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e-mail: sales@keenelectronics.co.uk  Telephone: 07500 24 11 33

127, New Road, Bromham, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 2JA

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     Keen Electronics Limited

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AVENGER FAULT FINDING GUIDE


Both Avondale and Lunar Caravans fitted several thousand of our Avenger key operated alarms. The main difference between the two types of alarm was that Avondale used a wall mounted PIR detector mounted on the nearside front of the caravan. So the alarm did not have any exit or entry delay times. You had to remain outside the caravan to arm or disarm the alarm with the key. Lunar used a ceiling mounted PIR so early model alarms had a 7 second entry and exit delay time. As the alarm panel was mounted further inside the caravan on some models, the exit delay time was increased to 25 seconds and the entry delay to 10 seconds.

Both models of alarm consisted of the ALARM PANEL mounted just inside the door, a LEG SENSOR, a 120dB SIREN and a PIR DETECTOR. At the end of this guide, the procedure for changing these parts is given. The live feed to the brake lights is connected to the alarm panel. So entering the caravan, winding the alarmed rear leg, hitching up and inserting the 12N or 13 pin plug or disconnecting the leisure battery would trigger the alarm siren for 2 minutes.

Let us now consider some problems that can occur.

SIREN MAKES RAPID CHEEPING OR TWEETING SOUND. This is a flat leisure battery, or the alarm has lost its 12 Volt supply and is working from the nearly flat internal re-chargeable battery.

WHEN SWITCHED ON SIREN SOUNDS ALL THE TIME. This is a fault in the alarm panel, which should be removed from the caravan and returned, with one key, to Keen Electronics for repair.
 
RED LED FLASHES BUT SIREN DOES NOT CHEEP.This can be either a damaged siren, a broken wire between the alarm panel and the siren, or the alarm panel. A visual check on the wiring and a gentle "push and waggle" of the plug at the back of the panel should carried out. Then you can either remove the alarm panel and return it, together with one key, to Keen Electronics for checking / repair. Or you can disconnect the siren from the caravan wiring and connect the siren across your leisure battery (red wire to + terminal and red / black wire to - terminal). If the usual loud siren sound is heard then the siren is OK, if not it needs replacing.

ALARM DOES NOTHING. If turning the key clockwise to the ON position does not cause the siren to "cheep" twice or cause the red LED on the alarm panel to start flashing regularly once a second then you need to check the following. Does the PIR light up red when you move close to it? If it does then you are getting 12 Volt power to the alarm panel.

If the PIR does not light up then the problem could be a completely flat leisure battery.  An easy check is to switch on some of the 12 Volt lights; if they are not bright then the problem may be as simple as a flat battery. If the leisure battery is OK but the PIR does not light up then the problem could be the fuse between the leisure battery and the alarm panel, or the fuse in the alarm panel, or the PIR itself.  Carefully prise out the two screw covers on either side of the alarm panel, undo the two screws. Drop the panel down so you can see the printed circuit board. The re-chargeable PP3 battery can be removed from its holder. If fitting a good PP3 battery causes the alarm to start working, then the problem is a loss of the 12 Volt supply. Remember to remove the PP3 battery and re-fit the original re-chargeable PP3 battery.

If you have a multi meter or Voltmeter then you can check this quite easily. With the PP3 battery in place set your meter to measure d.c. Volts. Put the meter across the PP3, which will probably be flat and measuring only a few volts. Determine which terminal is the negative one. Leave one meter lead on this negative terminal and put the other meter lead on one side of the fuse and then the other side of the fuse. You should be getting around 12 Volts on both sides of the fuse. If you are not getting 12 Volts on either side of the fuse then the supply is not reaching the alarm. If you are getting 12 Volts on one side of the fuse but not on the other side then the fuse has blown. DO NOT JUST VISUALLY INSPECT THE FUSE. These anti surge fuses can look perfectly OK, even through a magnifying glass, yet still be open circuit (blown). So either test the fuse electrically or replace it. Once you have got the PIR working the alarm should also be working.


FALSE ALARMS


These can be very annoying, especially if they don’t happen very frequently. Fortunately the alarm has its own diagnostic software, this displays which sensor circuit has caused the false alarm. When the alarm is turned on with the key, the red LED on the panel starts flashing once a second. When turned off with the key the LED will go out. If when the alarm is on an alarm occurs two things will happen. 1) The siren will sound for 2 minutes, or until turned off. 2) The red LED will start flashing several times, then pause, then flash the same number of times, pause, etc. The alarm can be turned off with the key (to silence the siren before the end of the 2 minutes) but the same number of flashes will continue. The below table details which sensor triggered the alarm. When the alarm is next turned on with the key the diagnostics is reset and regular flashing will occur.


To reduce the noise nuisance that repeated false alarms can cause, the diagnostics runs even when the alarm is switched off. So the diagnostics can be reset by turning the alarm on, then immediately off. Leaving the alarm, then checking the LED periodically can tell which sensor triggered the alarm.


Regular flashing - Alarm on

2 flashes - Leg Sensor

3 flashes - PIR

4 flashes - 12 or 13 pin plug circuit

5 flashes - disconnection of leisure battery


CHANGING ALARM PARTS


CONTROL BOX - Carefully prise out the two screw covers on either side of the alarm panel, undo the two screws. Drop the panel down so you can see the printed circuit board. The re-chargeable PP3 battery can be removed from its holder. DO NOT CHECK THE FUSE VISUALLY ALWAYS USE A TESTER OR REPLACE WITH A GOOD FUSE

PIR – IMPORTANT NOTE unplug control box before continuing. This prevents you from accidentally blowing the fuse in the control box. Using a piece of masking tape, or a non permanent marker pen, make a mark on the top “saucer” and a corresponding mark on the bottom “saucer”. Then "pop off" the lens cover using a wide flat bladed screwdriver, note which colour wire goes to which terminal then remove the three wires. Undo single small screw holding printed circuit board (PCB) in place. Remove PCB and replace with PCB from a new PIR, re-connect the 3 wires. Press the lens cover back on, using your marks to ensure that the keyway inside the Saucers” is lined up. Note that the LED inside the PIR will flash for several minutes when power is first applied. This is normal, as this time period allows the pyro electric sensors to stabilise.


IMPORTANT NOTE unplug control box before continuing. This prevents you from accidentally blowing the fuse in the control box. Then "pop off" the lens cover using a wide flat bladed screwdriver, note which colour wire goes to which terminal then remove the three wires. Undo single small screw holding printed circuit board (PCB) in place. Remove PCB and fit PCB from new PIR, re-connect the 3 wires. Press the lens cover back on. NOTE there is a keyway that must be lined up.

LEG SENSOR - remove two wires from terminal block, remove two screws holding bracket to floor of van. Fit new leg sensor, re-connect wires then check that when winding the leg spindle the magnet passes within 2 to 4mm of the reed switch on the bracket.

SIREN - disconnect the two wires, noting that the polarity is important. Remove two bolts from U shaped bracket. Remove new siren body from its U bracket and fit into van, then re-connect the wires.