Atkinson Sun Explorer charge controller not working

[bsrobinson]

The Atkinson Sun Explorer charge controller display in my 2017 International has stopped working. Currently the selection indicator for the solar amp hours is lit but nothing is shown on the display. And I am unable to change the mode. Does anyone have experience with this problem?

[Heckler56]

I had one on my Interstate (van) but replaced my whole solar system. These are known to fail. Depending on your level of diy you can replace the gauge with a Bogart Engineering Thrimetric and if you do not have allot of solar use their solar charger. Those both have about the same footprint as the Atkinson monitor and controller. To take better advantage of their system you could install their shunt.

[GMFL]

I don’t but I gave a new unit if you are interested. DM me your info and I’ll gladly ship it to you for free.

[rowiebowie]

Do yourself a favor and replace the solar controller with a Victron with bluetooth. But check your cable connections at the controller and behind the display. Mine was loose when purchased.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

I'm not a big fan of the stock controller, replacing it with a Victron would be my vote. However, the control panel probably can be reset:

1) Unscrew the faceplate mounting it to the wall

2) Carefully pull the assembly out of the wall of the trailer

3) There is a very normal looking "telephone wire" going into the assembly. Unplug it and wait a minute.

4) Plug it back in and the control will ( maybe ) reset and go back to working.

Before I replaced mine, I had to do this a couple times ....

Bob

[bsrobinson]

Thanks everyone for your comments. I unplugged the RJ-45 JACK and reconnected it. It's working again now but for how long?

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by bsrobinson

Thanks everyone for your comments. I unplugged the RJ-45 JACK and reconnected it. It's working again now but for how long?

Hi

Should keep running for a year or two. Then you may need to repeat the plug-in / reset process. It's not broke when the display goes away. The display simply has gone out of sync with the main device.

Bob

[Skyhook]

Our Explorer was spazzing as soon as we got it home from the dealer. We couldn't get a service appointment for weeks so we worked with the manufacturer. We determined that the CAT5 cable was wired wrong on one end, replaced the end and it somewhat works. But the one 90 watt panel in sunny florida is not enough to keep the batteries charged.

[Skyhook]

Recently our solar controller under bed started ticking, usually near sunup or sundown. I think it is confused whether to charge or not. It sounds like its sending morse code. When at Jackson Center the Tech said it is shot and needs to be replaced. He suggested Victron or something else.

Any suggestions? Why doesn't AS just install a battery monitor, a real battery disconnect and a solar system that does something?!

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Skyhook

Recently our solar controller under bed started ticking, usually near sunup or sundown. I think it is confused whether to charge or not. It sounds like its sending morse code. When at Jackson Center the Tech said it is shot and needs to be replaced. He suggested Victron or something else.

Any suggestions? Why doesn't AS just install a battery monitor, a real battery disconnect and a solar system that does something?!

Hi

... since you asked:

Full battery disconnect: That shuts down the propane detector. They very much do *not* want to do that. Having an AS blow up due to their "faulty setup" likely would not be great PR.

Battery monitor: It's not something folks seem to ask for. They only realize that they need / want one after they have been boon docking a while. Indeed AS *does* put them on some RV's.

Solar that "does something": Not quite clear about this one. The stock solar on most AS RV's does indeed put current into the batteries. It's not a bad size for the stock batteries. Yes, that's to say that neither the batteries or the solar are sized for a week or four off grid.

Just for grins: Did all this stuff worry you *before* you bought the trailer? .... If it didn't then you probably would not have paid another couple thousand bucks to "fix it". Yes, they do indeed do studies on this price vs options stuff.

Bob