Condensation in Display=Sudden Loss of Motor Power

salaryman

New Member
Region
USA
Hi There - I have a RadCity 5 Plus thats 2.5 years old. Last week I got caught in a terrible storm-hard rain and lightning for about 90 minutes during my commute home.
When I got home, I dried everything off and made sure the battery was ok, as well as the battery cover, which was dry. I noticed the next day that I had water condensation
in the LED display. On my commute today I suddenly lost motor power. My battery level was fine, but I had no pedal assist nor throttle power. I checked all the cables and when I unplugged
the display cable and plugged it back everything was working again and I got home with no problem.

My question to those folks smarter than me is: do I have defective display and if so, can it cause this kind of problem - or is it something worse?

Thank you
Roger
 

Attachments

  • RAD display_condensation_off.JPG
    RAD display_condensation_off.JPG
    179.7 KB · Views: 27
  • RAD display_condensation_on.JPG
    RAD display_condensation_on.JPG
    177.2 KB · Views: 27
Rain in the controller can cause loss of power or failure. Same can happen in the BMS of the battery. Ensure the entry of wires into any such component point down, are shielded from splash, and wires have a drip loop. I realize a factory bike, you have no control over the mounting or wiring.
Rain is the reason I buy scooter controllers without a display connector. I ride in the rain, and displays fog up. My original ebikerling display fogged up from moisture. If your display has any buttons or a touch screen to control PAS level or turn power on or off, it can cause lack of motion. Where is your enable button? I have to connect a "door switch" input to alarm power to make a scooter controller go. I use a toggle switch for that, which I install in a pill bottle under the seat. The white rectangular connectors, I have bought those in a 300 piece pack on ebay. The small black line connector for the KT display, I have found no source of that one. You have to connect the blue display wire to the red one to make a KT controller go, If you do not have a KT display. Juli/higo round connector, you are on your own.
 
Last edited:
Thank you very much for the detailed tips Indianajo. I reached out to Rad and they felt that at this point it's the display and are sending me a new one at no cost to me!
I will update this post after I get it and ride around for a while.
Roger
 
I got clouding from a heavy rain in my XP 3.0 display. I keep a old ziplok bag on hand and will put it over the display in rainy conditions. I honestly don't think rain got into the display but it was condensation from the change in temperature. My old RadRunner never fogged or clouded up and that ebike was ridden thru many heavy downpours. Good on Rad for making it right on you ebike.
 
Update - Rad sent me a new UI Display unit and I installed but unfortunately continued to have the same issue. Working with Rad tech support today they determined that (like some of you noted) this seems to be a controller issue. As My RadyCity Plus 5 is out of warranty I had to pay for the replacement controller, which Rad discounted by $100, as there were many reported issues with the original controllers :( Bummer for me and others! Interestingly, around the 5,000-mile mark I had to replace both tires as they lost all their thread and the rear fly wheel lost several teeth. Bike shop expressed concern with the quality of both products. Now the controller is shot. I ran across so many horror stories for my mode, but hopefully I can get this all behind me with the new controller. On a plus note, Rad support has been very helpful and that means a lot, especially since there is no Rad repair/service store near me.
 
Back