My Di2 is Broken!
 

In order to gain access to the Shimano synchro-shift feature, I decided to upgrade my Ultegra Di2 drivetrain by adding a new battery (BT-BN 110) and the wireless unit (EW-WU 111). I followed the instructions I found on YouTube videos, but have yet to achieve success. Specifically, the rear derailleur no longer responds, nor do I get any response from the LEDs on the junction box when I depress the button underneath. The only way I get an LED response from the junction box is when I hold down one of the shift paddles/buttons.


It's probably worth mentioning that the components comprising my drivetrain are a mixture of 6870 and 8050. Both derailleurs are of the 8050 variety, but I believe the shifters are 6870.


Charging of the new battery appears to have completed successfully. To eliminate the possibility that the rear derailleur was not getting a signal, I double checked all connections.


The author of a YouTube video about installing these components reported similar symptoms. He had to remove the wireless unit to get everything working again. I have yet to do so. Doing so would be a last resort. Once I remove the wireless unit from its current location, it will be difficult if not impossible to reach the end of the cable. But at this point, I have run out of ideas. I guess I'll try removing the wireless unit now. In the meantime, any other ideas are welcome.

Did you just wing it when you changed and added stuff? Or did you get the dealer manuals from Shimano and read up on what you were supposed to do and how to do it?

Hmm. If following the directions I found in instructional videos on YouTube constitutes "winging it," then yes, I guess I did.

In the meantime, I have taken the wireless unit out of the mix. Nothing has changed. It's still not working.

The documentation included with the parts contains a link to the online materials. I'll take a look at those now.

You bricked it. Do you have the computer interface to Etube?

I have the e-tube application for Windows installed on my laptop and I have the SM-BCR2

Reload the firmware.

Have you looked at this website https://bettershifting.com/? The owner of that site often comes on here and he is wealth of information.

Specifically have a look at this page. https://bettershifting.com/di2-wirel...hooting-guide/

Hmm. It does not appear as though the e-Tube Project software likes my linkage device. I'm not getting a connection. It appears as though it's looking for an SM-PCE1 or SM-PCE02. I'm checking the device manager..

I take it back. My linkage device is among those listed, it's just that my computer doesn't seem to see it.

Try followng the directions for taking the rear derailer out of crash mode.

In my opening comments, I said, "...nor do I get any response from the LEDs on the junction box when I depress the button underneath." I'm thinking that my best bet will be to reload the firmware. Currently, I can't do so because Windows doesn't seem to be detecting the linkage device (SM-BCR2). I've done it before, so I'm not sure what's wrong. I hope it's not something as simple as the USB cable that I'm using. I don't know whether it's the one that originally came with the SM-BCR2.

Also, I'll take a look at some of the links provided above.

Well, if the photos of the USB cable that I'm seeing online are any indication, I do have the right one. So, I'm no closer to to figuring out why the E-Tube software can't see my device.

Do you have a voltmeter to check the battery? Does the charge light go out after a period of time? It sounds like you have lost a connection somewhere. Have you tried going back to your old battery?

Sorry to hear about the headache, sounds very frustrating. Can you borrow a laptop or bring the bike to an LBS? Or a Radio Shack? ;)

What did you use to charge the battery? You need to use an adapter that will put out more than 1 amp. They say 1 amp or better, but I've been bitten when using an adapter with 1 amp.

Unless you have USB 3 on your computer and know which USB port is the USB 3 port, then it only puts out .5 amps. So it's a poor choice

Unfortunately, all of my tools are in storage, so I can't check the battery. However, there are no indications that the charging process didn't work. Yes, the charge light goes out. The front derailleur works fine, and the green LED comes on in response to manipulation of any of the shift controls.

I have suspected that there might be a loose connection. I have checked them multiple times.

My bike is of the travel variety, meaning that the frame comes apart. Unfortunately, taking the frame apart often results in dislodging the cables. Whoever installed the system did a great job of minimizing the amount of slack in the cables, but that also resulted in a lack of flexibility and tolerance. Some of the connections are recessed within the frame and difficult to access. It's not always easy to secure those connections with a reassuring snap. I will check all of the connections again, paying particular attention the ones near the bottom bracket shell that keep popping out.

Reinstalling the old battery has occurred to me. It's the first thing I'll do after extending the cable to which it's attached, and rechecking all of the connections. If I don't extend the cable, it means that every time I want to service the battery I have to take the frame apart. I'll spare you the details, but it's complicated and tedious.

If you can get the cable to work, etube has a diagnostics tool which should let you know of any malfunctioning parts. I'm assuming it works as advertised because I've not had to use it though.

I used Shimano's own charger (SM-BCR2) which was plugged into the USB outlet of a power strip.

And if I didn't mention it before, when I plug the SM-BCR2 into the laptop, Windows doesn't even acknowledge it with the customary tone. I don't recall whether it ever did so before, because it has been over a year since the last time I used the linkage device to perform maintenance on the system.

SM-BCR2 is what I also use. But you have to know what the output voltage and amperage is for the thing you plug it into. Somewhere on that power strip it tells you that. Sometimes like ISO/ETRTO sizes on a bicycle tire, it's in the tiniest print embossed on that device.

Older power strips might have only used a .5 amp output for the USB. Newer ones probably are using more. You need to know. More output amperage won't hurt anything. I use my phones turbo charger which is 5vdc 3 amps output.

The SM-BCR2 like my smartphone, has the smarts built into it so it knows what rate to charge the battery at.

I don't know if that is a problem or not. I just plugged in mine and got the tones.

When you open eTube Project, does it recognize the SM-BCR2? Can you see all the individual Di2 components listed in it that are on your bike. If not, then there is definitely a problem somewhere. But whether it's between eTube and Windows or just that something is bad in your chain of Di2 components I can't say.

What version of eTube are you using with Windows? I'm still using ver 3.4.5. There have been some issues with the new vers 4.whatever and Windows that Shimano has been slow to fix. Though it's been a few months since I checked whether they fixed it.

Version 3.4.5 doesn't get uninstalled when you install the new version 4.x, so if you ever had it, it might be still on your PC.

When I've had trouble with USB stuff, I check Device Manager/ Universal Serial Bus Controllers. When you plug your cable into the computer, the list should refresh and show it. If it does, try deleting it, then when you plug it in again, it should reinstall.

Yeah. I guess an application can be written such that it bypasses the operating system and talks directly to a device, but that would be rather unusual. I think the fact that Windows doesn't acknowledge the attachment of the linkage device is significant. However, I'm not sure exactly what it means. Does it mean that there's something wrong with the SM-BCR2? Probably not. Perhaps it's because Windows isn't finding anything at the end of the connection.


Incidentally, I have upgraded to version 4 of the E-Tube Project software.

This. It sees nothing. Cable? Wiped Di2? Something like that.

There is a link test, at least with the 3.4.5 version where you can plug up your components one at a time and see that they all are being seen, doesn't really matter what order, they all communicate independently.

Regardless of which version you have, if you aren't seeing any or all of the components actually installed on your bike when you go into eTube, then you've got issues.

Do you see them?