Just back from 15 nights in Brittany, and unhitched the van, went to connect the hook up and the dreaded touch screen wouldn't work again. No problem thinks I, it needs formatting, so I reset it, except it is now in German, and I suppose I could manage with the pictures, but when I went into advanced settings to change the language, when I pressed on 'German' the button did nothing, but then ATC button changed, so a call to Sargent Electrical and they are collecting the touch screen and will repair it for me, update the software and offer a years warranty on the repair, quoted up to 5 weeks, so no trips away for us for a while.Wish Swift had fitted a row of toggle switches above the door, but they thought a touchscreen was essential presumably, some may call it progress, not me.
Why do they do it
- Thread starter woodsieboy
- Start date
When we traded in our 2018 Sprite for a 2022 model they’d reverted back to the old style control panel. I thought I’d miss the Swift Command touch screen system, but so far enjoying the “backwards step to reliability”! 😂
I first came across touch screen displays around 1987 and they were quite novel then. But we had a project where touch screen panels could be butted up to one another and then configured to simulate different ships machinery control rooms. So at the touch of a button you could reconfigure almost instantly. The screens were responsive and had good definition, and they were reliable. I think the problem with caravan ones is lack of numbers, inadequate quality, poor hardware and software development and bargain basement pricing except when the poor customer requires a new or repaired unit. I agree wholeheartedly that simplification of controls in caravans would bring benefits. The caravan touchscreens offer features that quite frankly are nice to have, assuming they work reliably, and in many instances they do not.
In 1984 myself and a colleague were given a large budget and a free hand to create a high-tec learning environment. We scoured the country for a variety of tec.
In Liverpool we were shown the latest ‘touch screen”. But it was false. A matrix of infra red beams 1 cm apart crosed in front of the small screen. When a finger touched the screen, the beams were broken and the position calculated from that. So very approximate. My friend wonderd if, say, a pointer could be used, for more accuracy.
He asked, “could you use anything else to point at the screen?
What else was sir thinking of, the salesman asked.
John
In Liverpool we were shown the latest ‘touch screen”. But it was false. A matrix of infra red beams 1 cm apart crosed in front of the small screen. When a finger touched the screen, the beams were broken and the position calculated from that. So very approximate. My friend wonderd if, say, a pointer could be used, for more accuracy.
He asked, “could you use anything else to point at the screen?
What else was sir thinking of, the salesman asked.
John
It's the same with most caravan fridges now. I am fortunate in that my fridge simply has a rotary switch for on/off/gas/230/12v No ludicrously expensive PCB to fail 
But I do have a Truma combi boiler that appears highly complex. What's wrong with simple switches for heating and/or hot water? Much less to go wrong.
My theory is that the manufacturers of almost everything seem to think we customers are impressed with all the tech they seem to think we want.
I am a firm believer in KISS
Keep
It
Simple
Stupid
But I do have a Truma combi boiler that appears highly complex. What's wrong with simple switches for heating and/or hot water? Much less to go wrong.My theory is that the manufacturers of almost everything seem to think we customers are impressed with all the tech they seem to think we want.
I am a firm believer in KISS
Keep
It
Simple
Stupid
The worst culprits are the manufacturers of mobile phones and computers including laptops. They load them with totally unnecessary apps that you will never use. Why can't they let the consumer choose which apps they would like to install and use?It's the same with most caravan fridges now. I am fortunate in that my fridge simply has a rotary switch for on/off/gas/230/12v No ludicrously expensive PCB to fail
My theory is that the manufacturers of almost everything seem to think we customers are impressed with all the tech they seem to think we want.
I am a firm believer in KISS
Keep
It
Simple
Stupid
Most probably because the venders of these apps pay the phone makers to pre install their products; as in many cases it yields ultimately, from at least a number of phone purchasers, a revenue stream for the App owner.
In turn though by doing so and offsetting their costs the phone maker can sell you the phone at a cheaper bottom line price than they could otherwise, and in their very competitive market this must be a highly desirable thing for the phone maker.
It's the same game as we see with "Bloatware" in buying branded computers; a way of cheapening the price we can buy them at.
Me, I rather have it, ignore or remove it and benefit from the cheaper price buying the device.
