# Tecno-step Problem



## peterandirene

Our Starspirit is fitted with a Nuova Mapa Tecno-step electric twin-step. This has been fine up until our latest trip. It just stopped working, no whirring, clanging or anything. Checked the fuse and that’s fine.

I am fairly average at most aspects of DIY so have devised the following cunning plan:

Using my trusty 12v testing screwdriver I intend prodding and poking at the connections to see if I can trace the point where electricity ends. I will use the wiring diagram to lead me in this quest. I will start at the “up/down” switch and then progress to anywhere I can find likely wires.

That is where my cunning plan ends because the ‘manual’ gives no indication of how the step works!

After that I suspect it’s off to the local dealer and get them to sort it – very reluctantly.

Has anyone successfully mended one of these and if so can they give any pointers please?

Peter and Irene


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## bigles

I think this is the Spanish made step similar to the Omni step. 

You can remove the end plate of the ectrical/motor box at the side of the step where the electrical connector goes in. Inside is a motor that is controlled by microswitches - it goes in either direction. Our step has three microswitches - one to stop the step when it is fully extended, another to stop the step when it retracts and a third to switch the red dash warning light on and off. 

On the exterior step arm that goes to the motor there is a nut that connects to the motor arm. If you remove that nut you can move the step in and out manually to make it easier to remove the end plate.

You should be able to check the electrics and the operation of the microswitches with your meter. I found a faulty microswitch was our problem. Ours is a 2005 Fiat Ducato and the microswitches in the cab door frame (for the interior light) are exactly the same switch for the step (in case you need to swap any over).

Hope this helps.


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## firewood

hi at the moment we have a problem with our step on our starblazer.
the step will not go in when you start the engine (it allways used to) but it still works on the switch .
i have not really looked at it yet but there is a relay close to the step iam hopeing thats the problem.


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## peterandirene

This morning I downloaded the step wiring diagram kindly supplied by www.motts.org. This diagram has a warning light and alarm rather than the auto retractor fitted to the Starspirit, but it is clearer than the one supplied by the manufacturer.

First off I unscrewed the "up/down" switch and pulled out the fuse. I then connected a light between the two fuse connections expecting the bulb to light up, it didn't! I pressed the switch up and down but still no light!

The Motts and manufacturers wiring diagrams both shows the fused wire as being directly connected to the battery so I would have thought I would have got a current. Am I wrong?

Further investigation then. I had a look under the bonnet and found a couple of relays with 3 fuses, see pic. I think I read somewhere that one of these could be to do with the step and the other the fridge. Don't know about the fuses though. Tried swapping the relays around and replacing all the fuses - no joy.

Anyone got any ideas what I should do next?


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## bigles

On our van any relays under the bonnet are to do with the engine, any to do with the habitation area are inside the van.

I would start at the battery end and work your way towards the step and associated switches checking the circuit all the way. I recently had a problem with the 12v supply to our fridge and after checking the wiring, fuses and relays (under the passenger cab seat) it was a damaged spade connector on the main fuse block (under a seat in the habitation area) that had shorted and burnt through.

With electrics it can be like trying to find a needle in a hay stack - just be patient and methodical.


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## Techno100

Fuses are probably the outputs from the split charge relays . Wires usually brown/blue brown/green and red/yellow to fridge


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## tandc

Hi,
On our 2004 stargazer,under the engine bonnet on the bulkhead,at the back of the engine bay on theleft hand side,looking from the front there was a small fuse box with three fuses in it .I think It is the middle fuse ,try this as on ours the fuse used to blow now and again.hope this helps can,t check which fuse as we don,t have the van now.terry.


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## peterandirene

Thanks for input and advice. I think that I am getting to the stage where my knowledge is running out, very frustrating.

Any thoughts on whether wiring goes to van battery or leisure battery?


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## Techno100

Have any of the fuses blown?


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## peterandirene

I checked the fuse at the switch and the three by the relays, they were all ok. Terry has referred to some other fuses which I need to investigate, probably next week as the van is now back in storage.


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## Techno100

Keep us informed as I've no idea where my step is fed from.
For sure tho the 2 20 amp fuses will be the relay outputs to the battery selector switch in the habitation and I'm fairly sure the 15 amp is the fridge. Good luck

Ps. As you found motty's website have a look at his split charge relay drawing :wink:


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## tandc

hi peter the step runs of the van battery. terry


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## Techno100

tandc said:


> hi peter the step runs of the van battery. terry


The van? Is that hab or cab


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## tandc

engine battery. terry.


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## CliveMott

tHE MOST COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE STEPS IS THE RETRACT LIMIT SWITCH. THESE GET GUMMED UP WITH ROAD MUCK AND THE STEP STOPS WORKING.

