Polar Power: Cadence light works, no data to monitor (Speed works)

[Andrew F Martin]

I have googled for 20 minutes and not been able to find someone with
similar issues (although there are a ton of Polar issues posted).

I have the 720 with Power attachment. It has worked fine in the past.
When I do the start-up tests, I get the orange, red, and green lights
for Speed, Chain, and Cadence. When I actually start to ride, the
autostart works and speed is measured. What is puzzling is that the
cadence/power do not. Since I am able to see in my light test that the
cadence works, I am wondering why it might be taking in speed data, but
not cadence. Any thoughts here?

- Not the interface with the monitor: speed functions
- Not that the cadence pickup isn't working: lights go off
- Not that the system isn't looking for Cadence/Power: Both options are
"On" in the monitor

Any thoughts or troubleshooting ideas are appreciated.

-a

 

[[email protected]]

I've had the same problem. One gets zero power measurement if you have
no cadence. The cadence magnet setup that Polar ships with is
notoriously weak and finicky. Is the cadence magnet solidly attached
to the crank? Is the power pickup solidly attached to the chainstay?
Any movement and you are screwed. Is the doohicky on the derailleur
close enough to the chain? Is the doohicky on the derailleur solidly
in place? If you place your bike in a vehicle for transport it's very
easy to move one of the sensors out of alignment.






http://lists.topica.com/lists/wattage/read


http://www.midweekclub.com/powerFAQ.htm

 

[Andrew F Martin]

Yeah, that's just it - the cadence seems to pick up no problem as
indicated by the green light during startup, but it never is shown on
the monitor. Strange for sure.

 

[Per Elmsäter]

Andrew F Martin wrote:
> I have googled for 20 minutes and not been able to find someone with
> similar issues (although there are a ton of Polar issues posted).
>
> I have the 720 with Power attachment. It has worked fine in the past.
> When I do the start-up tests, I get the orange, red, and green lights
> for Speed, Chain, and Cadence. When I actually start to ride, the
> autostart works and speed is measured. What is puzzling is that the
> cadence/power do not. Since I am able to see in my light test that
> the cadence works, I am wondering why it might be taking in speed
> data, but not cadence. Any thoughts here?
>
> - Not the interface with the monitor: speed functions
> - Not that the cadence pickup isn't working: lights go off
> - Not that the system isn't looking for Cadence/Power: Both options
> are "On" in the monitor
>
> Any thoughts or troubleshooting ideas are appreciated.
>
> -a

One thing that comes to mind is the one time when I didn't attach my watch
properly to the mount. Ie the two small pointy things did not connect
properly. This gave me a whole ride with no Power data.
Another thing to check is the cadence magnet as Steven says. I don't know
how you can be so sure that the different colored LEDs are lighting up. I
sure as hell can barely tell the difference between the colors as it seems
there is a color "leak" somewhere.
When I for instance do my cadence check I make sure neither the wheel nor
the chain is moving, much. Easiest by placing the crank right by the sensor
and moving it back and forth about 5 mm.
I also bought myself a rare earth magnet and glued it on to my pedal axle.

--
Perre
I gave up on SPAM and redirected it to hotmail instead.

 

[Andrew F Martin]

Thanks for the ideas. I have had issues with the watch contacts as
well, but that's not the case now because I get speed information (I'm
using the wired speed, not wireless). So that can't be the issue. My
LEDs are really bright for some reason. The green is easy to see,
while the orange and red are similar, but discernable. I did the rare
earth thing too, but I actually got better results from the original
magnet. I'm going to swap watches with a buddy to see what I can
figure out.

-a

 

[Andrew F Martin]

Andrew F Martin wrote:
> Thanks for the ideas. I have had issues with the watch contacts as
> well, but that's not the case now because I get speed information
(I'm
> using the wired speed, not wireless). So that can't be the issue.
My
> LEDs are really bright for some reason. The green is easy to see,
> while the orange and red are similar, but discernable. I did the
rare
> earth thing too, but I actually got better results from the original
> magnet. I'm going to swap watches with a buddy to see what I can
> figure out.
>
> -a

Seems that there are connection issues somewhere in the line. Today I
lost speed measurements even when I move the sensor. I also don't have
the orange light anymore for chain speed. The Green cadence and Red
speed still work. Strange.

 

[Michael]

I don't pretend to know much about cyclos and such but while I think I
understand what "speed" and "cadence" indicators are for, I have no idea
what a "chain" indicator would be for. The one thing that my
imagination came up regarding "chain" - that the chain is moving - is
redundant. No?

Just curious.

Michael

 

[Per Elmsäter]

Michael wrote:
> I don't pretend to know much about cyclos and such but while I think I
> understand what "speed" and "cadence" indicators are for, I have no
> idea what a "chain" indicator would be for. The one thing that my
> imagination came up regarding "chain" - that the chain is moving - is
> redundant. No?
>
> Just curious.
>
> Michael

http://midweekclub.ca/powerFAQ.htm#Q5

--
Perre
I gave up on SPAM and redirected it to hotmail instead.

 

[Michael]

"Per Elmsäter" wrote:
>
> Michael wrote:
> > I don't pretend to know much about cyclos and such but while I think I
> > understand what "speed" and "cadence" indicators are for, I have no
> > idea what a "chain" indicator would be for. The one thing that my
> > imagination came up regarding "chain" - that the chain is moving - is
> > redundant. No?
> >
> > Just curious.
> >
> > Michael
>
> http://midweekclub.ca/powerFAQ.htm#Q5
>
> --
> Perre
> I gave up on SPAM and redirected it to hotmail instead.


Thanks for that, Perre. Measure/track power .... who-da thunk!
Suddenly my home-made instantaneous speed logger looks ... er ...
pedestrian.

Michael

 

[Weisse Luft]

Check setup on the monitor. Sounds like you have lost the cadence turned on. Could be you are on your #2 bike when the power setup is on #1 bike setting.