Troubleshooting Tips; Inverter Problems; Charger Problems - Magnum Energy ME-ARC Owner's Manual

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6.0 Troubleshooting

6.1 Troubleshooting Tips

6.1.1 Inverter Problems:

• Inverter turned on, green LED on inverter blinking, no output:
inverter is in Search mode. Either defeat search mode, if not needed, or turn
on loads greater than the Search Watts setting.

6.1.2 Charger Problems:

• Unit won't transfer to charge mode with AC applied: Is charge
(CHG) LED on remote blinking? If not, then the charger does not recognize
the incoming AC being within acceptable limits. Measure the input AC voltage
at the inverter input terminals, it should be 120VAC +/ 20 VAC (230VAC
+/- 40 VAC for export models); also check that VAC dropout setting on the
remote is 80 VAC or less (export models: 160 VAC or less). If the CHG LED
is blinking, the transfer relay should be closing within 20 seconds, and begin
charging. If the LED is on solid, the relay should be closed, and the charger
should begin charging.
• Transfer relay closes then opens and continues to cycle: AC
voltage is too low, or has transients that drop the AC voltage momentarily.
Change the VAC Dropout setting to 60 VAC (120VAC for export models) and
check for improvements. If the cycling continues, back off the Charge Rate
from 100% to 10%.
This cycling may also be caused if the AC output of the inverter is connected
to the inverter's AC input, check for proper input and output AC wiring.
• Charger not charging even though charge LED is on steady and
the unit says "Charging": Full charge rates are not obtained in "Charging"
mode, only after this mode changes to "Bulk Charging", "Absorb Charging"
or "Float Charging" modes.
• Charger not charging even though charge LED is on steady and
the unit says "Bulk Charging" (or "Absorb Charging"): Check the DC
amps meter, and DC voltmeter on the ME-ARC display, it should be 80% or
more of rated charge current if the battery voltage is under 14.0 VDC (28.0
VDC on 24-volt models or 48.0 VDC for 48-volt models). If not, check the
03C Max Charge Rate setting and verify the setting is 80% or greater. Still
low charge rate? Check the 03A AC Input Amps setting. If no AC loads are
being "passed through" the inverter, the 03A Input Amps setting must be 15
amps (25 amps for 3kW unit) or greater, to receive full charge rate.
• Charger says "Float Charging" not "Bulk Charging" when the AC
is fi rst plugged in: Check DC voltmeter on the ME-ARC display, if the battery
is over 13.0 VDC (26.0 VDC for 24-volt models or 52.0 VDC for 48-volt
models) then the battery was already charged and the charger automatically
goes to "Float Charging" to keep from overcharging the batteries. Try Restart
Bulk from the 02 CHG Control menu.
• Charge amps are lower than expected, or is 0 amps DC: Measure
input AC voltage and increase if the input voltage is under 90 VAC. The
charge rate is reduced to try and keep the input voltage above 90 VAC; also
check the 03A Input Amps and 03B Max Charge Rate settings to determine
if the current is being limited.
• Charger output voltage is different than expected: Check the
Battery Temperature Sensor (BTS) temperature. If the BTS is installed, the
charge voltage settings will increase if the temperature around the BTS is
below 77° F (25° C) and decrease if the temperature around the BTS is
higher than 77° F (25° C).
56 © 2010 Magnum Energy, Inc.