Firefly, Rapid Camp+, BM Pro

[W9TR]

We are getting close to pulling the trigger on a Sequence 20K.
We live pretty far away from any service centers so I plan on doing all the coach troubleshooting and maintenance myself.

The one system that is probably more sophisticated than any of the people servicing it (including myself) is the Firefly Integrations multiplex control.

I have searched this and a few other forums for info and opinions on Firefly Integrations. I found mostly positive comments regarding their support. The vast majority of issues seemed to be caused by improper coach wiring, not the system itself.

So, what has been your experience with Firefly and Thor DIY maintenance support?

Tom

[jtyphoid]

I was very happy with the one interaction that I had with Firefly Integrations customer service.

I purchased a software update for our 2018 Aria 3401 that added a custom battery charger profile so that I could go with LifePo4 house batteries. Unfortunately, the software update process took down the multiplex system, right before a planned trip. Firefly overnighted a replacement PMM and control panel, with the software update already loaded, at no charge to me. They even included prepaid shipping labels for me to return the old parts.

[Stolbert1]

Thor does not sell parts direct only to dealers.
Was not aware of that prior to buying.

[The Gritz Carlton]

There have been a few cases where Thor will do this. They are concerned about your voyage and have shipped "critical" parts to people on the road. As a general rule...they support the dealer parts network. For critical warranty issues, they are very flexible.

[TurnerFam]

yes, they sent me several Scwintec slide motors one time, as I was stuck at an rv park with my slide out... it was cheaper for them to forward them to me, allow me to do the work myself as I had requested, than to pay the extremely expensive 'rv mobile mechanic'...

but, yes, generally Thor and other factories choose to go thru their dealer network only, as that is really their contract with them...dealers don't like to be 'left out'.

[Zeddy]

I had an issue with my firefly system. I didn’t want to take it to the dealer so I contacted them. They were great with helping me Identify the issues. Once the issues were figured they gave me a reference number. I called Thor and they shipped out the parts no questions. I also upgraded my system to have all backlit switches. I bought those from firefly directly. When you buy the coach the manuals also are quite detailed to help you troubleshoot the system on your own if you had to.

[W9TR]

Thanks everybody. The consensus seems to be that Firefly provides outstanding support. That’s really hard to pull off in the Internet age of instant communication. One more item checked off my list. That’s good news.

Thanks for the info on Thor repair parts. I understand the model and have been part of businesses that service their products that way. Sounds like there is some needed flexibility as well.

Tom

[aznytfury]

Originally Posted by jtyphoid

I was very happy with the one interaction that I had with Firefly Integrations customer service.

I purchased a software update for our 2018 Aria 3401 that added a custom battery charger profile so that I could go with LifePo4 house batteries. Unfortunately, the software update process took down the multiplex system, right before a planned trip. Firefly overnighted a replacement PMM and control panel, with the software update already loaded, at no charge to me. They even included prepaid shipping labels for me to return the old parts.

Curious question...I have been thinking about switching to LiFEPO4 in my 2017 Aria 3901. I am aware that Firefly will build a custom charging profile for LiFEPO4 batteries (for my Magnum MS2812 I/C), but curious as to what you did to monitor the SoC (state of charge) of the LiFEPO4 batteries? I pressed Firefly on integrating that into the display/software and they told me that would be cost prohibitive for a single user. So are you using an external monitor for SoC?

[jtyphoid]

Originally Posted by aznytfury

Curious question...I have been thinking about switching to LiFEPO4 in my 2017 Aria 3901. I am aware that Firefly will build a custom charging profile for LiFEPO4 batteries (for my Magnum MS2812 I/C), but curious as to what you did to monitor the SoC (state of charge) of the LiFEPO4 batteries? I pressed Firefly on integrating that into the display/software and they told me that would be cost prohibitive for a single user. So are you using an external monitor for SoC?

To be clear, they didn't build a LiFePo4 specific profile. Instead, they added a "CUSTOM" option on the battery type page that allows me to set absorb, float, and equalization voltages. None of the other custom charge profile settings in the Magnum are made available as far as I've been able to determine. I have been assuming that all of the other settings in the Magnum are using default settings, but there's a possibility that the Firefly is changing other settings that I cannot see.

Like you, I would have liked access to more of the Magnum settings via the Firefly system, but what they provided seems to work well enough.

I added a Victron BMV-712 to monitor state of charge and I'm happy with it, but it obviously cannot provide any feedback to control the charging process.

I've been toying with the idea of building an arduino-based CAN bus monitor/controller to snoop on the messages that the Firefly system is sending to the Magnum and see if I can send my own messages to set the Magnum up exactly as I want.

[aznytfury]

Originally Posted by jtyphoid

To be clear, they didn't build a LiFePo4 specific profile. Instead, they added a "CUSTOM" option on the battery type page that allows me to set absorb, float, and equalization voltages. None of the other custom charge profile settings in the Magnum are made available as far as I've been able to determine. I have been assuming that all of the other settings in the Magnum are using default settings, but there's a possibility that the Firefly is changing other settings that I cannot see.

Like you, I would have liked access to more of the Magnum settings via the Firefly system, but what they provided seems to work well enough.

I added a Victron BMV-712 to monitor state of charge and I'm happy with it, but it obviously cannot provide any feedback to control the charging process.

I've been toying with the idea of building an arduino-based CAN bus monitor/controller to snoop on the messages that the Firefly system is sending to the Magnum and see if I can send my own messages to set the Magnum up exactly as I want.

Excellent! Thanks for the info! I actually talked to Firefly about bringing the SoC into their display via a 3rd party monitor...possible, but costly to customize...I like your idea of using a separate home-brew monitor/controller...I have tinkered with arduino-based devices in my home automation so I like that idea too.

Sorry, one final question. Does this mean, on your Firefly screen, you have a custom screen that lets you set the charge voltages (i.e.: bulk, absorption, float, etc.)? Or does the Custom profile simply let you set it on the Magnum I/C via a separate remote (i.e.: ME-ARC) and preserve/save it that way?

[jtyphoid]

Originally Posted by aznytfury

Sorry, one final question. Does this mean, on your Firefly screen, you have a custom screen that lets you set the charge voltages (i.e.: bulk, absorption, float, etc.)? Or does the Custom profile simply let you set it on the Magnum I/C via a separate remote (i.e.: ME-ARC) and preserve/save it that way?

When I select CUSTOM for the battery type on the Firefly control panel, three new +/- items show up on that same screen right below the battery type button. Those allow absorb, float, and equalization voltages to be set.

I do have an ME-ARC50 remote, but Magnum told me that the I/C can only be connected to one control device at a time - either the ME-ARC50 or the Firefly (via the ME-RVC bridge). They also told me that the only settings stored in the I/C are default settings. All changes from the default are stored in the control device. I was hoping that I could configure the I/C with the ME-ARC50 then swap over to the Firefly, but swapping over loses the configuration from the ME-ARC50 as best I can tell.

[aznytfury]

Originally Posted by jtyphoid

When I select CUSTOM for the battery type on the Firefly control panel, three new +/- items show up on that same screen right below the battery type button. Those allow absorb, float, and equalization voltages to be set.

I do have an ME-ARC50 remote, but Magnum told me that the I/C can only be connected to one control device at a time - either the ME-ARC50 or the Firefly (via the ME-RVC bridge). They also told me that the only settings stored in the I/C are default settings. All changes from the default are stored in the control device. I was hoping that I could configure the I/C with the ME-ARC50 then swap over to the Firefly, but swapping over loses the configuration from the ME-ARC50 as best I can tell.

Thank you for the details! Greatly appreciated!