I just wonder how many apps users download to their phones and rarely if ever use them. I once had six weather apps…. averaging the forecast didn’t work very well.
Periodically I have a purge and either hide or delete unrequired apps.
Periodically I have a purge and either hide or delete unrequired apps.
Mel
Moderator
I think I have said this before, but you can now get washing machines that you can control from an App on your phone.
Does it collect up the washing, sort it into piles, check all the pockets load it into the machine, and add detergent and softener? No it doesn’t. I have to do all that.
So instead of doing all that and then pressing the start button, it wants me to do all that and then find my phone, find my glasses, open the App ( which will undoubtedly tell me it needs updating), give me a load of choices that I don’t want and then press the start button.
I think not.
Mel
Does it collect up the washing, sort it into piles, check all the pockets load it into the machine, and add detergent and softener? No it doesn’t. I have to do all that.
So instead of doing all that and then pressing the start button, it wants me to do all that and then find my phone, find my glasses, open the App ( which will undoubtedly tell me it needs updating), give me a load of choices that I don’t want and then press the start button.
I think not.
Mel
So that would send a message to my phone at 6 am as that is when, Mrs H sets the wash cycle to finish, all done on economy 7 electricity.
You can also get digital showers that allow your app to turn them on and come up to temperature before you get into the shower. Absolutely essential to civilised living🙁
We love the Hive. But why do we need the Bosch washing machine App? As Mel points out a waste. I see Sargent who on the whole provide decent kit are also Members of NCC. Keep it in the family😜
Yeah, the Whale iVan system supplied on Bailey caravans and no doubt others is a real step towards built in obsolecense IMO.
I have had issues with the touch screen (replaced just the screen at a cost of £90 ish rather than the £400 a replacement unit would have cost) and the bluetooth refusing to sync with the heater, but would connect to the water heater ok.
Good job I'm a have a go kind of chap as I dread to think how much that would have cost to fix if I wasn't happy to get my soldering iron out.
Why use bluetooth for a connection, the heater is 2 meteres from the flipping pannel.
I'm thankful that my fridge and cooker are not "smart" but if I could downgrade the iVan to a couple of toggle switches and a wired thermostat I'd be a happy bunny
I have had issues with the touch screen (replaced just the screen at a cost of £90 ish rather than the £400 a replacement unit would have cost) and the bluetooth refusing to sync with the heater, but would connect to the water heater ok.
Good job I'm a have a go kind of chap as I dread to think how much that would have cost to fix if I wasn't happy to get my soldering iron out.
Why use bluetooth for a connection, the heater is 2 meteres from the flipping pannel.
I'm thankful that my fridge and cooker are not "smart" but if I could downgrade the iVan to a couple of toggle switches and a wired thermostat I'd be a happy bunny
As an engineer I can confirm that our motto is, 'if it ain't broke, it hasn't got enough features'.
Basically companies are trying to get you to part with your hard earned cash to buy a solution to a problem you never had.
Basically companies are trying to get you to part with your hard earned cash to buy a solution to a problem you never had.
Our 2000 van doesn't need 12V to run, fridge and heater on gas unlike modern systems. We only need 12v for, lights, pump and heaters fan if we want to push warm air around van. In saying that modern central control on van we hired is lot easier to use than multiple unlabeled switches and dials scattered around our 2000 bailey van.
Modern control systems are nice to use but power hungry and if it dies loss most of vans critical systems ie heat, water pump and hotwater. Lighting in some cases.
Modern control systems are nice to use but power hungry and if it dies loss most of vans critical systems ie heat, water pump and hotwater. Lighting in some cases.
Both your fridge and heater need 12v to power their operating systems i.e. thermostats etc (but "Not a lot")
The Truma 3004 and earlier model heaters does not require 12 volt to operate. Its ignition is via a small replaceable battery. If you are not using the fan it requires no electric supply for temperature control that is achieved by thermo mechanical action on the gas supply valve. That to my mind is one of the benefits of the Truma blown air system as when electric power is not available it can still operate on gas alone.
On many Electrolux/Dometic fridges there was only a thermostat on the mains electric side - the gas side relies simply on an appropriate gas setting - the 12v just works flat out.
I wasn’t addressing the fridge that should be patently clear. But post #24 seems to have addressed the fridge anyway.
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