Battery charging/Fuse unit location

I have a recently acquired 2010 registration Symbol, and excellent it is too.  But I am puzzled about the elec controls fit, and onboard battery charging.

Electrical Controls fit

The Autosleepers Manual (2008MY version) says that it has:

1. touch screen display
   
2. an RCD with main switch and 3 MCBs  
   
3. a PDU 4M Power Distribution Unit (diagram says made by Bonus Plug-in) "with a built in 18A three stage battery charger that works in conjunction with the touch screen display" and that is supposed to have 12 fuses on it
   

In reality, in the vehicle
The touch screen display is obvious (above rear doors); the RCD with main switch/3 MCBs is under the oven; but I cannot see the Power Distribution Unit with 12 fuses.  What there is, near the RCD unit, is a Bonus Plug-in 18A 3 stage charger which does not seem to have fuses.  A separate leaflet describes it as CTSAN 18A 3 Stage Leisure Battery charger.

Question 1:  Is there anyone with an Autosleepers van conversion of similar vintage (2008-2010) who has a similar fit (it looks to be original) and can tell me where the 12 fuses/PDU are?  I have looked high and low, and cannot see them. 

Battery Charging
The vehicle has started well in the 3 months since I have had it, until yesterday when I had to jump start it.  The battery may have had it because it is probably 5 or 6 years old like the van but I ran it yesterday for 130 miles and it seems ok again.  I leave the vehicle with all power switched off, just hooked up to 240v to run a 240v dehumidifier.  But now I intend to leave the Bonus Plug-in 18A 3 stage charger switched on.  Two questions:

Question 2:  If the touch screen display is set to charge a particular battery, is that setting retained and connected when the display is switched off (hibernated) to save power?

Question 3:  I thought that these 3 stage chargers were supposed to be 'smart' Is it really necessary to tell them which battery to charge (through the touch screen display) when they are powered on and connected to a hook-up?  Can't they just switch over themselves (seems not)?

Wisdom appreciated!

Hi and welcome to the forum from Bridlington 
Boaby

Thanks for that, Peter .  I'll have a look under the seats later.  Just to make it clear, although the split charger unit fitted is a Bonus Plug-in 18A one (it is also labelled "Volta" on the casing), it is not part of any power distribution unit with integrated split charger which is described in my van's manual.

The handbook link you kindly provided is to the Touch Screen Display User Guide, and it is slightly different to the functions of the one on my van.  In fact in this case the Manual which came with my van actually seems to be right (!) for the Touch Screen Display fitted!

This is all a bit of a voyage of discovery.....

Hi and welcome to the forum from Leicestershire .

Our 2011 Symbol has the "Sargent" setup so I'm not able to help with your problem, however what is strange is that the Auto-Sleeper online handbook which describes my conversion is titled "2009 Handbook"

Sorry I can't help ... Jeff

Peter Brown wrote:Just to clarify; "split charging" refers to the output from the engine alternator being fed to both the vehicle and the leisure batteries whist the engine is running.  The onboard mains charger only charges one battery at a time depending on the switching.  Some newer systems charge both at once.

OK thanks again.  The AS Owner's Manual does say "Operating Instructions for MES Control Unit" but no further reference to MES.  So presumably it is MES fitted.  I will have to get used to manually switching the onboard mains charger (i.e. the Bonus Plug-in Volta CTSAN 18A 3 Stage Leisure Battery charger - that is marked 230v AC input, and 13.6-14.5 DC output) while on hook-up to keep the van battery topped up as well.  Presumably the MES touch screen panel just directs the output from that.

But I still cannot find a power distribution unit with fuses!  The connection diagrams show "fuseblock" so it must be there somewhere.  I looked under bith front seats - not there like the Merc is that other thread.  This Symbol has swivelling seats, and unless a PDU/fuseblock is only visible/accessible by unbolting a seat and lifting it out (unlikely) it's not there. They haven't stuffed it in near the van fuseways, either.  So it must be hidden somewhere else, but it is definitely not in the same cubby as the RCD/3 MCB unit & the CTSAN charger which is the obvious place.

So I am stumped as far as the fuse unit/PDU is concerned unless someone has a Van Conversion with a similar fit.  Perhaps I need to call Auto-Sleepers direct.  I have the Electrical Installation Schedule & Certificate (no mention of what make of kit or which components are fitted) so if AS have records then they ought to know what was fitted, and to what layout.

Ramblers wrote:Hi and welcome to the forum from Leicestershire .

Our 2011 Symbol has the "Sargent" setup so I'm not able to help with your problem, however what is strange is that the Auto-Sleeper online handbook which describes my conversion is titled "2009 Handbook"

Sorry I can't help ... Jeff

OK thanks, nice to be welcomed Jeff.  Regarding the year discrepancy, my Symbol is registered 2010 but the handbook says that it is for Model Year 2008.  The electrical installation certificate is dated (end) 2008 as well!  The tyres have 2008 dates on them.  So I conclude that mine was built at Sevel in 2008, then it took nearly 2 years for Peugeot to sell it to AS, AS to convert it, then sell it to the dealer, for the dealer to sell it, and then register it.  So on the same logic, your 2011 registration may well have been a 2009 model year/build....Must be similar for ambulances, or any vehicles which are converted, especially being slow to process when the economy is a bit slow.  Good thing that corrosion protection is better than it used to be, because I suspect that we are all buying vehicles a bit older than we assume from the registration!  Best to put it out of mind I think.

Just to finish this one off, I rang Auto-Sleepers and they said that the fuses are inline, located near the leisure battery.  There is indeed a set of fuses on a little block tucked away in the jumble of wiring.  I have a photo on Photobucket but cannot link to it because I am a newbie and not allowed to.

I was told by Auto-Sleepers:

1	5A	Ebersbacher
2	20A	Ebersbacher
3	15A	Fridge
4	15A	Interior Lights
5	10A	Toilet Flush/Water Pump/Water Level
6	5A	Ignition circuits
7	10A	12v Socket
8	20A	Step

and also there is a 50A fuse in there too, off the main feed to the battery
Blade fuses - 5A Light Brown, 20A Yellow, 15A Blue, 10A Red

In the tiny writing of the Wiring Diagram in the Manual, there are also 8 fuses described (not the 12 fuses shown in the Power Distribution schematic 6 pages earlier) and the Fuse allocation is in fact very similar to what I was told:

1	5A	Ebersbacher
2	20A	Ebersbacher
3	15A	Fridge
4	15A	Lights
5	10A	Toilet, Pump,Water Level
6	5A	Appliance igniters
7	10A	12v Socket & TV Feed
8	20A	Additional Lights, Extractor

There is enough in this info to work out what's what.  I will put an addendum in my manual and a label on top of the battery compartment, which really should have been done in the first place.

Here is a pic of the fuseway.
[url=https://s1130.photobucket.com/user/catseye8/media/SYMBOL/2008MY SYMBOL FUSES][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

In fact it looks like a connector because only the back of it is visible amongst a jumble of wires - but once grabbed hold of and turned round, all is revealed.