ANT+ Lights Problem/Experience
Answered
Hi,
My setup:
On the front Bontrager Ion 200 RT, on the back Bontrager Ion Flare RT, on the back Varia RTL510 Radar/Light .
In the sensors paired the Ion 200, then the Ion Flare, then the Varis RTL 510 as two separate "sensors", one as a Radar and one as a light, made sure the Varia Light sensor is above the Radar sensor.
So far in testing indoors, the Ion Flare rear light almost always works as designed, walk up to the bike, turn on Karoo, start ride and it turns on and start flashing as that is the mode I chose in the sensor menu. The front Ion 200 almost never works the first time, has to be turned on manually. If I end that ride the Ion Flare rear light turns off but the manually turned on Ion 200 does not. The Varia light has never once auto-turned on for me.
If I then start a new ride, usually the rear Ion Flare and the front Ion 200 both turn on, and on ending the ride both turn off. As noted above, haven't once succeeded in getting the Varia light to turn on at ride start.
So to summarize so far in multiple experiments:
1. Rear Ion Flare always works
2. Front Ion 200 almost never works the first time. But if I manually turn it on, and try a new ride usually works together with the above rear light
3. the Varia RTL 510, paired as both light and radar, with light sensor prioritized above radar, has never once turned on when I start a ride, the light/radar has to be turned on manually.
A less than ideal experience to say the least, defeats the purpose if everything has to be manually checked, I'd like to just start a ride and go.
I see others are having positive experiences. Can anyone chime in on what I'm doing wrong if anything?
Cheers.
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Saad
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Hi
Just been playing around with mine, Bontrager lights work perfectly. I had problems with my Varia 515 but have managed to get it working now.
What I have found is that the bluetooth on the Bontragers will operate all the time ( as long as you have not disconnected it by pressing power button for 15 secs when the light is off ) but the Varia's bluetooth is turned off when the unit is turned off.
To get the Varia to work I did as Nigel said but still the Karoo 2 was unable to turn it on when starting a ride, so I switched the light part off on the Varia so that the unit is still on but no light is showing, when I start a ride the light will automaticaly turn on and then back off when I finish.
Not the most elegant solution but it will do.
If anyone knows what long holding the varia's power button in for about 5 seconds does I would love to know the bluetooth indicator changed colour from blue to yellow.
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What I know is from Varia RTL 510, the older model.
If when light is off, you long press the power button, about two second I think, then it is totally off including ANT+ (RTL 510 has no bluetooth). You will see no flashing blue LED. If you then long press the power button, light turns on and LED start flashing amber/yellow. That is the pairing mode, you can then add as a sensor to Karoo2 or any other device that supports ANT+ radar sensors. You will actually see two sensors show up when pairing, one Varia as a light, and one as a radar. You're supposed to add the light sensor first and THEN the radar. Once paired just press power button again and it returns to regular mode with blue LED flashing. If you now press power button repeatedly to switch light modes, you reach one where light is off but LED periodically flashes blue. In that mode it consuming a small amount of power and is ready to receive a command to wak up the light and radar. So that is normal. It of course cannot respond to commands if you turn off the sensor completely (no blue LED flash). I think the normal expectation is when not riding to leave it with light off and blue LED flashing to received ANT+ commands (or possibly bluetooth for newer RTL 515).
After following Nigel's suggestion all working fine for me. All light sensors in priority list are above the radar sensor.Hope that helps.
Cheers.
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Saad
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Am I doing something wrong? I paired my Varia RTL515 to K2 today. It connected fine except there is no light sensor showing, only the radar. Additionally, there is no option to customize the display (I thought there was but maybe that's not supported on K2) and, more importantly, there is no sidebar showing vehicles approaching. K2 system is bang up to date.
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