External TV won't go down

[JTerry]

There is a switch for the external TV next to the passenger seat but it is not lit and does not work. There are two 1amp fuses in the rear panel that are marked ext tv up and ext tv down. Both fuses are good. Any ideas where to look next? The TV is in the L/R slide on the passenger side. 

[Tom Cherry]

34 minutes ago, JTerry said:

There is a switch for the external TV next to the passenger seat but it is not lit and does not work. There are two 1amp fuses in the rear panel that are marked ext tv up and ext tv down. Both fuses are good. Any ideas where to look next? The TV is in the L/R slide on the passenger side. 

The INTERNAL TV is controlled, I suspect, off a lighted switch panel. All your lighted switch keypads are part of the Intellitec Multiplex (MPX) system.  If you are not familiar with this, read up on it in section 8 of the manual.  Go to the search box in the upper right put in INTELLITEC in the search box. Click on EVERYWHERE and select FILES.  There is a file on it, maybe 2.  Read the one authored by Frank McElroy.  There are several items that could be the cause.

HOWEVER…Since you have the CCM,  I don’t know if your Chassis Control system works it or if it is part of the Intellitec MPX.

Also read section 9.  You need to identify whether there is a plain switch or the Intellitec MPX or the CCM….then start to troubleshoot 

IF it is on the MPX, then, the first trick is to go to the door and find the Battery Cut Off Switch. Turn OFF the switch. I’d wait 5 minutes. That kills the power to the CPU that drives the MPX system. This is a programmable logic controller. The switch sends a multiplexed signal to the CPU. There are some “default” interlocks that must be made or satisfied.  If they are OK, THEN the down or lower switch will operate it and vice versa for raising.

You need to go to the rear closet and find the switch diagram.  The TV switch, when operated, will result in the CPU sending a signal to one of the Intellitec modules. The diagram lists the ALPHA LETTER of the module as well as the NUMERIC circuit number. Find the module and locate the circuit.  There is a 10 Amp fuse on each circuit. If you push the RAISE SWITCH and the RAISE green light on that circuit number comes on….then the switch is signalling the CPU and the module is sending out an operating signal to the mechanism.  No GREEN LIGHT….  Problem in the switch or module….typically NOT in the CPU.

That’s it.

[amphi_sc]

Could it be a slide "out" push pin switch (like the bay door open detection) not working?  Bring the slide in and out again? My external TV won't go down if the slide isn't all the way out.  Likewise the slide won't come in if the TV isn't all the way up.  I have two momentary Carling switches by the door for the TV ... One is off/on, the other is center off/up/down movement.  Mine seems to have about a second delay between pushing the first momentary switch "on" giving a signal to the up/down momentary switch before any movement will begin even if both switches are "engaged" simultaneously. Both of those Carling switches only light up when the TV is down. I also have a regular house single pole light switch behind the couch that kills 120v power to the socket for the TV and it's lift mechanism. Sometimes it gets accidentally knocked "off" when we put something behind the couch and wall.

I would try to kill power to the Intellitec CPU for a few minutes to give it a cold reboot as there is some Intellitec logic involved as indicated by the one second or so delay after engaging the first switch before the 2nd up/down switch will do anything with my TV. 

The one time I had a problem with mine not wanting to go down I couldn't make sense of the wiring diagrams and power I was seeing with a volt meter at the switches and 120v socket.  But at the same time I was also having (what I would have considered totally unrelated) a case of my BigBoy needing to be cleaned again as while driving my house batteries would charge for a while and then not and then charge again.  Anyway a few days later I got around to swapping in my spare big boy and thus flipped both battery disconnects and shore power in the process.  Mysteriously a couple days later I went back to continue diagnosing my external slide TV problem and it had magically solved itself.  Could the corroded "green" contacts inside the BigBoy introduced noise into the 12v system that caused flakey behavior? Did just cycling the power fix it?  (However that 120v socket is inverter powered and the house battery disconnect does not kill the inverter...it has to be turned off at the remote...i.e. my fridge microwave etc always have power unless take more actions. Anyway I routinely end up swapping and cleaning my BigBoy about once a year ... often thinking maybe I should eliminate it going with a ML Mcr or maybe a BIM 225 ... but then again it's easy enough to clean up the BigBoy contacts.  I've tried various substances to attempt to fight the green gunk on the copper but it always comes back.  I've thought about silver solder coating the contacts but so far just resort to disassembly and cleaning...

My apologies for the long "ramble". I hope you get the TV figured out.

[DBRV.0]

1 hour ago, amphi_sc said:

while driving my house batteries would charge for a while and then not and then charge again.

I am new to some of this, but I thought the Big Boy was activated only when you activate the "Battery Boost" switch on the dash.  My understanding is that the function is to cross-connect both the chassis and house batteries if the chassis batteries don't have enough energy to start the engine on their own.  It is a high amp relay with a significant current draw for the solenoid.  I don't understand why yours is needing so much attention.  As you mentioned, I don't see how this would affect a TV or TV lift.

As for battery charging going on/off while driving, I would suggest the alternator as a possibility.  Just a month ago, my diesel dually pickup was doing the same thing, so I replaced the alternator and it is again working perfectly.

As for concepts, I find great value in visibility for those things that are not visible - such as electricity.  Such as switchable, separate, auxiliary voltage gauges on the dash for chassis and for house.  A voltage gauge (maybe with amps and watts) for each AC power leg feeding the circuit breaker panel, or perhaps measuring the incoming power cord.  Those are simple concepts and can help stop or simplify searches for sources of mysterious situations because they are educational.

