I think I’ve fallen victim to the sensor bomb inverter death. Turned on my inverter and it began this really loud “rattle/buzzing”. I got to digging and found the temp sensor attached to the positive lead and inside my inverter is a burned circuit board and a big smoke smear on the blue capacitor. If not for your video, I’d never have known the cause and would have surely repeated the same mistake. THANK YOU!!!
Funny how the instruction tell you to put it on the positive terminal. I had read that it didn't matter which terminal you connected to but did not realize that there was no electrical connectivity through the ring terminal connection. You suggested bolting to the wall of the battery compartment, why not just tape it to the battery w/ foil tape? I recall in another video you talked about the engineers wanting to bolt it to the terminal for the best true battery termp, so why not tape to the side of the battery to hopefully get the same or similar? Great video, new subscriber. I have an electricity handicap and I'm trying to learn. This is good stuff you are putting up.
I have a new Xantrex 2500 in my RV. Why would this charger produce noise in only only channel of my RV's stereo? JL Audio 4 channel amp. Swapped speaker wires around. Swapped pre-amp input wires around. Replaced the amp. Moved amp power source straight to the battery. All with no change. Seems this charger is producing some sort of noise that is only manifesting itself on my left front channel. Anyway, thought I would ask. Still troubleshooting.
So if the point of the sensor is to simply tell the controller whether it's really hot or really cold, should I even bother with installing it since I don't use my small-ish truck camper in extreme heat or cold? I ask because the amount of work required to fish the sensor wire through the wall, down into an almost unreachable space, then into the battery compartment is not something I want to do unless it's absolutely necessary. The system I bought a Renogy 40 amp MPPT controller with three 100 watt panels. Thanks.
Having the sensor is good because it can extend battery life but it is not required. You could just put the sensor somewhere where it would pick up a similar air temperature and this would still help. It won't make much difference where it it located, the sensor will still know it is a hot or cold day.
Really informative video. Thanks! Question for you: Is there an actual condition where some kind of normal use of an RV would result in backfeeding the inverter? I'm referring to the rapid blinking low batt + overtemp led error code. Thoughts? Thanks!
No. The inverter AC outputs are isolated circuits. So backfeed problems are usually caused by a stuck transfer relay inside the inverter. That would cause a charger overload and flash the LED.
How about eliminating the sensor all together, if you've switched over to Lithium Batteries with a BMS, that regulates all aspects of charging, heat and cold issues?
Yes the BMS should take care of everything but the sensor could still be beneficial it the batteries are exposed to extreme conditions. If the batteries have an internal management circuit then that adds heat inside the battery. The sensor will alter the charge voltage to keep the battery temperature in an optimal range. While this is good it may also cause undercharging. I think I would remove the sensor and then pay attention to how warm the batteries get and how long a charge goes. If you are in a warm climate and the batteries are running hot during charging I would keep the sensor.
5:18 / 915 If this temperature connector has one wire. And it is not connected to a battery post. It's just a wire laying there. Unless these sensors have two wires inside. You will get no sensing of battery temperature by placing it by the batteries. Tell me if I'm wrong. I'm open to opinion.
It is a two wire sensor. It is a thermistor which changes resistance with temperature. In a good sensor the mounting ring is isolated from any connection. It will be the two center contacts on the modular jack and will measure in the 600K range at room temperature. A simple test with an ohm meter will answer your question.
I am glad that I saw this video. Thanks for taking the time. Before I saw this video, and before knowing what I know now, I cut the end off my Xantrex Freedom 458 2500W D/D Inverter/Charger temperature sensor because I thought that the red insulation was swollen with corrosion. It turns out it was mostly just the thermistor inside combined with corrosion. Sooner or later bad things were going to happen. If I solder or jelly bean this four wire thermistor back onto the the (4) leads of the telephone cable, then does it matter what colors go where? Do you need to connect all 4 of the conductors? Or just the middle two? Since I believe that living in a hot climate in Arizona would require that I have this, and if my cheap ass needs to buy new, before shipping and tax, the Magnum Sensor (ME-BTS-15) @ $20.99 is much less expensive than the one that came with my Xantrex = 76-0022-00 @ $35 on sale. Even a different Xantrex sensor, the 809-0946, is only $25. If it is best to just mount it in the battery compartment and it does what it's supposed to, then I would rather pay the least amount that I have to. You said that the stick on version wasn't compatible but are the listed Magnum/Xantrex sensors at the required 400K ohms? If none of these will work, is there a less expensive stick on version out there that will?
The one pictured in the video would not be compatible. They are thermistor devices and the resistance is different. The unit that works with the Freedom 458 (the red one with the ring) is about 400K ohms. The black stick on one is about 100K ohms. I do not know all the sensors out there. You could put the sensor in a small plastic box with holes and mount it up somewhere safe. Or at least insulate the ring with some tape.
Im going to give you a call tomorrow to tshoot this a little more but, I think this is my issue (it is connected to the positive on the batt). However I have some odd conditions. My hope is you can answer this for others also. Im on shore power and current state is the temp overload light is light. I have power to the panel inside also showing the overload and the "invert" light is blinking (i saw the other video on that , ill go back and watch it again). The odd part is the only thing working is my microwave light. Micro won't start but the light works. Is there a way to clear the overload? And is my converter actually shot? I will be pulling it apart to check the board you mention.
Note to self and others. Not sure if it is mentioned in any of the PCS videos. If the batteries are DEAD the overload fault light will stay on until they reach a certain voltage (3.5 volts i think). I replaced my house batteries and so far so good. I still have the invert light blinking though. My only other question would be.... When the batteries were dead and I was on shore power, why doesn't the normal inside functions work ie.. the overhead lights and the entry stairs etc..?
