Problems with Dometic Power Awning Remote Control!

[Paul_H]

I’ve been searching the Forum as well as the rest of the internet with no luck on this one, I’ve read all of the instructions I can find to no avail, so I’m turning to this Forum in the faint hope that someone else has overcome this problem. I know this is not going to be easy to explain clearly, but here goes.

Point 1. This is on a 2017 Escape 5.0 TA that is new to us, when we bought it, the awning wasn’t working because the battery was dead in the remote, so I knew there could be other issues moving forward.

Point 2. The Power awning appears to be working, I can get the awning to extend about 1 foot by using the 10 Seconds On/Off power switch routine, it retracts itself after a few minutes.

Point 3. I have replaced the remote battery with a brand new one (CR2430), after installing a new battery the Led flashes when pressing any of the Up, Down, Stop or Prog buttons. The awning doesn’t respond in any way to any long or short button press.

Point 4. The remote is made by Simu and the Part Number appears to be SIMU FR-70103 The remote has 3 buttons showing on the front, Up Arrow (Retract), Black Bar (Stop) and Down Arrow (Extend), to access the Prog button the cover has to be removed.

Point 5. I never hear any beeps from anywhere when turning on the Awning master switch or pressing the remote buttons, not sure if this is normal, some manuals suggest the unit should beep.

Question 1.: Is there a button sequence that I am supposed to press to re-pair the remote with the awning? The manual doesn’t seem to help here.

Question 2.: Does anyone have a wiring diagram for the Power Awning? I’m thinking that a hard wired toggle switch would be preferable to a flakey remote, shouldn’t be too difficult to install.

Question 3.: Does anyone know where the receiver is located for the Power Awning in the 5.0 TA? So I can investigate that and the possibility of installing an over-ride toggle switch.

Thank you for any help.

[runnergirl]

May be a dumb question but is the master switch for the awning turned on? We had a 2017 5.0 and there was a switch to the left just inside the door, close to the floor.

[Paul_H]

Thank you.
Yes, see point 2, the switch and the awning do work.

[runnergirl]

There’s also a sensor on the awning itself, it is supposed to retract the awning automatically if the wind comes up. Are the batteries in it good?

[Paul_H]

Yes, thanks, it is working fine, it's just the remote that doesn't appear to be communicating with the awning. Everything else checks out.

[LRL]

My sensor beeps when I turn on the master switch, so I wonder if that’s a problem for you. The users manual talks about pairing the remote (section 8.1 or 8.2, depending on your awning model #). It is multi-step, but seems straightforward enough.

[Paul_H]

Thank you Lee and Nancy, that's interesting, I don't hear any beeps at all when turning on the awning master switch (the one low down by the door).
I've tried the pairing technique described in the manual (many times), and the awning doesn't jog like it's supposed to do, plus there are no beeps, so it's sounding like the receiver may be at fault, if only I could find it's location!

Another update:
I programmed one of my Ham Radios to 433.42MHz yesterday then tried some tests with the remote and I can hear the signals being sent, so I'm pretty sure it's not the remote any more.

[LRL]

Originally Posted by Paul_H

Thank you Lee and Nancy, that's interesting, I don't hear any beeps at all when turning on the awning master switch (the one low down by the door).
I've tried the pairing technique described in the manual (many times), and the awning doesn't jog like it's supposed to do, plus there are no beeps, so it's sounding like the receiver may be at fault, if only I could find it's location!

Another update:
I programmed one of my Ham Radios to 433.42MHz yesterday then tried some tests with the remote and I can hear the signals being sent, so I'm pretty sure it's not the remote any more.

That was ingenious! Yeah, I'd bet on the sensor. Sorry I have no idea where it is.

[mfschu]

I found this online.

[MVA]

Given that the awning retracts after a few minutes (point 2), I would examine the wind sensor. There is a potentiostat on the board of the sensor to adjust the sensitivity of the wind sensor. If it was adjusted too sensitive, I could foresee the awning acting the the manner described. FWIW, I change out the batteries in the wind sensor yearly and have adjusted the sensor so it appropriately retracts with the awning is under a small amount of vertical movement.

[Paul_H]

Thanks for the suggestion, I have replaced the batteries in the wind sensor and it appears to be working fine, it’s set to pos 3.
The problem is that the remote has zero effect on the awning. Everything is pointing to a receiver issue right now, but I am open to any ideas to troubleshoot this.
The awning retracting a couple of minutes after the 10sec on/off test routine is normal and expected as per the manual, otherwise I guess there would be no way to retract it without resorting to using the manual method with a 3/8 wrench.

[MVA]

On page 7 of the awning guide:
"For safety purposes, the vibration sensor sends a signal to the receiver every 60 minutes to confirm functionality. If for any reason (removal, low battery, etc), that signal is not received after 60 minutes, the awning will retract automatically"

Apparently, your concern with the receiver function is a likely problem.

[mfschu]

I remember there was a post 1 or 2 years ago where someone wired a switch directly to the awning, so that the remote & receiver wasn't controlling the awning. That might be another way to work around this issue.

[Paul_H]

Thank you. That does sound like a mod I would like to try, I have a found a couple of wiring diagrams that suggest some different ways to achieve this, if I come up with a workable option I will post it on this forum, still more investigation to do right now. Locating the receiver is my priority at present.

[Paul_H]

I received an interesting reply from Somfy (makers of the remote)…

Quote:
"The Simu remotes can be replaced by any Simu or Somfy RTS remote."

Hopefully this may help anyone else having issues with lost or damaged awning remotes.

[mfschu]

Our receiver is in the awning side overhead cabinet at the front of the trailer. This is in a 21NE. Seems like they would be in the same location in all the trailers. Our beeps and lights up when the power switch is turned on. We always turn the power switch off at night to turn off the little LED light.

[Paul_H]

Thank you. I've just been out and checked again, I'm sure I've been through every cupboard, cabinet and cubby, even using a flashlight an mirror and there's no obvious sign of the receiver. I have an awful suspicion that it is buried behind the insulation in the cupboard by the door, I can feel a few bumps in there and that's where some wiring is partially visible. Maybe I'll seek out an endoscope to check the places I can't see.
I see your 21NE is quite a bit newer, probably with an updated system, if only mine would beep I may stand a chance of locating it.
I do have a request in with Escape for the location of the receiver, but the last email took them over a week to answer, so I guess I'll just have to wait patiently, I don't want to cut open the insulation without very good reason.

[iamunique127]

Just a thought: did you get build photos from ETI. Maybe a close look at those might help. It's a long shot but worth a try.

[Paul_H]

Thanks for the suggestion, unfortunately we don't have the build photos, we didn't buy from ETI and the previous owner didn't have the original ETI package available to hand over, sounds like it could have been useful.

[IanC]

Maybe the receiver is missing? That would explain it not working. I can’t imagine ETI would bury it where it can’t be accessed. Mine is in the forward cupboard on the awning side as well. (17B)