Edited March 10 by DBRV.0

[amphi_sc]

Hello Jeff,

Continuing off the TV topic for a moment expanding on the BigBoy:  The BigBoy relay is engaged automatically by the circuits when either the Engine is charging the chassis or the Magnum Inverter/Charger is charging the house bank.  Thus both banks are supposed to stay fully charged.  With no active charging source it disengages thus isolating the banks so your house activity doesn't drain your ability to start the big diesel nor the generator.  The boost switch manually connects the banks (assuming you have charged house batteries) so you can put a charge into the chassis batteries to start the big diesel or the generator (which could then charge both banks).  It is not recommended to crank the big diesel with the relay engaged as that would draw way more than the 200 amp rating of the BigBoy, IIRC only use to put a charge into the batteries.  Thus when I'm driving down the road the residential fridge running off the house isn't draining the house down as the BigBoy allows the alternator to charge both banks.

What I was noticing via the Aladdin electric displays & dash gauges when driving was the engine alternator putting out a constant 13.6 volts on the chassis side and also the house batteries doing a 25 amp discharge and then sometimes charging back at 40-50 amps for a while at 13.5 volts and then dropping back out and discharging again and dropping way below the alternator voltage.  I.e the BigBoy contacts were corroded green and depending on vibration were making intermittent contact.

Before I took it all apart to verify I did a simple test of disengaging shore power ( as I was parked for a few days).  Turning on the ignition the Alladin showed 12.4 volts on the chassis and 13 something on the house as the house surface charge was still present but chassis has parasitic drain lowering them a bit.  I then flipped the chassis disconnect leaving the house connected, watched the Aladdin display for the chassis batteries as I turned the ignition key (not trying to start but only power the ecm) and when I pressed the battery boost switch I'd see the chassis and dash guages come alive (from nothing) with voltage but not full house voltage.  Thus there was a significant voltage drop across the BigBoy.  So while parked I wasn't maintaining a full charge on the chassis due to corroded BigBoy contacts, and likely causing the fluctuating house voltage while driving.

So I swapped in my spare BigBoy I always carry and redid the test now getting full house voltage thru to the disconnected chassis batteries: thus knowing IF I had to depend on battery boost it would now conduct juice.   Then I flipped the chassis disconnect back on & started the big Cat and watched the Aladdin show a steady 70 amp charge going into the house (as the fridge and wife had used juice while I was working on the coach).  All good again. 

When I disassembled the BigBoy the internal contacts were mostly green as was the contactor disc.  Typical problem so I cleaned - reassembled - and carry that one as a spare until next time.

I do find the Aladdin most useful on monitoring many things ... Voltages & tank levels, even the alarm clock.  It is always on.  I just wish it separately monitored Solar going to each bank rather than just the solar coming from the roof.  I've considered adding separate shunts and external displays to the outputs of the factory solar charger.

Now hopefully getting back on topic of his outside TV not coming down from the bottom of the slide.  The only reason I mentioned the BigBoy in the first place is that I have found the Intellitec multiplex house system to be susceptible to induced noise...dirty bulb connections, wall switch panel connections needing to be unplugged/replugged, fuses loose but connecting or just needed reinsertion, bad ground bar connections in the upper left corner of the engine bay, etc.  Electronics can act flaky with voltage ⚡ variations.  I could tell you an interesting story of a computer serial mouse lockup when it got its power from the serial port CTS & DTR pins on the UART and the software quickly toggled those signals during software initialization.  Anyway...

End of Hijack 

Edited March 10 by amphi_sc

[Paul J A]

21 hours ago, Tom Cherry said:

The INTERNAL TV is controlled, I suspect, off a lighted switch panel. All your lighted switch keypads are part of the Intellitec Multiplex (MPX) system.  If you are not familiar with this, read up on it in section 8 of the manual.  Go to the search box in the upper right put in INTELLITEC in the search box. Click on EVERYWHERE and select FILES.  There is a file on it, maybe 2.  Read the one authored by Frank McElroy.  There are several items that could be the cause.

HOWEVER…Since you have the CCM,  I don’t know if your Chassis Control system works it or if it is part of the Intellitec MPX.

Also read section 9.  You need to identify whether there is a plain switch or the Intellitec MPX or the CCM….then start to troubleshoot 

IF it is on the MPX, then, the first trick is to go to the door and find the Battery Cut Off Switch. Turn OFF the switch. I’d wait 5 minutes. That kills the power to the CPU that drives the MPX system. This is a programmable logic controller. The switch sends a multiplexed signal to the CPU. There are some “default” interlocks that must be made or satisfied.  If they are OK, THEN the down or lower switch will operate it and vice versa for raising.

You need to go to the rear closet and find the switch diagram.  The TV switch, when operated, will result in the CPU sending a signal to one of the Intellitec modules. The diagram lists the ALPHA LETTER of the module as well as the NUMERIC circuit number. Find the module and locate the circuit.  There is a 10 Amp fuse on each circuit. If you push the RAISE SWITCH and the RAISE green light on that circuit number comes on….then the switch is signalling the CPU and the module is sending out an operating signal to the mechanism.  No GREEN LIGHT….  Problem in the switch or module….typically NOT in the CPU.

That’s it.

The TV is in the patio slide wall. It travels down/up like in a Televator. 

[DBRV.0]

6 hours ago, amphi_sc said:

What I was noticing via the Aladdin electric displays & dash gauges when driving was the engine alternator putting out a constant 13.6 volts on the chassis side and also the house batteries doing a 25 amp discharge and then sometimes charging back at 40-50 amps for a while at 13.5 volts and then dropping back out and discharging again and dropping way below the alternator voltage.

Now that makes sense.  I appreciate your adding to my knowledge of the systems.  I had obtained part of my BigBoy information from the "AZ Expert" YT channel - his information was nowhere as complete as yours.