Had planned on a ride today. Had time to fit it in between other stuff as I am sure we all do. Upgraded to the Wahoo Kickr core with Zwift Cog earlier this year as it offered a more silent experience.
Today had to abort the ride with less than 4km. Zwift Click controllers wouldnt work. Batteries probably flat. So it thought no probs quick recharge like i used to on the old Zwift Controllers. Nope. Somebody though it was a good idea to replace recharging and make us TRY and remove 8 tiny screws that requires a small headed phillips screwdriver. I have one but you cannot get any particular purchase with them because the screw drivers themselves tend to be small. Been trying for ages and loosened one screw. Now in danger of simply knackering other screw heads because some bright spark thought it would be fun to have them on soooo tight, i cant loosen them.
So i have a Zwift Cog on my wahoo that I cannot use until such as time I can eight ridiculously small screw removed to change batteries. Seriously who thought this a bright idea when it can take more time to try & change batteries than i can spend cycling.
That’s the EASY part about changing the batteries. The real challenge is still to come: reassembling the units without damaging or misaligning the sealings.
You need a high quality screwdriver that fits 100%. And you need patience and a lot of sensitivity to loosen the screws without damaging them. It’s a disgrace.
Having wasted over 3.5/4hrs, i finally managed to change the batteries. After researching online for other screwdrivers with a better handle i found that Screwfix,Im in Scotland, had a set of MAGNUSSON MIXED PRECISION SCREWDRIVER SET 6 PIECES near me. Four flat head & 2 Phillips head screwdrivers. Having driven across town & back, i found the Phillips head screwdriver to be useless. However the smallest two of the flat heads fitted and successfully managed to remove the covers.
When removing the top cover, i simply slipped in a new battery and sealed it first time. The second was wee bit of a faff but I simply lay the battery down on the terminal and didnt try to fit it into the upper cover. Yeah the seal was displaced but i easily put it back in place.
They are working after i checked via the companion app.
Going forward, i would suggest that a tiny flat head screwdriver is tool and ignore the fact the screw heads are phillips screws.
Its utterly ridiculous that we spend a lot of money on these things and the ease of replacing batteries is non-existent. Needs a total rethink. Who in their right mind thinks removing 8 tiny screws is suitable when you just want to do a workout? It needs to be rechargeable where one could simply connect to the mains supply or a powerbank and it would recharge whilst working out. Failing that a simple cover that unscrews with the side of a coin and you pop out, then pop in a new battery in seconds.
Battery compartments containing replaceable button cell or coin batteries must be secured such that they require the use of a tool or at least two independent and simultaneous hand movements to open.
I am not an attorney, so I could be wrong, but it could be that simply unscrewing the battery compartment with a coin does not satisfy the two independent and simultaneous movements requirement.
Devices as small as the Click controllers would be difficult to make rechargeable and immune to sweat ingress, I would imagine. Especially if you were to recharge while riding - that’s the worst thing you could do.
The Play controllers were rechargeable, yet there were many reports of sweat ingress rendering them non-functional.
Mmmmmm. My Garmin HRM needs four similar screws to be undone before I change the battery hence i rarely use it. My Wahoo HRM uses a coin, or similar, to unscrew the cap by 1/4 or 1/2 a turn to open it. The one is use the most is the Polar H10 HRM, its also the newest. Pop a small flat head screwdriver under the cap and pop open the cap. These are all highly reputable companies and would ensure their products meet safety law.
In the US, Reese’s Law (2022) requires that coin cell battery doors either require a tool to open, or two independent and simultaneous hand movements. This seems to have done away with the old quarter-turn battery doors, but other systems have been created that don’t require screws. My more recent 4iiii power meter, for example, has a no-tool battery door that requires both hands to open. I imagine regulations in other jurisdictions are similar but in any case Zwift has to make it fit the most restrictive regulations to have a global product. It might mean licensing a design for a better battery door that meets regulatory approval.
Interesting. I have a Coospo HRM, from Amazon, that uses a quarter-turn with a coin to open, like the old Garmin HRMs. Are you telling me that this is ‘breaking the law’? And my wife just got one of the new Garmin HRMs that snaps onto a sports bra, and that uses the quarter-turn method for the battery compartment also. This jist makes it more confusing to me as to why Garmin moved away from the quarter-turn design for units like the HRM Dual (which is what I use outside). I truly dislike the 4-screw back, as the piece that comes off is exceptionally poorly designed, such that the little ‘washers’ inside the screw holes regularly break or become detached from the rest of the back, rendering it useless.