Community Forums

FloridaCanuk · 09-25-2018, 12:23 PM

I have a Xantrex Freedom 458 1500W inverter. Inside the RV is a remote control for starting the inverter, equalizing the batteries, etc. The inverter is working perfectly fine if I start it by pushing the on/off button on the inverter itself in the basement compartment. However, the remote control in the RV is completely dead. It should light up as soon as it’s plugged into the inverter, but does not. Nor do any of the buttons work at all. Nothing on the remote lights up. I replaced the remote and the data cable that connects the remote to the inverter. The new remote doesn’t work, either. In my mind, this narrows it down to a problem in the inverter itself, as there is no fuse in the system or anything else that could be the problem. Before I tear out the inverter later this week and take it to a service center, I thought I’d better check on here to see if I’ve missed something. Is there anything else I should check before taking the inverter in for servicing?

WinnieView · 09-25-2018, 12:29 PM

Have you called Xantrex for help?

FloridaCanuk · 09-25-2018, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2008Seneca

Have you called Xantrex for help?

No, but if I don’t run into anyone on here who has encountered this same issue and has found a solution, then I’ll call Xantrex before removing the inverter from the RV. I usually start with this forum, then email a particular company if I still need more guidance. This is simply because I’m not very mechanically/electrically gifted and I feel that talking to other laymen often gives me solutions I can understand and try. With some companies, their troubleshooting can sometimes be too technical, to be honest with you, for me to even completely understand what they’re trying to say, let alone me actually taking tools, etc, and attempting what they suggest.

knit · 09-26-2018, 05:47 AM

Have you tried disconnecting power completely to the inverter by perhaps both shutting off the shore power and disconnecting the house batteries. Sort of like resetting the inverter like you would reset a computer that is misbehaving? Maybe your Xantrex user manual has trouble shooting section in it that might help too.

Brob · 09-26-2018, 06:42 AM

Sounds like the board inside the inverter itself. I have the same inverter and thought the control was bad. I ordered a new one which did not fix the issue.

FloridaCanuk · 09-26-2018, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by knit

Have you tried disconnecting power completely to the inverter by perhaps both shutting off the shore power and disconnecting the house batteries. Sort of like resetting the inverter like you would reset a computer that is misbehaving? Maybe your Xantrex user manual has trouble shooting section in it that might help too.

I’ve checked the owner’s manual, with no luck. Yes, I did disconnect shore power. I did not disconnect the battery cables themselves, but did turn off the switch in the battery compartment that supplies battery power to the RV, which I think would be the same as disconnecting the cables.
I’m going to get the part number, etc, today out of the RV and contact Xantrex to see if they have any more troubleshooting ideas before I go ahead and remove the inverter to take it in for repair. Thanks for the ideas, I appreciate it.

FloridaCanuk · 09-26-2018, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brob

Sounds like the board inside the inverter itself. I have the same inverter and thought the control was bad. I ordered a new one which did not fix the issue.

I think you’re dead-on about what the problem is. I didn’t want to remove the inverter, drive it up to the nearest service center, only to find out that it was something very simple and unrelated to a bad part in the inverter and that I simply missed it. But I have a feeling that it is, in fact, in the inverter itself.

Solo_RV_Guy · 09-26-2018, 11:51 AM

When a wired remote control of *any* device that is otherwise functional is fully dead it's useful to presume that the remote has become disconnected from the device - and that could be a cut-through from bad wire routing around things that move (like a slide wall) or from being chaffed by pass-though holes, or a connector vibrating apart.

If those turn out negative the suspicion turns to whatever module or circuit board the remote is connected to, and Brobs comment about the inverter's control board going bad is spot on (and it's happened, use the search box at the top of this page).

CALL Xantrex. Tell the CSR tech that you're an end user and not a technician and they will be able to guide you better in trouble shooting over the phone. Using email turns into a 3 day affair as you go back and forth when you could do it all with a 15 minute phone call.

Good luck and safe travels.