Grounded by Ground control
- Thread starter Lantley
- Start date
Yeah you know, just when you thought you'd seen it all or knew all the pitfalls in the RV world or at least most of them! You have to add this to the list.
While I do think happens more often than I realize I never heard of it happening to anyone before Before my experience although member 2 Allies posted above that it happened to him.
I would strongly suggest everyone watch the video and make sure you have tools on hand to manually operate your slide and or jacks If you suffer the same failure I did. Get the tools mentioned in the video and make them part of your emergency kit.
Very good advice. I just had to borrow a very basic tool while repairing something at a campground.
Here's the list as far as I can tell.
- 1/2" socket and ratchet, or a 1/2" wrench
- 5/32" Allen wrench or Allen bit
- 1/4" hex bit for a drill
- Cordless drill (not an impact driver)
- Flexible drill extension (flex shaft...I do not have this on board so thank you!)
- Jack stands or blocking
- Multimeter (not necessary for the override but we should all have one)
- Spare blade fuses
- Flashlight
Fishfnatic
Well-known member
The problem with that tool is there is hardly enough room to put it in the socket on top of bedroom slide. I could not get it to work because of little clearance. But I am technically challenged. I am sure someone was able to make it work. Lol🙃
The problem has been resolved My new keypad arrived today via Amazon. Lippert said I would have it by yesterday. However It did not arrive yesterday. I called and they told me it would arrive until next week. I confirmed what model number I needed with Lippert and went searching for other sources.
Fortunately I found it on Amazon with overnight availability. $80 bucks later I had the keypad in my hand. I will use the one Lippert sends as a spare.
A new keypad did resolve my issue The keypad was the problem. Actual time to install the keypad was 10 minutes Very simple.
For the record, if anyone's interested the model number for the keypad is 421484. That is for a 2022 paradigm. All's well that ends well.
Fortunately I found it on Amazon with overnight availability. $80 bucks later I had the keypad in my hand. I will use the one Lippert sends as a spare.
A new keypad did resolve my issue The keypad was the problem. Actual time to install the keypad was 10 minutes Very simple.
For the record, if anyone's interested the model number for the keypad is 421484. That is for a 2022 paradigm. All's well that ends well.
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RoadJunkie
Well-known member
This is why there is so much storage on these rigs...to carry spare parts!
You are correct. I don't want to fuel anyone's paranoia. But this problem was a real hassle that occurred with no warning!
Luckily I was home departing for a local trip that was easily cancelled. However if I was leaving a campground or departing for a more critical trip
the consequences would have been more dire.
For $60.00 you can get a spare keyboard on Amazon and be prepared for leveling keyboard failure.......just a word to the wise.
Hopefully the grouped can be forewarned and benefit from my experience.
RoadJunkie
Well-known member
If it happens on the road, while extremely inconvenient, I would just go manual. Some people indicate they have had luck with the knock-off control board you can buy on Amazon. But...buy cheap...buy twice.
“Buy cheap, buy twice”. no different than the rv manufacturers then?
Exactly I have no delusion that Lippert Installed a high quality touchpad as OEM equipment. What was installed as OEM is no better than any Chinese knockoff. Luckily there is the Amazon alternatives or I'd still be waiting for Lippert to send me one and my RV would still be stuck lowered on the ground.
Going manual is not a simple solution. and really to be avoided as far as I'm concerned. Yes if it happened on the road I would have gone manual.
Crawling underneath and closing valves and running the drill in the tight confines It's just not that simple. If it were that simple I would have went manual at home, But it was more practical to just wait it out. On the road you don't have the ability to just wait for the new part to arrive.
The only touch pads available from any source are knockoff quality. The RV World does not know the definition of high quality, robust circuitry and electronics. All they have to offer is knockoffs or low quality.
I don't expect the keypad I get from Lippert whenever it arrives to be any better quality then the keypad I purchased from Amazon.
