BMPro Tablet Won't Respond

[F350guy]

It's alive! Got the new battery installed and it came right up. I'm thinking I may order another one as a backup but not sure if they have a shelf life. Anyway, cost me $13, including tax.

[Mikayles]

Maybe should be a sticky on where to buy the battery and how to replace it? Seems like a few folks are having issues and could use the info.

[Roadpop]

Glad you were able to get it up and running - will certainly help a bunch of us in the future

[F350guy]

Actually, it wasn't that difficult. In the thread "New BMPro control center" on this forum, on page 9, jetlag shows how to get the tablet out of its case. That took 2 minutes at most. Getting the tablet case apart took me a few days of intermittent messing with it as there are no screws keeping it together and I was afraid I was going to damage it. Finally I decided if I break it so what and forced a small flat blade screwdriver into the seam and it popped open just a bit. I then walked the screwdriver around it to finish getting it apart.

The old battery was held in place by some really strong glue or caulk of some kind and I had to use a putty knife to break thru the glue and get it out. The new battery is somewhat smaller but does have the same specs. Getting it wired in place was another challenge as the wires are soldered to the board. I have only used a jumbo version of a soldering iron on much larger wires, no experience with circuit boards. I watched every YouTube video I could find on soldering circuit boards and ordered a $19 soldering kit from Amazon, which did the job just fine. The whole experience is completely out of my wheel house so I was just a little surprised when the tablet came to life. I am charging it for a while before I put everything back together.

[TomC_AZ]

Congrats and job well done for a first timer! Hopefully the new battery lasts longer as well.

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by F350guy

Actually, it wasn't that difficult. In the thread "New BMPro control center" on this forum, on page 9, jetlag shows how to get the tablet out of its case. That took 2 minutes at most. Getting the tablet case apart took me a few days of intermittent messing with it as there are no screws keeping it together and I was afraid I was going to damage it. Finally I decided if I break it so what and forced a small flat blade screwdriver into the seam and it popped open just a bit. I then walked the screwdriver around it to finish getting it apart.

The old battery was held in place by some really strong glue or caulk of some kind and I had to use a putty knife to break thru the glue and get it out. The new battery is somewhat smaller but does have the same specs. Getting it wired in place was another challenge as the wires are soldered to the board. I have only used a jumbo version of a soldering iron on much larger wires, no experience with circuit boards. I watched every YouTube video I could find on soldering circuit boards and ordered a $19 soldering kit from Amazon, which did the job just fine. The whole experience is completely out of my wheel house so I was just a little surprised when the tablet came to life. I am charging it for a while before I put everything back together.

Excellent, congratulations. I have the same battery on my Amazon wish list. Mine is still under warranty, let s see if I can get it replaced. I charged it before our last trip to Florida two weeks ago, just got back yesterday, and it did go in the boot loop sequence twice, once just after getting home, but it came back both times. Interesting fact is that when it comes back, it showed 20-22% charge, and within an hour or so, it read 100%. I did some soldering way back with RC helicopters, but it has been a while.

[Learjet]

Awesome!

I have done many electronic projects, including changing iPhone batteries. With your additional knowledge you have provided I'm ready when the time comes.

If this is not a DIY project for some folks...they could try an electronic or phone repair place.

[F350guy]

I'm certainly no expert but I'm wondering if the charging system for the tablet and the lithium batteries do not play nice with each other. I have a bunch of Ego battery operated lawn tools, including their lawn mower, and I never leave the batteries on their chargers. Also, after 30 days of non use the batteries discharge to 30% and I don't recharge them until I'm ready to use them. The wife and I just got new iPhone 14's and she read to just charge them to 85% or so and the battery will last longer. I also know that large lithium batteries, like for boat or rv use, can be low temperature sensitive. My Pinnacle is inside but it is not heated. Our weather is not as extreme as some but it can get pretty cold at times. I don't know if tablet batteries have the same issue.

None of this may matter but with my limited knowledge I'm not sure keeping the tablet on a constant charge is good for the life of the battery.

One last thing on my battery change. The new battery came with a JST connection that I cut off and soldered the wires directly to the board. If there is a next time, and I suspect there might be, I will leave the connector and solder a female end to the board so I can have a plug and play. The connection is a JST-PH2.0 which I found on Amazon.

