gullnooker Posted May 3, 2010 Share Posted May 3, 2010 Having had trouble with my Electroblock (an EBL105), not charging during a recent trip to Portugal, the forum was very helpful in finding out about similar problems other people had and useful contacts. I contacted Hymer & the Electroblock manufacturer whilst away for help & of course, they either want to sell you a new one at around £600, or a service exchange at something like £200. On my return home, I took out the unit, (having had to remove the drivers seat first to gain access to the space below - well done Hymer in an excellent design!), took off it's cover and found a small fuse hidden inside which had blown. The cost of replacing this was 14p, so, if your Electroblock refuses to charge the batteries, it could be a good idea to investigate before parting with wads of hard earned cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spospe Posted May 3, 2010 Share Posted May 3, 2010 A good point to make gullnooker, however it would be worth while finding out why the fuse blew, just in case it was a symptom of future trouble to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted May 3, 2010 Share Posted May 3, 2010 Scaudt electrobloks have a major issue with campsite power supplies which can cause the main power board to self destruct. We recently had a regular customer in with a German made motorhome with an EBL99 unit that had ceased to function. On inspection there were at least a dozen components that had burned out or exploded. Schaudt will not give out technical information enabling it to be repaired locally so it had to go back to them in Germany. We got the unit back last Friday which was cutting it close as the customer was booked on a ferry for today. Schaudt do an over voltage protector which they recomend be fitted in the mains power line to the EBL. Apparently the most common cause of this type of failure is voltage spikes which can be caused by many people on site switching off a high powered item like a kettle at close to the same time. On site mains voltages can vary by up to 50 volts plus or minus on the base 230/240 level and EBL units don't like much more than 240V up 'em! We hope to have OVP units in stock very soon. D. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted May 7, 2010 Share Posted May 7, 2010 Good news folks we now have Schaudt OVP 01 over voltage protection units in stock, £84.64 +p&p. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 Dave How easy is it to fit this to an electroblock under a ford transit passenger seat? Are the instructions clear or in German? Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scramblers Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 You would have thought that an electical item selling at £600 would have had overvoltage protection fitted as standard, not as an optional extra! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 I have come to the conclusion that its better to isolate the charger function of the Elektroblock and fit a more reliable and more tollerant aftermarket intelligent charger. C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 chris - 2010-11-29 10:30 PM Dave How easy is it to fit this to an electroblock under a ford transit passenger seat? Are the instructions clear or in German? Chris There was a good article about doing exactly this in the latest MMM, sales of OVPs have gone mad :D . In general fitting is simplicity itself, unplug the main power lead from the Elektroblock and plug it into the OVP then connect the supplied patch lead to either outlet of the OVP and to the input of the Elektroblock. The only issue with doing this on a Transit with the EBL under a cab seat is finding space to locate the OVP. In some ways I agree with Clive except the EBL unit does split the charge to both leisure and engine batteries. You could connect the external charger via the solar input I suppose but if you have a solar panel it becomes tricky. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 scramblers - 2010-11-29 10:51 PM You would have thought that an electical item selling at £600 would have had overvoltage protection fitted as standard, not as an optional extra! Totally agree. If the unit is failing being used on a campsite then it is not fit for purpose and the OVP should be supplied free of charge or be part of the system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallii Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 Voltage surge and voltage spikes are different things. Overloaded cables could give surges (they last for much longer than a spike) up to 300v. It gets complicated, rms voltage is even higher. So that you get 230v at the outlet, the voltage at the substation needs to be higher. If a large load is suddenly turned off the voltage "surges" and this will damage circuits. If the cable is overloaded the effect is more pronounced. UK installations are usually OK and well within regs. Abroad I have seen installations I wouldn't trust at 12v! Anyway, Belkin do a surge and spike protector for about £15. If you want to draw more than 6 amps or so you might need something more robust, maybe your own 10 kw generator? Hallii Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 I was very interested to hear that you can couple an external charger to the solar input socket on the EBL. I wanted to route my panel and/or wind charger through the EBL but thought that I would have no option but to buy the (expensive) Schaudt regulator. I have unsuccessfully tried to source the appropriate plug from dealers but got nowhere with them. Does anyone know if and where they are available? This would mean that I can also float charge my engine battery instead of my present connection to the leisure batteries only. Surely there are a lot of anti surge and spike devices on the market that will do the job as well as the dedicated unit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 Hi 747, we have the plugs and terminals in stock, I'll have to check the price but it won't be much, probably a couple of quid inc P&P. You will need to route the supply from your solar or wind charger through a regulator as the EBL doesn't have one built in. