Replacing The Coin Battery In the Specialized SL TCU Gen 1

[Abridged]

It turns out Stefan, that I misunderstood you. I do have the type that needs to be changed but does the below mean that the bike will still work? Or have I got it completely wrong?

The function of the Turbo bike as such will not be affected. These are the effects of an empty coin cell:

• TCU will show corresponding message (see below)
• Bike needs to be started with a longer button-press on the TCU
• Error/event logs cannot be saved with correct date/time stamps any longer

When the date/time association is disabled due to an empty coin cell, you need to replace it with a new one and connect to the Specialized app so that the correct date and time is applied again.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I have never taken such a risk

 

[ner_do_well]

I fought this thing for 30 minutes using a swiss army knife tweezer, got mad and tossed it on the kitchen counter. The battery fell out......

 

[Abridged]

Just to report back. I took Stefan's advice and coaxed the battery out with a sewing needle, then used eyelash tweezers to grab it when it was half way out. Much easier than I imagined fortunately!

 

[mjh5]

I just had to replace the battery on the original TCU as well for my Vado SL. I read about all the trouble people had getting the battery out, including unplugging the TCU completely and tapping it to get the battery out. I had a non-magnetic metal angled tweezer with very sharp tips like the one on the right in the photo. I was able to grab the battery with no problem, slide the new one in and push on it gently with the tweezer until it snaps in. By the way, the video online for the Creo battery replacement says a T9 Torx screwdriver, but the Vado SL needs a T-10 Torx screwdriver.

 

[Extreme1]

There’s a YouTube video and if you follow that, it’s so easy.

Pull the TCU further out of the frame and you’ll see two connectors. Unplug those, turn the TCU upside down and while depressing the battery catch, tap the TCU on your palm. The battery will fall out.

Reconnecting the plugs is simple, they are different and color coded, with a locating nub inside them.

 

[pete H]

i just used this.Slid it under the battery which pushed the clip down and pulled it out then finished the job with tweezers.

 

[mfd14534]

Tapping the battery out is the way to go. HOWEVER, make sure you move the little tab out of the way before you start tapping. So do the first few taps while holding the tab down. When the tab stays down by itself, tap a little harder and the battery should just slide out.

 

[slpfrsly4]

Here's what I was able to do and it worked well and quickly on my '21 SL5 with 1500 miles:
1. Made sure I had a good 1620 battery - Even though they are still sealed in retail packages, they are sometimes dead when you break them out of their polyethylene prison.
2. Grabbed a pi\air of my wife's make=up tweezers (I think they are eyebrow tweezers. Very Sharp and angled at the end.
3. Covered the ends of the tweezer with scotch tape - folded over each and trimmed to 1/16" on the sides.
4. Grabbed a dental pick, but that was too thick, Had an old pick from a watch kit, so used that, but turns out I didn't really need it.
5. Torx T10 and remove screw for TCU cover
6. replace screw in hole loosely
7. Unplug TCU from harness (GENTLY)
8. Take TCU into house with better light and workbench for elbows
9. Using shielded tweezers, squeezed metal clip that holds the battery, up, and it clicked and seemed to lock in place.
10. Used slim watch prong gently on side of battery to spin slightly. Battery spun easily.
11. Flipped TCU so battery port opening was upside down and pounded my palms together while holding TCU in my hand and battery started to come out.
12. Gently pounded my palms together 1x again and the battery was about 1/4 out - enough to grab it with the shielded tweezers and gently pull it out.
Honestly, at first, I felt like I was taking apart an atom bomb Fone SEV, with all the warning about shorting the battery and TCU out. But it woorked out fine and went back together even easier.
Best Wishes everyone!!!

Great news to see bike works

 

[Cary W]

After getting aggravated trying to do this (I'm fairly klutzy with things mechanical) I found the right person to help me out. One of my neighbors is a retired dentist, i.e., has some facility using small tools in tight places. We first disconnected the unit from the bike (the easy part) and then used a nail file to hold down the tab and scrunch the battery out. Got it reconnected and I'm good to go. Thanks to everyone here for your great suggestions. So glad I didn't have to drive 12 miles into town to my Specialized dealer.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Thanks everyone for your observations! I did the second CR1620 replacement on my Vado SL 1 (TCU 1) in 4 years and 9 months into the ownership. (I takes over 2 years to deplete the battery if you regularly ride your SL 1 e-bike).

This time:

• I disconnected the TCU from its cables (green and black plugs)
• Held the metal lip down with tweezers
• Strongly tapped the TCU against the table.

The old battery just fell out as several of you noticed

Thank you so much!

 

[BEC111]

Thanks everyone for your observations! I did the second CR1620 replacement on my Vado SL 1 in 4 years and 9 months into the ownership. (I takes over 2 years to deplete the battery if you regularly ride your SL 1 e-bike).

This time:

• I disconnected the TCU from its cables (green and black plugs)
• Held the metal lip down with tweezers
• Strongly tapped the TCU against the table.

The old battery just fell out as several of you noticed

Thank you so much!

Thanks for the reminder. I’m due to change mine again. This time I think I’ll be proactive

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Thanks for the reminder. I’m due to change mine again. This time I think I’ll be proactive

BEC, now, I did a little more of "finger arithmetic" Turned out, the CR1620 lasted almost 3 years! I got a single "blue-red" blink last Winter on a very cold day; it was a warning.

Besides, there were rather funny circumstances under which I bought the battery replacement. I set off for a ride with a technocrat friend last Autumn. My friend only uses the best gear but he can also manage his money well so he bought his top-end Orbea gravel bike after months of tracking the price trends and bought that bike for the half the price! Then, he modified and equipped that bike with the best gear!

One of the things he has on the Orbea is the electronic drivetrain. Just before our ride, he started panicking as the electronic brake/shifter assembly reported "low battery" Whatever bigger village we visited on the ride, he had to enter the next convenience store and ask about the coin battery he needed (and that was a rarity). In one of such countryside shops, the lady had a sheet with all possible coin battery models except the one he needed! Ah, she, however, had the CR1620, so I took that opportunity