wamcneil

Got him!

Well, I'm getting a chuckle out of this one... Every once in a while when I go to exercise my generator I've noticed that the ATS doesn't cut over to the generator as expected and then find that the main generator breaker has tripped (the one on the angled facet of the genny housing). This has been very odd since the generator ran fine the last time I ran it, and I don't have any known issues that might explain this. Each time I reset the breaker and everything seems to be fine. Today I found the breaker tripped again and started thinking again about what on earth could be causing this 45A breaker to trip. And as I was standing there pondering this question, I noticed the CAT PRINTS right above the breaker! Cheers, Walter

Thanks! Here are the meters I used. Not currently available on amazon, but I'm sure there are others with similar dimensions. These are real close to being an exact fit in the original panel, but they require a different scale current transformer than original. So I found those on ebay. Any new meters you buy will either come with transformers or list a spec for them. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016KD4WTK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H8K5WHQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 If I were doing it again I would probably try and find meters that use the old current transformers and then make a new panel to mount them in. I don't remember exactly what the CTs cost me, but I bought good ones and they were a lot more expensive than the cheap Chinese meters... I bought the meters first to confirm they would work in the original panel, and then figured out the rest of the system later. I used the original cable runs back to the current transformers in the breaker box. To test your CTs, disconnect wiring to CTs, put a known load on the circuit and connect a multimeter to the CT back in the breaker panel. Current transformers provide a certain output current at a specified throughput current. Something like 50A main current produces 50mA in the CT. The ratio should be marked on the current transformers. Like others have said tho, I'd suspect meters, not the transformers. Walter

Should be able to test the current transformers with your clamp meter for reference amperage and then measure corresponding output of the transformer back in the panel. I replaced all of the analog meters in my panel up front with digital and was able to find meters on Amazon that fit in the original cutouts. The new ammeters spec a different transformer though, so had to replace them also. Cheers Walter

I've been re-crimping and replacing ends on some of mine lately. One terminal on a short cable connecting the batteries in series was nicely heat-shrink'd, but wasn't actually crimped AT ALL. Other 4/0 terminals were barely pinched down onto the wire. One of the cables in the battery compartment looked fine on the outside but was all full of corrosion under the heat shrink.

Sure. Here's the writeup I did on IRV2 about replacing the wireless module, including connection of the overhead lights. The original wireless module didn't have a "Dome Light Supervision" feature, but the Avital unit they sell now does. It's easy to replace and was just about $30 on amazon last I checked. https://www.irv2.com/forums/f115/essex-1603-keypad-and-wireless-replacement-330319.html

Couldn't say for sure... but my wiring diagram suggests that all coaches are prewired for the alarm system. Mine did NOT have the viper alarm, but the coach side of the plug has all the wires for the optional viper alarm. My wiring diagram says this wire is used with the viper alarm, but not with the essex keyless entry system. On my wiring diagrams, the wire is not labeled except its color (BLK/WHT). See attachment. This is from the page titled "KE-1601 KEYLESS ENTRY KEYPAD" and the plug is M12, which feeds plug M60 and eventually connects to the Porch and Ceiling relay.

Have you looked into 12v motion sensors? https://www.amazon.com/Sensky-BS010WL-Occupancy-Lighting-Adjustable/dp/B00KAB4CRG Or a cabinet switch? Not sure if that would work with the coach door: https://www.amazon.com/Sensky-automatic-cabinet-Voltage-Cabinet/dp/B00KVFG9S6 If you're not married to those little battery powered lights, you could get some 12v LED strip lights and connect them through the motion sensor. You can get all sorts of surface mount extruded housings for LED strip lights: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=strip+light+housing&ref=nb_sb_noss_2 Another idea... I know this isn't exactly what you're looking for... but the keyless entry/alarm wiring has a circuit to trigger the overhead lights above the entry. I think the viper alarm was probably wired to turn on the entry lights when disarmed. I replaced the original essex fob module with their replacement module and connected it to that it turns on the entry lights when unlocked with the fob. But...the keypad is totally separate and doesn't have a circuit to trigger the overhead lights. Cheers. Walter

Not sure what I was looking at earlier that said 70A. All the references I'm finding now say the LR9806 latching relay is rated for 110A. So I'm feeling pretty good about having all the house loads on a single relay. Cheers, Walter

Thanks guys. Jamie: that's exactly the situation I have now. I have a continuous solenoid that draws power when the salesman switch is on (which is almost all the time). I'm looking to eliminate the parasitic draw. Joe, I've also got a spare latching relay. My original plan was to replace the continuous relay with a 2nd latching relay. But the area around the continuous relay is very tight and the latching relay is a lot bigger than the continuous, so installing the 2nd latching relay looks to be a big hassle. I was also concerned about potential inconvenience and confusion that might result if the two latching relays somehow out of sync. I'll go ahead and try it out. Other than the inverter (which doesn't go through these relays) I really don't think I'll see anywhere near 70A. I just turned on ALL of the house&storage bay lights, and with the water pump running came up with about 40A. The aqua hot and all three furnace zones add about another 15A. So I really can't see my house loads ever going beyond about 55A. I'll try it out and report back. Walter

Hi All, I've added solar for boondocking and trying to get my baseline electric utilization under control. One obvious energy waster is the continuous relay attached to the salesman switch. On my rig, the salesman switch is connected to a LR9806 latching relay, which cascades to an automotive-style continuous relay. These two relays feed different domestic load panels. The continuous relay uses 750mA, and I'd like to eliminate that 18Ah daily load. I realize that the easiest way to eliminate this load would be to bypass the salesman switch altogether and just jumper across the relays. But I kind of like the salesman switch and I do use it occasionally. The latching relay is rated for 70A. I've already changed all FORTY of the house halogen pucks to LED, so I'm not sure I need two 70A relays for house loads. I'm thinking about eliminating the continuous relay and combining both house load circuits onto the one latching relay. Just looking around the rig, I'm not seeing more than about 50A worth of house loads. Am I missing something? Anything wrong with this plan? Thanks, Walter

