BMPro- What it is and how it works

[DavidEM]

In recent years, maybe the last two, Thor has started installing an Australian developed system, the BMPro RV Master, a control and monitoring system that takes the place of the previous Rapid Camp system. So what is this system and how does it work?:

The BM Pro system consists of two parts: the RVMasterController, essentially an Android tablet that is mounted near the entry way on my Axis 24.1. It is powered by the RV's DC system and displays the status of various items like tank and battery levels, interior temperature, etc. It also lets you control most devices like lights, A/C, slides and awnings by touching the appropriate icon. I am going to call this the MC for simplicity.

The other part is the RVMasterNode that does all of the switching. It communicates with the MC via Bluetooth and is located under the passenger side bed in front of the fresh water tank on my Axis. Lets call it the MN. It has dozens of connections which supply power to the lights, etc. It also has sensor inputs like tank levels.

You can also connect up to four other devices by downloading an iOS or Android app and pairing it up with the MN. But only one device can be active at any time.

Looking at the converter's fuse panel there are two 30A fuses at the bottom that seem to power the MN. One is labeled Multiplex VIN and the other is labeled Multiplex Relay VIN. It is not clear to me how the MN uses this power.

It is also not clear which items are powered by the MN and which are powered by separate fuse outputs but are switched by the MN. For example both the slide and awning is switched by the MN but the awning has a 15A fuse on the converter panel but the slide does not.

I suspect that the MN switches the slide in and out control signals, but a separate relay in the Schwintek control box supplies the actual power to the slide. Where does this power come from and where is its fuse protection? It may be supplied from the chassis DC power circuits and not the coach. I can't remember if the ignition has to be on to move the slide which if so would confirm that hypothesis.

Why does the awning need a separate fuse in the converter panel but things like lights don't. Or maybe they do as there are 15A fuses labeled right side and left side in the fuse panel. Maybe these provide the power to switching relays in the MN. If that is the case, what do the two 30A fuses do?

Do I like it. Absolutely, positively no!!!! How can you diagnose something like your water pump mysteriously turning off but still showing it on on the MC? I much, much prefer simple switches that you can follow the wiring to and from and see what is happening.

I suppose the BMPro saves Thor wiring and switches but is that enough to pay for the BMPro system? To me it is just a slick gimmick.

Also I find the BMPro disfunctional. Some lights like in the bathroom or bedroom have separate switches, but not all. If you want to turn on the kitchen lights from that area you have to use the MC. There is no wall switch or individual switch on the light. The generator has three ways of turning it on: a switch in the bedroom, a switch on the dash and an icon on the MC.

So that is the sum of my understanding which may improve as I use it more. Can anyone add to that understanding and answer some of the questions posed above?

David

[DavidEM]

Here is a pic of the BMPro to distinguish it from earlier Thor Rapid Camp devices.

David

[Philo Gemstone]

I have no answers to your questions, but wanted to thank you for all your tech posts. I'll be posting a solar question soon that you may be able to help me with.

[DavidEM]

Thanks Philo. Send me a PM if you really want to get into a solar discussion with your email or phone number. I am a retired engineer and have installed a half dozen or so solar panel systems on my and friend's boats. My new Axis has a solar power port on the roof and a Go Power controller in the entry way feeding the batteries from a 100 watt panel. I don't have any plans to add any more solar panels as we always camp in shady spots here in the NE.

David

[DavidEM]

Philo's message above led me to reread my original post. I do have some answers to the questions I posed:

Slide controls and power- There is a 30A breaker (seen on a schematic Thor supplied but not seen by me) that supplies power to the Schwintek slide controller located in the outside compartment underneath the driver's seat. Apparently the BMPro supplies the low amperage signals to trigger that controller to power the slide in or out. It would be fairly simple to bypass these signals with power from dedicated switches. But as long as it works with the BMPro, let it be.

After some glitches retracting the slide using the BMPro touch icon I have started using the dedicated extend and return buttons on the MC with the S1 selection. That has worked several times with no glitches.

Awning- The awning does have a dedicated 15A fuse in the converter panel. Does this fuse supply power to a relay panel like the slide or does it get switched by the MN directly. Don't know.

I suspect that everything else besides the slide and awning is powered by the 30A Multiplex fuses in the converter panel somehow. Other things not controlled by the BMPro like the fridge, water heater, USB port, cigarette lighter outlet, etc are probably powered by either the right or left side 15A fuses, the 10A water heater fuse or the 15A appliance fuse, all in the converter panel.

How a non Thor trained tech can make sense of all of this and diagnose problems successfully is beyond me.

David