Forum Discussion
36 Replies
- Bird is a voltage sensitive switch that monitors house and starting batteries voltage all the time. Its output is 1A maximum on coil terminal and it operates the coil of the relay only.The coil is isolated from relay megacurrents.
I would want to know the voltage on ignition terminal of the BIRD in actual operation on the road(slow running diesel). You can temporarily install length of wire just for measuring purposes. Just remember there is full voltage on it.
The other thing to remember is that there is a delay about 2.5 minutes before relay closes and when it closes, coil terminal has full voltage on it for a short time and then it drops to about 4V just to hold relay closed and to prevent overheating relay - If the load is so great why is the fuse not blowing on the circuit feeding the Bird device?
My OEM charging path included a 60 amp fuse which was hard to find. I replaced it with a 50 amp circuit breaker, and added a 2nd charging path with a 2nd auto reset breaker. I do have manual control over the charging circuits. liborko wrote:
Check the voltage on Ignition terminal of the BIRD in normal driving. There might not be high enough voltage to keep BIRD operating due to voltage drop in the system. Your alternator might need smaller pulley to speed it up. Also the link you provided is for gasoline(4-pin) BIRD version 00-00362-00, you should use Diesel 2 version 00-00839-00 which has 5 terminals.
Wiring the relay coil directly to the ignition could result in situation when trying to start the engine starting battery would be heavily loaded by deeply discharged house battery. Better solution would be to wire coil thru the oil pressure switch so the relay would close after the engine was already running.
"Check the voltage on Ignition terminal of the BIRD in normal driving". wish I could, That terminal is a long ways from there drivers seat.
"There might not be high enough voltage to keep BIRD operating due to voltage drop in the system."
That's a good theory, And I'm checking the voltage on the Chassis battery with engine running. will be back with reading.
Good catch on the part number- Check the voltage on Ignition terminal of the BIRD in normal driving. There might not be high enough voltage to keep BIRD operating due to voltage drop in the system. Your alternator might need smaller pulley to speed it up. Also the link you provided is for gasoline(4-pin) BIRD version 00-00362-00, you should use Diesel 2 version 00-00839-00 which has 5 terminals.
Wiring the relay coil directly to the ignition could result in situation when trying to start the engine starting battery would be heavily loaded by deeply discharged house battery. Better solution would be to wire coil thru the oil pressure switch so the relay would close after the engine was already running. - If you are replacing the control board shown I suspect you are not really fixing the real problem.
The solenoid it controls can be intermittent and give you indications your BIRD device is malfunctioning.
You need to find the solenoid it controls. I would replace that solenoid in a second. It is such a common failure item.
Likely what is happening is you change the control board without actually diagnosing that is does not have a control voltage output. The solenoid it controls gets to rest a bit and when you re-engage it with a new BIRD the solenoid hits a clean spot and fools you into thinking things are fixed.
My humble opinion of course based on 50 yrs experience. Chris Bryant wrote:
It sounds like the inverter is drawing more than the alternator can provide, which would result in the BiRD disconnecting the house batteries in order to keep the thing running.
But, if you do what I suggested above, you will have the basic manual setup, ignition on, solenoid closed, bypassing the smart part.
What changed? last trip every thing work normal. load isn't different same appliances same every thing.wildmanbaker wrote:
Pretty high.. that is why the battery pack will discharge in 1 day driving. the freezer is 110 appliance, running all the time. but the others are intermittent , coffee pot, and microwave.
What are the power requirements of your appliances?
The last 2 days of the trip we shut off the freezer, that cut the discharge rate way down.
normally the engine driven alternator keeps the battery pack at 13+ volts with the freezer running, and normal use of the appliances.
Today we test the alternator, see if it produces 13.1 volts or more = step one square one.
the bi-directional isolator will not connect to it if it isn't higher than 13.1 v- It sounds like the inverter is drawing more than the alternator can provide, which would result in the BiRD disconnecting the house batteries in order to keep the thing running.
But, if you do what I suggested above, you will have the basic manual setup, ignition on, solenoid closed, bypassing the smart part. wildmanbaker wrote:
Yea, 9 volts is pretty darn low. I know these questions may seem elementary, but some times we need a reminder. Are you sure you batteries are all in good condition? hygrometer tested, and all close to each other? All tie bars are clean and not corroded inside? Have you done a current draw on your inverter? It could be malfunctioning. What are the power requirements of your appliances?
house Batteries (4, six volt deep cycle) are 2 years old, all connections were cleaned, prior to this trip, each battery will hold a full charge for a week, when coach is in storage, and battery pack is disconnected.
I really do not believe this is a battery problem because the battery pack is acting normal. It is charging when on external power, and discharging when loaded.
9 volts is where the inverter disconnects and shuts down. as soon as we start the gen/set they start charging again.
The only problem with the system is the Bi-Directional Isolator will not connect the engine driven alternator to the house batteries. (close the isolation relay) which has been tested and works when voltage is applied.- Yea, 9 volts is pretty darn low. I know these questions may seem elementary, but some times we need a reminder. Are you sure you batteries are all in good condition? hygrometer tested, and all close to each other? All tie bars are clean and not corroded inside? Have you done a current draw on your inverter? It could be malfunctioning. What are the power requirements of your appliances?