Ok, got it done... Like so many such projects it didn't quite go according to plan... I tried pushing a fish tape in from below, and it never got to the point where it felt like it was striking the outside wall of the slide-out. So I left it in place and dropped a cheap chinese borescope down from the top. Couldn't see the end of the fish tape, and it looked like black foam around the cables making the turn at the bottom. So I'm pretty sure they foam'd it like all the other wiring penetrations. Side note... There look to be some unused wires in the bundle coming up through the floor. The only low voltage circuits in the slide-out overhead are three lights. But the bundle going overhead in the slideout includes 4 12v wires, one ground wire, an un-terminated phone cable and what appear to be two speaker cables. The bundle coming up through the floor also included an unused white 12 ga ground wire that was not terminated. It looks like maybe they initially ran a 12ga ground all the way up into the slideout overhead, and then later pulled an 8 ga ground wire into the cabinet, added a ground bar on the floor and then cut the 12 ga ground wire to terminate one side of it in the ground bar. So I used the orphan ground wire to pull a string back down through the bundle and then used the string to pull cat5. Now I can put my solar controller on the network! Cheers, Walter

Thanks. Mine is different though. I tracked it down. There's no actual fuse. The 4/0 positive cable runs from the battery switch to the high current run bay in the engine compartment. From the battery boost solenoid, it goes through two parallel 150A circuit breakers. And from the circuit breakers to the inverter (see attachment). So there's no fuse protection between the batteries and the boost solenoid, but the inverter cables are protected by circuit breakers.

Hi all, The 2003 Dynasty wiring diagrams show a 300A fuse in the house battery cable after the battery switch (see attachment). But I'm looking up into the cavity behind my battery box and I'm not seeing a fuse there. The positive battery cable runs from the batteries, through a bulkhead post, up to the house battery switch and then up over the frame rail and out of sight. Do any of y'all know if I should have a 300A fuse somewhere? Thanks Walter

Thanks. That gives me an idea. Maybe feed a magnet through from the bottom on a fish tape, and drop a line with a small steel weight down from the top.

Thanks guys. I think I'll try both of those approaches.

Yeah, I was hoping I could use the old phone cord to pull a wire back through, but I opened the part of the bundle that's visible and it's pretty tightly wrapped with tape about every 6".... I'm starting to think this may be more trouble than it's worth. The fish tape is going to be tough. The wire port goes straight down about 10" to the bottom of the slide and turns back 90 deg into the chassis tube. I might see if I can disconnect the tube where it connects to the inside of the slideout. If I can disconnect and retract the sliding tube it may get a lot easier... Thanks, Walter

Here's a video showing the information available from the MPPT-60: Cheers, Walter

Hi all, I'd like to pull a network cable into my living/dinette slide-out. I can see the end of the telescoping conduit inside the frame rail, and I've dug into the cabinet under the dinette and can see where the slideout wiring enters under the cabinet. What's involved with fishing a wire through this tube? I'm not seeing an easy way to push a fish tape in the tube and turn the corner up into the cabinet. Thanks Walter

Thanks. We're on the same page. My brackets attach differently than AM solar (mine attach to the bottom instead of the ends), but similar functionality. In addition to the extenders, I was thinking that I should have installed rivnuts on the brackets instead of using wingnuts on the back side of the knob. My roof layout is a little different. I've got 2 panels on the certerline and the rest will be on along the road side. So all of my shading problems are coming from the same direction.. Cheers, Walter

Thanks Glenn. I’ll experiment with extensions. And I’m kicking myself for not setting rivnuts in the brackets. Still thinking about it, but half of the panels are stuck down at this point, so re-drilling and adding rivnuts will be a pain! Cheers Walter

Ok, here's what I wound up with. I used the Renology extrusions on the panels and made some 3" long brackets from 1/16" 2x2 AL angle for mounting to the roof with VHB 4950 tape. This makes one $30 Renology kit work for 2 panels, plus my home-made attachment brackets and some additional hardware. VHB 4950 is what AM Solar uses. I was concerned that a thick 1/8" extrusion would have no flex and might be too stiff to work with the VHB 4950 tape as the roof surface flexes. VHB 4950 tape uses 3M's 'firm' type foam and is quite hard, so both surfaces need to be very closely matched. 1/16" AL seems to be working well. The roof flexes quite a bit and the brackets also allow some flex. If I were starting over, I might use VHB 4941 tape which has 'conformable' foam. It's not as strong as the 4950, but the softer foam might be easier to work with (and with 6sq-in per bracket, tape strength shouldn't be much of a factor...). So, now we'll see how they hold up... I've got 2 more panels to mount, combiner box, the new controller and a bunch of wiring... Cheers, Walter

Ok, you guys have me convinced. It's VHB for me. I looked at the AM Solar brackets. Very nice, but they cost $80 per panel... So I got a renology tilt bracket to try out. My plan is to adapt the renology mounts: using two of the extrusions for the back of a panel and then cutting short sections of 2"x2" aluminum angle for the attachment feet. I realize that I will seldom, if ever tilt the panels, but this should be cheap/easy mounting and allow the option of tilting. Cheers, Walter

I was going to attach it, but it's 79MB and too large to attach to the thread. Just uploaded the full wiring diagram document with TOC in the files section: 2003 Dynasty Wiring Diagrams with TOC

Thanks guys. I'm warming up to AM Solar's VHB brackets. I was concerned that the flexing of the roof skin may be a problem for the tape. Maybe that's not the case. Walter