Alde Control Panel Power - 2018 320-S

lukehough

My Alde control panel is not receiving power (no green LED) when only on trailer battery power. All other DC appliances are functioning properly (fans, pumps, lights, radio, etc.) on trailer battery power. The battery panel is reporting 13.5 volts. The Alde panel functions properly on shore power and when connected to the tow vehicle.

Any ideas why the Alde panel would work on DC from the TV, but not directly from the trailer battery, which seems fully functional?

Grumpy_G

What voltage do you see when hooked up to shore power or the TV ? The only thing I can come up with is too much voltage drop on the connection to the control panel due to some wiring issue. Ideally measure voltage at the control panel. 

Denny16

Also, you should turn off the battery switch (or disconnect the fuse on the battery positive lead, let the battery stand for 15 min to a half hour, then measure the battery voltage directly off the battery with a meter.  This will give you an accurate battery voltage level check.  My guess is you will find the rested battery voltage is below 12VDC.
cheers.

pthomas745

The Alde mentions "voltage" a couple of times in the 3020 manual.

Once, it says that if voltage goes below 10.5V, the power to the gas supply to the burner is shut off.

Later, in the troubleshooting section for various alarms, it says: "Low battery: 12V supply to heating system has dropped below 10.8V, possibly causing system brownout.  This message clears automatically when the current reaches 11V. If the voltage decreases, various error messages can also appear. These are not actual faults. Ensure that the boiler has the right voltage."

So, low voltage on the battery causes the Alde to do many strange things.  (Personally, I think just "voltage"  on the Alde causes many strange things.)

lukehough

I suspected a battery issue. I removed the battery and charged it with a Battery Tender. The battery was disconnected from anything for over an hour before connecting it to the trailer. The battery is a new, Renogy 12v LiFePO4 battery. The WFCO likely needs to be replaced to properly maintain the LiFePO4, but I haven't done that yet. However, this should not affect the supply side though, AFAIK.

MuttonChops

lukehough said:

I suspected a battery issue. I removed the battery and charged it with a Battery Tender.

So did charging the battery solve your Alde issue?

Are you sure the 'green light' is off when on battery . . . .
could be very dim - - - sometimes the plastic touch cover slips down covering the green light - - -

This Control Panel is on but green light is
covered by touch plastic
If control panel back light was off (dark mode) control panel would seen dead

lukehough

No. Charging was just another step in troubleshooting, but did not resolve the issue.

The light is visible and the screen powers on when connected to the TV and under the same conditions otherwise.

ScottG

Getting back to your original question...

No. The electrical path from the tow vehicle to the converter to the Alde is the same as that from the battery to the converter to the Alde. I can think of no explanation for those particular symptoms other than a dead, damaged, or disconnected battery.

MuttonChops

@lukehough ;  Assuming the only change to your T@B Electrical System is the installation of a LiFePO4 battery; i.e. No wiring changes to the factory installation.

Then is it possible you aren't seeing what you have described as "the failure" . . .

I raise this question as the wiring within the T@B is 100% the same for 12VDC power distribution from the Tow Vehicle or from the battery.

When on Tow Vehicle:
    +12VDC comes in on the 7-Pin to the Junction Box +12VDC Terminal.
   One of the wires at that terminal goes directly to the WFCO Power Center.
   And then to the DC Fuse panel.

When on Battery Only:
    +12VDC path from the Junction Box to the Alde is the same.
    And as you have noted, your T@B lights work on battery so the DC panel has voltage.

lukehough

@MuttonChops Thanks for the wiring diagram! I will rerun the tests with the TV attached to be sure. My suspicion is a wiring problem though. The floor was recently replaced at the factory under warranty due to water intrusion through the tail lights. The wires to the WFCO appear to have been cut and reconnected in the process (they're a mess.)

dragonsdofly

@lukehough, you may have just answered your own question. If the wiring to the WFCO was cut and redone, you may simply have a bad connection to the alde through the WFCO. This should be easy enough to verify, although time consuming. Methodical procedure and systematic checking should identify the problem connection or reconnection. Unless, of course, a t@b gremlin has taken up residence in yours. Good luck!

Edited to add @MuttonChops, great diagram. Thanks for posting.

Denny16

I would also check the Battery cutoff switch, to make sure it is working correctly. If TV connection and 120VAC hookup result in Alde working correctly, then the only thing left is the Battery, cutoff switch and wiring from thr battery to to junction box or converter, wherever the battery wire was connected up.  Crimp on connectors can come loose, do a tug check on all the battery cables, and connections between battery and the trailer.
cheers

lukehough

Mystery solved. Add this to the list of user errors.

I think this is what happened. First the battery was too low for the Alde screen to power on, but the other DC functions were okay. I checked the glass fuses on the Alde, and they were good. I connected the TV and was able to operate the Alde, and so I removed the trailer battery for charging with the Battery tender. When I disconnected the TV, I suspect there wasn't sufficient grounding without the battery connection. This blew one of the glass fuses. When I returned to test the charged battery, I was short on time and didn't test with the TV again or double check the glass fuses. Issue resolved. Always double check unbelievable results.

Thanks for the help!