No you don't have to unplug it.

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Jesse Bartholomew

For the last six weeks or so the off set number on my PowerTap 3G has been 291. Is this still OK or does the hub need recalibrating? Thanks

I have a g3 problem

after updating the firmware on my powercap my hub no longer works, none of my 3 garmin devices will talk to the hub and now my computer has issues reconnecting to the powercap. oddly if will acknowledge the cap with the battery out, but when connected with the battery in, poweragent returns a "no supported devices were found" message.

after several tries I can get the process to start, but then it stops saying I have to complete the windows hardware wizard.

any ideas that might save my bacon here?

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I reject your reality and substitute my own!
Adam Savage

Have you tried a new battery?

Something may have gone wrong in the update process although we're not aware of a specific issue that would cause this.

I would recommend giving us a call.

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Jesse Bartholomew

Should be about 500 to 524 so 291 isn't good. Sorry but sounds like this one needs service.

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Jesse Bartholomew

Hi jesse,

I changed the battery which got the cap transmitting to my garmin again, and re ran the update process on a different PC. It reported that the firmware had indeed updated. now running on 16.046. cheers for the advice, I hadn't considered the battery as the hub was working ok on the old one. Just glad here that I hadn't bricked the powercap.

Also, what is an acceptable lifespan for the torque tube? my original SL+ only lasted a year before I had to send it back for a rebuild because it was reporting 485 cal, which came back with the G3 setup. ( reporting 505 calibration on its return ) now barely a year on it has drifted down to 498 . ( less of a shift than the original admittedly )

does the hub need a rebuild every year or am I unlucky? how far out will the power figures be at 498?

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I reject your reality and substitute my own!
Adam Savage

OK Jesse, thanks for your help

Is the ANT+ upgrade still available from Powertap? I dont see it on your website. I'm looking at a set of used Hed C2 wheels with a PT 2.4 hub but want to upgrade to ANT+ so I can use with my Garmin? Or should I just stay away from that vintage hub and spend the $ on a G3?

After 5 years we've discontinued the updater. Sorry. The G3 really is worth the little extra $ at this point, especially after the new pricing.....

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Jesse Bartholomew

Hello, my G3 hub has been showing 498-503 for a while now so I called Pligap up and was advised that it should be 512 + - 6 and that my hub needs to be sent back to be looked at. I've now come across this thread and seeing that's is more like 512 +- 17, it would be great is you can advise me which is the correct figure to go by and if my hub needs to go back for a service. The power readings feel fine and its just I was concerned about the lower figure of around 500.

Thanks Richard.

I recently bought a SL that the seller claims was upgraded at the factory to wireless ANT. However I cannot get it to pair with my Garmin 910. I've updated the Garmin firmware and made sure it was fully charged. Nothing. The LYC that came with it seems to pick up the powertap fine. I've also tried to use my trainerroad app on my computer, no go. Any suggestions?

I have a 2011 Pro+ with Garmin 500. Mine consistently passes calibration at 491. It's outside of that range, but consistent. Is that OK?

Can power data be analyzed on a smartphone or tablet? I have been using power agent on my laptop, but it is getting old and is too slow. I have been considering to replace my laptop with a tablet, but I am not sure if it has the ability to be used for power file analysis. I was thinking that my phone could possibly be more convenient than a tablet or laptop, but I'm not sure if this would be possible?!?!?

Are smartphones and/or tablets compatible with analysis software? If so, what are the system requirements needed?

Hello,
with my Linux (Ubuntu), I cannot have the Joule GPS in "connected" mode: USB is recognized and the Joule can be charged but the display is the normal one.
Thanks

Bump. Still curious if my Powertap LYC can be downloaded to a smartphone or tablet??

So i picked up a used G3 wheelset on ST (Hed C2s, frt hub DT-240s), it also came with the Joule 2.0. How accurate is the cadence that is broadcast by the G3 hub? Should i consider buying a cadence sensor (Garmin GSC-10 or Cyclelops version)?

As stated quite a few times here, the calibration range really isn't a hard and fast rule. More of a guideline. The numbers are less a reflection on the actual power output displayed and more an indication of how much the system is adjusting for various factors such as temperature. This ability to adjust is what keeps data accurate over time.

We often recommend service if these numbers are changing frequently or by large amounts or both because under normal conditions and operation it shouldn't need to adjust by more than +/- 17 or so but just because it did doesn't mean your data is bad.

Paligap is a certified PowerTap service center and internally they are held to a tighter range when they do calibration which are different than what is acceptable in the field. Hope this helps-

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Jesse Bartholomew

This is kind of a tricky question and comes down to 3 things in my mind:
1- What exactly do you mean by "analysis"?
2- What exactly do you mean by "compatible"?
3- What devices do you already have, specifically head unit or bike computer

Depending on your answer to those questions there are number of different options. Not knowing exactly what you're after I'll try and offer some information.

