Magnum Inverter/ Charger Problem ... Help!

[teamchambers]

Hello,

I searched the forum but didn't find anything on this topic. I have had the following problem intermittently over the last month. Today I have performed numerous resets and spent an hour or so on the phone with Magnum Tech support. We were unable to find a solution so I thought I would go to the real experts ... irv2. :-)

2007 Monaco Diplomat 40sft
Inverter: Magnum ME 2012

In Charge Mode the inverter will trip offline and the remote will read

Internal Fault - 1.

The Red Fault Light illuminates and the CHG (Charger) light flashes.

This occurs on both shore power and generator power.

One thing I noticed was that the charging amps are jumping around quite a bit ... not sure if this is normal or not.

While talking with the Tech we adjusted the Charge rate from 80% (Normal/Factory Preset) to 40%. We thought this might slow down the charger and allow the batteries to recharge ... the fault still tripped.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[RV Wizard]

Did the tech on the phone run you through any of the service diagnostics on the remote? If so what were the results? If not you should call them back and get this done.

[teamchambers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RV Wizard Did the tech on the phone run you through any of the service diagnostics on the remote? If so what were the results? If not you should call them back and get this done.

RV Wizard ... thanks for your response

I only have the 1.2 version of the remote ...

We went through the temperatures under the "TECH" selection on the remote ...

But I think that is all I have

Is there something else I should have looked at?

[RV Wizard]

What were the temps and did you verify that you have a good battery bank? A bad battery can cause the inverter/charger to fault out. Do you have an auto gen start on board?

[teamchambers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RV Wizard What were the temps and did you verify that you have a good battery bank? A bad battery can cause the inverter/charger to fault out. Do you have an auto gen start on board?

I don't remember the temperatures but the Tech didn't seem to think they were out of limits.

Great question about the batteries ... The batteries are relatively new
(Jan 2010) ... I have an appointment on Monday to have the Inverter tested and I also plan on having the batteries tested as well.

Is there any chance I could have a short or something that could be causing the fault?

[teamchambers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RV Wizard What were the temps and did you verify that you have a good battery bank? A bad battery can cause the inverter/charger to fault out. Do you have an auto gen start on board?

Yes I do have the AGS ... haven't used it yet but I do have it onboard.

[RV Wizard]

Both scenarios of a bad battery in a bank or an issue of a problem with the AGS can create a fault on the inverter. Try unplugging the AGS data cable from the inverter input. Let us know if there is any change. Also recommend battery bank is good before testing of inverter.

[teamchambers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RV Wizard Both scenarios of a bad battery in a bank or an issue of a problem with the AGS can create a fault on the inverter. Try unplugging the AGS data cable from the inverter input. Let us know if there is any change. Also recommend battery bank is good before testing of inverter.

I disconnected the AGS cable from the inverter ... tried to charge ... it still tripped the fault ... hopefully tomorrow I will be able to get the battery bank checked and the inverter bench tested.

Thanks for your help.

[teamchambers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by teamchambers I disconnected the AGS cable from the inverter ... tried to charge ... it still tripped the fault ... hopefully tomorrow I will be able to get the battery bank checked and the inverter bench tested. Thanks for your help.

I have had the inverter bench tested and they found a bad "control panel" inside the inverter. It has been replaced and I am now in the parking lot with the generator running trying to charge up my batteries. I am hoping the battery bank survives this ordeal. Apparently the have been in a state of under charge for quite some time.

On a positive note the charger appears to be working well ... pushing 80 amps without fluctuation and no faults. The amperage was fluctuating rather wildly earlier.

A new problem has developed ... the slides are acting crazy ... I am assigning this to the low house battery bank. I am hoping that after the charge I will be able to control the slides once again. I hope

[teamchambers]

The Magnum inverter/charger is working well ... went through Bulk - Absorb - Float Charge and brought the battery bank back up to 13.3 volts. No Faults

I stopped by the local RV shop to have the batteries tested earlier today and they needed to be fully charged prior to load testing them, they weren't, so I am planning on getting them load tested (soon) now that I have them charged.

[RV Wizard]

Glad to hear you are making progress. Keep us posted.

[teamchambers]

I had the battery bank tested and they all tested fine.

[teamchambers]

So the final status.

The charger side of the Magnum inverter/charger went bad ... never found the "cause"

I called Magnum and they referred me to the "Authorized service center" nearest me ... In my case it was Solatron in Victorville, CA. They were terrific.

They bench tested the Inverter and found the bad control panel ... took about 3 hours to remove, test, repair and reinstall ... the charger and batteries have worked perfectly ever since.

I hope this helps someone else.

As a side note ... when the house batteries were discharged we attempted to move the slides in ... it appears I fried the slide control panel ... but I am still trying to figure that out for sure.