Xantrex Echo~Charger

[BudtheDiplomat]

Robin_M & Sacs;
Bless your hearts!
My Echo~Charger is working like a champ thanks to you two and MonacoMoma posting extra pics.

For those who don't have a BIRD, this is THE TICKET! Inexpensive. A piece of cake to install...when you get the ground right!!!

I put the ground to the main ground connection leading to the chassis battery disconnect switch which fixed everything.

Thanks again, guys.

[BudtheDiplomat]

Robin_M & Sacs;
Bless your hearts!
My Echo~Charger is working like a champ thanks to you two and MonacoMoma posting extra pics.

For those who don't have a BIRD, this is THE TICKET! Inexpensive. A piece of cake to install...when you get the ground right!!!

I put the ground to the main ground connection leading to the chassis battery disconnect switch which fixed everything.

Thanks again, guys.

[Drifter]

I'm glad that your Echo charger is now working. But I have been thinking about the BIRD (INTELLITEC BI-DIRECTIONAL ISOLATOR RELAY 00-00362-100) and saw one on Ebay for 58.00. The part looks like it could be a plug in install. What do you guy's think? (Red,White Yellow and purple wire) on the left of picture.

[MonacoMama]

Bud... I am glad to hear that you were able to hook it up correctly and make it work!
I was beginning to wonder if you had a chance to work on it yet or not...
Congrats!


MM

[BudtheDiplomat]

MM;
I had to pause from my fun and work for a while! Drats! Tomorrow I'm bringing my new toy home for a week of make-ready - the Home Owner's Association will go nutz - and we leave for Indianapolis on Friday 04/04. It is my first big trip, but several shake-down drives have gone very well.
I'd like to stop at Tom Sawyer Mississippi River RV Park in Memphis, and wonder if it is above water from all the flooding!?!
Anybody out there who knows?

[Robin_M]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Drifter:
I'm glad that your Echo charger is now working. But I have been thinking about the BIRD (INTELLITEC BI-DIRECTIONAL ISOLATOR RELAY 00-00362-100) and saw one on Ebay for 58.00. The part looks like it could be a plug in install. What do you guy's think? (Red,White Yellow and purple wire) on the left of picture. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Mike,

My "guess" is that you may be correct. Since you already have one, have you tested it to see if your chassis batteries are receiving a charge when you are plugged in?

Bud, glad you got it working.

[Bighammer]

Like a GOOBER I ordered an Echo Charger and realized after reading this thread that I have the BIRD on my 2008 Endeavor. I know where there is an Echo-Charger available at a great price!

[Drifter]

Robin,

Yes the chassis batteries are being charged when plugged into shore power. I will have to check and see if the FRB is common with other models like Camelot etc. and maybe this could be a plug and play for other options.

[Robin_M]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Drifter:
Robin,

Yes the chassis batteries are being charged when plugged into shore power. I will have to check and see if the FRB is common with other models like Camelot etc. and maybe this could be a plug and play for other options. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>The board is not that sophisticated. It would have to be a dedicated circuit. What is interesting, however, is that on closer inspection of your other photo above, I see that you ALSO have an IRD right above the plug with the three wires. Notice the red, black, and blue set of three wires that terminate in a white plug. Is that plugged into anything? (Can't see in the photo because the plug is behind the fuse puller.)

If not, it looks an awful lot like my circuit board. Now I'm wondering if they just unplugged the IRD and plugged in the BIRD. (On the BIRD (in your photo), the yellow wire is the ignition 12v feed, the white is the ground, the blue actuates the main isolator relay, and they seem to be monitoring the charge on the coach battery with the red wire going to the coach 12v buss up above.)

[Drifter]

Robin,
You are completely correct about the IRD that is there and not plugged into anything. I guess you may have indeed found a solution to plug and play the BIRD with little or no changes. Good spy work on your part. I was looking right at it and didn't see a thing. As soon as my new pics are OKed I'll post them.


See color labels on CN418

[Robin_M]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Drifter:
You are completely correct about the IRD that is there and not plugged into anything. I guess you may have indeed found a solution to plug and play the BIRD with little or no changes. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Well, I'll bet that's it then. I doubt very much if they changed to board. I'll bet it's the same one they've had since at least the 2006 model year. I'm guessing that if anyone bought the Intlletic BIRD unit, they could just plug it in like is shown in your pictures (while taking the red wire marked "chassis battery" up to a spare position on the chassis buss). Following the FRB schematic that I have for my 07 Dip, the swap would seem to work fine.

They mystery remains, however... why do you have it at all? Why did they put this in some 2008 Dip/Endeavor coaches and not in others? - especially since it was such an easy thing to do. And why haven't we had the BIRD relay in our coaches all along instead of having to buy after market Echo~charge or Trik-L-Start units. (All retorical questions, of course. )

[Drifter]

Maybe this should moved to upgrades.

A-well-a everybody's heard about the bird
B-b-b-bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, the bird is the word

Sorry I just had to. (The BIRD is the word by the Trashmen 1963)

[Robin_M]

Mike,

That's tremendous! And you got EVERY syllable correct!!

Are we showin' our age, or what?

[MonacoMama]

...so I will apologize right now...

You will never believe what I came across!

Drifter's family was kind enough to forward this video of

Drifter dancing to "Bird is the Word" here

when he was younger! Way to go Mike!!
Please thank your family for sharing it with us!


MM