At the Beach....Trouble

[c_nick]

On my first day of vacation in NC Outer Banks, I got caught by a the rements of a wave washing up while riding along the brim. All seemed okay till an hour later after the bike sat a little. I now get a code #30 on the display and the word maintain. The power/PAS Level/controller shuts down now shortly after using power at any level for about a minute.

I don't have my manual with me. Can someone tell me about code 30?

My fear is that I need to replace the controller, or Motor! Any advice or thoughts (other than stay away from saltwater).

Love the RadRover,but this does seem to be a soft spot for its utility.

Thanks All,

C_Nick

 

[walawn]

Check all your connections. Make sure that they are dry and securely connected. Codes will pop up because salt water is an excellent conductor of electricity or if you have an open line.

 

[c_nick]

walawn, thanks for the quick response. I disconnected all four, the 2 pin, 3 pin, 4 pin and multipin. Dried them out as best I could and reconnected them, However with no change, or result in fixing the original problem.

 

[walawn]

Hmm...I would have to say bad motor or controller. Check the fuse on the battery as well, just in case!

 

[totalnovice]

Ride my RR on the beach sand frequently here in SoCal ... in fact that's the primary reason I got a fat tire ebike ... but there's a couple fundamental things I understood about doing that:
1. it's an electric bike ... you knew that right?
2. water not good around thing things that use electricity ... you knew that too right?
3. which means, do not get electric bike wet ... or else ... well you know that part now.

soft spot? ... really? ... you're blaming the bike?

good luck ... according to my UG ... code-30 means "Abnormal Communication"

 

[mbirds]

There's not much that's worse than salt water for any electronic device. Instant fry.

 

[flymeaway]

3. which means, do not get electric bike wet ... or else ... well you know that part now.

That depends upon the bike. I have been caught in downpours on 5 occasions in the last 2 years on three different bikes. In all but one instance it was commuting home. I was soaked and the bikes were exposed to a lot of rain, road spray puddles, no problems.

Court J.

 

[mbirds]

Salt water is totally different, since the minerals make it conductive, not just corrosive. Salt water will make electrical contacts and more easily short electronics. Rain or fresh water splash would not concern me much.

 

[flymeaway]

Salt water will make electrical contacts and more easily short electronics. Rain or fresh water splash would not concern me much.

If the system is watertight it's irrelevant whether it's fresh water or saltwater, no infiltration, no short circuit.. When electric circuits are exposed to water (salt or fresh) there is the risk of a short circuit. Best practice; waterproof the motor, battery and electric components.

Court J.

 

[walawn]

Dielectric grease and heatshrink

 

[MitaMoto]

My fear is that I need to replace the controller, or Motor! Any advice or thoughts (other than stay away from saltwater).

Thanks All,

C_Nick

Bummer this happened.

I ride on the beach frequently too, but almost always at low tide so I've been lucky. If this were to happen to me I would remove the battery and the fuse, light rinse any accessible electrical connections that may have gotten wet with fresh water including the battery cradle, then blow out with compressed air, the apply a thin coat of WD-40 and probably blow it out with air again. The controller box is far from water tight so I would take the cover off and do the same light rinse and WD-40. Note: Before doing any of this, the controller capacitor stays charged after the battery is removed, so after taking off the battery, press the "On" button to drain out any leftover charge in the controller.

Good luck!