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Xantrex panel problem

Yahoo Message Number: 55000
Thanks to all of you who responded to my post about Hydro-Hot on our newly acquired '06 Allure. It's in the shop getting diagnosed, and I've passed on your comments to the tech.
The Xantrex panel or converter/inverter does something that I've not seen in our previous Intrigue, and has the techs at Xantrex dumbfounded. When the shore power is disconnected, or the generator shut down and the Xantrex panel shows batteries at 100%, in a couple of minutes the % meter goes, one digit at a time, from 100% to 72% and settles at 72%. As I've just charged the batteries I check the voltage at the batteries and at the 12 volt outlet in the dash and both read 12.5 - 12.6 volts (which I'm told is fully charged). In our previous CC I was able to rely on the % state of charge reading from the Xantrex RC-7 panel as being accurate and used the solar panels or the generator as necessary so we started the evening at 100% charged if we were dry camping. If we're on shore power it's not an issue; but we dry camp most often.
Has anyone experienced this type of "gremlin" in their Xantrex? I've followed the tech's instructions on a couple of things to try to solve the problem; but to no avail.
The batteries (4 Trojan T-105 6 volt deep cycle) are brand new and everything else electric seems to work fine. I know I could go into the "meter mode" on the RC-7 panel and just read voltage; but both my wife and I have gotten used to watching the % of charge and managing the power accordingly.

Jim Westling

'06 Allure 34' #31400

Re: Xantrex panel problem

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 55004
Regarding the Xantrex You made need a software upgrade my xantrex developed a mine of its own at one time I have had two software upgrades by a trained tech with Xantrex software BOB 06 Intrigue 12047

Re: Xantrex panel problem

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 55011
Jim- I'm guessing first, a bad connection or connections with high resistance. At charge voltages (~13.8-14.2V) the higher voltage overcomes the resistance; at resting battery voltage it doesn't. As to the by-volt drop, perhaps the resistance is increasing as a connection heats up, reading at the Xantrex as voltage drop. I'd check & tighten all connections bewtween batteries and inverter.
Second thought (probably not but just spitballing here)- the temp sensor is bad (small gray plastic thing on top of one of the batteries). How that would be involved, I dunno, but you could ask Xantrex if that could produce such a false reading. Mike

Re: Xantrex panel problem

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 55013
Jim,

The advice you have gotten regarding state of charge is in error. A fully charged, rested battery is about 12.8 volts. 50% is about 12.2 volts and 75% is about 12.55 volts. So, your Xantrex RC7 is reporting to you correctly at 72%.
It seems to me that the question is why your new batteries are dropping so quickly after charging? If you plug the coach back in does your Xantrex quickly return to 100%. If so, your new batteries are probably at fault. In fact, I suspect that your new batteries are less new than you have been told. They might benefit from a good desulphating and or equalizing.

George in Birmingham
'04 Allure 31038
George in Birmingham
2003 Magna 6298

Re: Xantrex panel problem

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 55014
Jim,

The State of Charge (SOC) data is coming from a shunt resistor and associated circuit in the Xantrex. Voltage by itself does not always reflect the true state of the battery due to fluctuations in load. The shunt circuit averages that out. I believe that some component in the shunt circuit on my Xantrex has failed to the point where the SOC drops continuously while the batteries are being charged by the generator. All of the SOC readings are flaky and I no longer can use the RC7 GS remote to auto start or stop the Gen-set. The shunt circuit may be a possibility with your problem.

Just a thought,

Don Seager

2004 Allure 31046

Jim- I'm guessing first, a bad connection or connections with high resistance. At charge voltages (~13.8-14.2V) the higher voltage overcomes the resistance; at resting battery voltage it doesn't. As to the by-volt drop, perhaps the resistance is increasing as a connection heats up, reading at the Xantrex as voltage drop. I'd check & tighten all connections bewtween batteries and inverter.
Second thought (probably not but just spitballing here)- the temp sensor is bad (small gray plastic thing on top of one of the batteries). How that would be involved, I dunno, but you could ask Xantrex if that could produce such a false reading. Mike

Quote from: "jrwestling"
Thanks to all of
you who responded to my post about Hydro-Hot on our newly acquired '06 Allure. It's in the shop getting diagnosed, and I've passed on your comments to the tech.

Quote
>

The Xantrex panel or converter/inverter does something
that I've not seen in our previous Intrigue, and has the techs at Xantrex dumbfounded. When the shore power is disconnected, or the generator shut down and the Xantrex panel shows batteries at 100%, in a couple of minutes the % meter goes, one digit at a time, from 100% to 72% and settles at 72%. As I've just charged the batteries I check the voltage at the batteries and at the 12 volt outlet in the dash and both read 12.5 - 12.6 volts (which I'm told is fully charged). In our previous CC I was able to rely on the % state of charge reading from the Xantrex RC-7 panel as being accurate and used the solar panels or the generator as necessary so we started the evening at 100% charged if we were dry camping. If we're on shore power it's not an issue; but we dry camp most often.

Quote
>

Has anyone experienced this type of "gremlin" in their
Xantrex? I've followed the tech's instructions on a couple of things to try to solve the problem; but to no avail.

Quote
The batteries (4 Trojan T-105 6
volt deep cycle) are brand new and everything else electric seems to work fine. I know I could go into the "meter mode" on the RC-7 panel and just read voltage; but both my wife and I have gotten used to watching the % of charge and managing the power accordingly.

Quote
>

Jim Westling

'06 Allure 34'

#31400

Re: Xantrex panel problem

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 55016
Jim

Did you make sure the Xantrex is programmed for wet cell lead/acid batteries? Your lead/acids are new. Did you have lead/acid before?

George Harper
04 Allure
31093

-
 

Re: Xantrex panel problem

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 55027
Jim, I agree with George. You also might want to check the twisted pair at the shunt to ensure there is not corrosion at the connections on the shunt. Also, I find the Xantrex undereports voltage, since the twisted pair on the shunt (at least on my coach) is so far away from the readout.

Rich 2002 Magna