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Post by shootash on Dec 8, 2012 21:17:01 GMT
Our water meter is impossible to read as the led numbers are not working. Any suggestions? Also the plastic top on the aft water tank has broken. Can I get a new one anywhere?
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Post by bill42i on Dec 9, 2012 1:16:25 GMT
Hi shootash
All the Jeanneau water meters I have seen (both LED and digital) use metal sensors that pass a current when submerged. Over time these are eroded and become OC. as a result the water meters stop registering. Your local Jeanneau dealer can order a new top for your tank and, if required, can have the factory send it to your home address. Minimum carriage is £15 so you should try to get any other parts you need in one delivery.
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Donrob
Full Member
Sun Odyssey 43DS
Posts: 40
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Post by Donrob on Dec 9, 2012 17:26:36 GMT
I have a similar problem with my LCD water meter display on my SO 43DS in that this has become so faint that one struggles to get a reading. This LCD display on the 43DS does not show you how many litres of water you have left in the water tanks but how much water you have consumed so that when the display is approaching 550 litres you know its time to refill. Once refilled it is manually re-set to zero. There are no sensors in the tanks and consumption is first measured by an analogue water meter (similar to the old domestic ones) which then transfers the consumption to the above mentioned LCD display via a sensor stuck to the screen of analogue water meter (see picture attached). I was wondering whether any forum member has had any experience fixing/replacing this LCD display that can be shared.  |
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Post by rxc on Dec 10, 2012 3:12:52 GMT
Your meter(Kubler counter) is going bad because the battery inside it is just about dead. And it is not supposed to be replaceable or repairable, according to Kubler. This model counter is no longer made, and it is therefore a bit tricky to find. I took my old one apart and found that the battery is soldered in place, but it is a model CR2477NRH-LF battery, which I actually found somewhere, but have not ordered yet.
The counter just senses the pulses that are made when the dial on the actual meter passes a magnetic sensor glued on the face of the meter.
I still have the old one, and my boat to-do list includes buying a replacement battery and installing it.
I have the battery number on my to-do list, but don't have the number of the counter at hand - I seem to remember that you have to remove it from the panel to see it. From my memory, it is not hard to remove, but also not obvious. I think there is a plastic clip around a plastic mounting frame that needs to be removed.
Update: The counter is a Kublier codix model 6.130.012.852. I bought a replacement for 51.87 euros (plus 9.72 shipping to France) from TME.pl.
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Post by rxc on Dec 10, 2012 3:25:29 GMT
Oh, and this is the second soldered battery I have found on the boat. The first one was in the Raymarine GPS sensor (the mushroom), which cost about $300 to completely replace. Raymarine said they would change the battery for $250, but would only provide a 6-month guarantee. I still have the old one, but have not taken it apart, yet.
I would really like to find the engineering school that is teaching EEs to design equipment with soldered coin-cell batteries, and send their dean a nasty letter. I understand that someone is concerned about reliability of hardware with a simple spring clip, but soldering coin-cells is the wrong way to go. They should just re-design the battery clips instead.
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Donrob
Full Member
Sun Odyssey 43DS
Posts: 40
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Post by Donrob on Dec 10, 2012 22:35:51 GMT
rxc
Many thanks for the information; very useful indeed. I guess other SO 43DS owners who have this meter and whose boat is 8 years and over should be experiencing the same problem. I agree that it is rather silly to install a water meter with a battery whose life is eight years and not easily replaceable. I found the battery on internet but the sites i found so far only sell it in large quantities.
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Post by dolphinchaser on Dec 11, 2012 3:00:03 GMT
You guys are terrific. I have the exact same problem on my SO 49. On to the fix! Being a French boat though, maybe we should just stop drinking water and start drinking Bordeaux.
I bet it would read just fine then.
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Post by rxc on Dec 11, 2012 11:43:29 GMT
Donrob,
I seem to remember that I had similar problems with quantities, and this is why I haven't bought a new battery yet. Maybe a group of 43DS owners could buy a bunch together and distribute them. They are so small that it should not be very expensive to ship them by mail. Just charge the cost of the part, packing and shipping. It would probably end up costing about 7-8 euros each. But then everyone would have to open up and unsolder/solder the battery in place.
This battery is mounted on "legs" so that it should not be too difficult to replace, but one would have to be comfortable with a soldering iron to try it.
