What trailer do you have? Yes, those McHitches are not cheap, but well worth it!
Black Series HQ Tips, Tricks, and Learning.....
- Thread starter kevin_j
- Start date
What trailer do you have? Yes, those McHitches are not cheap, but well worth it!
Next mod. Upgrade the batteries to Lithium. After a bunch of research, I went with the Battle Born 100AH batteries. Yes, you can get cheaper ones, but these are top notch. Also, they are the only ones I found so far that will allow charging below freezing, as low as 25F. Most cut off charging current at 32F (you can discharge to a much lower temperature though). I also installed a Victron BMV-712 battery monitor. That thing is really nice. It seems to do a really good job accurately computing the State of Charge (SOC) of your battery bank. Plus, since the shunt sits in the negative line to the battery, you get to see all the loads, including the inverter and the anderson plug. The stock battery monitor doesn't do that. Pictures attached!
Robbrown27
New member
I have HQ15. Love the camper! Ive had some tough times with the poly block system as I am usually alone with the dog hooking up and unhooking.
I’ve had many over the years and this is def a luxury suite.
To Rob Brown and others with the periodic blinking light problem:
By the way, I'm the Paul that Raspy mentioned in his post about the issue.
Here’s the test that needs to be done:
Truck off, I left the 7-way connected just for my convenience.
Disconnect the affected circuit wires at the tongue junction box. For me, it’s the trailer stoplight / turn signal circuits.
Truck on, note: didn’t actually start the engine, but the switch was in the RUN position.
Verify that you lose functionality of the circuits. For me, I disconnected both trailer stoplight / turn signal circuits. They didn’t work anymore.
Verify that the trailer stoplight / turn signal lights (for my problem) are still flashing a periodic rate. And you ask how can this be? The affected circuits are disconnected, the answer is down below.
Truck off.
Disconnect the trailer brake circuit.
Truck on, same as described above. Note: if done correctly you will lose the trailer connected advisory on the dash.
Verify that the periodic flashing of the (in my case) of the trailer stoplight / turn signals has stopped.
Truck off.
Reconnect both trailer stoplight / turn signal circuits. Leave the trailer brake circuit disconnected.
Truck on, same as described above.
Test trailer brake lights / turn signals, they now work as they are supposed to.
Truck off.
Reconnect the trailer brake circuit.
Verify that all circuits are operational. (Except for the periodic blinking light issue.)
The answer to the problem:
The problem is called inductive coupling. In simple terms, the trailer brake circuit is acting like a transmitting antenna. In my case, both the trailer stoplight / turn signal circuits are receiving antennas. The periodic signal that the truck sends down the trailer brake circuit is basically being broadcast to the other circuits. And, since LED’s are low current devices, it doesn’t take much to light them up.
If wires are long enough, and laid out in parallel lengths in close proximity, you will get inductive coupling. It’s a bit more complicated than I’ve described, as other factors come into play.
There are ways to mitigate this, like moving the wires farther apart, or twisted pairs, or shielded twisted pairs. In this case, am going to have to look into how the trailer brake circuit is done on the trailer and run some experiments on the easiest way to fix.
That is, if I’m smart enough and / or lucky enough to figure out how to fix it…………….
There are many variables involved in this type of problem, the brand and year of tow vehicle, the auto trailer detect scheme that it uses, how the trailer harness was laid out (and even how a particular person did it), the DC return scheme used on the trailer, the resonant frequency of the trailer brake coils, and other factors that are way above my abilities to say whether or not any particular trailer and tow vehicle will exhibit this problem.
For reference (at least on mine):
Trailer
7-way connector
Pin number
1 —> Ground / DC return. —> White wire in junction box.
2 —> Trailer Brakes ———> Blue wire in junction box.
3 —> Marker Lights ————> Green wire in junction box.
4 —> +12V Charging ————> Black wire in junction box, yes, it’s hooked up.
5 —> L Turn / Stoplight ————> Red wire in junction box.
6 —> R Turn / Stoplight ————> Brown wire in junction box.
7 —> Backup Lights —————> Yellow wire in junction box.
Paul
By the way, I'm the Paul that Raspy mentioned in his post about the issue.
