2022 Forza 36H Firefly lighting controller issue

[Snipechief]

Back in March 2025 we got our Forza back after being in the shop for lots of problems, but one in particular stood out.
The whole house lighting system. The 12vdc lighting inside and out qhot working . The suspect controller was on back order for 6 months. That really sucked.
Got it replaced, and in April we loaded up the Bus and left TN for nor-cal. Once here in Eureka we stayed in tbe bus for 3 months while looking for a new house. Everything ran great in the bus.
End of June we were in our new house and I parked the Bus at a storage facility. Turned Everything off, and turned on tbe battery disconnect switch. All was well until 2 weeks later I went to check on tbe Bus and to charge the batteries. The generator started right up and everything worked just fine, except the lightning module is FUBAR again. I'm really burned out on all the problems I've had with this pos. Now up here in Nor-Cal with no authorized winnebago facility's im on my own I guess.
I've tried everything I know about this Bus to repair, but im getting nowhere. As it stands I have no interior, exterior lighting, and no power to the water pump.
I've reset the controller, but that didn't do anything. When you touch the master light switch you can here the controller make a chirping sound in the galley and bathroom exhaust fans like there trying to start . The fans will come on if you go to the fan section of the controller and either start or stop them. The master light switch has always turned the fans off when you shut off the master light switch. That is normal. Not sure what else to check. All fuses and breakers throughout the entire Bus are good.

 

[klook]

Can you remove the master light switch and test it? Is it a real switch or a touchpad?

 

[Snipechief]

Can you remove the master light switch and test it? Is it a real switch or a touchpad?

The

Can you remove the master light switch and test it? Is it a real switch or a touchpad?

Its a touchpad that controls everything in the bus. Not sure what the test procedure would be.

 

[klook]

In behind somewhere there is a set of relays that the touchpad talks to. Those are the real switches.

 

[klook]

Is there a name on the touchpad?

 

[Snipechief]

Is there a name on the touchpad?

Next time I go over to the storage facility I'll take it apart. Not sure of the brand.

 

[Snipechief]

Next time I go over to the storage facility I'll take it apart. Not sure of the brand.

Its an eclipse Vega touchpad controller.

 

[klook]

I will look it up. The relays could be mounted anywhere. I swear they try to hide things sometimes.

 

[klook]

That is technically a Firefly system. I would call Firefly as I have been told their tech support is great. Maybe find the modules that the touchpad talks to first. Dealer should know where it is. Maybe schematics from Winnebago will show it.

 

[Snipechief]

Thanks for the help. I'll give them a call.

 

[Morich]

The problem with this is it is not a normal wire to relay type connections.
The big problem starts with it seeming to work but not correctly? That tells me it is not likely to be a fuse or breaker but some fault in the data!
It is a data network and I would doubt many shops will have the correct equipment to deal with sorting out when some data packet is corrupted.
DIY repair of a data link? Not one I would expect to happen if we assume we don't want to go through and replace the large parts at random for a few hundred each time.
A bit like our home style data links from desktop PC to printer to mouse, etc. ?
There may be somebody at some point who has the correct equipment to look at the signal from one item on the RV to the next but I know of none!
I did take a look at what I might find on the water pump, thinking it might be one of the more simple items that we could see if it was working?
I find this is not going to do much for me!

guessing here but this seems to tell me that the switch is a printed circuit board and that I do not have the scope and tools to connect to it, even if I KNEW which pin to look at on the aboard!
Then I looked at what must be come form of wiring diagram???

I would have to have far better equipment than my eyes to sort the drawing. If I could read the drawing, I see no way to find that specific point on any specific board!

My thought is that we are moving into no longer doing DIY when we get into data links of this sort!
With the limited experience I have had at RV shops, I'm not letting them even take the cover off this setup! Not dropping by Camping World with this one!

The closest I can get to suggestions is that I might start with calling Winnebago and asking them what they suggest?

 

[klook]

Winnebago will tell you to contact Firefly. I have replaced the relay board in a Firefly unit and you have to be on tech support with them to verify the unit has failed. They have troubleshooting methods to instruct you what to test and where to determine if its the pad, the board, or low voltage, or high voltage, etc. Usually laying upside down in a compartment with a multimeter.

 

[Morich]

Were you able to fix the problem in a way that you felt worthwhile?
Maybe Firefly works in a different way?
My experience with integrated circuit boards has never been one that inspired much confidence as the info was always kept so closely guarded that about all we could do was change boards!
Since it was a super large company, they did keep a spare parts storeroom and we just swapped until we found the correct "educated guess" and sent the item in for repair/replacement.
When we found things were totally dead, it was lots easier than when things worked to some extent but not totally correct or things that changes every time we tested.
That always left me glad I was not the one buying the parts!

 

[klook]

It was a warranty replacement. They sent a new relay board and it was plug and play.
Although it was mounted on the floor where any water could soak it so I moved it up on a vertical surface.

 

[Morich]

Okay! Many things are more practical if we can get somebody else to pay for the parts!
I did pretty much the same when we just changed parts until we found the problem. As long as it was the company telling me to do the parts switches and they were also the one paying, it was okay by me! It was military related and we had a two hour service commitment, so expense was not the primary issue!

Not quite the same if I have to pay for the parts!

 

[Waterbug]

Isn't technology great? Wires and switches worked great without any remote/system stuff.

 

[klook]

I like simple switches, but I am old like most here. The technology is out there for this to work, it just can't be done by the lowest bidder. It needs to be MORE robust as its in a rolling earthquake.

 

[Morich]

This is where we are quickly reaching a point where DIY repair is not going to be possible as things go more toward easy, quick builds versus slower, more hardy items.
When we get into this type logic, mot using switches and relays, we quickly move from things the normal person can repair and into things that only the company that built that specific board will know about.
Smaller, lighter, cheaper for unskilled people to put together. That makes it better for the RV builder for his purpose. As long as we have such a big difference in our lifestyle and expense, versus other countries, there is no incentive to not do it the better/cheaper way by using IC instead of what we have always thought of as wires, switches, and relays.
My last home frig died because a tiny part somewhere on a board failed. There is nobody that does the repair, so the frig went to the dump!
How many of us now have a TV that will never be repaired?
Anything more serious than a cracked screen and likely we replace our phone!

I see lots of trailer loads of cars going to Mexico to be put back on the road because we consider them junk here! RV are just a bit more expensive and taking longer to get to the throw away zone!

 

[deckape]

I would not buy todays coach with the one touch electronic systems . Give me a old fashioned switch , wiring .

 

[Snipechief]

Thank you all for the help in trying to figure this main control for the coach.
I haven't been back to the Bus ( forza) since I 1st discovered this lighting problem.
So today I drove over to the storage lot to give it a once over. As I entered I switched on the Chassis & the Body Breakers on the switchboard near the entry way. They lit up indicating there's at least a little juice left in the batteries. Just for giggles I tried the master light switch , all the inside lights came on. So I went over to the wholehouse control board, and reluctantly turned the master light switch off, and back on. I'll be darn, it works. Then I tried to remotely start the water pump. Cool, that works too. I also tried all of the separate room lighting. It all works.
Another thing to note is when the controller wasn't working with the lighting, all of my holding tanks were red with a question mark in the digital display. Now there showing empty and are the normal color in the display. I also know the tanks are empty .
I'm definitely not confident this is the end of this saga
Early Christmas present I Reckon.
Cheers!