[JayG7800]

Good morning,

Can someone put a link to the replacement battery in this thread? My camper has been at the dealer now for 4 months, so I’m guessing there’s a 50/50 shot I will need to replace mine as well. Thanks!

Edit: Found it in the other thread: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BTR3BZ4/

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by F350guy

I'm certainly no expert but I'm wondering if the charging system for the tablet and the lithium batteries do not play nice with each other. I have a bunch of Ego battery operated lawn tools, including their lawn mower, and I never leave the batteries on their chargers. Also, after 30 days of non use the batteries discharge to 30% and I don't recharge them until I'm ready to use them. The wife and I just got new iPhone 14's and she read to just charge them to 85% or so and the battery will last longer. I also know that large lithium batteries, like for boat or rv use, can be low temperature sensitive. My Pinnacle is inside but it is not heated. Our weather is not as extreme as some but it can get pretty cold at times. I don't know if tablet batteries have the same issue.

None of this may matter but with my limited knowledge I'm not sure keeping the tablet on a constant charge is good for the life of the battery.

One last thing on my battery change. The new battery came with a JST connection that I cut off and soldered the wires directly to the board. If there is a next time, and I suspect there might be, I will leave the connector and solder a female end to the board so I can have a plug and play. The connection is a JST-PH2.0 which I found on Amazon.

Would there be room for the JST connector? and, do you have a link to the soldering kit you bought at Amazon?
Thanks

[F350guy]

Originally Posted by jetlag

Would there be room for the JST connector? and, do you have a link to the soldering kit you bought at Amazon?
Thanks

This is the soldering kit I got. There are better ones but it will just take up space until I need it again, if ever. I'm pretty sure the JST connectors would fit. The ones I found on Amazon was Oliadeo 20 pcs JST PH 2.0 2 pin connector.

http://amazon.com/dp/B07GTGGLXN?ref=...t_details&th=1

[F350guy]

http://amazon.com/gp/product/B0B59PK...4W4A0U7C&psc=1

These are the JST connectors that I think will work.

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by F350guy

This is the soldering kit I got. There are better ones but it will just take up space until I need it again, if ever. I'm pretty sure the JST connectors would fit. The ones I found on Amazon was Oliadeo 20 pcs JST PH 2.0 2 pin connector.

http://amazon.com/dp/B07GTGGLXN?ref=...t_details&th=1

Thank You

[cadman_ks]

This is all GREAT information!

But, it dawns on me this weekend, that I don't understand how the BMPRO system with the "auto-boot" feature was ever a good idea to begin with.

All of these units are shipped from the factory without batteries, and they may sit on the lot for several months before they go to their final home. During that time, the batteries in the BMPRO will surely be exhausted.

We're basically starting with a BMPRO that has already had the battery taken down to zero before we ever took possession of the unit!

How does Jayco initialize the tablets the first time? There is no access to the power button on the tablet. Since they have to have the tablet apart from the base for mounting, I wonder if they are able to hit the power button that first time before they install the tablet. There is absolutely no way that the tablets left Australia powered up, so there has to be a way for Jayco to turn them on.

While I understand the concept of having the tablet auto-boot once powered, the inability to be able to turn it off during the off season seems like a huge miss to me.

In one of the previous posts/threads, someone mentioned that you cannot turn the tablet off with the power button. The more that I think about it, I wonder if that's really true. Granted, we would not have a way to power it on, even if we could turn it off, without removing it from the wall.

Maybe we need to figure out if it can be powered off, and then figure out how to turn it back on, like a hole in the bezel that you poke with a toothpick, or a 3D printed button...

[F350guy]

Originally Posted by cadman_ks

This is all GREAT information!

But, it dawns on me this weekend, that I don't understand how the BMPRO system with the "auto-boot" feature was ever a good idea to begin with.

All of these units are shipped from the factory without batteries, and they may sit on the lot for several months before they go to their final home. During that time, the batteries in the BMPRO will surely be exhausted.

We're basically starting with a BMPRO that has already had the battery taken down to zero before we ever took possession of the unit!

How does Jayco initialize the tablets the first time? There is no access to the power button on the tablet. Since they have to have the tablet apart from the base for mounting, I wonder if they are able to hit the power button that first time before they install the tablet. There is absolutely no way that the tablets left Australia powered up, so there has to be a way for Jayco to turn them on.

While I understand the concept of having the tablet auto-boot once powered, the inability to be able to turn it off during the off season seems like a huge miss to me.

