Girard Nova, Nova II and Vision Dual-Pitch Patio Awnings: Service, Repair and Parts

Overview

The Nova, Nova II and Vision are Girard's dual-pitch cassette patio awnings for motor coaches. All three use a full aluminum enclosure, a tubular 110 VAC motor with manual override inside the roller tube (motor assembly 97GA45M-50, 45/50 Nm, 13 RPM), spring-loaded folding arms, and a lead rail that seals into the cassette for travel. The dual-pitch geometry adds a crossbar ahead of the cassette so the fabric breaks over it, steepening the outer pitch for water run-off. All controls live on the G-Link RF network at 433.92 MHz.

Control ecosystem

These awnings pair with the full G-Link module set: motor controllers GC136, GC274A/B/C and 98GC74; DC controllers GC732G and GC1146C; ignition retract-and-lock modules GC1102 (110 V) and GC946G (12 V); and the 98GC779 motion sensor. Handsets range from the single-channel DC104 up to the 15-channel DC107, plus LED-capable units 98GC1063 (1-channel) and 98GC1029 (5-channel), and wall switches 98GC229, 98GC230 and GC661B. The ignition retract module sends a retract-all command when the ignition or parking brake circuit goes live and then cuts power to the awning motors - after 60 seconds on Nova II systems and 90 seconds on Vision systems - so awnings cannot be deployed while the coach is moving. Keep that lockout in mind when diagnosing an awning that seems dead with the engine running.

Electrical and grounding

Operator power must come from a weatherproof junction box per NEC 314.15, on a 15 A protected 110 VAC circuit. Duty cycle is limited: do not exceed 2 minutes of motor run per hour (the thermal protector needs up to an hour to reset if tripped). One mounting slide lock must carry the grounding bolt, tightened so it contacts both the mounting bracket and the cassette bottom; it works with the earth bonding lead behind the motor-side end plate to give a fault path if the motor ever shorts to the cassette.

Motor limit switches

Adjust with the black plastic key or a 4 mm Allen wrench in the two pots on the motor head (right-hand motor standard; mirror everything for left-hand installs). A quarter turn equals roughly 1 inch of travel. Correct settings: the motor stops the instant the cassette closes on retract, and stops just before the arms lock on extension, leaving the fabric taut and about a 1/4 inch gap at the elbows. Never leave the OUT limit so long that fabric goes slack at full extension, and never let the motor keep driving against a closed box.

Pitch and elbow height

Both adjustments live at the shoulder assemblies inside the cassette and affect deployed lead-rail height, which must stay at least 84 inches. Elbow height (Nova II): extend about 18 inches, loosen the two 19 mm shoulder lock nuts, and turn the 10 mm arm-elevator screw clockwise to raise the arm. Pitch (Nova II): same lock nuts, then turn the 19 mm bolt at the bottom of the shoulder - counter-clockwise lowers pitch. On the Vision the pitch bolt is on the front of the shoulder with a single lock nut, and the rotation sense is reversed: counter-clockwise raises pitch. Do not overtighten either design. Lead-rail seating angle is preset at plus/minus 3 degrees and trimmed with a 5 mm Allen at the pitch adjustment screw (Vision adds a 17 mm lock nut at each lead-rail connector).

Motor replacement cautions

The procedure mirrors the rest of the Girard family - extend fully by crank, pull the right end plate, unbolt the motor from its bracket (Vision uses a spider bracket behind a four-screw lock plate), pigtail the four-wire cable, and slide the motor out of the roller tube. Two cautions are specific and load-bearing: isolate the AC supply before opening any junction box, and never pry against the center hole of the motor casing when aligning bolts - that hole sits over the limit-switch mechanism and prying there destroys the limits. Pry only from the outer casing. After installation the limit switches must be re-set, and the auto-retract device retested (spin the anemometer cups, or lift and drop the lead rail about 12 inches for a motion sensor).

Fabric replacement

Fabric changes without removing the awning or roller tube. Unroll fully with the crank until the C-channel is exposed, remove all three fabric set screws (two on the lead rail, one on the roller tube opposite the motor), pull the corresponding lead-rail end cap, housing end plate and (Vision) lock plate, then slide the whole fabric out the left end. Installing: seams face down, masking tape over every sharp channel edge, feed the poly-rope edges into lead rail and roller tube simultaneously (four people make this easy), center the fabric, pin it with a self-tapping screw on the non-motor side, and roll on from the bottom of the tube while two people keep edge tension. Finish with fabric set screws within 1/2 inch of the fabric edge and re-check both motor limits.

Nova II crossbar restringing

The dual-pitch crossbar rides on an internal cord; if the cord snaps the crossbar loses register with the arms. The replacement cord must be twice the crossbar length plus 6 to 8 inches. In brief: remove the crossbar and end caps, thread the cord through the end-cap pulleys, join the ends with a square-knot loop plus temporary slip knot, hold the bar against the open awning to transfer the arm-pin centerline marks onto the cord, then tie square knots at the marks and seat them in the slotted pins (center pin needs no knot). Tension the cord, tie off with a double knot, trim and glue the ends, then engage the outer arm pins and slide the center pin home. The exploded view carries the string by length: 7100016-36 through 7100022-36 (32 to 44 ft strips for 16 to 22 ft awnings).

Motion sensor behavior

Unlike the roof anemometer (which commands up to two awnings), the lead-rail motion sensor retracts only the awning it rides on. Test with the awning partially out by pulling a lead-rail corner down about 12 inches and releasing. If nothing happens, check its hard-wired 12 VDC feed before re-programming.