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BroDan · 02-13-2019, 03:17 PM

Today while aboard at a park, doing our RV thing that included laundry, TV heat and such, the S.O. went to use the Spyder display to review the tank levels and the display was gray.
In other words, the display merely went from black to grey as though the back lighting for the LCD fired up but the colors were not there. We tried letting it hibernate a few times but the display never restored with function. It was always merely a pale grey.
In a state of panic since it controls the read slides, we called up Spyder. No techs available and they never returned the call. Swell.
Facing calamity in the form of a panic stricken S.O. since we are moving tomorrow, a drew on my experience with computers. Thirty years of main frame computer mfg., test and development told me it was time for the BFRS.
So I went to the doorway where the battery isolate switch is located on one of the small panels. After everything was turned off, I hit the battery switch and all of the displays turned off.
After a 30 second time out, I enabled the batteries again and the Spyder display came back to life.

Anyone else run into this?

**Lt Dan** · 02-13-2019, 03:46 PM

I had my the Spyder display in my Allegro RED go wonky one time, but not this one. Most of the time the solution to Spyder problems is just what you discovered, reboot it. Sometimes a static discharge when you touch the screen causes problems.

By the way, it would help in the future if you would create a signature with your coach model and year since there have been major changes in the Spyder system over the past five years. Since you mentioned color, I assumed it's a 2018-19 since the displays before that were monochrome.

BroDan · 02-13-2019, 04:33 PM

Sounds good to me Dan. I have updated the signature, and here is a post to check it out. Hopefully it flies.

Edit: Looks like the signature has the update. Thanks for the heads up.

JohnH12 · 02-14-2019, 05:27 AM

I've never really trusted these multiplex control systems that seem to be the norm in recent model RV's.
I never would have thought to reboot the whole coach as you described.
Thanks for the tip for the day when my turn comes.
I'm sure it will sooner or later.

garykk · 02-14-2019, 08:56 AM

There is a way to manually bypass the Spyder panel using the panel ( I think it’s the g6) in the front DS compartment under cab. Instructions should be in your manual.

rdalemercer · 02-15-2019, 11:24 AM

BFRS ..... hahahaha......hadn't thought about that term in a long time.

What you did was "normal" - and I guess what Tiffin / Spyder would have told you to do had you been able to have them grace you with their presence over the phone.

Spyder controls are computer based. Resetting it - like any computer controlled system that loses its mind (temporarily?) - works 90~95% of the time. I had the occasion to experience the other 5% when my key fob went "wonky". Ended up replacing the touch panel outside the coach and all is well.

Happy times!

joebpierce · 02-17-2019, 07:34 PM

Interesting. I recently had our Spyder go wonky when we were camping and it got down to 18F overnight. Lost propane for awhile and thus heat. Frozen pipes and Spyder was inoperative, showing zero levels on the tanks and basically not operating. Called Tiffin service and we walked through your solution - turn off house batteries and inverter, turn back on and the system reset and ran fine. BTW, we also have a problem where if you turn on the sconce or dinette lights from the master panel, it locks out the panel by the dinette. Turn off liight as the master panel and the dinette panel works again??

BroDan · 02-18-2019, 01:06 PM

Joe I have not run into the panel enabling/disabling although we have not been using them that much yet.
It has been fine ever since the reset and I have not shut down the batteries etc. since. Christian at Spyder said that if it happens again, I should detach the display from the wall and observe what the green LED is doing and let him know.
I applied a fair effort to popping the display loose to see what it looked like and the force I was using beyond what I wanted to use. I believe I can expose the back of the panel by removing a shelf floor above it and will do so since that would not disturb the cables that are associated with the network.
Loose cables are a potential problem apparently.

**Lt Dan** · 02-18-2019, 01:50 PM

Dan, the cover of the panels do just pop off. It shouldn't take too much force to pry it off, preferably from the bottom. The panel itself is screwed to the wall and the connector plugs into the netport cable in the wall. Just be sure you don't let the cable fall back into the wall. Sometimes the connections in the plugs need to be re-crimped a little tighter.