Cycle Computer Woes

[burroc]

I swore many years ago never to use a wireless cycle computer again. My resolve weakened 6 years ago and I fitted a Brontager Trip 5w wireless computer to my road bike. It has worked fine since then and I have replaced the battery in the computer display part annually. This year I decided it was about time I replaced the battery in the sensor on the fork too. No reason to suspect it was dead - just that it was 6 years old.
For the life of me I can't get the sensor to work again. The figures on the computer all light up, but the speed will not register anything other than 0.0. I have got the correct gap between sensor and magnet, it is all located exactly as it was and as per the instructions. I have tried every conceivable adjustment I can think of. The terminals are clean and uncorroded. After several hours of fruitless tinkering I have put the old battery back in the sensor - and I cannot get any response still. To say I am frustrated is an understatement.
I wonder if there is anyway of confirming whether the sensor is not picking up the magnet or if the computer is not registering the sensor. Any suggestions as to how to get it working again would be gratefully received - I have completly run out of ideas. Many thanks

[mercalia]

not intended as a quip but you put the battery in the right way?

[Grandad]

I swore many years ago never to use a wireless cycle computer again

+1 - and I haven't

[fastpedaller]

This may (or may not) help......... Try removing the battery and temporarily shorting the contacts in the head unit with something metallic. Also do the same procedure with the fork sensor. Replace batteries as normal and see what happens.I don't know why this has worked for me (maybe some residual in the circuits), but it was in the instructions with my Lidl cordless and it did the trick when I had the same problem.
ps. if you put the wheel magnet (or just a hand-held magnet) past the sensor you should be able to hear it operating - it is a 'reed switch' and clicks. If it doesn't then (for whatever reason) it may have stuck, but maybe it can be freed up by taking it off an smacking it onto the palm of the hand?

[The utility cyclist]

Cant help you but having had trouble free service from every computer I've had including the one on my daily for well over 10 years (Raeigh ECHO W1) I wouldn't go back to cabled.
Hope you can get yours sorted.

[tim-b]

Hi
If you try any kind of head unit reset/battery removal write any numbers down that you want to keep, e.g. tyre diameter, mileages etc, first
Regards
tim-b

[NUKe]

Put the head unit next to wheel sensor, spin the wheel to test if you listen you may be able to hear the reed switch clicking . Are you sure the new battery is any good. I'm surprised the one in the sensor has lasted 6 years, that's the one I would have changed añually. as has been said check , the battery is the right way round.

[rmurphy195]

Put the head unit next to wheel sensor, spin the wheel to test if you listen you may be able to hear the reed switch clicking . Are you sure the new battery is any good. I'm surprised the one in the sensor has lasted 6 years, that's the one I would have changed añually. as has been said check , the battery is the right way round.

I would have thought thee things used a hall-effect sensor rather than a reed switch - the hall effect sensor (detects magnetic field) is silent. I'm assuming it still doesn't work when you put the head unit right next to the wheel sensor (no blocking of the signal).

The problem seems to have started when you changed the battery, maybe you could try the following

1) Check the battery is the right way around (assuming its a button cell, these can be confusing). download the instructions for your unit if you can and see what they say. You can probably tell by looking at the button cell - you should be able to compre the position of your contacts in the unit with the battery and make an educated guess as to which way around it goes.

2) Clean the battery - I always clean button cells with a piece of dry cloth or unused kitchen roll, and hold the battery in the cloth as I put it into the unit, that way I don't contaminate the contact surfaces.

3) Ditto the contacts in your unit. I have found kitchen roll works well for careful cleaning of this sort (works magic on sim cards and contacts)

[Brucey]

I swore many years ago never to use a wireless cycle computer again.....

....Any suggestions......... would be gratefully received - I have completly run out of ideas.

My suggestion is that had you instead said

I swore many years ago never to use a cycle computer again.....

you would not be in this angst-ridden situation.

When racing, I was vaguely interested in things that computers could tell me, enough to put up with the faff required to keep a system working. But outside of that...meh....

cheers

[burroc]

I'm not there yet, I'm afraid, but thanks for the various helpful suggestions. Yes, the battery is most definitely in the right way round. It is a not a button type, it is an AE23, which looks vaguely like a triple A but is half the length.
I can hear the switch clicking when the magnet goes past the sensor, but nothing registers on the display unit (but the display unit definitely works). Hence the battery in the sensor, I suspect, is not working. Hard to believe the old battery stopped working the minute I took it out and I happened to have bought a new battery that does not work - too much of a coincidence.
To answer Brucey: I find a cycle a useful aid in navigation, knowing how far I've travelled along a particular road or track, so will not be ditching them entirely. Each to his own!

[Patrickpioneer]

[quote="burroc"]I'm not there yet, I'm afraid, but thanks for the various helpful suggestions. Yes, the battery is most definitely in the right way round. It is a not a button type, it is an AE23, which looks vaguely like a triple A but is half the length.

can you hold the head unit near the wheel sensor and spin the wheel, does it work now? the signal from these can be so poor, weak, that the two units need to be closer, other than that one or both of the units could be just duff.

[TrevA]

Join the 21st Century and get a cheap Garmin - Edge 20 or 25, or a 200 if you can find one. It will do everything a cycle computer does and more, and there is no messing about with magnets and batteries. You will have to charge it every 10 hours or so of cycling, but it is easily transferable between bikes so you only need one.