Community Forums

davidceder · 04-07-2020, 01:11 PM

Shade comes down about half way and stops. Doesn't seem to be a mechanical stop but more like an electrical stop. I never marked or noted where the max shade down point is when driving so do not know if that is where it is stopping or not. To me it seems too low to drive when sitting in the drivers seat. I pulled the two fuses associated with the shade for a few minutes, disconnected and reconnected the 3 wire connector (red, green, blue wires) wiggled all the wires and shut off the 12 volts to the rig for a bit. Still wont go down. Seems like it has an electrical memory. Has been working fine every day for two weeks until last night. The pictures shows the hard to see 3 wire connector. Not sure what that 2 wire connector (white) is for but it has always been hanging down as you see it. The other picture is where the shade stops.

Any ideas would be helpful. It is hard to get to the 3 wire connector.

Dutch Star Don · 04-07-2020, 01:21 PM

Every once and awhile the front shades can brain fart and they have to be reset. I'm not sure what the Bay Star has, but on the DS power shades, they're are two small push buttons (dangling wires) in the upper left corner of the shade (driver's side). There's a procedure to reset the shade drop both with the ignition on and ignition off. The ignition OFF setting is the one that takes the shade all the way down. The ignition ON setting is where YOU want the shade to stop while driving. If yours has the buttons, take a piece of blue tape and mark where you want the window to go down when driving, as the adjustments are easy, but have to be done in a certain order. Once you stop the down setting, that's where it sets. So you can't make small up and down adjustments during the adjustment procedure.

Again, I'm not sure what shades you have, but if they're MCD, the adjustment procedure is on their website. I printed out the procedure and keep it handy in the coach. If your shades are Auto Motion, you'll have to check their site.

StvC · 04-07-2020, 03:14 PM

From my past experience I have found that if you lower the shade as far as you can while driving you will hit what I call a dead zone in the shade position. To make the shade go down all the way just raise the shade a couple inches then it will lower all the way.

Dutchstar411 · 04-07-2020, 04:42 PM

MCD shade directions and information PDF

hohenwald48 · 04-07-2020, 04:44 PM

The electric shades on my Canyon Star will only go half way down if the ignition is on.

davidceder · 04-07-2020, 06:27 PM

Newmar informed me that my shades were Auto Motion. That said I cannot find any instructions for shades that look like mine on their web site so I am wondering if the front shade is really AM. The MCD shades have a little tool but you can jumper if you don't have the tool. I tried the MCD procedure with a jumper but it didn't work. My little white connector hanging down in the picture sure looks like it needs a jumper. I think I need to indentify the manufacturer of my shade and go from there. Anyone else have that little white connector hanging down and maybe some instructions? I bought my rig used so was at the mercy of the previous owner. Well at least it goes up so I can drive. Glad it does not stop me from moving on.

Again, any help appreciated.

alan1 · 04-08-2020, 07:58 AM

Look at #9

Automotionshade

If yours are like mine you will need a programmer. I bought mine from Newmar for $17 a few years back.

davidceder · 04-08-2020, 09:55 AM

Thank you so much. I just received a reply from Newmar that the programmer is exactly what I need. I will try to get it during these difficult times. Thanks you also for the instructions.

Be safe.

TeJay · 04-08-2020, 10:17 AM

We have MCD shades. I kind of understand their thinking while driving. Then I ponder the chances.

Initially the shades were set for driving. Then that part stopped functioning. It was a lot easier to just set everything for full up and full down key on or off. I never reset the auto stop while driving function.

What are the chances the shades would come down while driving? IMHO I'll win a second lottery and I've never ever bought my first lottery ticket.

When and if wires come loose two things don't happen. If it's a ground nothing happens. If the hot wire shorts to ground then it blows a fuse, opens the circuit with again nothing happening.

I know where my switch wires are located because I installed them. There's absolutely no way either wire hot or ground will come loose.

Think I go buy a lottery ticket!!!

davidceder · 04-09-2020, 09:10 AM

I tend to agree. The shade should go up/down at the discretion of the driver on demand and as circumstances change. No need for the ignition on limit, just more to go wrong. I guess it is a CYA thing in these days of litigation.

So my programmer shipped yesterday. Tuesday at dinner time I sent Newmar a technical request from their web site. Early Wednesday morning I had the response that I needed the programmer. I was hiking but was able to exchange a few e-mail with the parts department who had my credit card on file and the part was ordered and on its way. Total time from tech request to part shipping was less than 20 hours. That's great customer service in normal times let alone during this virus thing. I let them know it was "a job well done"

Thanks to all for the assistance. I know where to come if I need help programming.

You all be safe.

davidceder · 04-13-2020, 07:49 PM

I received the programmer today and tried to re-program the shade. With the programmer the shade goes all the way up/down just fine. So as per the instructions I set upper, lower, & ignition on limits but the shade ALWAYS will not go lower then ignition on. I think this is the problem to begin with. My shade only came down to the ignition on limit and no further. I am thinking that the shade controller thinks that the ignition is always on. Fuse is ok. So being the genius I am I sort of took TJ's stand in post #9. I faked it out so it thinks ignition on is all the way down. So now I can lower the shade at night and I still think TJ has a better shot at winning the lottery than that shade coming down while driving. I will contact AutoMotion after this crisis and see what they think. I don't want to do too much trouble shooting if they are going to tell me their controller is shot. If anyone has other ideas please let me know.

Again, thanks for all the help.

Dutch Star Don · 04-14-2020, 10:47 AM

I think the IGNITION ON setting, stopping the shade part way down, is more about legal issues, than adjustability.

Ricci · 04-14-2020, 10:56 AM

Hi - You might want to consider checking the line that triggers the shade to believe the ignition is on. It may be failing and causing the misread. I don't know how it's wired but if it grounds out with the ignition on as a signal, then maybe you have just lost that ground.

Tom

davidceder · 04-14-2020, 11:58 AM

Anyone think the switch itself might have gone bad? I know anything is possible but are those switches usually reliable? I guess it is reliable until it is not. I would like to speak with AM before I really put any work into this and see what they have to say. I tried calling but they must be closed because of the pandemic. They are out of Canada