RAPID PURPLE PULSING FROM BOTTLE LED / ASSISTANCE DISABLED

CAUSE:

Fault Mode is indicated by rapid purple pulsing/blinking of the Bottle LED (may be red if you have a very old version of firmware in your bottle which needs updating) – Fault Mode is different in that flashing continues after being disconnected from the bike and disables the button and assistance. Fault Mode will continue to pulse and not allow assistance until reset – do not charge whilst in Fault Mode, this will not reset the bottle and the App will also be disabled.

The purpose of Fault Mode is to protect your Cytronex in the event of a potentially damaging issue – such as a motor fault caused by a connector not pushed fully together or the bottle being too hot (e.g. if it has been left in the sun for some time). Assistance is disabled to prompt you to check the cause and rectifying before cancelling.

There are several possible reasons for the bottle to be in Fault Mode and therefore several possible fixes:

1. Motor Plug not pushed together
2. Motor run with wheels off the ground
3. Bottle connector loose
4. Oil Contamination on a connector
5. Twisted Connector
6. Retracted gold pin(s) in Bottle Holder
7. Bottle too hot

FIXES:

1. Motor Plug not pushed together – this is the most common cause (particularly if you have only recently installed your system or had cause to remove the front wheel). The connector must be fully pushed together as shown in the photo below – please note it is not just that the arrows must be aligned but the small lower arrow must reach the edge of the large upper part of the connector as shown in the photo:

If the motor plug is not like the above, please rectify before using assistance, then check “bottle connector loose” (see below) before resetting. To reset – simply connect the bottle back in the bike bottle holder.

2. Motor cannot start / run with wheels off the ground / loose gravel / large bumps or pot holes – Fault Mode can be triggered (rarely) if the wheel slips on loose gravel, the motor is run with both wheels off the ground (we do not recommend this – Pedal Setup Mode should be used for checking the sensor) or if the motor is unable to start properly, such as if the front brake is on whilst still moving the pedals. If Fault Mode occurred for one of these reasons then please note for future reference and cancel Fault Mode by connecting the bottle back in the bike bottle holder. Fault Mode will only be triggered by particularly large bumps / pot holes so we recommend monitoring the motor carefully after cancelling and please let us know straight away if there are any further strange noises or further Fault Modes after a large bump or pot hole.

3. Bottle connector loose – This is very rare with lever operated Bottle Holders but large pot holes are capable of damaging/bending bike components just as they are with cars, so we recommend checking the gap between the Bottle Holder and the connector plug (as below) if you have encountered a large jolt from a pot hole or bump.  The twist type bottle cage should also be checked in such circumstances but there are other reasons to check this too: if dirt gets into the twist mechanism then it will become harder to turn and we have found that some customers have only been turning the connector until it is tight, rather than turning until it is in the closed position. This can result in the connector coming loose in use which will mean that the bottle is bouncing on the bottom of the cage and potentially bending it on rough ground. If your connector is stiff to close please see “Mechanical Issues” in this troubleshooter – it is very important this is resolved as there is likely to be dirt in the mechanism that needs to be cleaned out to ensure the connector can be easily closed.

The twist connector bottle cage can also become loose if there has been a large impact like a significant pothole, or as a result of rough off-road riding. Note that whilst we do not warrant Cytronex for rough off-road use, the lever operated Bottle Holder has in fact been built to withstand most off-road use too. However, a large enough pothole or bump is capable of damaging/bending almost any fixture.

To check whether your Twist Cage or Bottle Holder is loose: please look carefully at the photos below – the photos of the twist type cage/bottle holder show a cage that is not loose and one that is loose. The photo of the lever operated Bottle holder shows the photo to take / gap to measure and send to us using the message facility at the bottom of this page. The photos of the twist type cage show a view looking at the top of the bottle cage with the bottle installed (note the view is from above/in front, and not a view from one side of the bike). You can see that there is a rounded metal lug – in the first photo this rounded lug sits snugly in the matching shape in the plastic twist connector. The second photo shows a bent / loose cage – you can see there is a small gap between the rounded metal lug and matching shaped plastic – this gap will allow the top of the bottle to flex upwards which, if not corrected, will eventually damage the contact between the gold pins in the cage plug and the gold contact holes in the bottle itself:

To check whether a lever Bottle Holder is loose: with lever in the fully open position – hold bottle on bottom locator and swing inline with connector then take photograph as below and measure gap. Please use the message facility at the bottom of this page to send the image (max 200K file size) and gap measurement:

To check whether there may be damage to your bottle connector resulting from a loose cage / bottle holder – look at the gold contacts in the top of the bottle below. The first photo shows the top of a bottle where all of the 12 contact holes are still a nice gold colour. Conversely, if you look at the second photo, this shows a bottle which has been used in a twist type cage without the connector being turned fully to the closed position – note some of the holes are darkened. This is caused by “arcing” – sparking due to a poor contact:

If you have Fault Mode and there are blackened contacts and the Fault Mode cannot be attributed to any of the other causes listed here, please send a log using the Diagnostic section of the App, then please use the form below to send a clear photo so we can see down into the gold contacts on the top of your bottle (as above, max 200K file size please). Please do not use this or any other bottle on the bike until we advise the best course of action.

