ROAMiQ 12A Heater Controller: wiring, setup and FAQ

What this device does#

The ROAMiQ 12A Heater Controller is a single-channel controller for 12V heating loads that are purely resistive, like a heated floor mat. It turns the mat on and off slowly over a set time window to hold your chosen heat level. It's completely silent, with no relay clicking. It measures the mat's current, voltage and resistance while it heats, and shuts off if something looks wrong.

One application is the heated floor in a Hardsider HardVan pop-top tent.

What's in the box#

• ROAMiQ 12A Heater Controller (SKU RQ-PWM-SCH)

Before you start

• A 12V heated floor mat (for a Hardsider HardVan tent, the tent's built-in floor mat)
• One heater controller per mat
  • Mat feed: battery + to the mat. Fuse: 15A
  • Controller feed: battery + to 12V +, for the controller's own power only.
• 12 AWG wire for the mat run (fuse to mat, and mat to PWM −) and for the ground wire from 12V − to the negative bus
• Wire for the controller feed: 18 AWG
• 18–22 AWG wire for an optional wall switch
• A ROAMiQ system with the ROAMiQ app

How much current your mat draws#

The current goes up with battery voltage, so a mat draws the most while your batteries are charging. You'll see the real number in the app's Mat Current reading once it's installed.

Wiring#

Two separately fused feeds: 15A for the mat, and a small fuse protecting the 18 AWG controller feed. Use 12 AWG for the mat circuit and the 12V − return. Leave PWM + empty.

Using the screw terminals#

Strip about 7 mm (1/4") of insulation. Loosen the screw, insert the bare wire fully into the opening under it, and tighten firmly. Give each wire a light tug to confirm it is held. A heated mat draws current for hours at a time, so a loose wire on PWM − or 12V − will get hot. Don't skip this.

The terminals and where each one goes#

The controller has one 6-position screw terminal. The case labels it in three groups of two, SW, 12V and PWM. From left to right the pins are marked − S − + + −:

The two − pins in the SW and 12V groups are the same ground connection inside the controller. The − in the PWM group is not a ground. It's the mat's switched return.

The mat current path is: battery + → mat fuse → mat + → mat → mat − → PWM − → controller → 12V − → negative bus. The controller switches the mat's return side (PWM −) to ground to heat, and opens it to stop. 12V + only powers the controller and carries very little current. The mat's current never flows through it, but it does all come back out through 12V −, which is why that ground wire must be 12 AWG.

First setup in the ROAMiQ app#

Heat levels#

The controller turns the mat fully on and fully off over a slow Cycle Window, 30 seconds by default. For example, on Low with a 30-second window, the mat heats for about 15 seconds, then rests for 15. The floor is heavy enough that it feels like steady warmth. You can set Cycle Window anywhere from 30 to 300 seconds; most people never change it.

Auto-off#

The mat never runs forever. Auto-Off turns Heat Level to Off after a set time or a shut off time. The countdown starts when the heat goes from Off to any level. Switching between Low, Medium and High does not restart it. It only resets once the heat goes back to Off.

The heat also turns off when:

• Power is lost. The controller always starts with the heat Off, even if it was on before. Turn it back on in the app.
• The controller loses its connection to your ROAMiQ system for more than 2 minutes while heating. This is controlled by the Off When Disconnected setting, which is on by default. Leave it on.
• A firmware update or a WiFi reset starts.

Device Status and faults#

Device Status shows what the controller is doing:

If the controller sees a problem while heating, it turns the mat off, shows a Fault in Device Status, turns on Hardware Fault, and stays off until you clear it:

To clear a fault, fix the cause first, then set Heat Level to Off, press Clear Fault in the app, or tap the wall switch. The heat stays Off after a clear; pick a level again. The controller refuses to clear while the over-current is still there.

The mat fuse at your fuse block is the last line of defense for the mat circuit. A dead short in the mat wiring can blow it before the electronics react, so double-check the mat wiring before you power up.

Troubleshooting#

The mat won't heat at all.#

Work through these checks in order.

1. Check Heat Level in the app. It starts Off after every power loss.
2. Check both fuses, the mat fuse and the controller fuse. If the controller shows offline, start with the controller fuse; if it's online but the mat stays cold, the mat fuse. Replace a blown fuse only with one of the same rating.
3. Check that the controller shows Online in the app.
4. Check Device Status. If it shows a Fault, see the fault table above.
5. Check the wiring. Confirm 12V + has the fused controller feed, 12V − goes to the negative bus in 12 AWG, the mat's + goes to the mat fuse, the mat's − is tight on PWM −, and PWM + is empty.

The mat stays hot even when Heat Level is Off.#

Pull the mat fuse right away. If Device Status shows Warning: current with output off, contact ROAMiQ support. Otherwise, the mat's − wire is reaching ground somewhere other than PWM −. Check that it isn't landed on chassis ground or a ground stud and isn't pinched against the body. The mat's − must go only to PWM −.

The heat turned off by itself.#

Check Device Status. It tells you why: Off: auto-off, Off: connection lost, Off: firmware update, Off: WiFi reset, or a Fault. If it just shows Off, the heat may have been turned off manually or there was a power loss.

It keeps showing Fault: open mat.#

The controller sees almost no current while it's heating. Check the mat connector and both mat wires. If you just connected a different mat, check its rating; this controller is made for 12V mats.

It shows Fault: over-current when the batteries are charging.#

A mat draws more current at charging voltage. Check Mat Current while charging. If it's close to 13A, the mat is too large for one controller. Contact ROAMiQ support.

The floor isn't warm enough on Low.#

Step up to Medium or High. The mat takes several minutes to warm up from cold.

The wall switch does nothing.#

Confirm the switch is a dry contact wired between SW S and SW −, with no +12V on either wire. Each tap moves one step: Off, Low, Medium, High, then Off again.

Specs#

Still stuck?#

We are your installer on call. Reach ROAMiQ support and we will walk you through it.