Poorly made solid state boards, have been and are at the root of so many electronic failures. It has been going on for a long time. Appliances, automotive, so basically everything they make electric over any system.
I bought a Yoder D60 smoker many years ago. The cheaper smokers were replacing control boards after the first year...Yoder was a side hobby business for a directional drill manufacturer. My bet, was that they sourced and purchased their solid state boards under greater spec requirements...15 years later...still working just fine. CAT batteries...designed and tested to handle high vibration...the others are not...
So we all agree we are stuck with cheap boards and it is a parts replacement play. Now they are putting in these elaborate operating system software in these newer RV's. Soon the entire RV park will be on hold to a call center in India. while rebooting their RV systems, and trying to get their truck out of limp mode....LOL...so sad....
I bought a Yoder D60 smoker many years ago. The cheaper smokers were replacing control boards after the first year...Yoder was a side hobby business for a directional drill manufacturer. My bet, was that they sourced and purchased their solid state boards under greater spec requirements...15 years later...still working just fine. CAT batteries...designed and tested to handle high vibration...the others are not...
So we all agree we are stuck with cheap boards and it is a parts replacement play. Now they are putting in these elaborate operating system software in these newer RV's. Soon the entire RV park will be on hold to a call center in India. while rebooting their RV systems, and trying to get their truck out of limp mode....LOL...so sad....
Make sure you reset zero point level, when replacing this controller.
Would not have known that! Thanks Jim!!!
As best I can tell I do not need to reset the level point. I was prepared to do that thinking I might have to, but it's best I can tell it's back to its normal level spot. I did not manually verify this with a level and maybe I should based on what you're telling me.
However the keypad is just a switch for the control panel. The control panel itself was not altered. The problem was caused by a short in the switch I imagine the keypad shorted in the retract all jack's position, which left the system unable to do anything but retract all jacks.
Tech supports major clue that it was the keypad and not something else, was the fact that the keypad would not reset when it was powered down. We removed power from the keypad which should have caused it to reset and it didn't. With that in mind tech support condemned the keypad and suggested I needed a new one.
In all of this, I can easily see needing to reset your level point. However in my scenario it appears it's not necessary.
Once I installed the new keypad everything immediately functioned properly. I raised the front jacks to get the unit off the ground. Then I hit auto level and it worked as normal. I then did it a couple of practice times and everything seemed OK.
Again I did not verify the level point With a level but since it's at home I'm familiar with what level looks like and it appears to be OK.
However the keypad is just a switch for the control panel. The control panel itself was not altered. The problem was caused by a short in the switch I imagine the keypad shorted in the retract all jack's position, which left the system unable to do anything but retract all jacks.
Tech supports major clue that it was the keypad and not something else, was the fact that the keypad would not reset when it was powered down. We removed power from the keypad which should have caused it to reset and it didn't. With that in mind tech support condemned the keypad and suggested I needed a new one.
In all of this, I can easily see needing to reset your level point. However in my scenario it appears it's not necessary.
Once I installed the new keypad everything immediately functioned properly. I raised the front jacks to get the unit off the ground. Then I hit auto level and it worked as normal. I then did it a couple of practice times and everything seemed OK.
Again I did not verify the level point With a level but since it's at home I'm familiar with what level looks like and it appears to be OK.
Flyer32RLS
Well-known member
Not real sure I follow the doom and gloom of the previous post. The key pad I installed is touch lock/unlock. If that fails, there is a fob and if that doesn't work, there is a key to unlock. The key is a mechanical device and the chances of that failing are slim to none. There has to be a line in the sand for what you must carry "in case" something fails. There is only so much room to carry "stuff".
But, to each their own. Thats why we have so many brands of RV, every ones taste is different.
BryanValRox
Elite Member
Ok, with respect. I am not sure what you are talking about aligns with this post. This thread is about a touch pad for the leveling system.
Are you talking about an entry door key pad and mechanical key?