Thule single step operational issues

[handychris]

Hi there,
I have at Thule single step that is working funny and I was wondering if you guys could give me some pointers.
When I turn the ignition on, the step retracts, but not fully. Once I start the camper/engine, the step finishes retracting.
I feel like the writing of the step is messed up. What do you think?
Should the step not rather buzz when the ignition is turned on and remain deployed until I actually start the engine?

Another thing, when I unlock the door (using my remote), the step deploys, but it never retracts when I lock the car.
Writing messed up here again?

Finally, when unlocking the car and the step gets deployed, current keeps on supplying the step for about 30sec. During that time, it is impossible to retract the step (using the switch).
Is that normal? Can I reduce that timeout to say 5sec, which would be far better?

If you have a complete circuit diagram, it would be helpful. The one I can find online only describes the auto-retract, not the connection to the locking/unlocking mechanism.

Thanks in advance

 

[RichardHelen262]

What make of motorhome and age ?
As some you can go into the Sargent menu and alter the settings from there

 

[handychris]

What make of motorhome and age ?
As some you can go into the Sargent menu and alter the settings from there

Seems I can't edit to add that to the post.
It's a 2022 model.
How do you access this menu? Is there an app?
Thanks

 

[yeoblade]

Remote close - retracts step
" open - deploys "
Ign. on - Nothing
Start Engine - Buzz, retracts step and inhibits manual deployment.

Option in SWIFT control menu to activate when remote is used or not.

 

[RichardHelen262]

Seems I can't edit to add that to the post.
It's a 2022 model.
How do you access this menu? Is there an app?
Thanks
View attachment 133421

Without knowing which motorhome it is difficult to say, on mine ( Autosleeper) I get the control panel to its home screen then hold the up and down arrows together for about 5 seconds until it beeps then that opens up the menue then it is just a matter of scrolling down to the step operations where it allows you to change its settings.
You should be able to find this in the handbook

 

[handychris]

Without knowing which motorhome it is difficult to say, on mine ( Autosleeper) I get the control panel to its home screen then hold the up and down arrows together for about 5 seconds until it beeps then that opens up the menue then it is just a matter of scrolling down to the step operations where it allows you to change its settings.
You should be able to find this in the handbook

Thanks, but I du not have a control panel for that step. Just 2 rocker switches.
The camper is a Rapido 854F, but I doubt it will tell you much

 

[handychris]

Remote close - retracts step
" open - deploys "
Ign. on - Nothing
Start Engine - Buzz, retracts step and inhibits manual deployment.

Option in SWIFT control menu to activate when remote is used or not.

I guess this swift controller is a separate device to the step. I have no such a thing in my camper. Maybe they used one to set it up though.

 

[RichardHelen262]

Thanks, but I du not have a control panel for that step. Just 2 rocker switches.
The camper is a Rapido 854F, but I doubt it will tell you much

Is there not a control panel for the motorhome ? This is where the hidden menu will be found for adjusting settings

 

[yeoblade]

IF there isn't a user control panel for the step (not convinced) then there must be a logic control system somewhere, I don't think 2 basic switches would be able to control it alone, maybe it is in the step motor housing and got water ingress or a box behind a panel somewhere.

 

[wildebus]

An electric step is basic thing and doesn't need a user control panel to set it up, yes, some motorhomes may have that buy all they are doing is activating relays remotely what other vans may have setup with manually,
On mine, I have one jumper connection which if set the step goes in and out with the central locking, and if removed it doesn't. Hardly need a control panel for that

 

[gasgas]

As a retired electronics engineer, it sounds to me as if you have a bad electrical connection. With engine off, you probably have about 12 volts available at the step to work the motor, with engine running you have 13.8 volts and the higher voltage would overcome the poor electric connection. That is the simplisitc explanation. If you want to delve deeper into the electronics, although there is say 12.5v at the battery, by the time current is drawn along all the wires, fuses, control panel and so on, the resistance in the wires, fuses, control panel and wire connectors means that there may only be 11v at the motor, which is enough to start the step moving. Part way closed the step encounters more mechanical resistance and therefore more current from the supply, which it cannot get because of the wiring resistance. As I said, it may well just be a bad connection somewhere, as I have found to my £10,000 cost having bought a new Rapido once.