4. Oil Contamination on connector – Nothing should ever be applied to the gold pins or gold contact sockets. Oils like WD40 and GT85 are insulators which will prevent connectors from working. There is some very misleading advice on internet forums about using such oils on connectors to protect them from water – these oils should never be placed on or near any of the gold contacts in your Cytronex (the internet advice is a misunderstanding of the function of WD40 for example – this should never be applied to connectors before they are mated). Great care should be taken when using spray oils such as lubricants or GT85 for cleaning so that a mist of the oil does not land on the gold pins in your Cytronex plug. Once this has happened – if the plug is mated with the bottle connector before the contamination is noticed and removed then the oil will be transferred inside the gold bottle contacts which is very likely to require the bottle connector itself to be replaced. Please note that some bike shops use GT85 for cleaning bikes, we recommend advising your bike shop before servicing.

Below shows an example of blackening / carbon deposits caused by oil contamination. You can see that all 8 contact holes with corresponding pins in the bike plug are blackened, whereas those not used on the bike remain gold in colour because no oil has been transferred. If you suspect contamination may have occurred, please send a log using the Diagnostic section of the App and then please send a clear photo so we can see down into the gold contacts on the top of your bottle (max 200K file size please) using the form below. Please do not use this bottle on any bike until we advise the best course of action.

5. Twisted Connector – The bottle should never be twisted once it is correctly located in the Charge Shoe or the bottle plug on the bike. In the latter case – if you have the twist type bottle cage connector then the end cap with the Cytronex logo is a fixed part and should never be twisted when already pushed into the bottle socket.

If you find the knurled ring in the twist type bottle cage has become very stiff to turn please note this is very likely to indicate that there is dirt under the rotating part of the plug – this must be cleaned out to ensure it is easy to connect your bottle and to ensure that the connector in the top of the bottle does not get twisted. Instructions for removing dirt can be found by clicking HERE.

If the connector in the top of your bottle has been forcibly twisted (usually one way, then back again) this can result in one or more broken contacts below the bottle connector and will only be visible when we take the bottle apart and remove the connector. If the connector has been twisted such that contacts are broken then this can result in a number of unpredictable behaviours including Fault Mode and the bottle itself shutting down. If you are experiencing repeated issues like Fault Mode having eliminated the other causes listed, then please contact us using the message facility below and confirm the symptoms and that you believe your connector may have been twisted, do not use the App in cases where a twisted connector is suspected and contact us as soon as possible.

6. Retracted gold pin(s) in Bottle Holder – It is very important when installing the bottle not to force the lever shut if the bottle holder plug does not slide easily into the top of the bottle, because this will only happen if the connector pins are not aligned and the lever is capable of applying very high clamping force. If this has happened and the lever was forced shut at some point then one or more gold pins may now be loose in the plug and push backwards up inside the plug when the bottle is connected. There are 8 pins used on the bike (not 9) and all should be the same length – check by pushing gently on the end of each pin that none retract or are shorter than the others (pins can wiggle a little because they must do this to align when connecting, but they should not push backwards – if they do then the retainers may be broken). If you have one or more gold pins that retracts please contact us using the form below for advice.

7. Bottle too hot – If the bottle is left in the sun on a hot sunny day or left in a vehicle in direct sunlight, just like a smart phone or tablet the Cytronex bottle can become hot resulting in the temperature protection placing the bottle in Fault Mode which will disable assistance until it cools down. We recommend leaving your bottle in the shade on a hot sunny day. If your bottle continues to flash red then reset by connecting the bottle back in the bike bottle holder – after resetting we recommend sending a log using “Diagnostics” in the App so that we can check this was the cause – please message us after sending the log (e.g. using the form below) so we know this needs checking.

If you had a Fault Mode and believe your bottle got too hot (through leaving in the sun for example) then you can send a log using the diagnostic section of the App and contact us to check that was the case. Once your bottle cools down the Fault Mode should clear, however.