Here’s the test that needs to be done:
Truck off, I left the 7-way connected just for my convenience.
Disconnect the affected circuit wires at the tongue junction box. For me, it’s the trailer stoplight / turn signal circuits.
Truck on, note: didn’t actually start the engine, but the switch was in the RUN position.
Verify that you lose functionality of the circuits. For me, I disconnected both trailer stoplight / turn signal circuits. They didn’t work anymore.
Verify that the trailer stoplight / turn signal lights (for my problem) are still flashing a periodic rate. And you ask how can this be? The affected circuits are disconnected, the answer is down below.
Truck off.
Disconnect the trailer brake circuit.
Truck on, same as described above. Note: if done correctly you will lose the trailer connected advisory on the dash.
Verify that the periodic flashing of the (in my case) of the trailer stoplight / turn signals has stopped.
Truck off.
Reconnect both trailer stoplight / turn signal circuits. Leave the trailer brake circuit disconnected.
Truck on, same as described above.
Test trailer brake lights / turn signals, they now work as they are supposed to.
Truck off.
Reconnect the trailer brake circuit.
Verify that all circuits are operational. (Except for the periodic blinking light issue.)
The answer to the problem:
The problem is called inductive coupling. In simple terms, the trailer brake circuit is acting like a transmitting antenna. In my case, both the trailer stoplight / turn signal circuits are receiving antennas. The periodic signal that the truck sends down the trailer brake circuit is basically being broadcast to the other circuits. And, since LED’s are low current devices, it doesn’t take much to light them up.
If wires are long enough, and laid out in parallel lengths in close proximity, you will get inductive coupling. It’s a bit more complicated than I’ve described, as other factors come into play.
There are ways to mitigate this, like moving the wires farther apart, or twisted pairs, or shielded twisted pairs. In this case, am going to have to look into how the trailer brake circuit is done on the trailer and run some experiments on the easiest way to fix.
That is, if I’m smart enough and / or lucky enough to figure out how to fix it…………….
There are many variables involved in this type of problem, the brand and year of tow vehicle, the auto trailer detect scheme that it uses, how the trailer harness was laid out (and even how a particular person did it), the DC return scheme used on the trailer, the resonant frequency of the trailer brake coils, and other factors that are way above my abilities to say whether or not any particular trailer and tow vehicle will exhibit this problem.
For reference (at least on mine):
Trailer
7-way connector
Pin number
1 —> Ground / DC return. —> White wire in junction box.
2 —> Trailer Brakes ———> Blue wire in junction box.
3 —> Marker Lights ————> Green wire in junction box.
4 —> +12V Charging ————> Black wire in junction box, yes, it’s hooked up.
5 —> L Turn / Stoplight ————> Red wire in junction box.
6 —> R Turn / Stoplight ————> Brown wire in junction box.
7 —> Backup Lights —————> Yellow wire in junction box.
Paul
To continue re the periodic blinking light issue:
Had received the standard advice on how to fix the issue here's the link:
So I ordered a set of resistors, and was going to install them in a water tight box next to the tongue J-box. But before making any permanent changes, made a test lash-up at the J-box. No matter how many test lash-ups I made, nothing worked....
Additionally, while testing with the DMM, the readings didn't make sense thinking in terms of DC. Switched to AC mode and what I was seeing started to make sense.
Raspy (John) and I had been trading e-mails for awhile, and he brought Barthold (another Black Series owner) into the chain.
So with the inductive coupling theory in mind, made a wire change to test, and the issue was solved.
My opinion is that probably almost all trailers are wired the traditional way, with all the signal wires bundled together. A perfect environment for inductive coupling if the runs are straight for a long enough distance. Before LED's, lightbulbs would absorb any induced voltage without lighting up as the current levels are to low. LED's are a different story, as it doesn't take much to light them up.
So, I think the resistor fix mentioned in the link above is a band-aid to cover-up the basic problem of inductive coupling and for it to work, the resistor has to be close to the the LED in question. It's not a load issue on the circuits. If your turn signals blink faster with the trailer connected versus not connected, that's a load issue, remember have to carry two sets of blinker cans?
