microair easy start results

ktmrfs wrote:
Well, here is a summary of the microair easy start on my coleman MachIII 13.5KBTU AC...

...So, IMHO success. We shall see when it hits 90F and 4,000 Ft to see if it will still start in eco mode, but I suspect it definitely will start fine with eco mode off.

Now, all that said, if you want to run the AC and much else you still will be out of luck. the easy start doesn't defy the laws of physics, so running current is still the same, so not much headroom left. But if you run honda's in parallel, running them in eco mode should work just fine.

Outstanding report, ktmrfs! Thank you very much for documenting your success story. You obviously used a current ammeter that did a descent job of capturing the start-up surge. If you subtract out the fan amps for your Coleman (~3A), the compressor went from 57A (=60-3) to 19A (22-3), which is actually better than what I measured on that old Coleman in the YouTube video. You got 66% reduction then, which is great. BTW, with some recent Dometic models, we're seeing starting surge reduction percentages into the 70s, which is quite impressive even to us.

Regarding altitude and the Honda EU2000i, we recently worked with 2 different customers who did run into some trouble. Turns out, up to about 3000, all seems okay with the Honda EU2000i. However, we had one customer at 4600' and another at 5300', and they both needed to install the high-altitude carburetor jet kit to get the Honda to keep running after the startup was over with. This was because the running amps were in between Honda's '1600W rated amp spec and their 2000W maximum amp spec. We all know that that the Honda will maintain 2000W just fine without declaring overloads up to 16.7A (2000W). However, the customer at 5300' only had 15A of steady-state draw after the compressor start-up was long over with, and the Honda's output voltage rapidly collapsed after it went just a little over 15A as the compressor warmed up (in 3 to 5 minutes). When this voltage collapse happened, the compressor stalled, and the EasyStart detected this and shut it down immediately. Note that since the output current of the Honda was less than its overload limit (167A), the Honda did not indicate any sort of "problem" per se, during this voltage collapse. This is just how these inverter generators work. If the engine and alternator cannot keep the internal DC Bus (capacitor bank) charged adequate as the inverter section is taking energy away (to drive the output AC waveform), then the DC bus voltage gets drained and the inverter has less voltage to work with. The good news is after this customer at 5300' installed the high-altitude kit, all worked well.

pianotuna wrote:
I believe the Micro Air does a time delay already?

Bobbo wrote:
BTW, the EastStart video says it has a 5 second delay. When the fan starts, the EasyStart delays 5 seconds before letting the compressor begin to start.

time2roll wrote:

Bobbo wrote:
BTW, the EastStart video says it has a 5 second delay. When the fan starts, the EasyStart delays 5 seconds before letting the compressor begin to start.

I have never understood why the fan should start before the compressor. At home the compressor starts first.

Maybe the fan will get the generator off idle and ready to ramp up the throttle.

All great questions, gentlemen, and you're all correct, but I have more to add. Back last June when I made the YouTube video, we only had that black-enclosure EasyStart 364 which provided only a 5-second delay. Now, our newest beige, IP65 (fully weatherproof) enclosure model has a new circuit board inside that provides one extra feature. It has an "intelligent" short cycle prevention timer that keeps track of how much time has elapsed since the last time the compressor was running. It will prevent a restart from occurring for a minimum of 5 minutes, and it will keep track of the elapsed time even when power is completely removed (that's the intelligent part). For example, if your A/C's thermostat turns off, and then turns back on again in 3 minutes, the EasyStart will only wait an additional 2 minutes before restarting the compressor. The same is true if AC power was completely removed from your trailer, and then comes back again in less than 5 minutes. Of course, if the elapsed time is greater than 5 minutes, the EasyStart will only wait its usual 5 seconds before smoothly and quietly ramping up the compressor.

During the time that the compressor is off, your system's fan will be running, but you won't be getting any cold air. This is normal and often even happens even with some digital thermostats that show an hour glass icon indicating it is waiting too start the cooling cycle.

Speaking of the fan starting first, we do know that this helps the Honda respond in ECO mode and be at a higher output level by the time the compressor was started (5 seconds later). It does certainly help, but the Honda is actually smarter than that. We later found that the Honda will control its engine throttle dynamically and it does set it to several "in between" points for various output current levels. So, with the fan on by itself, that's only ~3A. The Honda does increase the engine throttle, but only to a point. The key to the success with EasyStart is that the compressor starting ramp is obviously extended to about 1 second, and the Honda's response time in ECO mode can closely track it and its reserve capacity in its DC bus capacitor bank can source the required surge current as well. The Honda is quite the exceptional machine, and all of the other manufacturers had to play catch-up, or are still in the process of doing so.

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Thank you again for everyone's support! I'm here to help et me know if you have any further questions. I am attending the Oliver Travel Trailer factory rally in Hohenwald, Tennessee over the next 2 days, so I may be a bit slow in responding.