I bought a new Rapido, with an electric drop down bed. It was intermittent. Brownhills failed on three occasions to rectify it. I got fed up with them, they said I should contact Rapido in France. Rapido in France said I should contact the bed manufacturer in Italy. That chap was brilliant, he sent me the installation and workshop manual for the bed - which one might innocently think that Brownhills would have. I traced the fault to a plug and socket that had not been pushed together properly in the Rapido factory. It had one pin sticking out of the plug body, and the Galloise smoking, wine swilling moron on the production line HAD to see the pin sticking out. You CANNOT push together an 8 pin plug and socket without looking at it as you push the two halves together and he MUST have seen it. He couldn't care less, he just passed it on to the next person and down the line and as there surely is no quality control at Rapido. Having cut out the plug and socket and soldered all the wires, the next thing that happened was that the bed collapsed from the ceiling in one corner.
I will never again buy a Rapido.

 

[gasgas]

An electric step is basic thing and doesn't need a user control panel to set it up, yes, some motorhomes may have that buy all they are doing is activating relays remotely what other vans may have setup with manually,
On mine, I have one jumper connection which if set the step goes in and out with the central locking, and if removed it doesn't. Hardly need a control panel for that

Ah, but you are behind the times. Since when do you NOT put a computer in a place where a jumper connection would do? You'll never get a job in a vehicle design department.

My electronics background means I have a 1999 Transit motorhome and a 1983 Mercedes. No electics that Faraday wouldn't understand.
Furthermore, any engine that requires 20,000 volts to make it work is fundamentally flawed.

 

[Nabsim]

I did away with all the logic control on mine and it now only works from the button. The step in question is definitely being controlled by something more than the switch, I think it more than just an additional couple of relays as well by what’s been posted.

You need to look through the manual for the van control panel rather than looking at the step.

 

[handychris]

An electric step is basic thing and doesn't need a user control panel to set it up, yes, some motorhomes may have that buy all they are doing is activating relays remotely what other vans may have setup with manually,
On mine, I have one jumper connection which if set the step goes in and out with the central locking, and if removed it doesn't. Hardly need a control panel for that

Would you have a picture or manual that shows that? Thanks

 

[handychris]

As a retired electronics engineer, it sounds to me as if you have a bad electrical connection. With engine off, you probably have about 12 volts available at the step to work the motor, with engine running you have 13.8 volts and the higher voltage would overcome the poor electric connection. That is the simplisitc explanation. If you want to delve deeper into the electronics, although there is say 12.5v at the battery, by the time current is drawn along all the wires, fuses, control panel and so on, the resistance in the wires, fuses, control panel and wire connectors means that there may only be 11v at the motor, which is enough to start the step moving. Part way closed the step encounters more mechanical resistance and therefore more current from the supply, which it cannot get because of the wiring resistance. As I said, it may well just be a bad connection somewhere, as I have found to my £10,000 cost having bought a new Rapido once.

I bought a new Rapido, with an electric drop down bed. It was intermittent. Brownhills failed on three occasions to rectify it. I got fed up with them, they said I should contact Rapido in France. Rapido in France said I should contact the bed manufacturer in Italy. That chap was brilliant, he sent me the installation and workshop manual for the bed - which one might innocently think that Brownhills would have. I traced the fault to a plug and socket that had not been pushed together properly in the Rapido factory. It had one pin sticking out of the plug body, and the Galloise smoking, wine swilling moron on the production line HAD to see the pin sticking out. You CANNOT push together an 8 pin plug and socket without looking at it as you push the two halves together and he MUST have seen it. He couldn't care less, he just passed it on to the next person and down the line and as there surely is no quality control at Rapido. Having cut out the plug and socket and soldered all the wires, the next thing that happened was that the bed collapsed from the ceiling in one corner.
I will never again buy a Rapido

As a retired electronics engineer, it sounds to me as if you have a bad electrical connection. With engine off, you probably have about 12 volts available at the step to work the motor, with engine running you have 13.8 volts and the higher voltage would overcome the poor electric connection. That is the simplisitc explanation. If you want to delve deeper into the electronics, although there is say 12.5v at the battery, by the time current is drawn along all the wires, fuses, control panel and so on, the resistance in the wires, fuses, control panel and wire connectors means that there may only be 11v at the motor, which is enough to start the step moving. Part way closed the step encounters more mechanical resistance and therefore more current from the supply, which it cannot get because of the wiring resistance. As I said, it may well just be a bad connection somewhere, as I have found to my £10,000 cost having bought a new Rapido once.