I also think that the problem is going to get worse, as auto manufacturers put trailer burnt out light detection in their designs if they use a pulse detection scheme....
To bring Barthold back into the picture, he brought to my attention how cheap oscilloscopes are now. I now own one, arrived last week. I now know the signal that Ram sends down the brake wire in an unloaded state. I intend to look at it with the trailer connected to see how it changes, because it will change to some degree. If there is interest, I can post pictures in the future. It'll take time for me to this, as I'm now in no particular hurry to do it anymore, it is more to satisfy my curiosity at this point. The change that I did to my trailer is of a temporary nature that can be easily reversed except for the break-away switch wiring changes, so I think I maybe able to recreate the problem.
John, Barthold and I have been told that this has been brought to Black Series attention, so future production runs may not have this issue, at least until the auto manufacturers change something else....
Paul
Had received the standard advice on how to fix the issue here's the link:
So I ordered a set of resistors, and was going to install them in a water tight box next to the tongue J-box. But before making any permanent changes, made a test lash-up at the J-box. No matter how many test lash-ups I made, nothing worked....
Additionally, while testing with the DMM, the readings didn't make sense thinking in terms of DC. Switched to AC mode and what I was seeing started to make sense.
Raspy (John) and I had been trading e-mails for awhile, and he brought Barthold (another Black Series owner) into the chain.
So with the inductive coupling theory in mind, made a wire change to test, and the issue was solved.
My opinion is that probably almost all trailers are wired the traditional way, with all the signal wires bundled together. A perfect environment for inductive coupling if the runs are straight for a long enough distance. Before LED's, lightbulbs would absorb any induced voltage without lighting up as the current levels are to low. LED's are a different story, as it doesn't take much to light them up.
So, I think the resistor fix mentioned in the link above is a band-aid to cover-up the basic problem of inductive coupling and for it to work, the resistor has to be close to the the LED in question. It's not a load issue on the circuits. If your turn signals blink faster with the trailer connected versus not connected, that's a load issue, remember have to carry two sets of blinker cans?
I also think that the problem is going to get worse, as auto manufacturers put trailer burnt out light detection in their designs if they use a pulse detection scheme....
To bring Barthold back into the picture, he brought to my attention how cheap oscilloscopes are now. I now own one, arrived last week. I now know the signal that Ram sends down the brake wire in an unloaded state. I intend to look at it with the trailer connected to see how it changes, because it will change to some degree. If there is interest, I can post pictures in the future. It'll take time for me to this, as I'm now in no particular hurry to do it anymore, it is more to satisfy my curiosity at this point. The change that I did to my trailer is of a temporary nature that can be easily reversed except for the break-away switch wiring changes, so I think I maybe able to recreate the problem.
John, Barthold and I have been told that this has been brought to Black Series attention, so future production runs may not have this issue, at least until the auto manufacturers change something else....
Paul
Bikepals
Member
I am going to do the same when the 4 AGM batteries go bad in my HQ15. How many Battles Born batteries did you install?
I went with two 100AH batteries. That is probably the equivalent of four of the gel batteries. We are not power hogs, so two is plenty (no TV, no microwave). You can always add more batteries later.
Bikepals
Member
Bartlett Lake flats. Yes
We started looking at the HQ15 in September at Tom’s Camperland. There were 2 new HQ15 trailers at that time. I believe you are the person who bought one of them. We bought the other one in November.
Last edited:
That is correct, we bought ours in October from Toms. Planning on heading out to Bartlett sometime this month. What side of town are you on?
Bikepals
Member
We live in Fountain Hills.
elindley01
New member
Bikepals, just wanted to tell you thanks again. I contacted my dealer, who subsequently contacted Black Series and my cushion arrived today. Thanks again for your guidance!!
Bikepals
Member
Glad to help.
Bikepals
Member
UPDATE: The air conditioner has had the 5 starts done and the MICRO AIR EASY START is working perfectly.
Bikepals
Member
Installed the McHitch yesterday along with an Equalizer hitch. I installed the McHitch under the hitch plate so I could get the trailer level. When I go off road I will take the stabilizer bars off.
