M380 Rear slide touch panel and slide lock motor

[Dennis]

I currently have two problems with the electrical system that operates the rear slide in my M380. A "loose" diode in the touch panel where the "in/out" buttons are - does anyone know where I can get a new one?

Second problem is that the electric (actuator) motor that swings a hook up to lock the slide when it is retracted all of a sudden just started to run and the only way I could shut it off was to turn the 120V off in the bus. This motor is located under the bed. The slide room motor is okay and it does go in and out although there is either a loose wire on the touch pad or a cracked circuit board so it has to be played with. We sent the lock actuator motor to the manufacturer in New Jersey to be rebuilt, but am uncertain how the motor shuts off after it swings the hook up to lock the slide; is there a sensor somewhere? I am concerned that when we hook up the rebuilt actuator motor that it continue to run and breaks again.

Does anyone have some insights on these issues.

Thanks,

Dennis

[Stephen]

who made the system ?

[Dennis]

I don't know. My mechanic said he does know and is walking out the door but will check on Monday.

[Randy Dupree]

Dennis,I can't help you at all.
But,please keep us advised on how you get it fixed.

[lnchaffin]

Dennis,

1st problem, loose diode. Is this just a diode attached to the back of the operator panel in bedroom? What symtom does it cause being loose? I will pull my panel to look and see if I have one too. I am trying to understand what it would be hanging off the back for. That is a simple switch and led panel. That panel is the only thing I have not had problems with.

2nd problem, lock motor postion is sensed by magnetic reed switchs. That is what I call em. A magnet will pass by a switch and make it close and open as the lock motor moves. Same way the room tells when it is in or out. Look for little black things with wires going to them.

The really bad news is all this is controlled by a computer which is the one with all the pretty lights on it in the drivers side bay #3. That computer senses the room/lock postions and tells the motor when to stop or reverse. Unfortunately there is hardware and software involved and all that **** you see there is just to move the room in and out. When mine craps out again (been replaced 3 times) I am going to rewire the whole dang thing and make a simple old style relay system to work the room. All that whole mess of stuff does is 1-deflate/inflate seal, 2-move unlock motor, and 3-move room.

I no were the voltage comes from that moves that lock motor if you want to call me when you get your new motor. By the way when you are having problems with room you can kill power to the computer and everything else for the room by just pressing the test button on the 120v plug that goes to the inverter to the right of the computer. Yep thats right, the whole bedroom slide system is "ALL" 12volts...motors, computer, everything. They put a 120v to 12v inverter down there just to run the bedroom slide. This makes me laugh... to use the bedroom slide if your not hooked to shore power yet....you have to turn on the trace inverter to change 12v into 120v so then the bedroom slide inverter can change it from 120v back to 12v to move slide!

Let me know if I can help,

Lloyd Chaffin
817-371-3438
2004 M380

[Randy Dupree]

Good info Lloyd,if you rewire that control system let us know!

[lnchaffin]

Randy,

10/4, if I have to get ugly with the computer I will document and share. Since I threatened to replace her she has been behaving. Worked on computers with IBM for 25 years and best way to make em work right was threaten to replace em.

Lloyd Chaffin
2004 M380

Lloyd,

Sounds like you got the necessary stuff to qualify as a bird owner!

The first thing I would do is rewire that beast. We all know that most problems are related to power or ground. Who knows, 12V to an inverter to a converter may be creating enough noise and harmonics to mess with your computer board. Give it a leg up; wire a nice clean 12V connection with lots of amps!

[lnchaffin]

David,

Ya, I think I said "inverter" when I should have said "converter". Anyway when I was at Fort Valley having the computer replaced again I asked averybody I could find....why the 120v to 12v comverter on the rear slide???

The answer I got from everybody was we needed a "good clean" 12volt source for the slide computer. Is a cheap battery charger "converter" a better clean source of 12v power than a good run straight from a battery bank and maybe put a good 12volt Regulator in line that will shut off power at say 11.7 volts?

I quickly learned to quit asking "why" on the M380 and to just figure out how to change it to make it work right.

Lloyd Chaffin
2004 M380

[Dennis]

Randy, I will post my findings, experience etc. to the group.

Dennis