Advice please on the hidden menu on the EC480 /EC500 power control system Panel (1 Viewer)

[Kev and Carolyn]

Can i ask a question please?

We have a Delaware with some seriously fancy bits of kit on it from the original owner . His idea was to be totally self sufficient when off grid.
Please note...........I am a complete Knob when it comes to electrics full stop! I can and do..most things but electricity...I cannot see and get to grips with at all.
I had a new starter battery a month ago and I fitted it like a pro! By that I mean....as if I was doing it for the first time and the last time. That being very carefully.
Now I know this is a simple task to each and everyone of you out there, but....somethings are like "Kryptonite to superman" and electrics are just that to me.
Now I have carried out a simple replacement of my starter battery and put on a Bosch 100amp hour (850cca battery) at a cost of £200. Now I know that there is an argument for a cheaper one to be fitted in place but please... this is not about the money honestly ....Its purely about if I have set it up correctly?
I went to the truck today after a month and the bugger was flat totally!
Now When we went into lockdown after a 10 week period of not seeing my truck...I could go to it and fire it up! Now I have changed the battery purely because I thought It may be in need of a new one and I wanted to make sure that my options had been covered by fitting a new one! Hence my idea of a new Bosch battery.
What is it I have done wrong for the battery to be totally flat after 4 weeks?
I have gone into the Hidden Menu and checked the settings previously set up by the original owner.
This is what I found..
Smart charging set up
Solar charging set up leisure
Battery capacity 200amps
Everything else seemed ok and common sense

Solar charging set up to leisure.....Should that be Vehicle? I cannot see why you would need leisure when its in storage?
Really appreciate any information as to what it should be if you could?
As I said............I am thick when it comes to electricity . Should my settings be set up differently?
Feel free to abuse me!

Regards Kev

 

[GeoffnDee]

According to the Sargent electrical website (user manuals) the EC500 smart charging feature tops up both batteries as needed , except when the shutdown button is off ,then only the leisure battery is charged.
Is it possible that the van was left with the (black) shutdown button off ?

 

[Blue Knight]

We have a Delaware with some seriously fancy bits of kit on it.............

Are you referring to the Autotrail umbrella Kev?

 

[Kannon Fodda]

There is likely to be a fuse somewhere between the vehicle wiring and the leisure systems. Can be separate from the main fuses under the dashboard and in the Sargent boxes. Easy for that to get blown when you are messing with batteries, solar and the like. On my Ducato it's in a fuseboard behind the drivers seat as that is how Fiat enable the linkage between the motor and habitation areas.

If you fitted a new battery, did you fully charge it on installation? Many batteries will have only a part charge.

I've fitted a Battery Master so all solar goes to the leisure and that will trickle charge the motor if needed. Before that I had to choose and flick a switch between leisure or engine battery charge from solar. Unless your MH has an extra linkage, if your system is set to charge leisure then nothing else will have got through to the engine battery.

 

[Blue Knight]

tonka Steve knows a few things about the EC500.

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[tonka]

According to the Sargent electrical website (user manuals) the EC500 smart charging feature tops up both batteries as needed , except when the shutdown button is off ,then only the leisure battery is charged.
Is it possible that the van was left with the (black) shutdown button off ?

Most likely cause. Saved me writting all that out.

Can't rule out a blown fuse but certainly set on solar smart charge and leave the ec500 shutdown switch left on.

 

[Kev and Carolyn]

Most likely cause. Saved me writting all that out.

Can't rule out a blown fuse but certainly set on solar smart charge and leave the ec500 shutdown switch left on.

Ah........There you go then...Shut down button switched off! Did not think it would shut down the solar going in though? Still learning all the time! Will try it again with the button left alone...Will get back if it fails me.

Cheers guys

Kev

 

[Diabalo]

My Auto-Trail Mohawk is in storage and I have the EC500 and always set the solar charging to vehicle while in storage. Another thing to remember is, if you put the EC500 in shut down mode (little black button) it will then default to leisure battery, so I leave it on. With no solar charging my vehicle battery is getting seriously low after 2 or 3 weeks as the parasitic drain is quite high and I have not managed to do much about it.

 

[Kev and Carolyn]

My Auto-Trail Mohawk is in storage and I have the EC500 and always set the solar charging to vehicle while in storage. Another thing to remember is, if you put the EC500 in shut down mode (little black button) it will then default to leisure battery, so I leave it on. With no solar charging my vehicle battery is getting seriously low after 2 or 3 weeks as the parasitic drain is quite high and I have not managed to do much about it.

Thanks Dane. I think I have now found the issue with my problem. I have at this time got it back home and on charge ( EHU ). ALl seems ok at the moment. I will endeavour to leave the little black button alone from here on!

Still learning albeit slowly ......Thanks again guys

Kev

 

[Kev and Carolyn]

Just a quickie if any one can advise again please...According to the Information Regarding the EC500 warnings on the system...
Vehicle battery low ...Control panel shows a triangle (Warning low battery) but the information given from the manual states it switches over to the leisure batteries and then protects the starter battery from total discharge? Does that mean it then allows the leisure side of things to actually assist in starting if that battery is low?
I had no choice but to jump start so hence my question.
Thanks in advance guys
Kev

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[Diabalo]

In a word no it does not have the ability for the leisure batteries to assist the vehicle battery for starting. You could use jump leads from the leisure batteries to the vehicle battery.

 

[Gellyneck]

Diabalo
Have you still got an Xtrons media head unit fitted?
I've noticed the cooling fan starts up now and again when the unit is turned off. The permanent power to the unit (I just replicated the 12\13ELE installation) is from the vehicle battery and if yours is the same it may be that that's giving you your power draw?
On our Savannah the permanent supply wire is red and I can see it running down at the front of the passenger footwell. I'll be fitting a kill switch on this when back home.

