 |
flashCube Frequently Asked Questions:
Is the flashCube self powered? |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
No. The flashCube draws power from your travel trailer's battery. For best
flashCube performance make certain that your trailer battery is in good condition
and fully charged.
|
Won't the flashCube drain my battery if I use my running lights for campsite illumination? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
As long as you are hooked up to city power (110volts ac) while camping
your trailer's power converter will charge your battery and provide the 12
volt power required to operate your running lights.
|
Is the flashCube compatible with my 5th wheel or travel trailer? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The flashCube is compatible with trailers having an on-board 12 volt
battery and a 7 pin RV plug on the end of the umbilical cord wired according
to industry pin-out standards as shown below:
|
How long can I expect my emergency flashers to operate before my battery runs out? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, lets do the math:
A typical trailer battery is rated for 300 Amp Hours.
A typical set of trailer emergency lights draws about 5 Amps.
So, 300AH / 5A = 60Hours. A healthy fully charged battery should be
able to run your emergency flashers for about 60 hours or even twice
that if you consider the flashers are ON only half of the time and OFF
the other half.
However, things in the real world are never that simple. Your
experience may vary depending upon your battery's Amp Hour capacity, age and
condition. Remember to take care of your battery so it will take care
of you!
|
Is the flashCube protected by a fuse? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes. The flashCube employs a 15 Amp ATC Blade-Type automotive
fuse. If ever the fuse needs to be replaced you can remove the bottom
cover to access the fuse.
|
What type of flasher does the flashCube use? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The flashCube uses a long life heavy duty electro-mechanical flasher
that will flash at a fixed rate regardless of the number of tail lamps
it is operating.
|
How big is the flashCube? Can I store it easily? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The flashCube is only about 4 3/4" in all directions and weighs
less than 1 pound so it should easily find a home in your RV's basement
or storage cabinets.
|
I plugged my trailer's umbilical cord into the flashCube and turned on the running lights and flashers but nothing works. What's wrong? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Check the following first:
- Is the umbilical cord fully inserted into the flashCube socket?
- Is your trailer wired according to the industry standard?
- Is your trailer battery charged and connected?
If all of the above checks out, then we need to examine the wiring at your trailers umbilical cord. If you have
access to a voltmeter you can check the umbilical cord connector easily.
Looking directly at the umbilical cord connector with the keyway up (at the 12 o'clock position) these are the
connections the flashCube expects to see:
To check the 12volt line, stick the positive probe of your voltmeter into the 12volts pin of the umbilical cord
and touch the negative probe of your voltmeter to the Ground pin. If you don't get a reading of 12volts then you
should check for a blown fuse on the 12volt line of the umbilical cord.
If there is no 12volt power at the umbilical cord then none of the flashCube functions will work. And you may
never know that there is a problem because the RV battery would be charged by the converter when camping with
shore power connected. But if you camped off-the-grid you would discover that your battery wasn't being charged
by your tow vehicle.
If the flashers and/or running lights work but the LED indicators in the rocker switches don't light
up then you have a bad ground connection in the umbilical cord.
|