I bought a new Rapido, with an electric drop down bed. It was intermittent. Brownhills failed on three occasions to rectify it. I got fed up with them, they said I should contact Rapido in France. Rapido in France said I should contact the bed manufacturer in Italy. That chap was brilliant, he sent me the installation and workshop manual for the bed - which one might innocently think that Brownhills would have. I traced the fault to a plug and socket that had not been pushed together properly in the Rapido factory. It had one pin sticking out of the plug body, and the Galloise smoking, wine swilling moron on the production line HAD to see the pin sticking out. You CANNOT push together an 8 pin plug and socket without looking at it as you push the two halves together and he MUST have seen it. He couldn't care less, he just passed it on to the next person and down the line and as there surely is no quality control at Rapido. Having cut out the plug and socket and soldered all the wires, the next thing that happened was that the bed collapsed from the ceiling in one corner.
I will never again buy a Rapido.

Thanks for the answer. We speak the same jargon here, but don't get me started on Rapido's quality (control or not). Got over 50 issues within the first 6 months following the purchase of a new rapido camper. But fwiw I heard other brands are not any better
The latest is my fridge that doesn't allow me to select the auto-mode anymore, which is really annoying. (Not a rapido issue per se though).

 

[wildebus]

Would you have a picture or manual that shows that? Thanks

I could but it wouldn't help.
My Motorhome is an Autotrail and so has a Sargent Electronics system, common on many (but only) British Motorhomes. Your Rapido is a French Motorhome and will have different electrics for everything around the Motorhome area.

 

[GWAYGWAY]

Hi there,
I have at Thule single step that is working funny and I was wondering if you guys could give me some pointers.
When I turn the ignition on, the step retracts, but not fully. Once I start the camper/engine, the step finishes retracting.
I feel like the writing of the step is messed up. What do you think?
Should the step not rather buzz when the ignition is turned on and remain deployed until I actually start the engine?

Another thing, when I unlock the door (using my remote), the step deploys, but it never retracts when I lock the car.
Writing messed up here again?

Finally, when unlocking the car and the step gets deployed, current keeps on supplying the step for about 30sec. During that time, it is impossible to retract the step (using the switch).
Is that normal? Can I reduce that timeout to say 5sec, which would be far better?

If you have a complete circuit diagram, it would be helpful. The one I can find online only describes the auto-retract, not the connection to the locking/unlocking mechanism.

Thanks in advance

It is probably a bad earth , the relay would just not work if it fails, however make sure the pivots are lubed as it might just resist until the voltage goes up high enough to power it up.

 

[yeoblade]

An electric step is basic thing and doesn't need a user control panel to set it up, yes, some motorhomes may have that buy all they are doing is activating relays remotely what other vans may have setup with manually,
On mine, I have one jumper connection which if set the step goes in and out with the central locking, and if removed it doesn't. Hardly need a control panel for that

You , don't need a control panel for that, But if I asked my wife to remove the jumper to stop the step retracting, she'd just come out in her bra !
So a control panel is used on modern vans to stop this happening .

 

[JQB]

Hi there,
I have at Thule single step that is working funny and I was wondering if you guys could give me some pointers.
When I turn the ignition on, the step retracts, but not fully. Once I start the camper/engine, the step finishes retracting.
I feel like the writing of the step is messed up. What do you think?
Should the step not rather buzz when the ignition is turned on and remain deployed until I actually start the engine?

Another thing, when I unlock the door (using my remote), the step deploys, but it never retracts when I lock the car.
Writing messed up here again?

Finally, when unlocking the car and the step gets deployed, current keeps on supplying the step for about 30sec. During that time, it is impossible to retract the step (using the switch).
Is that normal? Can I reduce that timeout to say 5sec, which would be far better?

If you have a complete circuit diagram, it would be helpful. The one I can find online only describes the auto-retract, not the connection to the locking/unlocking mechanism.

Thanks in advance

Our thule single step, narrower width that is, stays out until the engine runs and then retracts no problem. Previous one, which we mashed on a rock, always did the same until er mashed it!