 

[Kev and Carolyn]

Cheers Dane...As I have mentioned...can do most things but always look at the electric side of stuff as being a bloody nightmare to be honest! Thanks again

kev.

 

[Kev and Carolyn]

Have you still got an Xtrons media head unit fitted?
I've noticed the cooling fan starts up now and again when the unit is turned off. The permanent power to the unit (I just replicated the 12\13ELE installation) is from the vehicle battery and if yours is the same it may be that that's giving you your power draw?
On our Savannah the permanent supply wire is red and I can see it running down at the front of the passenger footwell. I'll be fitting a kill switch on this when back home.

No bud...Fitted with the original Fiat nav and entertainment one. Its a 2016 Delaware we have now .

Regards Kev

 

[Diabalo]

Kev, I have put a couple of docs in resources to do with charging also Sargent's electrical website has most of the info needed and can be downloaded.

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[Kev and Carolyn]

Hi Dane. When I go into resources it shows what you have put but I cant see the link to download? Is it me?

Kev

 

[Gellyneck]

No bud...Fitted with the original Fiat nav and entertainment one. Its a 2016 Delaware we have now .

Regards Kev

Sorry Kev, question was for Dane Diabalo

 

[Kev and Carolyn]

Just had a call from Sargent regarding the above issue. As you guys have quite clearly stated ...The black button needs to be left on whilst in storage . Otherwise it refers to default solar charging of the Leisure batteries only. I switched mine off and so...flat battery! Doh!!

Thanks again guys for your knowledge and help...As stated...still learning even though it takes a lot longer for it to sink in!

regards Kev

 

[Diabalo]

Hi Dane. When I go into resources it shows what you have put but I cant see the link to download? Is it me?

Click on the title then click orange down load button (middle right)

 

[Diabalo]

Diabalo
Have you still got an Xtrons media head unit fitted?
I've noticed the cooling fan starts up now and again when the unit is turned off. The permanent power to the unit (I just replicated the 12\13ELE installation) is from the vehicle battery and if yours is the same it may be that that's giving you your power draw?
On our Savannah the permanent supply wire is red and I can see it running down at the front of the passenger footwell. I'll be fitting a kill switch on this when back home.

No mine picks the power up from the hab battery which I think is the original way, my unit does not have a fan but have been thinking about fitting one and an extra heatsink as it does get very warm.

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[Gellyneck]

No mine picks the power up from the hab battery which I think is the original way, my unit does not have a fan but have been thinking about fitting one and an extra heatsink as it does get very warm.

Just had a thought. I wonder if the original media unit was dealer fitted rather than factory build and they ran the power to the vehicle battery on ours?
It'll be a couple of weeks before I can investigate further.

 

[Diabalo]

Just had a thought. I wonder if the original media unit was dealer fitted rather than factory build and they ran the power to the vehicle battery on ours?
It'll be a couple of weeks before I can investigate further.

Could be, will be an easy job to run it back to the leisure batt. I have a switch next to the EC500 for the entertainment system that looks factory fitted.

 

[Gellyneck]

Could be, will be an easy job to run it back to the leisure batt. I have a switch next to the EC500 for the entertainment system that looks factory fitted.

Yip, we've got the same switch next to the EC500 but it only powers off the drop-down monitor.

 

[Diabalo]

Yip, we've got the same switch next to the EC500 but it only powers off the drop-down monitor.

Ah yes now you mention it you are correct. The reason I thought the media unit was powered by the hab side is because it doesn't work if you switch the EC500 off or at least I don't think it does, got me thinking now.

 

[Gellyneck]

Ah yes now you mention it you are correct. The reason I thought the media unit was powered by the hab side is because it doesn't work if you switch the EC500 off or at least I don't think it does, got me thinking now.

Ours doesn't power up if the EC500 is in "shutdown" and I'm sure our permanent supply does go to the vehicle battery but I ain't getting out in this monsoon to lift the floor to check!

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[raysalaugh]

One of the main problems with the vehicle battery going flat is the effect it can have on the airbag ECU,
when I refitted the battery after a charge up the ECU failed and had to be replaced.

 

[Gellyneck]

One of the main problems with the vehicle battery going flat is the effect it can have on the airbag ECU,
when I refitted the battery after a charge up the ECU failed and had to be replaced.

Low warning triggered an issue with our airbag ecu but managed to get ours repaired.

 

[GeoffnDee]

Just had a call from Sargent regarding the above issue. As you guys have quite clearly stated ...The black button needs to be left on whilst in storage . Otherwise it refers to default solar charging of the Leisure batteries only. I switched mine off and so...flat battery! Doh!!

Thanks again guys for your knowledge and help...As stated...still learning even though it takes a lot longer for it to sink in!

regards Kev

When all charged up again check that solar has reset to smart by default, if not, the dealer settings manual for your system is also in resources and this shows how to alter this if required.

 

[Diabalo]

I do find that the smart charging gets it's knickers in twist sometimes and the way to sort it is to shut it all down to reset it.

 

[Gellyneck]

Just had a thought. I wonder if the original media unit was dealer fitted rather than factory build and they ran the power to the vehicle battery on ours?
It'll be a couple of weeks before I can investigate further.

Could be, will be an easy job to run it back to the leisure batt. I have a switch next to the EC500 for the entertainment system that looks factory fitted.

OK Dane, gonna have to admit to talking a load of mince (nothing new there he says)!
Finally fitted an isolation switch to our Xtrons unit so investigated where the permanent live was routed to.
As I said previously, I assumed whistle2 it was running down to the vehicle battery as that's where the cable looked to be heading.
Removed the passenger footwell kick panel and lo and behold there was a number of plugs \ sockets in behind it.

So it is wired to the leisure battery.

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