Nigel Hutson shows you how to fit a back-up for your Alde control panel
Fit this simple unit and you can forget about resetting the clock, says Nigel Hutson
IF YOU HAVE the Alde heating system in your caravan, you’ll know that from time to time, you
have to reset the clock on the display unit. This usually occurs
when the caravan’s 12V battery has been disconnected. But now
you can stop this happening.
Alde’s Battery Backup unit comprises a 2 x AA battery
holder and the means to plug it
into the rear of the control panel. This is what I fitted in our van,
but it’s quite simple (and a bit cheaper) if you fancy making
up a unit from scratch, or if the cable on the Alde version isn’t
long enough. To make your own
I will cover this job in two parts.
First, we’ll fit the Alde unit as bought, then we’ll go through making up the DIY unit.
The Alde unit
Before you start, be sure to disconnect any mains supply and the caravan’s 12V battery. The next
step is finding a suitable location for the battery back-up unit.
Obviously, it’s best to place it as close to the control panel as possible, but you will need access
to it from time to time, to replace the AA batteries when needed. We have an Alde Smart Control unit in our caravan, so I decided
to put the battery back-up next to that in an overhead locker. But
if you don’t mind dismantling the
locker to replace the batteries, it could go between two panels.
I removed the shelf inside
the locker, then the internal panel behind the Alde
control panel – you will need access to the rear of
the panel. In some caravans, it might be easier to remove
the control panel from the front, giving access to the
rear that way. Our control panel is the later 3020
touchscreen type, but the
following also applies to the 3010 touchscreen
and 3010 button panels.
With access to the back of the panel, remove
the cover and you’ll find a diagram inside it. This
will indicate where you need to plug in the battery back-up unit. Each of the control panels
has the connection in a different place, so it’s important to check.
As I’d previously cut a hole for
the Smart Control wiring, I passed the Molex block on the battery
back-up unit through the same hole. If there isn’t a suitable
hole for this, you’ll need to drill one 8mm in diameter. The block was attached to the
correct pins on the back of the control panel, then the internal
locker panel was refitted. Using double-sided tape, the battery
holder was attached to the internal panel next to the Smart
Control unit, then the cable was tidied and secured using a self-adhesive cable tie. Finally,
the AA batteries were inserted. Having reconnected the van’s
12V battery, the time was set on the Alde control panel. After
ensuring all was well, the unit was switched off, and the 12V battery
disconnected once again.
Next morning, the battery was reconnected and the Alde system
switched on. It was great to see that the back-up had worked
and the correct day and time were being displayed!
The DIY unit
To make your own battery back-up unit is a pretty simple
job, too. Starting with the PP3
clip (which was pre-wired, red for positive and black for negative),
cut one of the wires so it’s a couple of centimetres shorter
than the other, and strip the insulation off each of the ends by about a centimetre.
Next, put a short section of heat-shrink on each of the wires
(that way, you won’t solder the wires together, then realise you can’t get the heat-shrink on – not
speaking from experience on this
occasion, I hasten to add!).
Trim one end of the twin-core
figure 8 cable in a similar way, so the ends are different lengths, then twist the bare wires of the red cable together, then the same for the black ones. Having these joins in different places reduces
the risk of the wires ‘shorting’ should the insulation become damaged for any reason.
Where the wires are twisted together and devoid of insulation,
carefully solder the joint. As the wires are so thin, don’t
allow the soldering iron to heat them up too much, or
you’ll melt the plastic insulation.
When you’re happy the wires are joined together securely,
cover them with the heat-shrink,
and, using a heat gun, do as the name suggests. I’m a belt-andbraces type, so I covered the
two sections of heat-shrink with another single piece. This adds
double insulation and keeps the two wires neatly together. Working at the other end of the twin-core cable, separate the wires for about a centimetre, and strip about 5mm of insulation
from both. Using the soldering iron, ‘tin’ each of the bare wires.
The 0.1 inch socket terminals came in a strip of 10, of which
you’ll only need a couple. Using the snipe-nose pliers, attach a socket terminal to each of the
wires, then carefully solder the
wires into the socket terminals. The socket terminals push into
the Latch Housing (Molex block), but before doing this, you’ll need to check the polarity by looking
at the diagram on the inside of your Alde control panel back cover. Then you can continue
as per fitting of the Alde unit.
Thanks to Alde UK for supplying the Battery Backup unit. All other parts were sourced from Maplin Electronics