Stupid @#!& Computer!!!
 

I posted this in the General section, but hardly got a response. Perhaps this forum will be more helpful, it usually is.

My Cateye Strada Wireless has been acting up lately. It will go just fine for a few miles, then read 0.0 for some time, then it will turn off, then come back on, then freeze at some random speed I was going, then go back to 0.0, then go to a different speed, etc. All in one ride.

I replaced both batteries, same symptoms.

Went on a ride the other morning, and it worked flawlessly the entire ride. Then I went out the other night, and it acted up again and I'm thinking hmmmmmm why only at night?

Last night, I tried something new, I turned my headlight off while I was riding, voila! almost instantaneously the computer read 21.2 and was fluctuating as I slowed/sped up. I turned the light back on and it went back to zero.

The light is a Niterider MiNewt 600 and I was using it on low power. Before last night, I had been using my Niterider MiNewt 250 on high power, and had been using it for 6 months with no issues, until about 1 month ago.

At first, I thought it could be something to do with frequencies, but then I wondered why I rode so many trouble free miles with the same light and computer. I'm now starting to wonder if it could have something to do with the heat... about a month ago it got really hot. Or perhaps the battery in the computer is low/damaged which could cause it to be more vunerable to issues like this?

Help?! It's driving me crazy. I tried moving everything around and it still didn't work.

Sounds like some sort of interference from the light. I don't use a light, so my guess is as good as yours.

FYI, batteries usually work better in warmer temperatures. They store better at cooler temperatures. Check it with a volt-meter to rule out a bad battery.

I had the exact same problem with a far less powerful light (one of the planetbike 3 led ones). That problem was solved by remounting the display unit of the computer on the stem, so it was slightly behind the light. I guess I just got it out of whatever interference pattern the LED was putting out. I do not know whether it would work with that powerful of a light, but it's worth a shot and would take about 2 seconds to test out. Try different configurations, and you may find one that works.

It has been mounted on the stem since day one. I went almost 5 months with no issues. I tried mounting it on the other side of the handlebar as the light, still no luck. :(

That's what wireless computers do. Go wired. Wired comuters are lighter, cheaper,smaller, use less batteries, and they work.

So wireless computers are prone to interference from an LED light?

I ask because I have no experience with wireless computers. My cheap wired Schwinn computer would do something similar and I noted that the wheel sensors had moved out of position. I placed them so that you could slip a piece of paper between them and they were right next to each other. Problem solved.
Ernest

Depends on the phase of the moon. I've had various combinations of Cateye Adventure and Strada wireless cyclecomps next to Eos Bike and Cateye lights, and never had a problem.

Tried one wireless computer . . . interferences made it unreliable.
Using hard wired on our tandem and single. No further issues.

Or you can ditch the computer and bask in the freedom of the ride.

I used to have Polar wireless stuff that was sensitive to LED lights (which give off a lot of EMI from the PWM circuits used to regulate the brightness). Since I cut over to Garmin and ANT+ I haven't had any issues with interference from my lights.

I never can see a computer when I need lights. But I use wired computers as they are cheaper, respond faster, and the batteries last way longer.

Wireless computers get interference from all kinds of things. Dump the wireless. That would have eliminated this thread already.

Of course no one needs this, but a piece of fiber optic cable from the light will light the computer right up. It's ugly though. I'm a closet Fred.


You probably already figured that out

There was a thread about this very same issue in the bicycle gadgets sub-forum:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...-cyclocomputer

There are a number of bicycle headlights out there which produce oscillating magnetic fields. These fields interfere with analog wireless cycle computers. If you have enough "real estate" on your handlebars, you might be able to put enough distance between the light and the computer to prevent this.

My original bicycle computer was a Bontrager Trip 5W analog wireless computer. When I installed a Planet Bike Blaze 2W headlight, my computer went haywire. I was not able to increase the distance between the light and the computer, so I solved the problem by buying a digital wireless computer, a Bontrager Node 1. Of course, switching to a wired cycle computer would also work.

Note: this is not just an after-dark issue. I use my headlight in flash mode almost every time I ride on the roads.

Cateyes suck. If you can't afford a Garmin, cheap Nashbar wireless computer FTW.

There's threads all over the place about this. It comes up often.

Ding Ding Ding !!!!

Thanks for your useful response.

The rest of you get a sincere thank you.

I've been without a cyclecomputer for a few years now. Ran over my last one with a Lincoln Mark VII LSC and never replaced it. It's been pretty nice but I found I did ride slower without feedback.

Just got a fancy fone with ride tracking apps on it and it stays in the pocket. So I just ride like hell and look at the stats when I get home.

EDIT: well, that ain't exactly true. I have one app that tells me via the phone's speaker how many minutes each mile took me and another that announces what my elapsed time, mileage and average speed are.

Whatever. I'm just saying that the problems are very common all over the world.

Get one w a 2.4 ghz connection. No interference. love my V3 for this reason

heretic!

I had the same problem with a cateye wireless and I sent it back but it was past 30 days and they gave me a new one in box, not any refund that I wanted. So it's still in the box. I ride slower as a result, but I like not being distracted by the little numbers on my handle bars. Only time i miss it is during hill repeats and intervals, which I kind of do in my head instead. It ain't perfect, but really, who really cares about all those number? Also, I know when the chain needs lube - it talks to me funny. Don't need a distance related maintenance schedule

Had the exact same problem with a Sigma BC1606L double wireless, and Dinotte lights. Moved the light, battery pack, AND connecting wire far enough away, and it stopped interfering. Funny thing was, it wouldn't happen right away, it would sometime take a few minutes of riding before the intereference would start up.

Haven't noticed it with the Garmin 705.

My CatEye (Strada cadence wireless) did the same thing. I still have it, if anyone wants it. No charge, 'cause it doesn't really do anything useful. But it was pretty expensive for a paperweight. :mad:

I'm in the same situation as Seattle Forrest but I'll take $100 for mine :)

I have the same exact problem. They key is when the light is on a power setting lower than "high". The circuitry in the unit must emit interference when it's keeping the output lower. If you try the 250 on low or medium, I would expect it to cause the same trouble as you're seeing with the 600.

There was a similar issue raised in the electronics forum on this topic. I think the person had some success in putting some aluminum foil shielding around the light.

That is just a miracle product. I line my helmet with it to prevent government satellites from reading the bioelectrical impluses generated by my brain.

This also works quite well to cook my brain to about med-well on any given ride. Perfect for the zombies once I get home.

Your bike computer is reading the thoughts in your brain through your eyes. You need to cover your face too.