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[grmarks]

Latest update...I have got an email from the US from the guy assigned my case. He says he will skype with me to check some stuff out. Sounds like a good idea to me. Hopefully this week.

[grmarks]

Yesterday a new DC-DC converter arrived by courier (customer support does work) although it took a few weeks to happen.
Problem is I fitted the plug to the new converter before bolting it in. I got the same issue - no lights. When I turned the key on there was no noise (except the contactor connecting), there was no flash of lights or anything to suggest it worked for a second then blew up. When I put my multimeter probes on the 12V wires there is no voltage. There is 113V on the input pin and same on the "enable" pin when the key is turned on.

The box for my cable TV went crazy a few weeks back, support sent a "new" one out, I installed it, seemed ok. The next day it was in worse condition than my original one. Support then sent a technicion out (to check cables etc.) turns out the replacement box was in fact a reconditioned box and was faulty too. He installed a 3rd box and all is sweet now.

Could it possibly happen again (replacement is faulty)?

I noticed that one of the "fingers" on the bolt slot is bent and that the static bag was open at one end. Did the courier throw it around, and could that heavy shock make it fail?     

[Shadow]

At that point you'd want to take the part you suspect is faulty and ship it to Zero for testing, that is my best guess of basic troubleshooting procedure. If it is faulty, then you know, or if not then you can narrow down the problem is something else.

To say it another way:   Getting many "good" parts and changing them into a broken system is a very effective way to create more bad parts

[grmarks]

Today I connected a 12V battery to the output pins of the DC-DC converter plug (after asking Zero support if that was safe to do) and all the lights work fine.
With power coming in and nothing coming out, and the down stream 12V systems working just fine, doesn't leave to many options as to whats wrong!

I am just working with Zero support via email at the moment, testing things. With the time difference there is a 1 day turn around, I check my emails in the morning, perform any tests they ask and report my results then wait till the next morning.

Given the situation at the moment in Victoria, Australia, can't complain about that level of support.

But boy I hope we can get another dealer here soon so I can get the firmware upgrade and a service.       

[grmarks]

To say it another way:   Getting many "good" parts and changing them into a broken system is a very effective way to create more bad parts

You assume that the part was good and the system is broken.

If I put a 12V battery in place of the DC-DC converter everything works fine, where is the broken system? Power is coming into the DC-DC converter and nothing comes out - seems pretty clear to me whats wrong given that everything else test out OK.

If there is an intermittent fault, then these are almost impossible to find unless you test as the fault occurs, not even a dealer can find these until the fault becomes permanent unless luck is on your side. 

[johnphillips390]

I'm in Perth and bought my SR from the Victoria dealer, so I was never going to get local support, but at least I could call them. Like you I hope they find another dealer (and one in WA!)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[buutvrij for life]

And how is your car doing?

[grmarks]

And how is your car doing?

The car is back on the road - cylinder rebore, new pistons, rings, crank grind, new bearings, seals, got the crank balanced, block resurfaced and head resurfaced.  The valves were not done but tested with no leaks - seems changing the cam shims due to a valve regrind on an old Rav4 is a problem. Still removing the head is a lot easier than removing the engine/gearbox as a unit.
It is still being run in but I notice the extra power at low RPM.

[grmarks]

This is one for the unofficial manual.

Today I ran a test to make sure the contact between the pins and plug was sufficient on the 12V pins. I made up 3 wires to plug into the Hi voltage plug socket and connectors to connect to the DC-DC hi voltage pins so I could measure voltage directly on the DC-DC 12V pins (removing the plug from the equation). But alas no change - no voltage on 12V pins

I measured the input voltages before I started (to make sure I was in fact powering the DC-DC converter) and the results I got were interesting. Under load the enable pin voltage dropped to 6V. I reported these finding to my support contact and he said that didn't sound correct. He advised to power the enable pin from +ve in and report results.

I did and found the DC-DC converter burst into life with 13.8V coming from the 12V pins. I plugged the plug back in and powered the enable pin (from back of the plug) from the +ve in pin and I got lights. No need to have the key on as it enables voltage on the enable pin and I was bypassing it.

So it infact may be the MBB is faulty as it supplies power to the DC-DC enable pin.

