Polar CS600 Power - First on the Block...

[J-V]

If the cadence doesn't pick up, the power and cadence don't work, everything else does work (speed, HR, alt). Don't be surprised if it starts getting flaky after a couple of hundred miles, seems like the norm. Good luck, hopefully Polar has figured this out in later batches.

Sent the power sensor into Polar USA in NY today, and they said I should have it back by the end of the week. They said that they hadn't yet had any reports of problems, but I'm not sure if I believe it, because he only asked me to return the power sensor, not the whole unit. Most tech support people would require you to at least send the computer with it, not assuming that you'd done your troubleshooting homework adequately.

Should be interesting to see if it comes back in working order...

 

[J-V]

Sent the power sensor into Polar USA in NY today, and they said I should have it back by the end of the week. They said that they hadn't yet had any reports of problems, but I'm not sure if I believe it, because he only asked me to return the power sensor, not the whole unit. Most tech support people would require you to at least send the computer with it, not assuming that you'd done your troubleshooting homework adequately.

Should be interesting to see if it comes back in working order...

Got a brand new power sensor back from Polar, they said mine performed fine on their test bed, though I don't think it introduces vibration as a factor. The new unit (which the tech rep tested before sending) was flaky, so I then replaced the battery compartment and battery cable, which appears (for now, anyway) to have solved the issue. The chain speed sensor/cable and cyclocomputer are the only things that have not been replaced a third time, so I told them I'd ride this a month to be sure it fixes this issue once and for all.

For those of you with maddening random power/cadence dropouts, it would appear that it may be a power supply issue, not a sensing or transmission issue.

Also, FWIW, the first 500 production units released in Europe had the 'looseness' issue in the guts of the power sensor, which has subsequently been fixed on the production line. No U.S. units should have come from that initial batch, which was released months in advance of U.S. release.

Gosh I hope this thing works, Mt. Evans is tomorrow AM, and I'd sure like to get some data. Missed getting data for the Triple Bypass, which really bummed me out. Hopefully this will be the end of the issue...

 

[mortimer99]

Hi Guys,



Excited new owner of a CS600 here. It looks great. I just can’t get the cadence/power data to transmit. I have all the sensors mounted.



I guess my initial question for anybody with a working setup:

When testing the power sensor I get 1 red blink then the green cadence flashes on the sensor. Is this normal or should I be getting both red and green flashes during the testing?



Thanks in advance

I can't even get the lights to flash, although I acutally have no idea where they are. Are they in that little strip on the paddle?

Since I couldn't get them to flash I figued I would see if the head unit would pick up the sensor. No luck. Any suggestions? I am about ready to take it back and exchange it.

BTW, whom ever wrote that instruction manual should be fired....

 

[J-V]

I can't even get the lights to flash, although I acutally have no idea where they are. Are they in that little strip on the paddle?

Since I couldn't get them to flash I figued I would see if the head unit would pick up the sensor. No luck. Any suggestions? I am about ready to take it back and exchange it.

BTW, whom ever wrote that instruction manual should be fired....

Yes, they are on the top of the power sensor ('paddle') near the center groove I think, and can be quite hard to see. Dim the lights, and pass a magnet right near the cadence sensor marking to test it (the lights are right above the cadence marking). Note that after awhile of testing (or riding) the lights quit firing, and won't light again until it's been left alone for awhile (5 minutes, maybe?).

 

[wirespeed]

Thanks to everyone that posted in this thread. All of your posts have been extremely informative... much moreso than any of the reviews I've found online as you've provided real-world data and real install experiences. I've been an extremely happy Polar (720) user for years, but I'd heard horror stories about their power setup so I hadn't really been considering their solution or upgrading to the CS600 until now. It seemed like if I wanted a good power solution, I needed to go with another vendor.

I'm on the precipice of buying a PM (finally got the OK from the wife), and I'd really only been considering the Powertap SL 2.4. I will miss the altitude readings I get from my 720 though, and I agree with J\V that their imporant (I rarely have any drift at all on my 720's altitude readings). Based on what I've read in this thread, it seems like the Polar can be a pain to install, and may or may not have all the bugs worked out. I'm curious to hear what you guys would recommend. Would you purchase another CS600 if you were doing it over again, or would you grab a PT or Ergomo? Obviously there's a big difference in cost, but from everything I've read it would seem that the PT is more reliable for the main reason I want it... power output. As undesirable as it sounds, maybe I'll need to get a Garmin as well and use it along with the PT to get all the data I actually want. Or maybe for training purposes, altitude isn't as important as it is in my mind.

Let me know what you guys think. The 'next big thing' after I get a PM is a TT bike, so if I can save some cash now, it will make it'll be more money I can put into the TT bike down the road. Thanks in advance!