Explanation of how they work here :-
http://www.motts.org/Omnistep.htm

C.


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## firewood

hi update on the step on our camper .i managed to down load the drawing today and as clive says it was the limit switch .(never found his post till i went to update this)
the earth wire was held to earth on the switch by a very croded rivit.
so took it all apart cleaned it used a nut and bolt insted of the rivit .
all works well now


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## eurajohn

I'm pleased to hear your problem is now solved. 
Purely for information to you and others, in a previous post you said you inserted a bulb between the fuse wires and it didn't light, for the bulb to light you would need to connect the feed wire to the contact side of the bulb and a good earth to the bulb body, simply putting it in series will not illuminate it.


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## peterandirene

Bit of confusion here. I'm the one who tried the bulb test. The vans in storage and I'm hoping to do some more investigation in the next few weeks when I get it out for its MOT. 

My minds been whirring about this non lighting bulb thing and I had this suspicion about what you say. I'm pretty basic when it comes to electricity. What I did was pull the fuse and put a bulb across the two connections - no light. I then pressed the rocker switch - still no light. 

Am I right in thinking that this does not prove anything about the feed. I need to take the bulb from feed to earth for it to light.


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## firewood

when you pulled the fuse did you put one wire to power side of the fuse and one to earth .


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## eurajohn

Hi peterandirene, I'll start by saying that you are best off testing with a meter rather than a bulb! 
A bit of a lecture now, an in line fuse is put in a circuit (as any other fused circuit) to provide a quickly failing link in the event of the supply (12volt in this case) shorting to earth for whatever reason, this will have the effect of removing the power from the appliance being fed (your step), so if you imagine that the fuse in its holder is just a connector in the supply wire albeit much smaller in size and current carrying ability. With that in your mind if you now envisage that one side of the fuse holder is coming from the power supply source and the other is going to your step; to test with your bulb you will need to determine which side of the fuse holder is "live" i.e. from supply and then using that piece of wire connect to the base of the bulb (the solder bit right at the bottom) and then another piece of wire to the side case of the bulb (the bit with the little lugs on that would normally go in the holder) take this one to a good earth and if power is present and the bulb you are using is of the correct voltage the lamp will illuminate.
By using both the fuse holder wires on the bulb it will not light, power present or not.

I started by saying the use of a meter was preferential, it does not need to be an expensive one in fact most of the diy stores do basic multi meters for a few quid, using one will enable you to identify if you have voltage and whether it is the correct amount, as well as continuity of circuits and how good your earth is.

Hope that helps.


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## peterandirene

Thanks for that John. I went to Maplins today and bought a cheap multimeter. Bit complicated looking aren't they?

Can anyone point me in the direction of a good tutorial online please?

Peter


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## eurajohn

Hi Peter, this is a reasonable one to try not too techie! <here> 
There are some utube ones as well just do a Google.


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## peterandirene

OK, got the tutorial and printed it. Working my way through it slowly, this is all new to me.

Got the van from storage today as MOT due tomorrow so had a quick look with my new found knowledge. Didn't get anywhere.

I have attached a pic of switch wiring. On the basis that the step works from the leisure battery but also self closes when the ignition is switched on can you tell me where to put the multimeter probes to test for a live circuit? Oh, and while your at it can you tell me where to put the rotary dial before I start and what I should see on the display? 

I know I'm being a bit cheeky, but I really begrudge booking it into the local caravan dealers as I know I'll be looking at a big bill and they will probably not be able to book it in for 3 months or so!

Thanks in advance.

Peter


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## eurajohn

Hi Peter, I really can't make out enough detail from your picture of the multimeter, but ensure that you have the leads plugged into the correct ports and then you'll need to select the Volt section with a straight line not a squiggly one (DC not AC) and not millivolts, easiest check is once you have set it up to what you think is correct put the black probe to the negative or - terminal and the red probe to the positive of + terminal of a charged battery and the reading should be in the region of 12 to 13 volts, this will confirm that you have the meter set correctly.
Switch panel, bit difficult at a distance to be much use here either but a brief understanding of why the step closes when the ignition is switched on is that there is a relay in the system which is energised by the ignition circuit that over rides your manual switch.
Can't remember if anyone has actually said it before but the most likely cause of the step not working is the limit switch that is positioned on the actual step, they are a pretty flimsy affair that are subject to a lot of wet and dirt.


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## peterandirene

The step is now fixed. Done by CPC in Telford.

I removed the step from the van and took the assembly in. Ther motor is apparently a windopw winder motor and has a built in bit of gubbins which detects if the motor is under too much load. This is where the fault was. The soldered across its connections and everything now works fine.

Probably a good place to look if your step fails.

Peter


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