In my first test I probed the plug when it was not plugged in (no load) and the enable pin was at 113 volts as was the +ve in pin. But now a few days latter the enable pin is reading 108V while the +ve in pin is still at 113V and that is not right but mostly 6V under load is definately not right. Thats what prompted the test to enable the "enable" pin from +ve in pin. Of course you have to be carefull of the 113V you are dealing with as it is exposed in order to probe it.

This is now the end of my testing as the MBB is too complicated for me to test.

So as stated before when 2 of the same thing don't work it points to something else at fault. but maybe .1% (as in chargers in 2014) is not always true.

I have learnt a lot today on how things work in this area.

So while I have solved one problem I have a much bigger one now as the MBB is coded to each bike (you can't scavenge an MBB from one bike and put it on another). I don't know if it can be pre-coded before sending to me. I will need to await supports reply to what to do next.

This should be of interest to johnphillips390 if he ever gets a problem as he is even further from a dealer than me.

[Doug S]

So it infact may be the MBB is faulty as it supplies power to the DC-DC enable pin.

Not necessarily! Oftentimes we overlook the wiring harness because it's just a long piece of copper, and that's not gonna fail, right? Except that they can, and do. In fact, in my thirty-(mumble) years' experience as an EE, more often than any other single item, it's a connector problem. I'd get all over that wiring harness. Check for displaced pins (common in the type of connector where individual crimp connectors are inserted into a shell), connectors not seated all the way, and take each one off and put them on a couple of times, using some contact cleaner spray, to scrub the connecting pins together a bit. Give them a good visual and wiggle the wires to see if they're properly assembled into the connector. It would suck to replace a high-dollar item like the MBB when all you've got is a flaky contact somewhere.

[Richard230]

So it infact may be the MBB is faulty as it supplies power to the DC-DC enable pin.

Not necessarily! Oftentimes we overlook the wiring harness because it's just a long piece of copper, and that's not gonna fail, right? Except that they can, and do. In fact, in my thirty-(mumble) years' experience as an EE, more often than any other single item, it's a connector problem. I'd get all over that wiring harness. Check for displaced pins (common in the type of connector where individual crimp connectors are inserted into a shell), connectors not seated all the way, and take each one off and put them on a couple of times, using some contact cleaner spray, to scrub the connecting pins together a bit. Give them a good visual and wiggle the wires to see if they're properly assembled into the connector. It would suck to replace a high-dollar item like the MBB when all you've got is a flaky contact somewhere.

That is what happened when my original Power Tank wouldn't work.  The system had two separate issues.  One was a bad PT and the other was a bent pin in a connector that apparently occurred at the factory during assembly.

[grmarks]

So it infact may be the MBB is faulty as it supplies power to the DC-DC enable pin.

Not necessarily! Oftentimes we overlook the wiring harness because it's just a long piece of copper, and that's not gonna fail, right? Except that they can, and do. In fact, in my thirty-(mumble) years' experience as an EE, more often than any other single item, it's a connector problem. I'd get all over that wiring harness. Check for displaced pins (common in the type of connector where individual crimp connectors are inserted into a shell), connectors not seated all the way, and take each one off and put them on a couple of times, using some contact cleaner spray, to scrub the connecting pins together a bit. Give them a good visual and wiggle the wires to see if they're properly assembled into the connector. It would suck to replace a high-dollar item like the MBB when all you've got is a flaky contact somewhere.

I assume you are talking about all the wires on both plugs connecting to the MBB?

[grmarks]

I at least know now that the fault is in the enable power pin, that should eliminate some MBB pins/wires surely?

[Keith]

I now have a problem with my DC - DC converter. It works fine but it stays on, even with the key off. If I remove both packs on my FX it goes off, but then stays on after I cycle the key switch. The MBB test says passed so maybe the enable is just stuck or maybe leakage? Fortunately I have added a headlight switch so I can turn the lights off regardless. Anyone else had this happen? Lights stay on with key off?

[Ndm]

Hey Keith, I have a DC/DC converter that is staying on after getting a soaking in the rain, mine is the sevcon, I checked the pins and two are 12v pos/neg , two are monolith pos/neg 116v, and the last is the enable, which when the key is on has 116v pos as the enable signal, with the key off the 12volt is always supplying power, no voltage at the enable pin, I called zero tech support and it's common for that to happen after a soaking 😛