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 Thanks Dave. You have a pm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 Excuse the ignorance Dave but we have a solar panel (connected up by dealer) so will there be problems fitting the OVP if that is the case. We are not too good on the mechanics. Sounds like it needs to be fitted professionally if there is a solar panel? Things are never straightforward these days? chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 chris - 2010-11-30 7:18 PM Excuse the ignorance Dave but we have a solar panel (connected up by dealer) so will there be problems fitting the OVP if that is the case. We are not too good on the mechanics. Sounds like it needs to be fitted professionally if there is a solar panel? Things are never straightforward these days? chris Hi Chris, the OVP connects in line with the mains power lead to the EBL unit, the EBL also has a solar input but this is quite separate from the mains power input so the two don't interfere with each other at all. You should have no problems, literally fitting the OVP is as difficult as unplugging a kettle lead and plugging two more in, they will only go in one way so it really is that simple. The only difficulty is sometimes finding room for the OVP near the EBL. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterandlinda Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 Hi Dave sold us one of these OVP units when he did his magic on my Hymer fridge (gas magic, not electric) and they are so easy to fit, even we managed it. You connect the supplied cable between the Electroblock and the OVP and connect the mains input to the OVP - there is also a spare outlet to, perhaps, supply another voltage sensitive bit of kit, like a computer. The difficult bit, as suggested is where to attach the OVP unit. In our Hymer we stuck it to the roof of the locker with some of that thick double sided foam tape. P&L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 747 - 2010-11-30 12:39 PM I was very interested to hear that you can couple an external charger to the solar input socket on the EBL. I wanted to route my panel and/or wind charger through the EBL but thought that I would have no option but to buy the (expensive) Schaudt regulator. I have unsuccessfully tried to source the appropriate plug from dealers but got nowhere with them. Does anyone know if and where they are available? This would mean that I can also float charge my engine battery instead of my present connection to the leisure batteries only. Surely there are a lot of anti surge and spike devices on the market that will do the job as well as the dedicated unit? Apparently some Elektroblocks you can connect a generic solar charge controller to, others require the Schaudt unit. My was one that needed the Schaudt unit although I could have probably got a generic one working with it I brought the Schaudt unit after finding one on the web at a French dealer for £68 inc. delivery, comes with all the connecting cables you just have to plug it in & connect the panel. Now I need some warm weather so I can fit the panel. Info here about Elektroblocks & solar on Air and Sun web site: http://www.aireandsun.co.uk/pdf/solar_systems_and_electroblocs.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 Hi Lenny, Thanks for the info. I bought the wind turbine and a regulator for it from Marlec. It is 7.5 watt and the literature with the regulator said it would cope with the wind turbine (80 watts max.) and a 100 watt solar panel. I assumed that a regulator was a regulator and should do the same job as the Schaudt. As I will not be adding any more solar panels, my current regulator should have all the capacity I need. The only down side to my existing setup is that I do not know how many amps I am producing as it only has red, amber and green led`s. If I can route it through the EBL, the ammeter built into the control panel will show the charge rate. It was only when Dave said that an external charger can be used via the solar panel socket on the EBL that I thought it worth modifying as my regulator output is direct to the leisure batteries. I would`nt care but I have just bought a digital ammeter from Maplin. It was only £9.99 but is a handy little tool. If you remove a blade fuse and plug the ammeter in its place, it shows the current in the circuit. Handy for a number of purposes I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian0354 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 747 - 2010-11-30 11:16 PM Hi Lenny, ....................... I would`nt care but I have just bought a digital ammeter from Maplin. It was only £9.99 but is a handy little tool. If you remove a blade fuse and plug the ammeter in its place, it shows the current in the circuit. Handy for a number of purposes I think. Hi 747, Have you got a product code for this, please. As you say it sounds like a handy little tool to have. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Hi Ian, What an absolutely atrocious website. Maplin need something better, no wonder you could not find it. I had to find my receipt and even then the product code did not work. The code is N48CY but it will be better to search for 'automotive current tester' and it will appear. There are 2 types, 'maxi' and 'mini'. The maxi is the correct blade size for standard auto fuses. The instructions are not very good, you need to remove the fuse, fit it into the side of the tester and then plug the tester in to where you removed the fuse. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian0354 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 747, Thanks for the info. Too many companies seem to think that if they copy their catalogue pages that it makes a workable website, don't they. I'll be down to their store tomorrow. Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Hi Jim, parts sent this afternoon, thanks very much for the generous donation ;-) . D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 You are welcome Dave and thanks for the speedy service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Hi Jim, Depending which control panel you have, some can be set up to show the Solar charge separately, I think you can do it on the DT200 I have a DT201 which does not have the option. You enter a pin number to get into programming mode. The pin is set by the van converter e.g. all Hymer use the same pin I have a note but working away at the moment. Email Shuldt they are very helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Hi lenny, My model is the EBL99 with the analogue voltmeter and ammeter. I can see the rate of charge from the alternator with the engine running and, when connected, I should be able to see the charge rate from either the solar panel or the wind charger. Or both, as I can have them both operating at the same time. The trouble is, it is very rarely sunny and windy at the same time. :D I have my doubts about how accurate these instruments are, especially the voltmeter. It consistently shows a higher battery voltage than I get across the terminals with a meter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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