[xGE_97]

Richard,
Just getting to this now because if internet issues.

Initial conditions: The handle is released and the bay door is closed or open. In this case I would expect no voltage applied to the latch.

Activated condition:  The handle is pulled to open the bay door. I would want a single 12VDC pulse of 50ms length, immediately followed by a minimum of 450ms of 0VDC. The cycle shall not be allowed to repeat as long as the handle remains in the active (pulled) state.

Released condition: As the handle is released, the circuit may reset to initial conditions when two criteria are met: 1.) the 450ms wait period has expired. 2.) The 12VDC signal from the handle has gone to 0VDC.

---

One more thing. I want to test the electrical latch release before finalizing the design. I don't have specs on the motor, so I don't know how it'll really act. My one shot is just implementing their latch spec. It may be possible that several 10% duty cycles are necessary to make ut work in real life.

[xGE_97]

Jim,
Who did you contact at Southco?

[hypoxia]

Jim,
Who did you contact at Southco?

Southco Chat

---

Here are the files supplied by Southco for the EM-03-43-340 latch

J-EM-03-3_revC.pdf Size: 289.31 KB  Downloads: 10

TD-EM-03-1-J_rev.pdf Size: 113.46 KB  Downloads: 10

[Richard]

Bob,

First spend the extra and get the WiFI programmable version, it’s easier to work with than the original.

Second, the easiest way is to use Option 3. The relay would energize when the button is depressed, and release after your programmed time delay. It would not energize again until the button was released and pressed again. I doubt that one would repeatedly press and release the button again with less than 1/2 sec intervals.

Third, if you wanted to get fancier, option 29 is worth investigating, it would guarantee your requirements with one short enagement, followed by a mandatory wait, and would not cycle until the button was released and pressed again. It is more programming would require slightly more complex wiring.

I would try Option 3 first.

[xGE_97]

Sounds like option 3. You just want to prevent a stuck-on handle from doing the watusi on the latch.

[xGE_97]

Thanks for all the help!!! Awesome having good buddies work the issue.

Tonight its a nice Blanton's and the Stanley cup........Ahhhh. So hard to have just one shot.....Hahahahaha.....

[Sea Note]

A little late to the party (been traveling - staying at the county fairgrounds in Cleveland, Ohio and just learned the Scottish Games are this weekend - should be fun!) but an observation and a thought - 1244 has a button on each bay handle to activate the latch so I'm guessing the changeover to an integrated switch was relatively new to Newell when used on your coach. The buttons do fail and cost some $120 each but failure means no power (as opposed to destructive on position power) so it might be worth exploring whether the 2008 handle can be retrofit to your coach or, alternatively, that you disable the switch function of your handle and install a pushbutton (its is self contained in a threaded shaft - drill the appropriate hole and insert) in the door to serve the function of releasing the electric latches. I would consider this in any compartment not affording a secondary access (water, battery, electronics, etc.).

Just a thought, glad you were able to resolve without damaging the door.

Best regards,

db

[xGE_97]

Sea Note,
The button was used more often in the later models,  because Newell felt that people would grab and hold the handle longer than they would a button. It still apples 12v to the latch all the time its pushed.
50ms is shorter than rhe fastest lab- measured human response time.......under perfect conditions. Better but still violates the spec by a factor of 2. In a couple of weeks I'll work the issue.

[CaptainGizmo]

Hi Bob!!

I know you, being so sharp with Electrical Engineering and mechanics, will be the key to success...hopefully for others. I'm helping a couple other buddies with the same latch failures. They just learned that Newell stopped carrying these "old" versions and won't restock them for anything less than a 200 unit order...YIKES!

Also, they quoted him 3.5 days of labor to "upgrade" all his bays to the new latches. That's gonna be about $7k in USD...double YIKES!

Anyways...I replied to another post as to a possible supplier but I'm chiming in here as well to keep in the loop.

Keep at it...I know you will conquer!

[xGE_97]

Steve,

Thanks. Yeah, we'll get 'er done. Richard Entriken had a solution using some off the shelf programmable modules. I haven't tested anything with a latch yet. And, I haven't done more work yet because I'm working other issues and trying to nail down a site and activities for a 2026 Teton rally. (Now I'm an SOB).

So as Jim said on this post somewhere back a few pages, Southco still makes this latch. Newell stopped using it because of "quality" issues. They've gone to a new latch that doesn't fail (as often, supposedly). I'm going to ask for any failed latches they may have. I hope to either cut one of these apart or find out that they don't fail (hahahahahaha) as often.

Good to hear from you. BTW, we love your youtube channel, RV SQUARED. Lots of good stuff there. We watched all of it. So many people are visual communicators, meaning that it doesn't sink in unless they see it or actually do it. Well done.