Alde touch screen won't come on

Bayliss

A big CONGRATULATIONS! @Sharon_is_SAM.  Good to hear a happy ending.  Thanks for letting us know how you resolved it.

Verna

Great news!  

falcon1970

Whenever I used to call the IT department about a computer problem they used to say "did you turn it off and then back on?"  Apparently that is the ultimate electronic fix.

tabiphile

Very nice...better a mystery recovery than a rodent invasion. 
The VOM is a pretty easy tool to use. If you are measuring resistance (broken or unbroken wires/ohm's) you just need to set the meter to ohms and go end to end on the wire you are checking. The meter will give you resistance settings to play with. Zero the meter out before you start and just go pluga pluga. You don't need to know anything about electronics to check for a broken wire but having a schematic to refers to helps. You can check up to switches, check switches, connections, pretty much anything. Checking voltages is a bit more involved but basically more of the same. You select AC or DC and then the range. Use a long piece of wire with some attached alligator clips to shorten up things you are measuring. Judging from some of the comments that turn up here there are clearly folks that can help you to use one....meanwhile, nicely done.

Sharon_is_SAM

Still taking it in to have nuCamp check things out.  The whole electrical mystery is bothersome.  I just wonder if the “order” that we replaced the fuses had anything to do with it.  Mystery.

BrianZ

Congrats, @Sharon_is_SAM, that's great news!
Maybe T@Bs are feeling ignored from not being used like in "normal" times & starting to rebel.
We may be getting out of practice here, since the year is almost half gone & we haven't been camping yet.  We still need to get our state safety inspection sticker.  Hoping to get wheel bearings greased tomorrow & maybe some other maintenance too.

jkjenn

The fact that it happened once would make me nervous, too, especially if you are not sure why you had the issues. Glad you are getting it checked out.

pthomas745

So:  the fix for this was unplugging and then plugging back in the big electrical plug in the Alde compartment?

Or was the 12V reset one of the plugs on the Alde board itself, where the famous fuses are? 

I seem to remember seeing video of a 12V plug on the board, but whenever I scan the schematic from the Service Manual, I can't decode it.

Sharon_is_SAM

@pthomas745 - Did not involve the 120 plug.  We blew so many fuses, I hope I get this right.  The fix was to replace the 10 amp fuse first, then later on we replaced the Alde fuse, followed by removing the 12v Alde cable that powers the control panel (the cable that is between the 2 Alde fuses) then reinserting the cable and then, it was a long while before we actually turned on the panel.  I recall that you needed to wait several minutes before reinserting, too. Not sure.  (I tried to find a picture, but no luck.  I will take one today.)

ScottG

Good point about the wait. While the electronic magic is beyond me, devices sometimes require an extended off time to complete whatever resetting they need. Glad it's working again!

ChanW

@Sharon_is_SAM, this was so much fun, I'm again considering removing our analog control panel and installing a digital panel! 
Jeesh!
I don't know that I'd call them Alde fairies, I still think they're gremlins.
(All this discussion about the double grounds also makes me curious.)
Congrats!

ScottG

This discussion--and similar ones in the past--just reinforces how much I appreciate my simple slider controls!  ;-)

Sharon_is_SAM

Well @ChanW, sometimes it is better to not fix what isn’t broken😊. On the other hand, the digital panel gives you a lot of info...and we know how to troubleshoot it now!  

@ScottG  I think that the time interval and allowing for reset) may have been the key.  But does the reset occur in the control panel or in the Alde circuit board?  IDK

Sharon_is_SAM

I just watched the YouTube video on Travels with Delaney.  He recommends pulling the Alde dc cable FIRST then replacing the Alde fuse(s) then reinserting the cable and that is what my DH did.  The first couple times that we changed the blown Alde fuse, we did not pull the cable and they blew again.  So - unplug the cable first!

BrianZ

Good advice, @Sharon_is_SAM, thanks.
Or in my case, I just flip a switch - my Alde 12V kill switch that saves me 82mA of battery usage when not needed & protects the sensitive Alde fuses when not in use..

Seen here mounted next to converter, in the "on" position with LED lit.
Without the switch, the Alde display control (32mA) & associated electronics (50mA) are always on, even when the display is blank ("off").

N7SHG_Ham

I still think you have an intermittent electrical issue. The Alde control panel no way would blow a 10a fuse. The fuse blowing may have caused the Alde panel to require the reset procedure, but something else caused the 10a fuse to open. Potentially some wire is moving around during towing from vibration and shorting? I would think the fan wiring would be a good guess?

The problem didn't just cure itself in all likelihood, so a through checkout as you are doing is a good step.

