else that might interfere with it?

T

TimC said:

On 2006-04-21, Tamyka Bell (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

Karen Gallagher said:

Mine has the same issue with cadence - the pedal magnet keeps moving a tiny
amount due to contact with my shoes now & then. It's a PITA but I've learned
to live with it, as the crank is really not a good shape for fastening the
magnet securely

Karen

Maybe you could get some more serious double-sided tape to supplement
the included tape and cable tie?

I didn't use a cable tie on mine -- perhaps the cable tie is what is
being bumped by the shoe?

I twisted mine around to where it was least likely to be bumped. But my
cadence wires got wet eventually anyway, because they're an add-on and
so the wires weren't well sealed. So it died.

Tam

Karen Gallagher said:

Tamyka Bell said:

Karen Gallagher said:

Mine has the same issue with cadence - the pedal magnet keeps moving
a tiny amount due to contact with my shoes now & then. It's a PITA
but I've learned to live with it, as the crank is really not a good
shape for fastening the magnet securely

Karen

Maybe you could get some more serious double-sided tape to supplement
the included tape and cable tie?

Tam

That might make it worse, as it already hits my shoe - another, say, 1mm of
tape underneath it will mean one more mm to strike.

I got rid of the tiny cable tie & used a much heavier duty one, which worked
fine till the LBS replaced the pedals for me last week (one fell apart after
just 8 weeks use).

On another thread, my purchase of a road bike's been postponed - my German
Shepherd needed surgery to her cruciate ligament
(http://www.acslink.aone.net.au/ncc/Images/other/sick_puppy.jpg) which cost
more than the bike would have done, so sticking with the heavy hybrid for a
while longer till funds are a little more recovered

Karen

:-) Big cheer for you for being one of the good ones who treats their
puppies like children :-)

Tam

"Dekka" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have a BC1600 cycle computer that has recently stopped showing the
speed. The cadence function works fine. Last night I took the wheel
magnet off and moved it back and forth across the fork sensor. That
worked fine but after I put the wheel back on it stopped reading when
the speed went above ~10 km/h. That made me suspect the magnet but
today it started reading after riding about 7 km (and I was going
faster than 10 km/h!).

Any suggestions about what to replace/test? I don't think it is the
wiring although I'm not sure how to test this. I replaced the battery
in case that was the problem but that didn't help.

Speedos work on very simple principles. Here's my layman's understanding.
The sensor sits on your fork (or wherever) and a magnet passes it every
wheel rotation. As the magnet passes the sensor, it trips the switch located
in the sensor, completing the circuit and allowing current to flow from the
battery, down the cable, through the sensor, and back up again. The computer
knows this, and records each curent pulse, does some fancy calculations
based on the wheel size you've entered and presents the resulting info.

I reckon it will be the magnet position - it may even be moving slightly as
you go faster - mine was going off the other day when I hit high speeds -
the magnet moved along the spokes a tad, and bingo, no more magnet operated
switch!

Tests?

Listen. Seriously. Get in a very quiet environment and spin your wheel, with
your ear close to the sensor. You should be able to hear it trip as the
magnet goes past. The magnet should be very close to the sensor as it
passes - usually about 2-3 mm.

Get a multimeter and test for line continuity at the speedo connections - I
think I used the resistance setting - open circuit = normal, circuit closes
as magnet passes sensor. This validates your cabling.

It's possible, but a PITA, to replace cables. You'll need to be able to
wield a soldering iron in anger. Or at least cut and make bodgie twist and
gaff connections.

Tony F
http://www.thefathippy.com
Blue Mtns mtb rides and home made lights

Tamyka Bell said:

Karen Gallagher said:

Tamyka Bell said:

Karen Gallagher wrote:

> Mine has the same issue with cadence - the pedal magnet keeps
> moving a tiny amount due to contact with my shoes now & then. It's
> a PITA but I've learned to live with it, as the crank is really
> not a good shape for fastening the magnet securely
>
> Karen

Maybe you could get some more serious double-sided tape to
supplement the included tape and cable tie?

Tam

That might make it worse, as it already hits my shoe - another, say,
1mm of tape underneath it will mean one more mm to strike.

I got rid of the tiny cable tie & used a much heavier duty one,
which worked fine till the LBS replaced the pedals for me last week
(one fell apart after just 8 weeks use).

On another thread, my purchase of a road bike's been postponed - my
German Shepherd needed surgery to her cruciate ligament
(http://www.acslink.aone.net.au/ncc/Images/other/sick_puppy.jpg)
which cost more than the bike would have done, so sticking with the
heavy hybrid for a while longer till funds are a little more
recovered

Karen

:-) Big cheer for you for being one of the good ones who treats their
puppies like children :-)

Tam

With a pup (OK, she's 4) looking that cute, how could I not? My two GSD's
are my children, the real ones having grown up & left home 🙂

Karen.

--
"I'd far rather be happy than right any day."
- Slartibartfast

quote='Tamyka Bell'Karen Gallagher said:

Tamyka Bell said:

Karen Gallagher said:

Mine has the same issue with cadence - the pedal magnet keeps moving
a tiny amount due to contact with my shoes now & then. It's a PITA
but I've learned to live with it, as the crank is really not a good
shape for fastening the magnet securely

Karen

Maybe you could get some more serious double-sided tape to supplement
the included tape and cable tie?

