Magnum inverter/charger with PCS central monitor

[dpscll]

Went boondoggling this weekend and cranked up my Onan 10,000 generator to run the ac. Only had one unit on along with the bedroom tv. After about 20 minutes the tv cuts off. Checked the inverter/charger and the red light was on with the monitor reading "overload". After 5 minutes the tv circuit came back on, but when I turned on the tv it went off 10 minutes later with the same reading on the Magnum monitor. Tried again without any different results. Never had this problem before and have run all three ac units with microwave, tv and computers working in tandem. Comments welcomed.

[wolfe10]

Yes, the pass through feature will power many appliances, but not A/C and other high-amp items. And, as you say, fault can disable the "pass through" feature.

[dpscll]

I will probably call Magnum per your suggestion and talk to a tech to see if its the FET board. Can't seem to think of anything else it could be. Everything works great on shore power. And now that you mentioned it, the monitor read "overheat" not "overload".

[smlranger]

wolfe10 wrote:
No, the A/C should not (and in all installations I have seen is not) run through the inverter.

But, with generator on, the inverter/charger WILL go into charger mode and can generate excessive heat.

Brett, when my Magnum inverter went into the Overtemp Fault, I was on shore power. I had power to my roof AC's but not much else. No TV's, no residential fridge, nothing plugged into any 120vac outlet. Same thing when I started the genset in an attempt to try and get stuff running.

Turns out, when the Magnum goes into fault, it disables its internal ATS so the inverter will pass no AC to anything on an inverter circuit. That explained why I could run my AC's but not TV's or fridge.

When I talked to Magnum, they told me this was not uncommon to have a coach wired up this way. I thought CC had goofed but Magnum assured me others do it that way.

The temporary fix is to reset the inverter (press and hold the reset button on the inverter for 15 seconds), then quickly get to the remote inside the coach and disable the charger feature (which was causing the overheat condition). That allows the inverter to remain on, the inverter ATS works and lets AC power thru to the inverter circuits. That worked but I had no battery charger.

[wolfe10]

No, the A/C should not (and in all installations I have seen is not) run through the inverter.

But, with generator on, the inverter/charger WILL go into charger mode and can generate excessive heat.

[PastorCharlie]

My Onan generator runs the A/C TV, etc separate of the Magnum Inverter. Why is it necessary to run the inverter with the generator?

[smlranger]

My Magnum 2812 inverter was doing the same thing. It was due to overheated FET's in the inverter. When the fault occurs, go to the ME remote, press the 'tech' button and use the round knob to find the 'temp' function. Rotating the knob will display battery temp, etc. and the last display is FET temp. If FET temp is 90C or above, the inverter goes to Overtemp Fault and shuts down.

If that is your issue, you can send the inverter for diagnosis and replacement of the FET board. In my case, I had the inverter replaced since I had an extended warranty that paid for all but my $200 deductible. The FET board was about $575 and that did not include shipping the thing to Magnum in Everett, WA.

Magnum has excellent tech assistance if you give them a call.