Campagnolo EPS v3 Charging Issues

[Azabache1]

Further to all the users' reports here, I too had this problem recently (bent pins of the male connector on the charger). I had purchased a new Colnago back in 2016 with Super Record EPS v3.

There was absolutely nothing in the instructions on the need to align the male/female and I must have been very lucky indeed to have always married them up OK. Including foreign trips to Etapes and a Marmotte!

After reading up on this I contacted the main agents for their views; they were very nice and helpful but it was apparent to me that no-one's talking now and Campag are pretending that there isn't a problem and there have even been suggestions-from them and some users-that it's down to cack-handed users. Well, not all of their customers are wasp-eyed youngsters with 20/20 vision. This connector is patently not fit for purpose, even if they supplied users with an illuminated magnifying glass.

I had to purchase a new charger-cheapest source I found was over £62! Having got it I thought why not experiment with the one to be scrapped. So I carefully cut off with a junior hacksaw the front black plastic "lip", discarded the metal screw bit and carefully straightened the pins with a small screwdriver. Result is as in the two photos. It charges OK! (I marked with a blob of paint both sides to mate after establishing the correct alignment.) So I have a spare new charger for trips and this old one for the workshop. Interestingly, the new charger has new warnings in the instructions and a warning sticker on the charger itself. So there isn't a problem, Campag?

This "fix" is no doubt forbidden by Campag, but-hey-as one who's lived through a few Fiats over the years, and an exploding fridge, I'm not taking any advice from Italians on electronics!

Hope this is of help to the many hapless users out there.

[Bridgeman]

Not quite sure what you've done, but I think you have removed the barrel fastener and now, for charging, you are aligning the connector and simply plugging it in?

If so, then this is similar to how I charge my system. While I have not removed the barrel fastener, I do align and plug in without tightening it. With the charger hanging off the stem to stabilize it, charging is done without interuption. There is more than adequate pin insertion depth. Works like a charm!

[Azabache1]

Yeah (sorry for small photos), I've exposed the 4 pins by cutting off the plastic shroud. That makes it much easier to align the pins into the female holes. You just have to establish which way round it works-you'll know because the normal lights will come up on the charger. Then, mark each component with a blob of paint to ensure the right alignment each time. When I have time I'm going to cut a notch on each component with a small file and repaint so that there's less chance of the paint rubbing off.

It's still a dicey task to charge due to the microscopic size but it makes it a bit easier. Turning the interface upwards and using a bright light will assist further.

Such a shame this charging hassle spoils a great system; I haven't had a problem riding in 2+ years apart from on one sportive in heavy rain when silt on the road fouled the chain and caused some changing issues for a while.

Cheers,