Busch and Muller repair

[Squibnocket]

I've recently and rather frustratingly broken a spade connector off my Lumotec IQ2.
Does anybody have experience or could recommend a company in the UK that could repair it? I have contacted B&M but they can't repair it, I don't feel confident tackling the job myself. I would much rather repair than replace if at all possible.
Many thanks

[Bullseye]

My advice would be to find a LBS that supplies and fits Dynamo hubs I'm more than sure they'd be able to help you.

[slowster]

Apologies if stating the obvious, but any bike shop which sells and fits dynamo lights to bikes should be able to do this, i.e. they should have both the necessary parts (various connectors, cabling and heat shrink), a crimping tool and enough experience. Although for many lighting set ups the lights will have connectors fitted at the factory, there will be occasions when a bike shop will need to fit connectors themselves, e.g. some rear lights, fitting lights to a bike with internal dynamo cable routing in the fork, and custom set ups with power banks/charging devices and/or piggy back connectors.

If you don't have a bike shop in your area that sells dynamo lights, then I would suggest emailing SJS and ask if they would do it and the price (suggest you include a photograph of the broken connector and cable so that they can see exactly what needs to be done and what connector is needed).

Spa clearly also have the equipment and parts for this sort of thing, but they are apparently extremely busy at the moment, and consequently if it were me I would not approach them (or rather I would not email them - I suspect it's the sort of small task that they might well be willing to do quickly and on the spot if you called in to the shop in person, but which they might not want to enter into email correspondence about).

Unfortunately for what is a very quick and easy fix, you will have to pay through the nose what with two lots of postage as well, but it's cheaper than buying a new light or the crimping tool to do it yourself*.

* Some people manage it without using a crimping tool, but the result is very unlikely to be as good, although it might prove adequate.

[tatanab]

I think this is beyond the reasonable capabilities of any LBS. I think the spade connector that has broken is one of those that are integral to the light itself and will mean finding a way to break into the light, get access to a circuit board to which the spade is almost certainly soldered.

You can see the spade connectors on the B&M manual https://www.bumm.de/files/Produkte/PRIN ... 160114.pdf

[Jdsk]

I think this is beyond the reasonable capabilities of any LBS. I think the spade connector that has broken is one of those that are integral to the light itself and will mean finding a way to break into the light, get access to a circuit board to which the spade is almost certainly soldered.

You can see the spade connectors on the B&M manual https://www.bumm.de/files/Produkte/PRIN ... 160114.pdf

Thanks for posting that.

Yes, it's very often the case that the best way to replace connectors is to work back a bit.

Jonathan

[simonineaston]

I've just taken a cautious peep inside my own Lumotec lamp and it looks to me as if the spade connectors that emerge from the rear of the shell are soldered to the small circuit board upon which the rest of the power control / switch components are assembled. This means a proper fix would require removal of the remains of the broken connector and its replacement with a similar connector, which are likely to be purpose-made, as opposed to after-market, crimp or solder types, designed to terminate a cable.
That doesn't mean a fix can't be effected, but I don't think it would be easy for a generalist...

[slowster]

I had assumed that the cables were hardwired into the light. I think the Lumotec IQ2 is unusual in that regard and that most other B&M front lights have hardwired cables.

[Ugly]

I would try looking for a radio repair shop, if such thing still exist, or an enthusiast who would be prepared to attempt a repair. There must be a forum that hobbyist radio makes belong to.

[wirral_cyclist]

You might find that a computer repair shop would have a go at this, they often fix PSU's with new capacitors and so should have the soldering skills needed, if they also repair phones they are probably adept at opening tight fitting cases too (though it might be welded not hidden clipped lamp body). If any part of the spade wiring is visible they could solder a wire to the stub and position a suitable spade elsewhere, the new jumper wire then could be secured to protect it from further damage.

[Jdsk]

If any part of the spade wiring is visible they could solder a wire to the stub and position a suitable spade elsewhere, the new jumper wire then could be secured to protect it from further damage.

Yes.

Jonathan

[Jdsk]

I should add... I've had two of these fail, one of them almost certainly because it got wet in heavy rain. Resealing the case will be... interesting.

Jonathan

[simonineaston]

I'm inclined to agree with sn, in attempting to repair - and of course, there's nothing much to lose. Technically, I don't think it would be hard to strip the item, introduce a flying cable, fitted with appropriate connectors - perhaps even up the moisture protection a level - and then re-assemble. I'd offer to have a go, but my own projects tend to take weeks, if not months, to happen !!

[gregoryoftours]

Yes definitely an easy repair, but for an electronics repair shop, not a bike shop. B&M lights are pretty badly sealed, I don't know if it's because if they were watertight they'd just suffer from condensation/internal corrosion more. I think that many dynamo hubs and lights have connections and protection against the elements that are very poor considering the price and that the whole point of them is to fit and forget.

[rogerzilla]

Post removed as it was inaccurate, sorry.

[Squibnocket]

Thank you for all the helpful advice given. I'll try to find a local electronics repair shop and may go down the hard wired option as opposed to the spade connectors that are currently used, one of which is broken.