2017 ST2 controller fried??

[mike1433]

So, after a 30 mile trip Sunday morning I cleaned the bike. Just kind of ran a hose over it, not high pressure, while using my hand to clear the little bit of mud that had built up on the bottom of the down tube/battery housing. and put it in the garage. A few hours later I came back in to do my spring maintenance on all my bikes. After putting the ST2 up on the bike stand I power it on.

Loud pop, white puff of smoke from under the down tube about mid way, smell of burning electronics, power shuts down

So I immediately removed the battery and figured out how to get the tunnel cover off the underside of the down tube to see what's in there. What's in there is a circuit board I think is the controller, and a lot of drops of water scattered about. U dried everything out, let it sit overnight, reinstalled the battery, and powered it up again this morning. When I power it up I get a message telling me the battery is at 0% charge, but I know it's actually at 100%. If I turn it off, plug it in, then power it up in will tell me the battery is at 100% and charging but as soon as I unplug it it will give me a Drive Error message. To complicate matters, the place I bought the bike from 4 years ago closed and there are no other dealers or service people I can find anywhere near Atlanta.

Am I boned? Can the controller be replaced? If it can is the replacement plug and play?

Thanks for any help!

 

[Ebiker01]

This strombers ebikes r like a piece of porcelain or a french woman ! xtremely sensitive to stuff..there r 2 other posts that raise other issues about them... i didn't bother replying there

New controller is 500$ ?, maybe some cells r toasted, 983wh pack=2000$...ur call

I would trash it and become normal agaim with maybe a Cannondale/Bulls/Trek, wtever....

 

[Johnny]

This strombers ebikes r like a piece of porcelain or a french woman ! xtremely sensitive to stuff..there r 2 other posts that raise other issues about them... i didn't bother replying there

New controller is 500$ ?, maybe some cells r toasted, 983wh pack=2000$...ur call

I would trash it and become normal agaim with maybe a Cannondale/Bulls/Trek, wtever....

Come on man, it was a 4 year old bike and he washed the bike without removing the battery. Probably water got into the battery terminals and when he turned it on while the terminals were still flooded, it fried something hence the smoke. These controllers are actually very durable, just take out the battery and put a piece of cloth when washing the bike.

Can the controller be replaced? If it can is the replacement plug and play?

Yes it can be replaced. After making sure that your battery is working fine, you can try to get a used controller like this one.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/224288607448

Before installing it make sure to take a photo of the connections of the one on the bike for reference. Replacing it should not be hard afterwards. You can also get in touch with Stromer US for further help.

 

[Baobao]

I don't mean to hijack the thread,but what is the correct protocol for bike washing? i assume removing battery is essential? then should I tape around the bike latch as insurance against water penetration?

 

[mike1433]

There wasn't water in the battery compartment, it was under the tunnel cover that covers the controller. The controller looks like it's been coated to prevent damage from moisture but obviously it failed somewhere. Not having any type of weather sealing on that cover is a serious design flaw considering how much water and mud can get flung up against this area. Getting a hold of Stromer US is near impossible, they don't answer the phone and I don't think they call you back unless you're a dealer. I've loved the bike, but running an unpressurized stream of water over a down tube can cause more than $2500 dollars of damage to a <$5000 bike?

Unfortunately the link above ebay isn't the correct controller for my bike

 

[Baobao]

Don't know where you are, but you might want to reach out to Greenpath Electric Bikes or Crazy Lenny's and they can sell you a controller. They love Stromer and said a lot of dealers don't know how to properly service them, which is why a lot of them end up dropping it. I have several Bosch/Bafang middrives, and Hub, and honestly, there is no comparison in the performance between Stromer and those. Too many dealers just want to make a quick buck and don't want to bother with service, which is why they drop Stromer.

 

[mike1433]

Don't know where you are, but you might want to reach out to Greenpath Electric Bikes or Crazy Lenny's and they can sell you a controller. They love Stromer and said a lot of dealers don't know how to properly service them, which is why a lot of them end up dropping it. I have several Bosch/Bafang middrives, and Hub, and honestly, there is no comparison in the performance between Stromer and those. Too many dealers just want to make a quick buck and don't want to bother with service, which is why they drop Stromer.

