B&M e-Werks Cache Battery

[pptouring]

Looking for feedback on the e-Werks Battery from other users. My buddy and I bought two back in April from Peter White and they worked great for several rides, then they started working intermittenty, then they stopped working all together. Contacted Peter White and asked him about and he said that he had not heard of any issues, but asked that we mail them back and he'd replace them. Cool deal! Well we got two new batterires yesterday evening and.... one works and the other does not! So that is 3 out of 4 bad ones and who knows... maybe the 4th one will stop working too. We're really stumped because generally speaking the Germans make great products, but these batteries are crap!

Anyone else having issues?

[Tourista829]

I am sorry you and your friend are having trouble with your E-Werke. It would be nice if they worked properly the first time.  Despite Peter White's comment, I find it hard to believe your situation is unique. However, there may be a silver lining. Diagnosing this problem may help you and others. I too am looking to purchase one. I know someone who has one and likes it. He has it connected with a Schmidt NAB 28. I would consult him, but I believe he and his wife may be touring in Eastern Europe.

I have a few questions and a suggestion or two. What dyno hubs are you using with it? If you are using a Shimano Hub, do you have the proper voltage protection? Did you do the installation? If it was a bike shop, did they check the the way it was wired to the dyno hub? I know the E-werke has different voltage and amperage settings, are you sure they were set correctly? Did you run more than one device at the same time? When it stopped working, were the devices, they were charging, still working? Unfortunately, I am not sure that Peter White, has the inclination or the ability to test your devices and send them back to Germany for a proper evaluation.

I would make two inquires in Europe. I would write to Starbike.com. They sell dyno hubs and the E-Werke. Their staff are very knowledgeable, on these matters and may be able to help you come up with a solution. I also know their prices are a lot less than Peter White.

I would also contact Busch Muller in Germany. I am sure Peter White has their email address. It would be ashame to write off these devices without finding out the cause of the problem. If they were working and then stopped, then I believe something caused them to possible short out. Is there a fuse in it? If you provide me the answers to the above questions, I will try to research this and come up with an answer.

Sheldon Brown would have been an excellent resource but sadly died a few years ago.

[pptouring]

Bob this is Ron & Petra and we're not in Eastern Europe until August.  ;-)

Our e-werks and SON28 hubs are working great. Yesterday I hooked up a multimeter (again) and video recorded voltage and amp output without the battery attached. Then I attached the bad battery and again video recorded the outputs and it's not our hub or e-werk. After the bad battery test, I attached the "good" battery and again video recorded the outputs. Our e-werk and SON28 Hubs are working perfectly. Tonight I will put the video together, post it on youtube and then email B&M (in German) with our findings and the link to the video, so they can see it too. We performed the above test on the other two batteries before mailing them back to Peter just to make sure it wasn't out setup; however, I did not video it. I spoke with Peter yesterday evening and he says that he's sold over 100 and only had a couple minor issues! Not sure what to say other than the ones we've received are not performing correctly. Maybe a bad lot or the Germans have moved operations over to China.

[Tourista829]

Ron, I forgot you changed your name, on the forum. Greetings, I hope you and Petra are well. Sorry to hear about your troubles. What devices are you running with it besides the lighting? Do you have the Cache Battery attached to it?  How long did it work before it stopped working? Did Manny rebuild the wheel and do the set up? I have a source in the UK and one in Germany besides BM that sells alot of them. I will contact them. I have some additional comments to share with you, if you would like, but I am not sure I still have your email address. Safe riding.

[pptouring]

We're not having any issues with the e-werk, it rocks! It's the darn cache battery that is giving us troubles. The first two we had worked great for a few hundred miles, then they started getting flaky, then they just stopped charging or holding a charge. I two new batteries Tuesday from Peter and one of them works great and the other is dead, meaning it's not charging or holding a charge. Very strange. The one that is currently working makes me wonder, how long will it work? Anyway I video taped my troubleshooting for B&M to see and after Petra translates my write up, I'll email them the video and writeup. Yes UBC built our wheels when we bought the SON hubs two years ago, but that's all.

[Tourista829]

Thanks Ron, I will write my friends in Europe and see what they have to say. They have a lot of experience with this.

[pptouring]

Over 117 views and no one has one of these? 

[Shane]

Over 117 views and no one has one of these? 

118,

I went down a different track by using a varta usb battery charger (AA/AAA), not as efficient as the buffer battery from B+M but alot more versatile, can use it to charge batteries, or recharge my phone/ipod via the batteries, or as a buffer for my gps:).

I only know a couple of people using the B+M buffer and haven't heard any complaints yet....Good luck finding a solution..

Shane

[LexieCali]

Hi pptouring:

I used to have e-werk, but had similar issues. I liked that it could be charged by an independent power source, but in a few months the battery began holding less and less charge. Reminded me of my laptop battery - I guess all accumulator battery packs begin failing at some point, even German-made.

I do a lot of long-distance cycling for fun and fitness, and I like to keep my phone on for logging stats and in case of emergency/safety (I am a girl rider often cycling at night) or listening to music etc. So after my ewerk began acting up, I got a different device that guarantees phone power as long as you cycle. You can check it out here: http://www.bike2power.com/products/. It is a USB phone charger, though, not a battery pack, and it comes with a phone holder. It is powered up by a bottle dynamo. I actually connected it to my hub instead.

Other products you may want to consider are reecharge and pedal power. They are very similar to ewerk.

Have fun on your tour.
Lexie