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Old 10-13-2018, 05:59 PM   #1
bayrider
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Join Date: Oct 2018
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Default Generator is no longer powering my converter

Hi, this is my first post to this forum, I hope someone can help me, thanks in advance!


We live in our 99 Southwind 32V RV and use the generator daily for running our electric coffeemaker, also for microwave use and rarely for charging batts when we don't have enough sun for the portable solar. I have a Trimetric battery monitor so I know exactly what's going on with the batteries and charging devices at all times. Gen is Onan Marquis 5500, the converter is an Intellitec 9100 with the charge wizard that makes it operate as a three stage charger.


Recently when starting the generator the converter/charger occasionally failed to come on at the same time as the 110v does when the transfer switch picks up. I can tell by the charging led on the trimetric and the fact that it shows no charging voltage or amps at the batteries. Sometimes the charger would come on after a brief period, sometimes not. Sometimes it would charge when gen started up and would stop charging after a brief period. So this was an intermittent problem but the last several days it never goes to charging at all, (which I prefer to an intermittent problem!). Again the 110v has always worked fine, and also the converter works perfectly when plugged into shore power. The led on the charge wizard (indicates the charge mode on Intellitec) is blinking normally when the generator is off or on and with or without shore power (I also swapped it out with a spare).


I had assumed that this issue has something to do with the transfer switch, normally the converter starts charging batts at the same moment the 110v clicks on, now it doesn't. But I just now opened the transfer relay delay box and it appears fine, it just connects either primary (shore?) or aux (gen?) 110v circuits and those are working. Is there a separate set of contacts to the converter or is there possibly another switch somewhere? With the gen off and no shore power the led on the charge wizard on the converter is still blinking normally, that tells me the converter has some sort of power connection from the batteries.



Bottom line: the converter works 100% of the time on shore power, but now not at all from the generator power. But from my understanding the transfer sw alternately connects the two 110v sources into a common 110v 'load' side that inputs to the converter and the outlets etc. I always get 110v to the outlets but not to the converter.



Any ideas?
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Old 10-16-2018, 10:51 AM   #2
bayrider
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Update: We pulled into Lost Dutchman State Park yesterday so we have electric hookups and now the shore power is no longer powering the converter either. The led on the charge wizard still looks normal. Perhaps the converter is shot or the wiring has loosened, I will probably pull the whole unit today if I am able.
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Old 10-17-2018, 06:53 AM   #3
N9JKP
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no quick ideas other than a loose or broken wire as you suggest above. Are there schematics online which can tell you if there is another current sensing relay?
Good Luck
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Old 10-17-2018, 11:53 PM   #4
bayrider
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I found the transfer sw hidden in the fuse box, it was fine.



I figured out how to test the converter, it has no 12v output so I pulled it and the new one will be here tomorrow from Amazon, thanks!


It was confusing because it was intermittent and seemed to work on shore power but not generator. Just the usual
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