Encodr and yellow wrench error message

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Mik
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Re: Encodr and yellow wrench error message

...I have seen a seal fail and leave a dust.

...

You told me, but I did not understand it at the time! Thanks!

Today I took the motor cover off and found it filled with green dust, more on that a bit later.

That's when the penny dropped: Red Australian dust on the outside, green dust on the inside of the motor; the only black thing between these two spaces is the black dust seal, so the dust must be coming from that seal!

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Mik
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Re: Encodr and yellow wrench error message

...
At random intervals this noise would occur when the motor and wheel was spinning up due to throttle input.

As it is with noises, it's hard to describe, but it sounds to me like there is a piece of light but hard material (hard plastic, aluminum or thin steel) lying on the bottom of the motor housing, and it sometimes gets picked up and then goes around and around, scraping the motor housing wall. When I stop the motor and then start it again, the noise is slightly more likely to re-appear than after an episode of spinning without the noise; but the noise is more likely to be absent then to occur, even after it just occurred. But when it's there it usually keeps going as long as the wheel does not stop.
The noise occurred in about 1 out of 10 or 15 episodes of spinning the wheel "on the rock".

I think something has fallen off and sits there in the lowest point of the motor housing, occasionally taking a ride on the "merry go round" inside the motor. It's probably not a magnet, I'd think that would firmly attach itself somewhere and cause either no noise or continuous noise.
...

Kudos to my ears! I found the offending piece of material and will start a new thread about it to stay on the encoder topic here.
See: http://visforvoltage.org/forum/7543-foreign-body-vectrix-motor

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Mik
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Re: What is the black dust?

I know what the dust is and it is absolutely hilarious:

It's the dust seal disintegrating!

Without the black dust seal there would be no black dust in my encoder housing.

Any ideas how to make a new seal out of more suitable material?

Here is the fix and also a picture of the 3.4mm shim made from a doubled-up piece of circuit board:
//i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk217/Mr_Mik/Vectux/Encoder/th_DSC00613.jpg) //i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk217/Mr_Mik/Vectux/Encoder/th_DSC00616.jpg) //i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk217/Mr_Mik/Vectux/Encoder/th_DSC00619.jpg)

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oobflyer
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Re: Encodr and yellow wrench error message

I just got the Yellow Wrench/Encoder error a couple of days ago. This is the 3rd time I've gotten the Yellow Wrench error, although when it first happened I didn't see the associated message on the left main gauge. When it happened previously I called Vectrix (this was before they filed bankruptcy and my bike was still under warranty) they just told me to contact them if it happened again. Each time it happened (including this time) I just turned the bike off and back on; the error message disappeared. I have never been stuck with a non-operating system.

BUT, when I came across this thread, AND since my warranty disappeared (much like the error messages; at the flick of a switch) I decided to check the encoder and clean out this "black dust".

HOWEVER, when I got it apart (it was easy - thanks Mik!) there was NO black dust! In fact it was squeaky clean. I still blew out the area with some compressed air (so I could feel like I did something) and put it back together. I've ridden to work and back for a couple of days since the error message and haven't seen it again.

I wonder what else, besides the dust, could cause this error message - anyone else have this experience?

OH, by the way, I noticed that my hub is slightly different than the one in Mik's bike - mine doesn't have this beveled ridge at the periphery where the dust was collecting in Mik's photos - mine is an '07 - maybe they changed it slightly?

EncoderCleaning2.jpgEncoderCleaning3.jpgEncoderCleaning4.jpgEncoderCleaning5.jpgEncoderCleaning6.jpgEncoderCleaning7.jpg

Mik
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Re: Encodr and yellow wrench error message

OH, by the way, I noticed that my hub is slightly different than the one in Mik's bike - mine doesn't have this beveled ridge at the periphery where the dust was collecting in Mik's photos - mine is an '07 - maybe they changed it slightly?

It's difficult to be sure when looking at your photos, but I can see no difference to the motor housing on the Vectux. Are you sure they are different?

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AndY1
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Re: Encodr and yellow wrench error message

If the error message reads CANBUS, along with the yellow wrench, it's nothing to worry about. Both error messages disappear after aprox. 1 minute without turning the bike off and on.

It's a sync issue between hardware components. It has been mentioned in a thread somewhere. I think user X-Vectrix posted about it.

RaDy
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Re: Encodr and yellow wrench error message

Happens to me every 2 or 3 months, i dont worry about it. The warning goes on its own and thats it. Its normal, nothing strange has ever happened when these symptoms occur.

oobflyer
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Re: Encodr and yellow wrench error message

In your photo it looks like the dust has collected along the periphery within a ridge of metal, while mine doesn't have this ridge - it simply tapers gradually to the periphery and to the seal:
th_DSC00472.jpg
Hub.jpg

Maybe the dust in the photo is creating an optical illusion of a ridge? Or maybe there is a slight difference in production? Mine is a 2007 - what year is yours?

Mik
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Re: Encodr and yellow wrench error message

There is no ridge in mine, either. It's just the dust that makes it look in some photos as if there might be one.

This information may be used entirely at your own risk.

There is always a way if there is no other way!

Chris75sf
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Re: Encodr and yellow wrench error message

Hi all,

I read all the thread because I got the same warning tonight, four or five times during half an hour
Is it fine to continue riding and ignore this warning ?
Thanks

Chris

Mik
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Re: Encodr and yellow wrench error message

Hi all,

I read all the thread because I got the same warning tonight, four or five times during half an hour
Is it fine to continue riding and ignore this warning ?
Thanks

Chris

I don't think it's fine to ignore any warning.

You take the warning into consideration and act upon it.

Clean the encoder - if it fixes the problem, then it's fixed. If it does not fix the problem, investigate further.

Just because a dirty encoder causes a particular symptom constellation does not mean that other problems cannot cause the same symptoms. And the other problems might not be as harmless as the dust on the encoder.

This information may be used entirely at your own risk.

There is always a way if there is no other way!

Chris75sf
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Re: Encodr and yellow wrench error message

Hi Mik,
Thanks for your advice. I did open and clean all the black and rather sticky black stuff and dusted the disk and pcb with spray can
The message in gone now

Mik
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Re: Encodr and yellow wrench error message

Hi Mik,
Thanks for your advice. I did open and clean all the black and rather sticky black stuff and dusted the disk and pcb with spray can
The message in gone now

I'm glad it worked!

Did you replace the seal? The seal is sometimes the source of the dust, it disintegrates into the dust. Some adhesive backed sealing tape will work.

This information may be used entirely at your own risk.

There is always a way if there is no other way!

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