BMPro (battery?) seems to be failing

[Mark54]

Appreciate all of the help and expertise shared in these chats. I had the same issue on my first overnight trip after buying a 2022 Thor Rize 18m from the original owner last year. Both TMC and BMPro told me to buy a new $318 unit. After reading countless posts on this exact issue, I bought a new battery, paid a cell phone repair shop to solder it, and now it does not turn on at all.

Commenting so others know:

• It's nearly impossible to find an aftermarket Android tablet that matches the exact specs to fit in the bezel AND uses the older hexagon-shaped charger.
• Don't waste your time with TMC or BMPro customer service if you're no longer under warranty. BMPro offered 10% discount but after taxes and shipping, it still comes to $318.

They might have reversed the polarity??- it should turn on.
DId you try the reset hole on the faceplate? (It actually is an access to the tablet's power button on the side- click on attachment)
The hole is actually under the upper edge of that recessed area, aimed upwards. It's not exactly where the pic says- hard to see b/c it's a hole in black plastic...
Hold paperclip on button for 1-2 sec. Unit should wake up after a bit...
Did they use a 3.7V, 250mA battery?
What really baffles me is that BMPro and TMC are unwilling to do 5 minutes of soldering.

 

[ms.elizabeth.cohen]

They might have reversed the polarity??- it should turn on.
DId you try the reset hole on the faceplate? (It actually is an access to the tablet's power button on the side- click on attachment)
Hold for 1-2 sec. Unit should wake up after a bit...
Did they use a 3.7V, 250mA battery?
What really baffles me is that BMPro and TMC are unwilling to do 5 minutes of soldering

 

[Mark54]

I forgot to mention use a paperclip- might have to bend it to shape to be able to use it in that hole.

 

[ms.elizabeth.cohen]

Thanks for this suggestion, Mark54! The repair shop who replaced the battery came highly recommended from another mobile tech guy so I doubt the polarity is the issue. I did every single trouble shooting method I read on this and many other pages, including plugging into a household outlet to test if it was the battery, the paper clip reset, bought the correct battery, etc. I'm mostly annoyed that this issue impacts almost every single feature in the camper (thankfully the fridge is not controlled by the tablet), is not a cheap or easy fix, and they are not willing to meet me half way when others have received a replacement for the exact same issue and were not under warranty! And I made the mistake of assuming a newer TMC camper would have used higher quality tablets and batteries...

 

[Mark54]

Thanks for this suggestion, Mark54! The repair shop who replaced the battery came highly recommended from another mobile tech guy so I doubt the polarity is the issue. I did every single trouble shooting method I read on this and many other pages, including plugging into a household outlet to test if it was the battery, the paper clip reset, bought the correct battery, etc. I'm mostly annoyed that this issue impacts almost every single feature in the camper (thankfully the fridge is not controlled by the tablet), is not a cheap or easy fix, and they are not willing to meet me half way when others have received a replacement for the exact same issue and were not under warranty! And I made the mistake of assuming a newer TMC camper would have used higher quality tablets and batteries...

Check the fuse associated with it then- there is a 1A fuse in an inline holder just off the power (master) battery switch.
I have 3 in that area- 1A for BMPro, 5A for the Balmar guage (which you can pull out and put back in to reset if the gauge is flashing) and a 20A for the solar controller.
They are all behind the master switch in my Tellaro 20L bed cabinet, passenger side. Easiest way to find is pull master switch off and carefully pull out with wires and hopefully fuses, and check fuses for continuity.

The other issue would be dead battery and just charge it to 100% (or try anyways) It can take 5-8 hrs to fully charge. I know you said you tried that- but did it fully charge to 100%?

Maybe go back to that tech and have them try to diagnose/fix??

If you get it back online, add the RVMaster app to your phone and pair it to the masternode, so you have at least that if the tablet dies again!
What model/ floor plan do you have?

 

[ms.elizabeth.cohen]

Check the fuse associated with it then- there is a 1A fuse in an inline holder just off the power (master) battery switch.
I have 3 in that area- 1A for BMPro, 5A for the Balmar guage (which you can pull out and put back in to reset if the gauge is flashing) and a 20A for the solar controller.
They are all behind the master switch in my Tellaro 20L bed cabinet, passenger side. Easiest way to find is pull master switch off and carefully pull out with wires and hopefully fuses, and check fuses for continuity.

The other issue would be dead battery and just charge it to 100% (or try anyways) It can take 5-8 hrs to fully charge. I know you said you tried that- but did it fully charge to 100%?

Maybe go back to that tech and have them try to diagnose/fix??

If you get it back online, add the RVMaster app to your phone and pair it to the masternode, so you have at least that if the tablet dies again!
What model/ floor plan do you have?

Yes, replacing the fuse was my first move! Then I tested the battery by removing the tablet and plugging it into a home outlet. It would not hold a charge, at which point I bought the replacement battery and paid the cell phone repair shop to solder it but tablet still would not get past the blinking BMPro logo. So I ended up buying the new version that has no battery. I’m hoping this will not be an issue now that the battery is not a factor.

 

[Mark54]

Yes, replacing the fuse was my first move! Then I tested the battery by removing the tablet and plugging it into a home outlet. It would not hold a charge, at which point I bought the replacement battery and paid the cell phone repair shop to solder it but tablet still would not get past the blinking BMPro logo. So I ended up buying the new version that has no battery. I’m hoping this will not be an issue now that the battery is not a factor.

New '201' version w/o battery is a step in the right direction! Let us know how it works!

 

[ms.elizabeth.cohen]

New '201' version w/o battery is a step in the right direction! Let us know how it works!

I’m camping now and the new BMPro 201 is great so far but now my awning won’t open! I’ve looked it up here and on the other similar FB groups and will take back to the sho that did the recall work before. Thank you so much for all of your feedback and help!

 

[Mark54]

I’m camping now and the new BMPro 201 is great so far but now my awning won’t open! I’ve looked it up here and on the other similar FB groups and will take back to the sho that did the recall work before. Thank you so much for all of your feedback and help!

Make sure the RVMaster app has the awning in the app! You may have to reload the app.
RV dealer with some young (or old like me) person that knows the BMPro.
The repair shop probably doesn't have a clue. The other avenue to take is call BMPro directly to find out why the 201 won't operate the awning.
Better still, would be to bypass the awning using a DPDT momentary switch, wired direct to the Thule awning controller (if you have the controller- I don't!)
Looks like this and is probably underneath a bed, drawer, or other interior feature... (kit shown here with switch, etc.)
You should have a crank for the awning, but need to remove cover on motor and push end of crank fitting in real hard! My motor failed once b/c of losing a power connection inside, and was very hard to extend and retract using the crank. I also thought about removing the motor and converting to manual crank as I had on my Rialta. So much more control and easier anyways.

 

[MCP-THOR]

I’m camping now and the new BMPro 201 is great so far but now my awning won’t open! I’ve looked it up here and on the other similar FB groups and will take back to the sho that did the recall work before. Thank you so much for all of your feedback and help!

Regarding the awning, perhaps the new BMPro has not been configured to your specific model. That was a problem I had early on when one van feature did not show up. I had to update to the Tellaro version 2 and it solved it. The manual/documentation should be available on the BMPro website if it is not on the Thor owner’s resource site.