In one of the previous posts/threads, someone mentioned that you cannot turn the tablet off with the power button. The more that I think about it, I wonder if that's really true. Granted, we would not have a way to power it on, even if we could turn it off, without removing it from the wall.

Maybe we need to figure out if it can be powered off, and then figure out how to turn it back on, like a hole in the bezel that you poke with a toothpick, or a 3D printed button...

Makes sense to me. All I know is what I've learned here and my experience with tearing it down. Jayco has not been much help except to tell me the unit needed replacing, for $765 if I remember correctly. I do know that the on/off button would not work for me which I tried when I had it apart. It is always on. If you want to try it the pin hole in the case is directly under the on/off button on the tablet so you do have access to it. Not sure the reason for the pin hole if the button doesn't function. There are 2 other buttons that aren't accessible but they are volume up and down buttons.

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by cadman_ks

This is all GREAT information!

But, it dawns on me this weekend, that I don't understand how the BMPRO system with the "auto-boot" feature was ever a good idea to begin with.

All of these units are shipped from the factory without batteries, and they may sit on the lot for several months before they go to their final home. During that time, the batteries in the BMPRO will surely be exhausted.

We're basically starting with a BMPRO that has already had the battery taken down to zero before we ever took possession of the unit!

How does Jayco initialize the tablets the first time? There is no access to the power button on the tablet. Since they have to have the tablet apart from the base for mounting, I wonder if they are able to hit the power button that first time before they install the tablet. There is absolutely no way that the tablets left Australia powered up, so there has to be a way for Jayco to turn them on.

While I understand the concept of having the tablet auto-boot once powered, the inability to be able to turn it off during the off season seems like a huge miss to me.

In one of the previous posts/threads, someone mentioned that you cannot turn the tablet off with the power button. The more that I think about it, I wonder if that's really true. Granted, we would not have a way to power it on, even if we could turn it off, without removing it from the wall.

Maybe we need to figure out if it can be powered off, and then figure out how to turn it back on, like a hole in the bezel that you poke with a toothpick, or a 3D printed button...

That is an excellent question, and I have wondered that myself. I wonder if calling tech support here in the states might provide an answer? The Aussies response to me by email was to contact dealer for replacement.

[sooperduty]

I'm in the process of replacing my battery also. I got it all torn apart and my question is.. do you power it up before the frame goes back on since the power button will be covered up?

[Learjet]

Originally Posted by sooperduty

I'm in the process of replacing my battery also. I got it all torn apart and my question is.. do you power it up before the frame goes back on since the power button will be covered up?

I would

[cadman_ks]

Originally Posted by sooperduty

I'm in the process of replacing my battery also. I got it all torn apart and my question is.. do you power it up before the frame goes back on since the power button will be covered up?

This is the $64 question I was referencing above. How do you turn the thing on? Jayco has to have a way to turn it on to test it, that is of course making the bold assumption that it IS tested, but after they turn it on, there's no way for them to turn it off, once it's installed, and the tablet battery will be dead before it makes to your dealer.

It's a conundrum for sure, and solving that seems to me to be the holy grail, of making your tablet battery last, AND having a way to charge your tablet battery WITHOUT the unit being powered on, and robbing all of the charging power.

I have our unit plugged in right now for the winter, but I have NEVER left any other RV that we have owned plugged in for the winter. I take the batteries out, to a warmer location, and unplug everything...

[F350guy]

Originally Posted by cadman_ks

This is the $64 question I was referencing above. How do you turn the thing on? Jayco has to have a way to turn it on to test it, that is of course making the bold assumption that it IS tested, but after they turn it on, there's no way for them to turn it off, once it's installed, and the tablet battery will be dead before it makes to your dealer.

It's a conundrum for sure, and solving that seems to me to be the holy grail, of making your tablet battery last, AND having a way to charge your tablet battery WITHOUT the unit being powered on, and robbing all of the charging power.

I have our unit plugged in right now for the winter, but I have NEVER left any other RV that we have owned plugged in for the winter. I take the batteries out, to a warmer location, and unplug everything...

You are asking the right questions but we have no right answers. Most companies, and people, hate to admit they are wrong about something, especially if it will cost them money. I'm pretty sure BMPro and Jayco will never say we don't have a good design here and we'll fix it.

When I first installed the new battery I got nothing. When I hooked it up to a charging block it came on. The on/off button did nothing.