Power2max battery issue?

[E65Ross]

Recently got a power2max NG eco fitted to my bike having had the Type S model on my other bike and being happy with it.

A few days after installing the unit my garmin said the power meter battery was low. I thought "Hmmm, maybe a faulty battery" so I changed the battery and my garmin then said battery condition was new. Roll on around 4-5 weeks and once again my garmin said power meter battery low. I have only done around 35-40 hours of riding or so.... My other power2max on my old bike (Type S) lasted much, much longer.

I have noticed with the new one that when it's in use and on, the green light flashes constantly, but the unit does appear to turn off after not being in use (light goes off, garmin won't find it until I connect move the cranks). Is it normal for the light to flash green all the time? The Type S only does it once or twice when it first "wakes up".

Could it be that the Garmin is telling me the battery is low when in fact it isn't low? The light still flashes green, and not red when it's in use.

Thanks very much in advance.

[E65Ross]

I have just read on DC Rainmaker that it's a bug, and that it is not a low battery, but the unit is telling the Garmin it is low. Irritating, but I'd rather that than having to change the battery every ew weeks. Hopefully a firmare update will be releaed to sort it. I've contacted power2max so will see what they say.

[Jimbo.]

Something amusing about a power meter showing “low power”

[addey]

I've got an FSA powerbox which is basically a power2max unit (although I'm not sure which one?) I got it April last year and by the end of the summer I was suffering regular power dropouts - every minute it would read zero for 5 secs then go back to normal. It was replaced under warranty sometime in September then within a couple of months I started getting the dropouts again. Decided to borrow a garmin to check whether it was the headunit (I use a wahoo elemnt) and the first thing I got when I connected to the garmin was a low battery warning (evidently wahoo's don't give you this info). So I changed the battery and its now all fine with zero dropouts.

So I would say there is a battery issue, in that they seem to rinse through batteries far quicker than they should! I think they are supposed to do 400hrs so when I first had the problem last summer I didn't even think to change the battery (I definitely hadn't done 400hrs!) In your case, I'd maybe wait to see if you get any dropouts before changing the batteries?

[E65Ross]

Thanks for that info. Reading around online it isn't a battery issue and just a bug and the unit should be absolutely fine. I did a few hours riding on the old battery after it said battery level low and had absolutely no issues with any drop outs of power data etc but changed it out of precaution.

I'll just see how it goes! Be interesting to see what power2max say to my email.

[frisbee]

My Quarq reads 86% with a new battery and 65% just before it stops working!

[E65Ross]

Lol, not exactly helpful eh! Did 2 hours this morning and no low battery warnings... No power drop outs etc. Must be the bug DC Rainmaker mentioned.

[E65Ross]

Just an update as I got an email back from power2max earlier. They said it is a software glitch and I should update the power meter using their app which I plan to try out later this evening

[E65Ross]

I installed their app and registered my power meter, the battery was reading 64%, then 78% then 44%! I updated the firmware on the unit as instructed and its now reading 92% and its staying there! That's a bit more like it! Garmin also saying battery status as "new". This is great. I had the battery run out on my last power meter during a ride which was very annoying, that unit wouldn't report the battery level so changing it is just as and when you think.

Happy days