The Official unofficial CPE 2000i Generator Thread

bruno1138 wrote:
... ...Got through to Champion Customer Support / Tech support right away this morning and was told the following from the Tech Support guy on the phone regarding the module upgrade:

"There is no software upgrade. The only difference is whether there is an internal circuit breaker or an external circuit breaker. If you are reading something about this on the internet, it is wrong. We are the manufacturer and there is no software upgrade."

The guy actually sounded a bit exasperated / belligerent about it, so I didn't push any further...

I phoned the supplied tech line and asked about software/firmware or control module hardware updates, and I had a near identical conversation with a California tech line operator. "No such thing exists." "It's all the same since the beginning and we would know because we are the manufacturer.", spoken with a bit of condescension (?) and faintly detectable exasperation. (not to suggest he wasn't quite friendly and helpful answering my questions and advising me about other things to do with the 2000i, he was the perfect and competent gentleman)

In light of all the information to the contrary, my take is that it's plausible that there was a corporate decision made at Champion to deny the existence of developmental control module improvements in subsequent runs of the 2000i that address a burp, and that service techs have been directed to hold to this party line but being human, are not particularly comfortable having to repeat this crock, and it shows in their exasperation when asked about it.

My guess is that some bean counter has probably crunched the numbers and an upper manager has decided that not only would cost it too much if everyone who has already bought a 2000i wanted the update, but that if Champion did offer a broad based update then the public perception would be that 'there's something wrong with Champion generators' and the perceived knock to Champions image with potential new buyers would outweigh the gratitude of customers who after all, have already bought.

As another stated, I can understand if the company elects not to make every evolutionary change available gratis to all past buyers, but denying the very existence of electronic updates that correct a widespread operating quirk, borders on insulting.
That in itself damages Champions sought-after good reputation for service more than the burp itself.
If Champion execs read this forum still, keep it on the up and up guys. Don't fib to your good customers. "Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we venture to deceive."
And give that guy who said "Tell 'em it doesn't exist" a smack inna back adda head. :D

I $ee. I figured as much.

RangerEZ wrote:

PrivatePilot wrote:
It seems someone at Champion is misinformed. I'm pretty confident that they still read this thread (even though they are banned from posting here) so hopefully the employee in question will be brought up to speed.

Why banned?

Commercial advertising is prohibited on the forums owned by Good Sam Enterprises unless it is a paid ad. Thus, principals in companies that identify themselves on the forums as being part of the company in question are edited out of any threads. When Dennis from CPE posted a while back his entries were deleted by the thread moderator per forum rules. Same is true for you or me trying to sell something (Hey - I got a generator I want to sell for xxx dollars - call me at 555-5555). Check the forum usage rules and regs at the sign-up page for more precise language. No doubt some company trolls are on here - but they do not identify themselves as being associated and thus stay under the radar. The forum does allow us to post info and links to commercial or individual advertisers if it is construed as "informational" but it must be limited and not constantly repeated. Example - my links and references to SuperGen products are informational and hopefully to the educational benefit of present and future 2000'i owners. (I have no financial gain connection to the company.) Reporting to the thread on a find (like the eBay ad on the power supply) is also OK as long as it is not done to boost the seller's profitability. My postings would surely be edited out if I pointed to the referenced eBay seller every day with the intention of boosting his/her sales :E

Pointers by contributors to Woodall's, Trailer Life, Good Sam, MotorHome, Camping World or any other entity owned by Good Sam Enterprises - which also owns this forum and thread - are often overlooked :R. BTW, Camping World is now a distributor/reseller of Champion generators. ;)

RangerEZ wrote:

PrivatePilot wrote:
It seems someone at Champion is misinformed. I'm pretty confident that they still read this thread (even though they are banned from posting here) so hopefully the employee in question will be brought up to speed.

Why banned?

Even though they were just trying to offer customer support, apparently the staff/owners of RV.net felt that they were actually trying to sell product, so their accounts were removed since they are not official vendors here.

It's unfortunate because they were really trying to genuinely help customers with issues, something that Champion is well known for doing, but as staff myself on another large forum where companies pay for the privilege of selling their products, I do understand that there is a very fine line between just offering support, and effectively advertising yourself.