Also, to dolphinchaser: I drink a LOT of Bordeaux, and it still failed.<g>
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Donrob
Full Member
Sun Odyssey 43DS
Posts: 40
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Post by Donrob on Dec 13, 2012 23:43:55 GMT
I found this site on the internet, SeekIC, and submitted an enquiry for two such batteries and my mailbox is now flooded with all kinds of offers from China and Hong Kong  . I will go through them in the coming days to see if there is anything suitable for us in there. |
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Post by electricmonk on Dec 22, 2012 19:50:49 GMT
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Donrob
Full Member
Sun Odyssey 43DS
Posts: 40
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Post by Donrob on Dec 22, 2012 20:35:17 GMT
One has to be careful as there are several variations of this battery. It appears that this one on eBay is different from the one inidicated by rxc in an earlier post. According to rxc the reference number of the battery in the water meter would be CR2477NRH-LF.
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Post by rxc on Dec 22, 2012 20:55:06 GMT
Electric monk,
good spotting those items, but I am not sure whether the battery holder you found wound work. The one in the unit on the boat is hard soldered to a 3-point "bridge" that site above the circuit board. I don't have the dimensions at hand (am in Barcelona), but this would have to be checked carefully. If the dimensions are correct, it would be great.
Also, the counter is not quite the same number - take a look at the Kubler website to see the significance of the last digit. I think I looked for other models that would work, including ones with external power supplies, but did not find anything that would fit in the hole.
It is great to see others looking for this part. I will say it again - the engineer who is spec-ing hard-wired batteries should be shot.
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Post by electricmonk on Dec 23, 2012 8:59:38 GMT
My water meter has been a bit dim for some time, I am ashamed to say I read it now by shining a torch on it. Replacing the meter has been on the to do list for some time. HOWEVER, the battery that is fitted is only a 3v but the CR2477 is very large and has a very large capacity (in button cell terms). see link below My idea is to remove the existing battery and solder on two longish wires and lead these out through a hole (that I will drill) in the back of the counter and solder these to a battery clip, so I will now have an external battery remotely mounted. You could I think use any 3v button cell and clip to do this - there are lots out there, but the CR2477 is king when you look at the capacity. Is there anyone out there who can see an objection to using two AA cells in a neat AA cell holder? another useful resource en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_battery_sizes |
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Post by Don Reaves on Dec 23, 2012 13:29:48 GMT
AA batteries should work fine. But there are two things that come to mind using them. First, because of the low current draw, you will be limited to the shelf life of the batteries. Alkaline batteries have a shorter shelf life than lithium, so they probably won't last as long as a CR2477.
Second, having two batteries means that you have twice as many contacts and therefore twice as much chance for corrosion problems.
Don
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Post by electricmonk on Dec 23, 2012 15:24:46 GMT
Don, I hear what you say but; Duracell PRO CELL batteries have a shelf life of 10 years - according to Duracell, the CR2477 has a life of 5 years according to Kubler, we have AA batteries in other devices scattered around the boat and they don't seem to have terminal corrosion issues. I think that the ability to change the battery/batteries easily without a soldering iron must be a plus. And the cost saving is massive. Other points to take into consideration, AA batteries in clocks last longer than AA batteries on the shelf. OR simply change the batteries at the beginning of every season along with the engine oil and other springtime tasks. Thinking now of a standard twin AA battery box fixed inside a small Maplin "project box" with a mini DC socket. This to be screwed to the inside of 12v panel locker so its out of sight but easy to get to, (DC mini plug on the new wire from the meter to connect) yes it does add more points of failure but I say again I have not noticed a rash of failures in battery connections or DC plug and sockets in over 10 years of ownership. That said, a light smear of silicon grease on the important bits will work wonders I am sure. PLUS lets face it if the water meter stops working its not a show stopper. The DC plug and socket I am thinking of is similar to to the one found on the back of a PC (about £2.00) - but obviously it will have 3v going to it. i.e. its small, but it will make removing the 12v panel easier if you ever need to - OK, one less piece of wire!!!! I will be back in the UK in January, I will source the parts, attempt the fix in February and report back - with pictures IF successful. EDIT Some more info www.kuebler.com/english2/prod-zlr-anz-ele-130.htmlor buy a new one here uk.rs-online.com/web/c/?sra=oss&r=t&searchTerm=kubler+codix+130&x=0&y=0 |
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Donrob
Full Member
Sun Odyssey 43DS
Posts: 40
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Post by Donrob on Dec 23, 2012 17:31:33 GMT
electricmonk
if the CR2477 is such a good battery why not just buy a holder for it like the one you provided a link to in your post earlier today and wire that instead of two AA batteries in an AA cell holder? It appears to me that the battery in the water meter is a CR2477 with pins added for insertion onto a board I believe and which variation makes it CR2477NRH-LF
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Post by electricmonk on Dec 23, 2012 18:02:46 GMT
Donrob,
I just thought that AA batteries are easier to source than the CR2477 - I cant say that I've ever seen one.
