cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Electronic failures, PCB repairs.

TonyandLesley
Explorer
Explorer
Ok folks. We have a 2013 Monaco Knight. We recently had some troubles with a PCB PN 16626855. This board controls washer system, turn indictaors, hazards, part of the smart wheel functions, head lights.

So, the exercise begin's, first looking to replace (no success here) so best bet was to get this PCB repaired. Wow, asking for something to be repaired these days, in particular a PCB for an RV, "impossible".

So, we wanted to share with our fellow campers, something that may help you.

A very good friend of ours, now retired, was an Electronic Eng for many years, working on very complex HV/LV etc, PCB's, mainly "repairs. So we asked for help, and explained our story. Bear in mind, as with all electronics in RV's these days, many of these will have you out of service, until you can fix, meaning NO driving.

Well, we are now on the right track, and having our PCB repaired. I am not saying every RV electronic problem, he can just have fixed in a flash, but, if you have no options, we would highly recommend to have a chat with him. Drop us a line if you would like to speak with him.

Safe travels folks. Tony & Lesley.
11 REPLIES 11

ArchHoagland
Explorer
Explorer
Curious what parts he found that were bad.
2004 Monaco La Palma 36DBD
Workhorse W22 8.1 Gas Allison 1000, 7.1 mpg

2000 LEXUS RX300 FWD 22MPG 4020 LBS
US Gear Brakes

ArchHoagland
Explorer
Explorer
How is the repair coming along?
2004 Monaco La Palma 36DBD
Workhorse W22 8.1 Gas Allison 1000, 7.1 mpg

2000 LEXUS RX300 FWD 22MPG 4020 LBS
US Gear Brakes

TonyandLesley
Explorer
Explorer
Folks. We are glad to here that many of you are EE. I am not sure i can describe the whole repair that our friend is completing, but what i can say is, it was to do with IC's & some program that is stored on some chip in this PCB. Also was told that certain improvements have been made to increase the reliability-life of this particular PCB. Seems, the OEM board had some areas for improvement!! The bottom line is, when you hit the point of "obsolete parts" you need to have skilled people who know how to repair, reverse eng these parts, and we are lucky we know someone who can help.

Chris_Bryant
Explorer
Explorer
I also find there are often common failure points on some of these boards. Compressor relays on DuoTherm analog control boards, a particular 2 watt resistor on Norcold 600 power boards come to mind.
-- Chris Bryant

ScottG
Nomad
Nomad
Rick Jay wrote:
Ditto what ScottG said. I'm an EE as well.

What frustrates me to no end is when relatively simple circuit boards are potted (filled/covered) with epoxy so they can't be worked on. But if your board has everything accessible, then that makes it much more likely to be repairable.

After solder joints, the next common culprit is either bad connectors (or broken wires at the connector) or relays which no longer work.

~Rick


And we shouldnt forget those pesky solder balls!
Of course they usually show up pretty quick.

Scott

ArchHoagland
Explorer
Explorer
TonyandLesley...The board is currently being repaired as I understand it.

I'd sure be interested in the final outcome and what he finds.
2004 Monaco La Palma 36DBD
Workhorse W22 8.1 Gas Allison 1000, 7.1 mpg

2000 LEXUS RX300 FWD 22MPG 4020 LBS
US Gear Brakes

KJINTF
Explorer
Explorer
Sure a bunch of retirted EE's here - Count me in
Been repairing HDTVs, Converters, Inverters, etc... for many years now
Typically as above a straight forward simple repair process for items that should never be tossed in the trash. Yes today's HDTV can easily be repaired - please do not toss them in the trash

77rollalong
Explorer
Explorer
I have found a lot of times the larger parts like relays when the boards are wave soldered do not have enought solder on the leads and do crack the joint over time from heat/cool cycles and vibration, all common in motorhomes.

Rick_Jay
Explorer II
Explorer II
Ditto what ScottG said. I'm an EE as well.

What frustrates me to no end is when relatively simple circuit boards are potted (filled/covered) with epoxy so they can't be worked on. But if your board has everything accessible, then that makes it much more likely to be repairable.

After solder joints, the next common culprit is either bad connectors (or broken wires at the connector) or relays which no longer work.

~Rick
2005 Georgie Boy Cruise Master 3625 DS on a Workhorse W-22
Rick, Gail, 1 girl (27-Angel since 2008), 1 girl (22), 2 boys (23 & 20).
2001 Honda Odyssey, Demco Aluminator tow bar & tow plate, SMI Silent Partner brake controller.

ScottG
Nomad
Nomad
I'm also a retired EE. You wouldn't believe how many failures are simply solder related. When they happen after a period of time it's often because of cold solder joints and contamination during the flow solder process.
If one knows what to look for, it's often just a matter of resoldering.

Flute_Man
Explorer
Explorer
Can you give us a little idea of what he did to fix the board or fix the system?
Jerry Parr
05 Mandalay 40B
Cat C7 350
04 Honda CR-V
Ham Radio K7OU
Retired EE
Jrparr32@gmail.com
602-321-8141
Full-timer