About 30 years ago I serviced photocopiers for a couple years. One day I got dispatched to a machine that about every tech had gone out on for a gremlin. Boards replaced (some multiple times). It would work for awhile and then not. Finally after a couple hours and eventually disassembly of the top 1/2 I found the issue. There was a 50 line flat ribbon cable between the main board on the back and the display/ control panel. When this copier was put together at the factory, they pinched that cable between the top cover and the frame. As documents were scanned, the motion eventually wore through a single wire out if the 50. Sometimes the copier worked, sometimes that wire was grounded from the vibration. My service manager was PO'ed that I took about four hours that day on a single call, just like in any service business, it is about call volume, NOT rather you really fixed the issue! I will say we never had an issue with that copier again, no parts used while I was there, just time to really analyze the symptoms, look at causes and eventually just move that wire cable so it wasn't pinched.

Sharon_is_SAM

I agree @N7SHG_Ham and nuCamp will be checking it out.  

N7SHG_Ham

If it is all working when you get there, then it will be very difficult to find or get them to do much. Basically a though job will be looking at every inch of wiring on that 10a fuse circuit. Roof fans will likely require removal of ceiling to see if wire is making contact with ground someplace. These kinds of intermittent electrical issues can be very difficult to track down, can't be letting clock dictate how long you spend. Sometimes it is better to fix after a complete and permanent fail, but that leaves systems unreliable in meanwhile.

ScottG

N7SHG_Ham said:

...

Basically a though job will be looking at every inch of wiring on that 10a fuse circuit.

...

Yep. When I removed my television I found that a mounting screw had been run through one of the power leads (note the nick in the black wire at the bottom). Unfortunately such goofs can and do happen and may cause developing and intermittent problems over time. Even if all the wiring is intact, sketchy connections within components can cause the same symptoms.

It's a tough life gettin' bumped and bounced down all those roads...  :-/

Sharon_is_SAM

Just an update with what Austin at nuCamp found regarding our Alde control panel issue.  Turns out, the fan had a wire that was intermittently touching a screw causing a short, leading to blown fuses and failure.  He ended up running a new Alde ground wire directly to the battery just in case, as that had been a problem with frequent fuses blowing in the past.  Everything is back to normal!

@N7SHG_Ham - you guessed it correctly!

Denny16

@Bayliss, that white wire going to buss bar with all the other white wires, is either the neutral buss for AC, which is connected to ground in a main AC service box, or the DC negative bus.  The copper wire should be connected to the metal WACO box, and used as a ground bonding wire. 

I wish nüCamp used a more normal convention of using black (mostly used) or white as a negative DC connection, and red, blue, yellow, etc. as various devices positive connections.  This would make tracking down wire connections a lot easier, and reduce the confusion.  But with AC, black is the hot, while white is the neutral, and green is ground.  keeping black as AC feeds and using white as a DC negative, would keep the two systems separate.
cheers

MarkandMo

I had an issue with the Alde screen that I believe was caused by mice. The screen turned on, but the touchscreen was non-functional. I tried all sorts of fixes from this forum, then took apart the Alde control.  I found that the 4-lead ribbon cable from the circuit board to the screen had a couple of breaks (chews?) in it. Impossible to repair, so $319 for a new controller from Alde. 

Homebodyatheart

My 2017 320S Alde panel will not power up. I have tried all the above tips, still a no go. The 2 Alde fuses are fine, and new in August, I replaced the 10 fuse #5 for the Alde and two fans, and flipped the 20amp breaker on the main panel which was still in position. The battery has a good charge, all connections into the Alde are snug, the FF runs as does the AC fan. I also tried the Alde panel reset. Still dead. Am I missing anything? I may need a new panel… 

Sharon_is_SAM

Did you try this?  

“ I just watched the YouTube video on Travels with Delaney.  He recommends pulling the Alde dc cable FIRST then replacing the Alde fuse(s) then reinserting the cable and that is what my DH did.  The first couple times that we changed the blown Alde fuse, we did not pull the cable and they blew again.  So - unplug the cable first!”

dsfdogs

I think the panel operates separate from the Alde itself (and the pesky fuses) because one time my panel was on and looked liked it should be operating, but the Alde was unplugged, thus no heat. So I would suspect the fuses in the converter as you indicated or the panel itself, since other 12v items work. Maybe it's as simple as a loose wire behind the panel?

N7SHG_Ham

The panel is powered via a line from the Alde itself, I would make sure nothing out of order at the Alde and then if no go, check the wire on back of panel. If not those and any 12VDC fuses for the Alde are good, then it is probably the panel, but check the easy stuff first as that panel is quite expensive. FYI, the 120V breaker for the Alde controls ONLY the electric heating elements, that breaker can be completely off and the Alde will still have power to run on propane from the battery of course assuming battery is charged and battery switch is on.

Bottom line is panel is not getting 12VDS, determine if a connection came loose or if one of the fuses is the issue and if not then new panel I suppose. FWIW, they have been a few panel failures noted from time to time.