Thanks, I'm contacting them now. I'm in Atlanta and there are no dealers anywhere near here anymore. When you say "no comparison", are you saying one is significantly better? I'm thinking if things don't work out with the Stromer I'll just build my own and not have to worry about dealer/manufacturer support anymore.

 

[Johnny]

There wasn't water in the battery compartment, it was under the tunnel cover that covers the controller. The controller looks like it's been coated to prevent damage from moisture but obviously it failed somewhere. Not having any type of weather sealing on that cover is a serious design flaw considering how much water and mud can get flung up against this area. Getting a hold of Stromer US is near impossible, they don't answer the phone and I don't think they call you back unless you're a dealer. I've loved the bike, but running an unpressurized stream of water over a down tube can cause more than $2500 dollars of damage to a <$5000 bike?

Unfortunately the link above ebay isn't the correct controller for my bike

The controller is expoxy coated for for weather proofing and that is pretty much as good as it gets. I can't say what happened in your case for sure but it is unlikely that that coating itself failed, your connections probably got wet. Their covers are not the best and I believe they updated those covers sometime ago. Still when washing any ebike one should take some precautions.

Can you post a picture of your controller btw? Try the following one, it should fit your St2.

https://www.amegoev.com/stromer-stromer-controller-st1-x-st2-st2-s.html

Also get in touch with Stromer via the following email address.

[email protected]

They respond quite fast if you email them.

 

[Johnny]

I don't mean to hijack the thread,but what is the correct protocol for bike washing? i assume removing battery is essential? then should I tape around the bike latch as insurance against water penetration?

What I do is after removing the battery, I place a towel folded on top of the battery terminals in the battery compartment. Also I have a strap that I can tie around the downtube to keep the battery hatch closed since it doesn't close by itself it the battery is out.

 

[Baobao]

Here's an idea doe washing stromer: how about using plastic shrink wrap that movers use to encapsulate the battery hatch and then secure it with zip ties? total investment woukd just be occasional roll of shrink wrap and some zip ties.

 

[Ebiker01]

been coated to prevent damage from moisture but obviously it failed somewhere.

U could fully cover the new controller with dielectric grease and after that it will never get damaged from h20 like that again.

CRC 3.3 oz. Technician Grade Dielectric Grease Tube Box/Conduit/Fitting Accessory 05113 - The Home Depot

Best New Packaging in the performance category at the 2015 AAPEX/SEMA Show. A unique, non-curing compound used for sealing, protecting and electrical insulating. Improves electrical performance by reducing

www.homedepot.com

but the facts that this is a very sensitive ebike(the motor connections/cables, etc) and needs a skilled mechanic remain.

Can use the dielectric grease for all electrical con on the ebike. I do same on my non Stromer ebike and i always wash it with warm soapy water+rinse cold water. Not joking....after 13k miles it looks almost new.

 

[mike1433]

U could fully cover the new controller with dielectric grease and after that it will never get damaged from h20 like that again.

CRC 3.3 oz. Technician Grade Dielectric Grease Tube Box/Conduit/Fitting Accessory 05113 - The Home Depot

Best New Packaging in the performance category at the 2015 AAPEX/SEMA Show. A unique, non-curing compound used for sealing, protecting and electrical insulating. Improves electrical performance by reducing

www.homedepot.com

but the facts that this is a very sensitive ebike(the motor connections/cables, etc) and needs a skilled mechanic remain.

Can use the dielectric grease for all electrical con on the ebike. I do same on my non Stromer ebike and i always wash it with warm soapy water+rinse cold water. Not joking....after 13k miles it looks almost new.

My thoughts also. After test riding what's available from other brands right now I've come to the conclusion that the ride on the Stromer is quite a bit better than anything else I can find here in Atlanta, at least right now. So the plan is to fix it and dielectric grease all the connectors (which currently have no protection from moisture). I don't want slather the controller board itself because it might effect how hot it gets, and hopefully the coating on the new board will be good. The crew at The Garage OTR in Cincinnati are awesome and are helping me communicate with Stromer.