CBE distribution board

[Richard L]

Hi

My leisure battery wont charge off the main battery. On hook up I get 13.5V across the leads; off the engine I get 0.5V. I have a CBE distribution board (I think itis a model DS300). Across the main engine input terminals, +B1 and -B2, I get a reading of 14.5V and across the outputs to the leisure battery (+B1 and -B2) I get a reading of only 0.6V.

Does anyone know what may have failed on the unit?

Richard

 

[andy63]

My leisure battery wont charge off the main battery.

Not really sure what you mean..
Your leisure battery should charge via the alternator when engine is running..
Your leisure should charge off the mains charger when on hook up and your start battery should receive a maintenance charge once your leisure battery voltage is high enough..
There is about a .6v difference between the voltage you will see on the leisure and start battery when on mains charger.. There is a diode and other bits in the circuit that account for the voltage difference..
From what you are saying I think you are measuring the voltage difference between the banks and not the individual battery bank voltages..
So I suspect there is nothing wrong.. A voltage difference between the banks on mains charger is quite normal..
Andy..

 

[Pausim]

I am not sure how your Chausson is wired but on my DS300 unit the +B1 connects to the engine battery positive and +B2 to the leisure battery positive. If either of them is showing no volts I would start with checking the main battery fuses, 50A on my van.

When the engine is running a relay in the DS300 links the 2 batteries but at other times they should be separated. The DS300 should also provide a trickle charge to the engine battery when on hook up but this takes second place to charging the leisure battery.

The leisure battery should not charge from the engine battery when on hook up. Perhaps I have misunderstood your problem.

 

[Richard L]

Thank you.

I'll have a play around this afternoon. Basically, on hook up, I get a decent voltage to the leisure battery. Disconnected and on engine running, I get nothing (0.5V). I am happy that I'm getting voltage to the distribution board - but I get nothing out to the leisure battery in that mode (i.e. engine only and no hook up).

 

[Wagoneer]

Hi
.....across the outputs to the leisure battery (+B1 and -B2) I get a reading of only 0.6V.

Presumably, you mean (+B2 and -B2) ?

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[AXO66]

Out chausson made in 2015 has a CBE system. It has a control panel by the door, with the switches for lights etc, and leds for the state of the battery charge , water reserve etc.

when the engine is running there is a small green led that lights up under a small picture of 2 batteries joined together. If this is not lit I understand there is no alternator current going to the lesuire battery.
( there is also a small greern led under a picture of a plug that lights when plugged into the EHU)

i have recently had a problem that sounds similar to yours , in that there was no current to the leisure battery. I only know this because the green led under the picture of the joined up batteriies did not light.

i do not know the cause.

but i have fiddeled with the following and now it is working.
there is a small purple fuse in the-distribution box , last one on the right in mine, that has a sign saying D+, I recall. When i took this out and put it back in again , the battery was charging as it should.So worth taking all the fuses out, check and push back in.

also there is on ours a couple of relais , ours are in the side locker behind the front drivers seat.
there are a couple of fuses in each one, so worth a check on those as well.
these relais boxes join the two batteries up when driving and link the engine side to the hab side , or so i was told on handover.

another bit of info. When i have the engine running and turn the control panel main switch off and on , i can hear a clicking from the relais.indicating they are working,

hope these might be a few pointers for you.

its all based on info i have picked up and discovered by fiddling. ( i have no qualifications or expertise in electrics though)

good luck.

 

[Pausim]

Thank you.

I'll have a play around this afternoon. Basically, on hook up, I get a decent voltage to the leisure battery. Disconnected and on engine running, I get nothing (0.5V). I am happy that I'm getting voltage to the distribution board - but I get nothing out to the leisure battery in that mode (i.e. engine only and no hook up).

I am not sure how you discovered you are getting nothing out to the leisure battery. The voltage at B2 should give the leisure battery voltage whether or not it is charging. You would expect a small rise in voltage when the engine is running.

 

[andy63]

. I am happy that I'm getting voltage to the distribution board - but I get nothing out to the leisure battery in that mode (i.e. engine only and no hook up).

Your control panel need to be switched on in order for you to see the alternator voltage on your batteries.. But you would still get alternator voltage on the cbe distribution board..
I suspect tharts your issue..
Andy

 

[andy63]

Your control panel need to be switched on in order for you to see the alternator voltage on your batteries.. But you would still get alternator voltage on the cbe distribution board..
I suspect tharts your issue..
Andy

Sorry I'm spouting without thinking I suspect?
I'm referring to the panel needing to be on to ensure the leisure batteries are charged when on hook up..

With the engine running and alternator voltage to the panel and not the leisure batteries it indicates that the one of the main relays is not closing..
Its referred to in in the post above by AXO66..
ANDY

 

[Wagoneer]

Anyone know where/how the - B2 terminal on the CBE box is bonded to the chassis earth ?

As a belt & braces approach, I ran a separate cable from the neg B2 terminal to a new chassis earth.

The OP could run a test cable from the -B2 terminal to the same chassis earth as used by the starter battery. At least this would prove conclusively if chassis earthing is the problem.

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[EssexBoy]

What's the hab battery voltage reading (at the battery terminals) with no charging going on?

What's the hab battery voltage reading (at the battery terminals) with the engine running?

That's the place to start...