Tam

That might make it worse, as it already hits my shoe - another, say, 1mm of
tape underneath it will mean one more mm to strike.

I got rid of the tiny cable tie & used a much heavier duty one, which worked
fine till the LBS replaced the pedals for me last week (one fell apart after
just 8 weeks use).

On another thread, my purchase of a road bike's been postponed - my German
Shepherd needed surgery to her cruciate ligament
(acslink.aone.net.ausick puppy.jpgOpen ↗) which cost
more than the bike would have done, so sticking with the heavy hybrid for a
while longer till funds are a little more recovered

Karen

:-) Big cheer for you for being one of the good ones who treats their
puppies like children :-)

Tam[/QUOTE]

Our animals cost us far more in medical costs than our children do.

A vet friend told me many years ago that she was paying more for her professional indemnity insurance than a mutual doctor friend was paying for his insurance at the time. Courts award higher damages if you kill someone's prize bull than if you kill their grandmother (something to do with earning potential).

SteveA

Dekka said:

The magnet is about as close as possible to the sensor so I don't
think that's the problem. It is actually further away when moving it
off the bike.

Thanks for the info on the wiring, I don't think I'll try that!

The sideways location is pretty much as critical as the distance separation
too, don't forget ....

Karen

--
"I'd far rather be happy than right any day."
- Slartibartfast

Dekka said:

I have a BC1600 cycle computer that has recently stopped showing the
speed. The cadence function works fine. Last night I took the wheel
magnet off and moved it back and forth across the fork sensor. That
worked fine but after I put the wheel back on it stopped reading when
the speed went above ~10 km/h. That made me suspect the magnet but
today it started reading after riding about 7 km (and I was going
faster than 10 km/h!).

Any suggestions about what to replace/test? I don't think it is the
wiring although I'm not sure how to test this. I replaced the battery
in case that was the problem but that didn't help.

Derek

From your description I'd suggest the reed switch, which is the little switch which opens and closed as the magnet passes. If the switch were a little sticky, then it might work at slow speeds, but not at higher speeds. I guess the only way to test this would be with a CRO. Not sure I've ever seen a cyclist with a CRO attached to the bike :-) but I have had a graphing multimeter strapped to the head stem.

Dirty contacts could also have a similar effect.

Clean the contacts. If that doesn't help I'd try a replacement wiring harness.

I remember on a previous thread a loooong time ago, that someone had
some success by replacing the magnet with a much stronger one.....??
Not so strong of course that you start dragging other cyclists or cars
across the road into your front wheel or anything (although that would
be funny to watch...) - but you know what i mean.....

Abby

Karen Gallagher said:

Tamyka Bell said:

Karen Gallagher said:

Tamyka Bell wrote:
> Karen Gallagher wrote:
>
>> Mine has the same issue with cadence - the pedal magnet keeps
>> moving a tiny amount due to contact with my shoes now & then. It's
>> a PITA but I've learned to live with it, as the crank is really
>> not a good shape for fastening the magnet securely
>>
>> Karen
>
> Maybe you could get some more serious double-sided tape to
> supplement the included tape and cable tie?
>
> Tam

That might make it worse, as it already hits my shoe - another, say,
1mm of tape underneath it will mean one more mm to strike.

I got rid of the tiny cable tie & used a much heavier duty one,
which worked fine till the LBS replaced the pedals for me last week
(one fell apart after just 8 weeks use).

On another thread, my purchase of a road bike's been postponed - my
German Shepherd needed surgery to her cruciate ligament
(http://www.acslink.aone.net.au/ncc/Images/other/sick_puppy.jpg)
which cost more than the bike would have done, so sticking with the
heavy hybrid for a while longer till funds are a little more
recovered

Karen

:-) Big cheer for you for being one of the good ones who treats their
puppies like children :-)

Tam

With a pup (OK, she's 4) looking that cute, how could I not? My two GSD's
are my children, the real ones having grown up & left home 🙂

Karen.

Hehehe, our silky terrier "pup" is twelve now. He still runs around like
a lunatic dog :-)

Yay for dogs!

Tam

Absent Husband said:

I remember on a previous thread a loooong time ago, that someone had
some success by replacing the magnet with a much stronger one.....??
Not so strong of course that you start dragging other cyclists or cars
across the road into your front wheel or anything (although that would
be funny to watch...) - but you know what i mean.....

Abby

Wasn't there a car add like that?

Maybe you could set up your speedo magnet to repel fscking Prados?

Tam

On 2006-04-21, Absent Husband (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

I remember on a previous thread a loooong time ago, that someone had
some success by replacing the magnet with a much stronger one.....??
Not so strong of course that you start dragging other cyclists or cars
across the road into your front wheel or anything (although that would
be funny to watch...) - but you know what i mean.....

Also not so strong as to be able to magnetise other steel spokes.
Hey! I'm doing 465km/h! Whee!

--
TimC
cat /kat/ n. A furry keyboard cover