mike 202 Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 In my A/S Windsor 2008 I have a Sargent EC 200 Electronic control system comprising of a EC200 PSU 2007 and the Control Panel EC200. I have had the motorhome habitation service completed (4weeks ago) and I did ask them to replace the Control panel as the Scroll Up/Adjust and Scroll Down/Adjust buttons had stopped working. All of the other 4 buttons Power On/Off, Battery Select, Pumps On/Off, Axuillary On/Off all work Fine. The Habitation technician said that the buttons had just gone to sleep, so he kept pressing the buttons and now the Scroll Up/Adjust worked. Although the Scroll Down/Adjust still did not work he thought that it would be a waste to buy a new Control unit at present. Yesterday I took my Windsor for a run out (4 weeks fron Hab check) and both of the Scroll Up/Adjust and Scroll Down/Adjust would not work. Lots of pressing, 20/30 times of these buttons and eventually the Scroll Up/Adjust worked. Rest of the buttons no problems. I have downloaded the manual which suggests intermittent faults can be cured by ""Reboot control panel by removing control panel bezel, remove 2 fixing screws, and unplugging the control panel connecting lead. wait 30 seconds and reconnect. Just wondering if the actual switches in the control panel are faulty or is the sofrware corrupt and needs the Reboot ?? Any comments gratefully received ---Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 Two points Mike, Have you tried the disconnect reboot as it does work sometimes, not always it must be said, but takes but a few minutes and is well worth a try? Have you contacted Sargents and spoken to their experts - they really are very helpful and knowledgeable and won't sell you something you don't need? Do let us know how you get on and this malady could affect anyone of us with similar systems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike 202 Posted August 4, 2013 Author Share Posted August 4, 2013 Hi Tracker, Thanks for your advice. i have not disconnected the panel as I have only today downloaded the manual. However I will ring Sargent Tech Support on 01482 678981 tomorrow at 9 when they open. As you have requested, I will post the solution on the forum. Regards Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harvey Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 Mike, I have had a very similar problem with my EC200 panel recently. First the down button failed, solid fault. It did not 'click' when pressed. Then the up button failed intermittently and then failed solid. This did still 'click' though. I removed the panel and disconnected the cable plug and reseated it. As I recall this made no difference. I then checked the tightness of the cross-head screws holding the circuit board ( pcb ) and 'nipped' them up. I now had a clicking down button. The part of the panel that you press, the little button, is not directly connected to the switch so if the pcb fixing screws are slightly loose it may be that there was clearance between the 'button' and the switch actuator causing the switch to fail to make; that was my theory anyway. I refitted the control panel but the down button, although it still clicks, will not work. The up button however does work now and has been used repeatedly while away for several days. I have decided to test the down button with a meter with a view to replacing the switch. I have found these switches are called 'tactile switches' and are available from the likes of Maplins and RS components. They are cheap, at about £1.25 Maplins and a lot less from RS although you have to buy in bulk from them. The quite small switches need to be unsoldered from the pcb and the solder connections are very small too. I will have to dismantle the pcb from the frame / panel to gain access and also to check the switch dimensions as there are several sizes / types. I do not intend to attempt a repair until the end of the season when the van will be out of use. I will be interested in the results of your call to Sargent but will not be online again for several days. Harvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike 202 Posted August 5, 2013 Author Share Posted August 5, 2013 Quick Update. Rang Sergent tech support today at 0905 but recorded message said "closed for holidays for 1 week " so will ring on Mon 12th July. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suntrecker38 Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Sargents are very good we had problems in Cordoba this year and they talked me through the repair. Been alright ever since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolly1965 Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Mine has the same problem too - will try the re boot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Harvey - 2013-08-04 10:21 PM Mike, I have had a very similar problem with my EC200 panel recently. First the down button failed, solid fault. It did not 'click' when pressed. Then the up button failed intermittently and then failed solid. This did still 'click' though. I removed the panel and disconnected the cable plug and reseated it. As I recall this made no difference. I then checked the tightness of the cross-head screws holding the circuit board ( pcb ) and 'nipped' them up. I now had a clicking down button. The part of the panel that you press, the little button, is not directly connected to the switch so if the pcb fixing screws are slightly loose it may be that there was clearance between the 'button' and the switch actuator causing the switch to fail to make; that was my theory anyway. I refitted the control panel but the down button, although it still clicks, will not work. The up button however does work now and has been used repeatedly while away for several days. I have decided to test the down button with a meter with a view to replacing the switch. I have found these switches are called 'tactile switches' and are available from the likes of Maplins and RS components. They are cheap, at about £1.25 Maplins and a lot