Most power meters, PowerTap included, operate under a basic architecture where you have a sensor or series of sensors (hub, chest strap, speed sensor maybe etc.) and those sensors broadcast data to something. Traditionally that has been a "head unit" of some kind like the Joule, LYC or a Garmin. These head units are then plugged in to a laptop and data is extracted and can be analyzed on desktop software like PowerAgent or WKO or it can be uploaded to websites like TrainingPeaks or Strava. PowerAgent let's you do this in one click after you input your Strava and/or TrainingPeaks credentials. Others can certainly chime in here and offer other opinions but if you are using PowerAgent currently the easiest thing you can do would be to sign up for a Training Peaks or Strava account, use PowerAgent to download your data, maybe take a quick look and then for any future "analysis" use Training Peaks or Strava etc. which you can view on your phone or tablet either via their respective apps. or just on a web browser. Again, there are all kinds of options out there for analysis and while we have our own opinions it really comes down to you and what you're trying to do. We simply try and make it as easy as possible for you to get PowerTap data to wherever you want it.

One final note- many sensors, including PowerTap (click here for more info.) are adding Bluetooth Smart capability for the reasons you mention regarding convenience etc. This allows sensors to communicate directly with your phone but in most cases it will mean that the head unit you currently have can't display data while you ride and you'd have to put your phone on your bars which has a number of issues that I won't get into here but the trends are definitely heading this way and the solutions will get better and better. For example, in addition to offering a PowerTap hub that combines ANT+ and Bluetooth into a single component we are working on a new Joule GPS device that also has Bluetooth Smart so we can pair to Bluetooth sensors but also "download" or transfer data to the phone post-ride to our mobile app (more info. here)

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Jesse Bartholomew

The PowerTap hub cadence is extremely accurate but not very precise. In other words after an hour ride the cadence will be spot on when compared to an actual sensor but at any given second it might be off by 3-5 rpm.

So, if you're doing cadence specific workouts you might want to consider one of our sensors (http://www.powertap.com/...d-and-cadence-sensor) but if you just want a general idea of what your cadence was post-interval or post-ride the hub data is more than fine.

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Jesse Bartholomew

Went for a ride today and the PowerTap seemed to calibrate normally with a value of 506. However the power was only 3-5W for the ride. I stopped for a while halfway into the ride and when I started out again the calibration was now > 25000 but seemed to be reading power in the right ballpark. I stopped a few times and tried recalibrating and the result was always over 25000.

Does this sound like a Ptap issue or a Garmin problem. I'm using a Garmin 800 and PowerTap G3 which is less than 1 month old. I put new batteries in when I received it.

The cadence during the ride seemed normal with no apparent dropouts so I am assuming the batteries are OK.

Any ideas?

Hi Jesse,

I have an alloy wheelset from Powertap, circa 2011. The Pro hub I believe with velocity A23 rim. I've had good luck with it so far and have roughly 9k miles on it, just a few battery changes. Cal almost always between 498 and 503.

Today it seemed to go dead 50 minutes into an hour workout... Basically disappeared from my garmin and TrainerRoad and couldn't be repaired or found again. I decided to replace the batteries (they were 250 hrs old) but that didn't seem to help.

After fiddling with it some more I noticed the battery holder seemed to wiggle around a little. I added a small piece of tape next to it to tighten up the wiggle... And it seems to work again.

My question for you -- should I feel good that this will fix my dropout? (Is this a known issue at all). Or did I just get lucky with my fiddling and it may drop out when I least expect it again?

Thanks for your attention, it really is much appreciated.

Jesse-

Should there be any concern for a brand new G3 hub that came in and "calibrates" (i.e. zero offset on a garmin) shows in the mid-490's (493-497)? My understanding was the range should be between 500-515.

Hi Mobix
Have you had any luck connecting your Joule GPS with ubuntu as I've had no luck at all

I was wondering if anyone on here was having issues with the latest garmin 500 firmware, and powertap pro/g3 ? Are there any issues here known to Cycleops ?

I had a replacement torque tube for my sl+ hub in August, and then that one went bad (initially reading low by about 10%, and then went crazy and calibration went off scale)

Then I had a loan wheel for a couple of weeks and that also seemed to read low by 10%. (have I lost fitness!!??)

But then I got the my wheel back with a replacement torque tube. Now the numbers seem right (I haven't lost fitness :))

Good numbers for a couple of weeks...

Then I get a calibration of 450, and the power numbers are nuts. Stop after 10 mins and recalibrate ... now 530-550.. but numbers seem ok. Then it got higher and higher on subsequent rides, so returned this one and I'm now on another loan wheel with a cycleops joule gps on loan and this seems ok.

So paligap are thinking that the latest firmware for garmin 500 is pushing the calibration out because its strange to get so many problems. its just a theory for the moment

So I'm wonder if anyone else has experienced this and are there any known issues or anything under investigation?


Edit: Saris and Paligap have looked after me well, I'm impressed with their customer service and how they handled this, and I thought it would be fair to say so here :) -- thank you :)

Has anybody out there had any success in replacing the cones on the older wired PTs?

I've got an older model that still shows a calibration of ~510, but is in need of a new cone. (Older = model with flat cover that attaches with two screws). I bought it off of ST classifieds, with the full knowledge that the bearings were a little rough. I was able to use it for a few rides before re-packing the hub - fantastic improvement, but the cone is a bit pitted.

I've called CycleOps, and they no longer manufacture the cone or have any in stock - has anybody used cones from other vendors on this hub? I'd like to get it cleaned up as much as possible.

Thanks!
Sam