May have figured it out - Velcomp please read

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DaleD
Posts: 9
Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2017 12:10 am

May have figured it out - Velcomp please read

Post by DaleD »

Okay, after much researching and piecing things together, I may have fixed it. Attached is a new calc file after another factory rest and out/back. The odd thing was that I got a flashing red light after the flashing red/green at the start of the ride. There was to be a flashing yellow, not red from my understanding. Regardless, does this look right? This was a typical neighborhood ride for me and where I live in Colorado.

Thank you,

Dale
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iBike_09_07_2017_1634_3_Miles_CalRide.ibr
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Velocomp
Velocomp CEO
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Re: May have figured it out - Velcomp please read

Post by Velocomp »

I think all is well. Your cal file looks fine.

When I was at Eurobike last week I had a PP with me that appeared to flash red, rather than yellow, during calibration. After a few minutes of confusion I realized that the Green/Red LED that was on my device had a much brighter red color than green. So, even when both LEDs were lit, the overall color appeared to be red.

I'm glad you have figured this out, and I think you are good to go.
John Hamann
DaleD
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Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2017 12:10 am

Re: May have figured it out - Velcomp please read

Post by DaleD »

Thank you for the fast reply John. I did notice on the profile that my Garmin cadence sensor (separate from speed sensor) did not pair. I will work on that next.

Thank you,

Dale
Velocomp
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Re: May have figured it out - Velcomp please read

Post by Velocomp »

DaleD wrote:Thank you for the fast reply John. I did notice on the profile that my Garmin cadence sensor (separate from speed sensor) did not pair. I will work on that next.

Thank you,

Dale
The Garmin cadence sensor takes a bit of time to wake up. Pedal your bike until you see cadence readings on your Garmin bike computer. Then, do a PP sensor pairing.
John Hamann
DaleD
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Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2017 12:10 am

Re: May have figured it out - Velcomp please read

Post by DaleD »

Yes, I thing I have found out about the Garmin Cadence sensor is that it like to have a little pressure applied to the pedals.

1. Just do a quick 15-30 second ride to wake it up. (Pedaling by hand did not work for me.)
2. Stop
3. Press and hold the PP button for 4 seconds to start the pairing for the Garmin Cadence sensor.

I am up and rolling once again.

Dale
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DD Wireless ID photo.jpg
DD Wireless ID photo.jpg (167.85 KiB) Viewed 7374 times
oxenhoper
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Re: May have figured it out - Velcomp please read

Post by oxenhoper »

I find that i only need to do the press and hold for 4 secs if i've moved the PP to my other bike... if i haven't moved it spinning the cranks to wake sensors to garmin then press the PP on usually does the trick.

Steve
CanuckRider
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Joined: Sat Sep 16, 2017 9:55 am

Re: May have figured it out - Velcomp please read

Post by CanuckRider »

Velocomp wrote:
When I was at Eurobike last week I had a PP with me that appeared to flash red, rather than yellow, during calibration. After a few minutes of confusion I realized that the Green/Red LED that was on my device had a much brighter red color than green. So, even when both LEDs were lit, the overall color appeared to be red.

I'm glad you have figured this out, and I think you are good to go.
I just received a new PowerPod BLE unit this past week and it had the same issue in that the LEDs only showed red or green (to my eyes). It made fora very frustrating evening of trying to pair my sensors since it looked like it was failing. The instructions said to not pair the PP to the head unit until after the speed and cadence sensors were paired so i could not see that it was waiting for calibration. i finally checked this forum and saw this post and realised that I had the same issue as john described.

Went out for a midnight calibration run and all went from red to green and had four days of great riding stats to play with.

Unfortunately, my luck didn't last.
Will
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Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2017 7:15 pm

Re: May have figured it out - Velcomp please read

Post by Will »

Velocomp wrote:When I was at Eurobike last week I had a PP with me that appeared to flash red, rather than yellow, during calibration. After a few minutes of confusion I realized that the Green/Red LED that was on my device had a much brighter red color than green. So, even when both LEDs were lit, the overall color appeared to be red.
I got a PowerPod yesterday and ran into this exact problem. This forum thread was the only thing that saved my sanity and prevented me from sending the unit back. The state that the instructions refer to as "yellow" looked very red to me and I was only able to see a tiny bit of green showing through in one section of the LED port when I looked very closely after learning about this issue.

Velocomp - PLEASE update the documentation that is available on your site and ships with the device. I wasted nearly two hours sorting this out. Even better, fixing the hardware to eliminate this problem would be ideal.

Otherwise, I'm happy with the device so far.
Velocomp
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Re: "Yellow" color looks red

Post by Velocomp »

I agree that this is a very annoying problem.

Apparently the LED manufacturer decided to make the red LED brighter than the green LED (causing the yellow [red+green] to look quite red).

We will update this in our instructions.
John Hamann
johnr
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Re: May have figured it out - Velcomp please read

Post by johnr »

I recently bought a PowerPod and when trying to set it up it never showed any yellow lights. It was all very confusing and frustrating. I see now from these posts that you know this is a problem and will be updating the instructions. When will the update be available? I get power readings on my Garmin when I ride but I still don't know for sure if I have everything configured properly. Instructions that address the absence of a yellow light or a replacement device that operates like it should will be very helpful (and appropriate!)
Velocomp
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Re: May have figured it out - Velcomp please read

Post by Velocomp »

Attached, point 2 (a).

Also, the instructions have been updated in the Tips and Troubleshooting guide at PowerPodsports.com
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PowerPod Troubleshooting Guide102517.pdf
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John Hamann
johnr
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Re: May have figured it out - Velcomp please read

Post by johnr »

With all respect Mr. Hamann, simply acknowledging in the instructions that a customer may have purchased a defective device and will have to work around the problem isn't acceptable to me. I would like to return my defective Powerpod and receive one that works properly. Is that an option for me?
Velocomp
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Re: May have figured it out - Velcomp please read

Post by Velocomp »

Your PowerPod is not defective. There is a natural variation in the brightness of the green/red LED, which will cause some variation in the yellow/amber color.

You're welcome to swap out your PP for a different unit.
John Hamann
johnr
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Joined: Sun Oct 22, 2017 4:29 pm

Re: May have figured it out - Velcomp please read

Post by johnr »

Thank you. I will contact Velocomp to arrange for a replacement. And if variation can mean that the light won't display yellow at all, I agree with your description. I do, however, consider this a defect.
Velocomp
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Re: May have figured it out - Velcomp please read

Post by Velocomp »

We have found a way to correct the "yellow" issue with a firmware update. Stand by...
John Hamann
Will
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Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2017 7:15 pm

Re: May have figured it out - Velcomp please read

Post by Will »

Velocomp wrote:We have found a way to correct the "yellow" issue with a firmware update. Stand by...
Excellent, thank you!

:D
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