less from RS although you have to buy in bulk from them. The quite small switches need to be unsoldered from the pcb and the solder connections are very small too. I will have to dismantle the pcb from the frame / panel to gain access and also to check the switch dimensions as there are several sizes / types. I do not intend to attempt a repair until the end of the season when the van will be out of use. I will be interested in the results of your call to Sargent but will not be online again for several days. Harvey Harvey, Be very careful with your soldering iron, I don't know if this is a 'Multi-layered' PCB or not, but if it is, then the heat transference onto the next layer could damage a component. I used to repair PCB's back in the 'Relay and Transistor' era, but even simple PCB's are often Multi-layer these days. Ray Don't mean to tell 'Granny how to suck eggs'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 mike 202 - 2013-08-05 9:09 AM Quick Update. Rang Sergent tech support today at 0905 but recorded message said "closed for holidays for 1 week " so will ring on Mon 12th July. (August !!) Mike That explains why my E-mail to them hasn't been answered. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike 202 Posted August 6, 2013 Author Share Posted August 6, 2013 Rayjsj, Yes you are correct August not July, I am rapidly becoming senile according to the wife. But back to the panel - just removed the panel, disconnected and reconnected it as per the handbook. Just in case putting the panel back moved the plug I tried all of the buttons. They all work, with the exception of the down button. Whether the up button becomes "lazy" again who knows !! So its a phone call to Sarget on monday. Will report back any help I get but expect to have to buy a new panel at £96 + p&p. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harvey Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Update from Harvey after another week away. Well! the thot plickens. All switches working ok *except* for the 'down' button however I discovered that if the panel was set to something where the 'left' button could be used e.g. to select the pump mode as 'internal' 'external' or 'both' then pressing the down button would cause it to act as a 'left' button.............. the 'left' button still acted as a 'left' button though. Then this morning while 'playing' with it, the 'down' button once more went into a solid failure mode. So it seems as though mine may not actually be a faulty switch, but a faulty PCB. Thank you Ray for the advice re soldering. I didn't know about multi-layer PCBs. Harvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike 202 Posted August 12, 2013 Author Share Posted August 12, 2013 Update:- Rang Sargent today and they confirmed that one of the switches was U/S and that was stopping the scroll switches from working. Good news is that the 4 left hand switches operate independantly from the 3 right hand (scroll) switches so unless another fault develops I will be ok to continue to use the panel to operate the onboard systems. My way ahead is to order a new control panel at £96 and when that is fitted and working return the old panel to Sargent for a fixed price repair at £47.They actually fit a new PEC. I need to remove the old unit to get the software issue as new control panels are universal and need programming before they leave the factory.That way if I get a problem in Spain during my winter sojourns then at least I have a spare onboard. To some on the forum it may seem belt and braces and a waste of money not just repairing the old unit, but considering the value of the wagon and general running expenses and peace of mind to me it is worthwhile. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 mike 202 - 2013-08-12 10:05 AM To some on the forum it may seem belt and braces and a waste of money not just repairing the old unit, but considering the value of the wagon and general running expenses and peace of mind to me it is worthwhile. Mike Glad you are getting there Mike and peace of mind is never a waste of money. However had you considered just replacing the panel and not repairing the old one as it is still usable as an emergency backup should the new one fail? To be fair these panels are generally pretty reliable and with probably a 12 month guarantee on the new one you have plenty of time to choose to make the repair or not repair decision should you opt for that route? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike 202 Posted August 12, 2013 Author Share Posted August 12, 2013 Thanks Tracker, Will do as you have suggested, buy the new one ( Forgot that it would have a year warrenty) and keep the old one as a spare without having it repaired straight away. mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harvey Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 mike 202 - 2013-08-12 10:05 AM Update:- Rang Sargent today and they confirmed that one of the switches was U/S and that was stopping the scroll switches from working. Mike Thanks for the update Mike. Presumably if they say that one switch is U.S. causing the problem then the scrolling circuit may actually pass through all of the switches, so mine may still be a faulty switch. I am still minded now, to try a diy repair at end of season. If I fail to fix it I still have the option of a repair from Sargent ....or a new one. Harvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike 202 Posted August 13, 2013 Author Share Posted August 13, 2013 Harvey, Yes the scrolling circuit switches and their software are linked But totally seperate from the 4 switches on the left of the panel and their software. Hence Trackers idea of keeping the old board unrepaired as a spare makes sense because the two functions are seperate. If the new board failed in the 4 switches on the left of the panel I could use the old panel to switch on 12v/pump/battery swop/aux and live with the inability to scroll . Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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