One other thing... I upgraded my HRM strap to the Wearlink model not too long ago, and love it. I'm surprised to hear any complaints about it at all as I find it more comfortable and servicable than the previous all-plastic-strap model. I occasionally get the Wind/descending increase in HR, but it appears to be related to how tight the jersey is that I'm wearing. If the jersey is tight I rarely get any change in HR at all. If it's loose and flaps around, I'll often see variance in windy and descending conditions.

 

[Ergoman]

SNIP I'm on the precipice of buying a PM (finally got the OK from the wife), and I'd really only been considering the Powertap SL 2.4. I will miss the altitude readings I get from my 720 though.....SNIP

My thoughts after a month with the Polar CS600:

The installation is easy and simple but ugly. The users manual is very poor. The disposable power batteries last about 20 to 30 hours of actual riding time and the battery holder is poorly designed and double ugly. A small battery case that would velco under the saddle with rechargeable batteries would be far superior. Power readings are accurate and consistent but there are erroneous spikes caused by shifting chainrings, bumps, soft-pedaling, etc. These spikes require careful editing so as not to influence maximum power data. The altitude data is VERY helpful. The WIND wireless setup is as nearly flawless as wireless can be and the heart monitor functions and bundled software are without peer. Memory is short with one second recording intervals; however chances are that if you ride more than 2 hrs you're not going to be too likely to get much use from 1 second interval data. Five second data is much smoother in any case. All-in-all, the CS600 is a great deal for the dollar and a functional, if slightly quirky power meter.

I also have an Ergomo Pro. It cost three times what the CS600 cost. After careful installation and with frequent offset checks it gives very accuate and consistent power data. The Ergomo menus and computer functions are better than the CS600, and the Ergomo is not affected by power spikes, does not have an ugly installation or need disposable batteries. The custom screens and interval functions are wonderful. It, like the CS600 also records temperature and altitude data.

If I had it to do over again, and I had the bucks, I'd get the Ergomo, but if I was on a budget, I wouldn't feel like I was compromising much except aesthetics by purchasing a CS600.

 

[J-V]

I'd pretty much agree with Ergoman above, although I've not used other PMs on my bike (have a PowerTap on the indoor cycle). Now that my 'interruption in power issue' appears to be resolved (formerly known as my 'cadence dropout' issue), I'm happy with the unit. There are some interface quirks that could be better, but that's true of any PM. I've had very few data dropouts, probably similar to my s720i, including the wind/descent/HR increase issue. I now like the WearLink transmitter, though I still don't completely understand the little tabs on the connection sides of it. As Ergoman said, the installation is a bit intrusive, but I'm lucky in that my S-Works Tarmac Sl is black and red, and most people barely even notice it's on there unless they take a good long look (which, admittedly, is more the norm than not ). Now that I've installed mine several times, installation really isn't that hard... LOL

If you are wanting to save (more than) a few bucks, the CS600 is a no-brainer, especially in concert with Performance Bike's (Team Performance) 10% back and frequent sales. Also, Nashbar often has a '20% off cycling computers' sale, which Performance will match. Do the math, and the resultant price is far, far less than any other PM out there (intentionally ignoring the iBike). Suffice it to say that I absolutely would buy another CS600 again.

Anyway, that's my $0.02 in a world where pennies are obsolete!

 

[wirespeed]

Guys... I really appreciate the opinions/advice. Thanks so much.

I've had my heart set on a PT for such a long time, but I'm now seriously considering the CS600. It's nice to hear (from real people) that the power readings are accurate and that you feel good about your purchase. I may go with the CS600 now instead of the PT.

 

[J-V]

Well, I half hesitate to report that the cadence/power dropouts are again returning with increasing frequency; the only thing left to change out is the chain speed sensor/cord assembly. The first time it happened wiggling the cord connections immediately returned it to a working state, but now it's becoming more random (i.e. won't come back to life for a minute or five).

 

[manos]

Well, I half hesitate to report that the cadence/power dropouts are again returning with increasing frequency; the only thing left to change out is the chain speed sensor/cord assembly. The first time it happened wiggling the cord connections immediately returned it to a working state, but now it's becoming more random (i.e. won't come back to life for a minute or five).

My polar has exactly the same sickness!

Did you have been finding any good medicine!

Greetings

 

[jeff262]

My polar has exactly the same sickness!

Did you have been finding any good medicine!

Greetings

Okay. Time to go back and edit all of my posts claiming flawless performance. A couple of rides ago I started to get the dropouts mentioned here. Yesterday I started it up and NOTHING. Too busy to try anything right now. If I can't it fixed on my own this weekend guess I will have to give Polar a call!

 

[jstock]

I guess this might be a little too obvious but have you checked your batteries? I did have the original bug that got fixed. But lately it started to behave exactly the same. Since my batteries were supposed to be fresh, I at first thought that the original problem was coming back. But after 2 rides with seemingly random dropouts I changed the batteries and it was good again.

