Sargent EC480 Control Panel

I have a Kemerton XL which is 20 months old.

I have had three EC 480 control panels fail, always in the winter when the heaters have been used and always after leaving a site and travelling to the next site or home.

As soon as the panel is turned on again the LCD screen goes white/grey and then goes totally blank. All of the switches on the panel light up and work as normal, obviously what I can't read is the tank levels and battery charge.

The vehicle is going back into the dealer for the repair to be done on warranty again, my concern is what happens after the warranty period.

As this only happens during cold weather does anyone think condensation could be an issue, I have removed the panel and felt the insulation which did feel a little damp with condensation, I am wondering if anything dripped onto the panel whilst driving from the site.

Any Idea's?

I guess condensation is possible, but it seems unlikely - most motorhomes suffer from that regularly during normal use and we don't see lots of reports of problems. The control panel itself should be operating entirely at low voltage (all of the mains switching is done remotely in the power supply) so you would expect to see visible evidence of corrosion on the control panel's circuit board if condensation were the cause.

Assuming that the control panel really has been changed several times, and not just tested and found to be working normally when tested, it suggests that the fault lies elsewhere in the system - but offhand it's hard to see how, if all of the buttons work as normal.

I have a vague recollection that at least some of the Sargent panels have a contrast adjustment, and what you describe sounds suspiciously like it could be related to that if present on yours - but I'm afraid I can't remember anything more about it than that. If you haven't already, it may be worth calling Sargent directly on the number given on their website - they are typically very helpful.

My panel is mounted just inside the door and the seal isn't brilliant.  If the van is unheated, the temperature very cold and the wind blowing on to the side with the door, the display on my Sargent controller dims away (see below).  Everything works normally and when it warms up, it comes back.

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D40DJH wrote:I have a Kemerton XL which is 20 months old.

I have had three EC 480 control panels fail, always in the winter when the heaters have been used and always after leaving a site and travelling to the next site or home.

loosing one panel is unfortunate, but 3 is a pattern 

After the panels have been removed, the supplier should be able to give more information as to the failure suffered by the panel which in turn should help you identify the cause.

Think I would call Sargent as mojo suggests, they are very helpful. 

If the panel really has been changed three times, and not reset there is another fault which needs to to found.

Last week I went into our van and there was a black screen displayed on the panel but after doing a system reset and turning the charger on everything was back to normal.

Interesting, I too have a 2016 Kemerton XL which has been experiencing issues with its EC480 control panel. Our experience has been similar to D40DJH's with failure during both winters when the heaters have been used. We have also experienced problems with the panel's display after travelling between sites or arriving back home. 

The failures with the panel have been investigated by our motorhome supplier and work completed under AS guarantee to rectify the problems. So far we have had two panels replaced. The second failure resulted in a new panel, new wiring loom and the PSU being replaced. 

Since then we have had a year of trouble free touring until mid December when the EC480 display started to show scrambled text again, this time with certain elements also missing (e.g. last digit on the large clock display). I have partially solved the problem by doing a reset (i.e.disconnecting the connector at the back). The majority of the screen readouts are now displaying correctly apart from some truncated text and the outside temperature which is flickering. When readable it's showing 1.2c rather than today's rather chilly 5c!

We have our habitation due later this month so I will be following this up again. Meanwhile a further reset of the panel is pending - this time with the solar panel disconnected to ensure that no current is feeding the EC480.

An observation I would have, based on our Kemerton's experience, is that there seems to be a reoccurring theme on this page. If Sargent are reading this, I wonder whether they are aware of any issues with the operational temperature of the panel / PSU.  Our most recent problem started during an icy cold spell before Christmas when we were also pitched on a very wet and windy site in Wales!

Any other members noticed anything similar with their Sargent control panels / PSUs?

I have removed the panel to have a look behind and note that the insulation does not cover the bodywork well and is damp. I suspect this is condensation which is then dripping onto the panel. ( I think that a cover to deflect any condensation my be worth a try)
I am waiting for my dealer (Marquis) to take the van in but they are also taking about a cable.
I woner if the panel is getting a feed when it is turned off and we are driving?

D40DJH wrote:I wonder if the panel is getting a feed when it is turned off and we are driving?

I would say it is, because the EC480 will show an alarm if the step is out while the engine is on.

Yes, that's my thinking too... I have also noticed that the problem with the panel seems to occur after you have been driving the vehicle. Seems a bit of a coincidence. Maybe the feed from the engine is affecting the PSU which in turn is causing the EC480 to crash.

I am also suspicious about the fact the we are getting these errors during cold weather when the electric heater has been used. Perhaps there is an issue with the heater / blowers and draw on the PSU. Just a thought...

One other thought I have on this is that the 'Advanced' settings option on the EC480 should really include a reset function for the Control Panel. It's really not good design to have to pull off a connector on the back of the panel to reset it. Apart from being a nuisance, this is also a recipe for damaging the pins on the circuit board if it is done too frequently.

JohnM2 wrote:

One other thought I have on this is that the 'Advanced' settings option on the EC480 should really include a reset function for the Control Panel. It's really not good design to have to pull off a connector on the back of the panel to reset it. Apart from being a nuisance, this is also a recipe for damaging the pins on the circuit board if it is done too frequently.

The instructions from AS and Sargent are to reset the EC480 by switching off and then switching on again the EC500 PSU.

Interesting it's panel vans that have the problem. Could it be a condensation problem with the steel sides?

I have just checked our Kemerton XL and there is no sign of dampness near the Control Panel. It's totally dry.

I agree with the comments above - do contact Sargent as roli and mojo suggest, they are very helpful. We also received excellent support from Marquis in resolving our EC480 and EC500 issues.

The problems we experienced last year were to do with a faulty EC480 panel and a suspect wiring loom. This took several months to identify, quite complicated to diagnose as intermittent problems often are. On several occasions we experienced total LCD panel lockups leading to the screen going grey/white and then totally blank (as described in D40DJH’s post). Once in this state we needed to do a ‘hard reset’ to get things back to normal. We were taken through this process by Sargent over the phone.
   
Under normal conditions, you should be able to do a reset if the EC480 starts displaying scrambled text. Peter’s advice “The instructions from AS and Sargent are to reset the EC480 by switching off and then switching on again the EC500 PSU” will normally work as long as you ensure that the EC500 is not also receiving power from a solar panel if you have one fitted.
  
I have now rectified our current EC480 problem by following these steps:

• Ensure that the solar panel is not feeding power to the EC500 PSU (done at night when Leisure Battery “Solar Amps” is displaying zero)
  
  
• Switch off the EC480
  
  
• Switch off charging (Green Button)
  
  
• Switch off EC500 PSU (Main Black Button)
  
  
• Turn on EC500 PSU (Main Black Button)
  
  
• Switch on charging (Green Button)
  

My feelings about incorporating a hard reset function as part of the Advanced Settings options are unchanged. I think it would be very helpful if this could be added. It would prevent the need for having to remove the panel when the above does not work.

Why the EC480 is developing faults needs looking at. Maybe this could be taken up with Sargent?

I just noticed the EC480 is rated as IP31 in their manual. I think that although 1 is a low rating, it should be protected against drops of water or condensation.