WeCan Liberty "wake up" delay?

[Solvarex]

I've noticed with my WeCan Liberty that if it sits idle for any length of time, there is a short (~1 sec) delay in activating any function on it. My other lighting turns on instantly. If the bar has been used recently the functions will go on immediately but I haven't tested how long until it goes back to this "sleep" mode. I find this pretty irritating, is there any way to eliminate it?


Of course I called Whelen tech support and predictably they didn't have a clue what I was talking about. Pretty sad when the end user knows more than the factory.

 

[Kd8bao]

Just wondering, do you have 12v running to the bar all the time or is it switched off the controller?


My buddy had an issue with his bar where it was "sleeping". the bar was wired to the switch controller and had to "wake up" every time he uses a function Tech support was useless so he drove it out to Responder PSE so a whelen tech could look at it in person.


They found that the bar needs to be hooked directly to the battery and energized all the time. This eliminated the "wake up". Now the bar works perfectly. Good luck.

 

[Solvarex]

Thanks for the heads up but I'm fairly certain the power harness is direct to my distribution block which has an 8ga straight from the battery. Was it the power leads or the WeCan controller or both that needed constant 12VDC?

 

[Kd8bao]

Both. When the cencom would try to talk to the bar the bar had a delay since it did not have power all the time. So the controller would talk but bar couldn't hear it

 

[NCFD43]

These sound like my past relationships...

 

[Wattco - Brent]

Bar to Battery direct


WeCan Module hot all the time or on a timer that times out but not when the vehicle is operating


Both of these devices need good power and ground points - are any ground points shared?


Both devices need a good reference ground to maintain proper operations - check all grounds...


As for Whelen Techs not knowing what you specific issue is.. take it from a guy that has done support for 18+ years.. it is basically impossible to know your exact situation without photos and knowing exactly what is installed where and how your specific install was done right or wrong.. there are 1000's of little issues that can cause strange operations...


Do you have radios in the vehicle?


Do the radios share grounds with the lighting equipment?


Are all connections in the vehicle good?


Is the equipment new or used?


Kd8bao hit one major issue - delay on for the WeCan module based on power up.. I have had many installers hook up the wecan module to the same output they are turning on the bar functions with.. this is a major no-no as it can lead to all kinds of strange operations.

 

[Solvarex]

Thanks for the help so far guys. Haven't had time to delve into this but here's what I can tell you:


Bar is a WeCan Duo Liberty, brand new.


WeCan module is the 18 input model, brand new, came with the bar.


Controller is an HHS2200, brand new.


All wired to a common ground stud at the wiring panel which takes an 8ga to the engine compartment, grounded to the same stud as the hood strap.


No radios of any kind.


Connections are solid but I do need to spend a day or two professionalizing the install.


I haven't had any issues with the install aside from the wake delay and all functions work as intended. Setup has been run hours continuously at a time without issue. Once I have a spare day I'll check the panel out and see if I made a gaffe somewhere with an activation wire or something.

 

[Wattco - Brent]

What color label does the 18 output wecan module have?