Cube battery charging problem !!

[Gerriatric]

My First and hopefully not My Last post !!

The battery in my Cube is not charging. However all the elements are working as long as I hold the illuminated reset button in.

Tom at BellHill garage suggests the reset button needs replacing, but I will be lucky to find one.
I have taken it out and it is an Idec AL2-M. I have found one on t'internet but I think the ac/dc ratings are slightly different.

Can someone please point me in the right direction ?

I really hope I don't have to write-off the Cube for the sake of a tiny red button !!

Many Thanks

[francophile1947]

Just done a search and came up with this http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... on#p278175 - might be worth sending a PM.

[Gerriatric]

Great.
That looks the business and much cheaper than a possible replacement from the USA at £30 that I found on t'internet!

Thanks a lot.

PS: Took your point about having 2 posts on the same topic.

[Rhod]

Presumably you're sure that the battery itself is ok? If it's dead & not holding charge then the switch will constantly trip.

[Gerriatric]

Yes battery seems ok. Its a Numax 85A/hr that's only about 9 months old .

It has slowly discharged in the van as a result of not being used, so I put it on charge overnight. Terminal voltage on completion was 14 volts.

With battery back in the Cube, and engine running, the red "Charge" light on the Kyocera battery charger controller is on as well as the red reset button, which still will not reset, even with a fully charged battery.

Thanks for response, hope that helps with diagnosis.

Gerry.

[Rhod]

Stilldesperate is becoming something of an authority on the Cube electrics, so worth PMing him. I replaced the reset switch on mine with Stilldesperates modification (uses a replacement switch located on the dash). The battery monitoring circuit on the cube does put a small drain on the battery & it was becoming a pain having to continually reset the switch - much easier with it on the dash, so you can reset while driving. It's a mod that's worth doing even if it doesn't solve your problem. My problem was largely down to a goosed 65AH battery, now solved by a new 105AH one, which gives a lot more usable life. I don't think that the reset switch itself actually monitors the charge, but that it's done by one of the relays. If you work out which one, then I might be able to help you with a spare, since I've got some cannabilised cube parts. The red charge light on the Kyocera unit stays on whenever the engine is running on my cube - never had the green "fully charged light come on, even with a fresh, mains charged battery! Sorry I can't be of more help.

[stilldesperate]

Hi Gerriatric,

If pushing the button doesn't reset the cube electrics, but holding it in does, that suggests to me that the button does actually work, and, as Rhod suggests, it's probably a relay that's not working.

I'd be happy to help out with this, but I'm run off my feet for the next week. I'll have a think about what you've described, and get back to you.

SD

[Gerriatric]

Hi SD,
Apologies for slow response to yours.
At least we are making progress and it appears we have possibly eliminated the red reset button, and it's also some comfort, but still puzzling, that Rhod has also experienced the red light on the Kyocera charger controller staying on even with a full battery. Whilst talking about the charger can you confirm the correct on/off postion of the charger switch ( the one that removes the skin off your knuckles) and whether the charger reset button below it (if working) is supposed to rectify the failure of the green "Charged" light on the controller to come on when the LB is fully charged ?

Look forward to hearing from you when things are a bit less hectic for you.

Thanks in the meantime.

[Rhod]

The charger is switched on when the switch is in the "up" position - ie the upper part of the switch is pushed flush with the mount. This is the 100V mains charger however, and has no charge input to the Cube unless it's connected to a 100V (Japanese mains) supply). Best to only try this when stationary For the mains charger to work, the "mains" switch at the front of the Cube, under the fridge socket, needs to be in the "up" position. Afraid that none of this should have any bearing on your charging problem though.

From memory, I think that the charge controller light will come on when the engine is running, even with the battery disconnected. I think that the red LED cut-out switch will also be lit, but not sure on that. Is it possible that you have a break in the connection to the battery so that it's not actually connected to the Cube charging system? Breaks can occur - my loom wore through at the point where the =ve &-ve leads join the main loom, shorted out & set fire to the wiring!

I still suspect that the relay is at fault however. Symptoms sound very much the same as those I had with a dead battery. Holding down the cut-out switch would allow me to operate the electrics, but it wouldn't stay on. While the switch was depressed & any of the electrics operated I could hear a constant clicking from the relay as it tried to cut the circuit.

[stilldesperate]

Rhod's right about the battery charger, it has no bearing on the system unless you're on mains hook-up (and beware, it's 100v, not 240)

Also, as Rhod suggests, holding it in should activate the relay, and when there's sufficient voltage to hold the relay closed, you can let go the button and it will stay on.

I'm afraid I'm still rushing up and down the country (saying "hello" to the IOW this weekend for the "Round the Island" race), and can't get to my van to give you any more ideas.

If you're still struggling after the weekend, let me know and I'll try to work through it with you.

SD

[Gerriatric]

Hi SD and Rhod,

Thanks for replies, and thanks for confirming charger switch position, however reset button problem still with me and it seems the relay is the next logical thing to look at. Not got a clue where it is located, so will contact again later for your thoughts.

Have a great weekend SD

[Rhod]

The Cube relays are in the area behind the charge controller.
The easiest way to get access to them is really to remove the plastic Cube itself, leaving the metal battery support etc in place. Remove the tap and disconnect the waste tank, undo the connector block to the fuse/switch panel, and unscrew the locking ring on the back of the reset switch. You can now undo the various cross-head screws that hold the plastic casing to the supports, & lift it off.

I'm away this weekend & then for the next couple of weeks, but I could possibly disconnect all my relays Mon eve & send them down to you to use to test yours in order to work out which one is at fault.

[Gerriatric]

Thanks for your very generous offer Rhod, unfortunately my daughter has taken Bongo to North Devon on a surfer's wedding bash and won't be back for a week, and when she does I will strip cube as you described.
By the way I forgot on last post to say that I don't get any relay chatter when I push the reset button, just a click of the switch.
I will post again when cube is stripped, but incidentally where can I get replacement relay(s) when I have identified faulty one(s)?

Thanks again in the meantime

[Rhod]

Once you've identified the guilty relay, the infite knowledge of Bongo Fury will no doubt come up with a source of a replacement As an immediate fix (or at least to test if it IS a fix!) I can let you have my spare relay, & we can then try to find a source. Should be back online after 6th July, so let us know how you get on.

Rhod

[Gerriatric]

At last I have found time and stripped the cube shell away as Rhod suggested and got sight of the charge relays. There are three of them and visual inspection shows nothing obviously wrong. The clear plastic one is 110v ac and the green one and the black one are both 12v dc.

Any suggestions as to which one is likely to be causing the problem.

Cheers

Gerry