Unfortunately a compromise was apparently unable to be reached, which is sad since they were very helpful here.

PrivatePilot wrote:
It seems someone at Champion is misinformed. I'm pretty confident that they still read this thread (even though they are banned from posting here) so hopefully the employee in question will be brought up to speed.

Why banned?

MrWizard wrote:
i can understand 'CPE'/tech saying "upgrade not available"
the factory makes on going improvements, to models being mfg
Not Retro active upgrades
they could get swamped by users expecting the factory to provide free upgrades

that its available third party is helpful
very nice of them to do this

No surprise to me either, George. But it appears the story there may be different depending on which tech you talk to. I would hope that if this is the case they would simply adopt a standard and say, "Sorry, we cannot offer upgrade components for previous models." It is the different answers forthcoming that causes confusion and frustration. That said - I still believe CPE offers the best tech support of any Chinese generator company and hold them in high regard!

JConatser wrote:

Looks like a bigger Amp version is available for a few dollars more... more info here:

Some reviews...

A ham radio reviewer...

The seller's web site...

You just provided me with one of those duhhh moments :S. I have in my ham radio collection an Icom IC-725 that requires a 25 amp power supply to run full output power. I have always used a fully regulated 15 amp bench supply when I used the radio in the shack and reduced output power or hooked up a battery parallel with the supply for full power. Why the heck didn't I try my 75 amp unit (previously pictured) or get one of these? NO, they are not as well filtered, meaning some AC ripple will be there, but the power for the dollar is fantastic. Ripple itself does NOT interfere with battery charging and if you hook a battery parallel to this unit the battery will eliminate any AC ripple that makes a radio buzz. Accurate digital meters to monitor voltage come in at under $10 - sometimes free with a coupon from Harbor Freight Tools.

There was reference that the power factor was .7 to .75. Not what I would hope for but better than the run-of-the-mill OEM charger/converters installed in the majority of our towable RVs. I still feel it might be a good, inexpensive portable fast charger if one set the voltage output to 14 or 14.5 volts. Dropping to 13.5 would be safer, but slower.

On edit - the guy in the second link is a CBer, not a HAM. While it does sound like he knows what he is talking about, a 300 watt amplifier is completely illegal on CB and one of the main reasons the "band" became useless to those trying to abide by the FCC rules. I get the fur on my back up when a CBer is called a HAM - lots of difference between a rouge, illegal radio operator with no license and one that has passed a technical test and has a valid FCC license. Sorry - just my feelings.

i can understand 'CPE'/tech saying "upgrade not available"
the factory makes on going improvements, to models being mfg
Not Retro active upgrades
they could get swamped by users expecting the factory to provide free upgrades

that its available third party is helpful
very nice of them to do this

wbwood wrote:


Thanks professor. It would be only in an emergency situation. More than likely would be in a small room of the house. I have one of those milkhouse heaters...max on it is 1500w and minimum 1300w. I will look for something with a lower wattage choice on it..

Guess I will pull the trigger on one of these babies. Home Depot has them online for $599 with free shipping.

1,300 watts would be OK for the 2000i - no need to buy something lesser. For your zone or area of the country (North Carolina) the "number" for electric heat computations is 9 watts per square foot. So, with 1300 watts you could make a 12 x 12 foot room comfortable provided you have good insulation and windows.

Just as a money saving suggestion, why don't you give Fran at SuperGen Products a call and see what it would take for them to ship you a 2000i - either new or refurbished. From what I understand the majority of their refurbished units were returns from big box stores like Costco and Sam's that had liberal return policies. The majority of these units actually had nothing wrong with them - it was the buy, use for the storm and then return with no questions asked type of thing. You would be guaranteed of getting the newest software - which apparently CPE now says does not exist.:Z

I love my little 2000i's and they have provided many dependable hours of use both camping and after storms.

professor95 wrote:
... I just ran across this one on eBay. Looks like a possibility.

Looks like a bigger Amp version is available for a few dollars more... more info here:

Some reviews...

A ham radio reviewer...

The seller's web site...