Braun Vangater II Stow Problem Resolved

[swalker]

We purchased our van in February 2015. Since the first week of ownership we have had a problem with the stow operation whenever the temperature dropped below about 50 degrees fahrenheit.

The Braun Vangater II has 6 operations:

1. Unfold - unfolds the tri-folded lift
2. Deploy - lowers the lift from vertical to horizontal position
3. Down - lowers the lift (typically with the wheelchair) to ground level
4. Up - raises the lift (typically with the wheelchair) to van floor level
5. Stow - raises the lift from the horizontal to vertical position
6. Fold - folds the lift for compact storage

Everything except Stow worked fine. When it was cold out, starting at about 50 degrees fahrenheit, the Stow function would be balky. The lift would tilt up to around 45 degrees and then stop. When it stopped, the override buttons inside the van had to be used to stow it completely. Once completely stowed, the lift could be deployed slightly, stowed completely, and folded, all using the regular lift controls.

Needless to say, this was quite a pain to deal with. We have had it into the shop and I have spent many hours investigating the issue without success. With winter upon us, I decided it was time to get serious about finding a solution.

A web search lead me to a page on the Braun website (Avoiding Problems With Your Wheelchair Lift - BraunAbility), which had this helpful item:

Not having the Model-Series-Serial number it is difficult to say with absolute certainty, but my bet is that the fold potentiometer needs adjustment. The lift incorporates a feature that allows it to detect weight on the platform. Obviously this is so that the lift will not fold with someone sitting in their wheelchair or standing on the platform. As the weather gets colder the operation of all functions become, at least, slightly more labored. This can be interpreted by the lift as weight on the platform; therefore it stops, as it should​

I interpreted "fold" to mean "stow". Now I was off to hunt for the appropriate potentiometer.

The circuit board on the Vangater II is under the plastic housing for the lift controls. That housing is removed by removing 6 screws (pretty obvious).

The circuit board has two obvious potentiometers on the left side. The upper one is labeled "Barrier" and the lower one is labeled "Lift".

First I confirmed the problem was present with the ambient temperature of 32 degrees fahrenheit.

I rotated the potentiometer labeled "Lift" about 15 degrees clockwise. That made the problem worse. The stow operation stopped with the lift just a few degrees from horizontal.

I then rotated that potentiometer about 30 degrees counterclockwise (that is, to about 15 degrees counterclockwise from its original position). Low and behold, the lift stowed properly. I tested it several times and it worked fine. This is the first time the lift has stowed at 32 degrees fahrenheit out of over 100 attempts during the last year.

I am hopeful this has permanently resolved the issue. If I have further problems with it, I will let you know.

Sorry I was not able to take pictures to show the details, but the procedure is really obvious without pictures to guide you.

Steve

 

[affected]

wow, that is amazing that you persisted and seem to have tracked down what turns out to be a fairly simple solution!

I love how your brain works at problem solving

 

[bigmark1954]

Steve.....You are a Rocket Scientist! I saw that pic of the tools in your shop, you are very organized and clean.
My shop has tools everywhere in piles,I can't find anything. On the rare occasion that I clean it, I find sh!t I forgot I even had.
I used to be somewhat organized, but never on your level.

 

[swalker]

BigMark,

I was a bit embarrassed to post that picture because there are a few tools out of place in it

Some say I have a sick mind, but I think they are just jealous.

The sad truth is that my father warped me from an early age. He insisted on an organized shop and enforced the rules. It has served me well for many years.

Steve

 

[bigmark1954]

BigMark,

I was a bit embarrassed to post that picture because there are a few tools out of place in it

Some say I have a sick mind, but I think they are just jealous.

The sad truth is that my father warped me from an early age. He insisted on an organized shop and enforced the rules. It has served me well for many years.

Steve

One of my best friends is a lot like you Steve, very meticulous...everything he owns has a specific place.
Every time he steps into my garage, he starts cleaning and organizing my stuff. This has caused me to ban him from my shop, because I never can find anything when he does this.

 

[swalker]

I have had a couple of weeks to test this fix and thought I should share the results with you.

The fix has generally been a success. The lift works great at 32 degrees and 25 degrees fahrenheit. But, we have had one failure at about 20 degrees fahrenheit.

When we get a chance, we will adjust the potentiometer just a bit more and see if that allows the lift to work in all temperatures.

It is wonderful having the lift work fairly reliably. I look forward to when it is completely reliable.

Steve