 

[Ergoman]

I've had similar issues with non-functioning power. At this time, I attribute them to the crappy design of the power battery holder. As my wife observed, it looks like something from the Dollar Store.

A solution that seems to have worked for me is to carefully check and bend the bottom connector tabs on the battery holder so that a positive contact is insured. In any case, I would suggest that you check the battery connections everywhere as a first step toward solving the problem.

Why couldn't Polar just supply a nice rechargeable NiCad with a Velcro strap and enough cable to mount under the seat or at the top of the seatstays? An aftermarket setup like this would certainly sell to me.

 

[pistole]

- have been reading a bit about PM units , and caught this thread.

- sad that POLAR would release something like this , when it's not been sorted.
.

 

[jeff262]

Well, I finally had time this weekend to figure out what might be wrong. I approached it with hopes that it was the battery but that proved to not be the case. I pulled out the multimeter and got a solid reading at the point that the cord enters the paddle. A variety of cord wiggling, plugging and unplugging followed with no results. I will be giving Polar a call tomorrow and will update.

I've had similar issues with non-functioning power. At this time, I attribute them to the crappy design of the power battery holder. As my wife observed, it looks like something from the Dollar Store.

A solution that seems to have worked for me is to carefully check and bend the bottom connector tabs on the battery holder so that a positive contact is insured. In any case, I would suggest that you check the battery connections everywhere as a first step toward solving the problem.

Why couldn't Polar just supply a nice rechargeable NiCad with a Velcro strap and enough cable to mount under the seat or at the top of the seatstays? An aftermarket setup like this would certainly sell to me.

 

[bverdon]

Well, I finally had time this weekend to figure out what might be wrong. I approached it with hopes that it was the battery but that proved to not be the case. I pulled out the multimeter and got a solid reading at the point that the cord enters the paddle. A variety of cord wiggling, plugging and unplugging followed with no results. I will be giving Polar a call tomorrow and will update.

Wow....you guys made me read all this stuff just to finally see what I was searching for....cadence and power outages.

I have only had my CS 600 for a week and have been strugling with this very issue. At first I thought it was simply the surfboard losing contact with the magnet...adjusted the surboard too close...and lost the magnet!

Replaced the magnet (had a spare!) and got things working...then dropouts again.

So...then I started looking closer at the battery compartment...I took the battery sleeve out and noticed the two springs...carefully pulled on them out a little bit, installed the sleeve back into the battery pack and things started working again. Went out for a 3 hour ride and thought I had it figured out until I hit a few bumps and then it went in and out several more times during the ride. Then I took the sleeve out again...and starting thinking. I noticed that the batteries kind of gave in the middle where the two batteries met and wondered if that was the problem...maybe when I hit some bumps, they get loose...and then when I hit another bump...the rejoin and make contact again. So...I took the sleeve out, and put a piece of electrical tape arount he middle and center of the two batteries to ensure they don't move during the ride. I will see how things go over the next few days...I hope that is it! That will be an easy fix.

I will report back my findings.

 

[pistole]

- is this thing still being beta-tested ?

- or are they shipping it out already ?



.

 

[bverdon]

- is this thing still being beta-tested ?

- or are they shipping it out already ?



.

No...this has been released earlier in the year.

Just a quick update...so far so good...the tape around the batteries have seemed to produce good results...so far! I rode over some pretty good bumps and never had a drop on power or cadance.

Let's see what the next few rides do though...

 

[bverdon]

No...this has been released earlier in the year.

Just a quick update...so far so good...the tape around the batteries have seemed to produce good results...so far! I rode over some pretty good bumps and never had a drop on power or cadance.

Let's see what the next few rides do though...

Well...the tape around the battery sleeve did not resolve the issue...

I am focusing more on the spring leads of the sleeve not making constant contact with the positive/negative contact point at the bottom of the battery pack. Maybe it is just the battery pact...I am not sure. I contacted Polar but they are basically telling me to just contact my local shop where I purchased the device. I guess if they had spare parts...that would be ok...but basically they will probably have to send the entire device back.

 

[jeff262]

You might want to get a cheap multimeter, maybe $15 from Depot or Radio Shack, and make sure it is battery dropouts. I thought it was contacts but got a good voltage and the ends of the leads going into the paddle.

Judging by the response I got from Polar tech support the dropouts are certainly a known issue. Without too much hesitation I was told to send the power unit in for warranty service. It should arrive at Polar Friday. Judging by the remarks here I am guessing it will take them a week or so to turn it around.

Well...the tape around the battery sleeve did not resolve the issue...

I am focusing more on the spring leads of the sleeve not making constant contact with the positive/negative contact point at the bottom of the battery pack. Maybe it is just the battery pact...I am not sure. I contacted Polar but they are basically telling me to just contact my local shop where I purchased the device. I guess if they had spare parts...that would be ok...but basically they will probably have to send the entire device back.