A battery box with connectors and wire will cost about £4.00 and allow easy battery replacement. Putting a holder inside the counter - if its possible will still require that you to dismantle the counter to change the battery. My experience of these things is that don't like coming apart very often before they give up. But its just a thought.
Cheers
David
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Post by Don Reaves on Dec 23, 2012 18:52:33 GMT
I wasn't suggesting that using two AA batteries was bad, just that one needed to consider all the issues. I'm glad to hear that they've gotten the shelf life up to 10 years. That eliminates one of the issues. Ease of replacement would probably lead me in that direction, but my setup uses the ship's batteries to power the water level readout.
Don
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Post by shootash on Dec 24, 2012 17:38:23 GMT
I have just ordered a new meter from TME.pl for $56.57 plus shipping to Miami $27 which is half the price of Jeanneau. Thank you for all your imput.
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Post by rxc on Dec 26, 2012 8:50:24 GMT
Shootash,
Glad to hear that you found one, at a prett good price, too! I am thinking about taking the extra one that I have and using it as a bilge pump counter. I have seen articles for years in the sailing mags about people who build their own counters, so that they have a better idea how often their bilge pump runs, and therefore, how much water is coming into the boat. Maybe I will take advantage of electricmonk's suggestion regarding batteries, and hook it up as bilge pump counter. The hardest part will be finding some place to mount it/cut the hole to the right size. And, of course, the boat is not nearby, so it will likely be a 6-month project.
Ahhh the joys of boating... Fascinating to see how far this thread has run.
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Post by electricmonk on May 13, 2013 14:16:01 GMT
Just to update on my progress with this.
Bought a double AA battery box and a piece of wire. less than £1.00
Removed the meter and opened it up.
Removed the battery, its soldered onto the board but not hard to remove.
Drilled two holes behind terminal 7 and 8 to allow the new wires to enter the meter
Soldered the wires to the circuit board.
Clamped the wires with the terminal screws
Reassembled, refitted meter.
Fitted batteries
Job done.
When the screen goes dim I can replace the batteries with standard AA.
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Post by rxc on May 16, 2013 8:04:58 GMT
Bravo! Can you post a photo of the battery case?
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Post by electricmonk on May 16, 2013 14:13:33 GMT
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Post by Stella Maris on Oct 15, 2014 14:11:08 GMT
Your meter(Kubler counter) is going bad because the battery inside it is just about dead. And it is not supposed to be replaceable or repairable, according to Kubler. This model counter is no longer made, and it is therefore a bit tricky to find. I took my old one apart and found that the battery is soldered in place, but it is a model CR2477NRH-LF battery, which I actually found somewhere, but have not ordered yet. The counter just senses the pulses that are made when the dial on the actual meter passes a magnetic sensor glued on the face of the meter. I still have the old one, and my boat to-do list includes buying a replacement battery and installing it. I have the battery number on my to-do list, but don't have the number of the counter at hand - I seem to remember that you have to remove it from the panel to see it. From my memory, it is not hard to remove, but also not obvious. I think there is a plastic clip around a plastic mounting frame that needs to be removed. Update: The counter is a Kublier codix model 6.130.012.852. I bought a replacement for 51.87 euros (plus 9.72 shipping to France) from TME.pl. |
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Post by Stella Maris on Oct 15, 2014 14:16:42 GMT
Hi RXC,
I am planning to order one of these Kulber displays as well. This was never working on my boat so I am not even sure how it works. Can you confirm that the PN you have listed is the correct one and you were able to get it to work with the same water meter that comes in the SO.
I have contacted a supplier but they want me to confirm the PN.
Also is there any calibration needed or does it correctly register correctly when litres of water are used. Can it count backwards from a user preset figure or does it just show your usage and you have to do the calculation yourself.
Any info about the system would be great.
Thanks a million for your post so far
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. I will go through them in the coming days to see if there is anything suitable for us in there.