There are multiple reasons the temp overload light could be on. The microwave issue is strange, it may have been damaged along with the inverter. Most likely the control board will have to be repaired or replaced. We can discuss this when you call. 573-814-3131
@@pcselectronics5423 I just wanted to thank you Sir for taking my call. I did all the checks you recommended and it looks like everything is working as intended. My mistake was testing while shore power was plugged in. Thank you for your time and expertise. Matt
I had a question about mine, when I'm hooked up to shore power my microwave will work fine but when I'm running just off the inverter or generator the microwave will show its on and when I go to cook something it loses power and turns off, my house batteries are also boiling when I run the generator so I can run my A/C while I'm driving. What could the problem be?
@@edgmac1 Just a guess but you should have a 30/50 amp female plug in the back of your rig. The same plug you are plugging into shore power needs to be plugged into that outlet when you run Gen or battery in inver to AC power. First time out with mine, I had no idea. A nice older guy helped... lol, "well, you have to plug that into that he said". And tadah we were good to go.
Hi, it appears freight is around 90 dollars so it will probably be cost prohibitive to sent to you unless you let me strip it down to a lighter weight. Thanks Tom
If it is only a 2000 watt step wave unit then yes you paid too much. That is the price for a 2000 watt sine wave or 3000 watt step wave. Of course it also depends on brand. Dimension inverters cost more.
The one they sent me is to short of wire only 6' can i lengthen the wire without changing impedance or changing calibration turning it into a little lier lol
Yes you can do that. It is better than the positive which can blow the unit. Just be aware that if it shorts when on the negative it will not damage the unit but the charger may stop working.
I think I’ve fallen victim to the sensor bomb inverter death. Turned on my inverter and it began this really loud “rattle/buzzing”. I got to digging and found the temp sensor attached to the positive lead and inside my inverter is a burned circuit board and a big smoke smear on the blue capacitor. If not for your video, I’d never have known the cause and would have surely repeated the same mistake. THANK YOU!!!
Thanks just got a used EP-Ever 160/60 controller
beautiful machine 7 months old
Funny how the instruction tell you to put it on the positive terminal. I had read that it didn't matter which terminal you connected to but did not realize that there was no electrical connectivity through the ring terminal connection. You suggested bolting to the wall of the battery compartment, why not just tape it to the battery w/ foil tape? I recall in another video you talked about the engineers wanting to bolt it to the terminal for the best true battery termp, so why not tape to the side of the battery to hopefully get the same or similar? Great video, new subscriber. I have an electricity handicap and I'm trying to learn. This is good stuff you are putting up.
I like your idea better.
seems as if zantrex owes a bunch of new inverters!
When u say blows up inverter, is that equal to blown 250ma fuse on ac board?
How long can a temp sencer wire be because my batteries are outside 30' away from my aims 80 amp solar charge controller
I have a new Xantrex 2500 in my RV. Why would this charger produce noise in only only channel of my RV's stereo? JL Audio 4 channel amp. Swapped speaker wires around. Swapped pre-amp input wires around. Replaced the amp. Moved amp power source straight to the battery. All with no change. Seems this charger is producing some sort of noise that is only manifesting itself on my left front channel. Anyway, thought I would ask. Still troubleshooting.
Do the sensors fail? If so how can you test them?
Going out right now to remove it ! THANK YOU!
Love this!!!! Super easy to understand!!
So if the point of the sensor is to simply tell the controller whether it's really hot or really cold, should I even bother with installing it since I don't use my small-ish truck camper in extreme heat or cold? I ask because the amount of work required to fish the sensor wire through the wall, down into an almost unreachable space, then into the battery compartment is not something I want to do unless it's absolutely necessary. The system I bought a Renogy 40 amp MPPT controller with three 100 watt panels. Thanks.
Having the sensor is good because it can extend battery life but it is not required. You could just put the sensor somewhere where it would pick up a similar air temperature and this would still help. It won't make much difference where it it located, the sensor will still know it is a hot or cold day.
Really informative video. Thanks! Question for you: Is there an actual condition where some kind of normal use of an RV would result in backfeeding the inverter? I'm referring to the rapid blinking low batt + overtemp led error code. Thoughts? Thanks!
No. The inverter AC outputs are isolated circuits. So backfeed problems are usually caused by a stuck transfer relay inside the inverter. That would cause a charger overload and flash the LED.
How about eliminating the sensor all together, if you've switched over to Lithium Batteries with a BMS, that regulates all aspects of charging, heat and cold issues?
Yes the BMS should take care of everything but the sensor could still be beneficial it the batteries are exposed to extreme conditions. If the batteries have an internal management circuit then that adds heat inside the battery. The sensor will alter the charge voltage to keep the battery temperature in an optimal range. While this is good it may also cause undercharging. I think I would remove the sensor and then pay attention to how warm the batteries get and how long a charge goes. If you are in a warm climate and the batteries are running hot during charging I would keep the sensor.
5:18 / 915 If this temperature connector has one wire. And it is not connected to a battery post. It's just a wire laying there. Unless these sensors have two wires inside. You will get no sensing of battery temperature by placing it by the batteries. Tell me if I'm wrong. I'm open to opinion.
It is a two wire sensor. It is a thermistor which changes resistance with temperature. In a good sensor the mounting ring is isolated from any connection. It will be the two center contacts on the modular jack and will measure in the 600K range at room temperature. A simple test with an ohm meter will answer your question.
I am glad that I saw this video. Thanks for taking the time. Before I saw this video, and before knowing what I know now, I cut the end off my Xantrex Freedom 458 2500W D/D Inverter/Charger temperature sensor because I thought that the red insulation was swollen with corrosion. It turns out it was mostly just the thermistor inside combined with corrosion. Sooner or later bad things were going to happen. If I solder or jelly bean this four wire thermistor back onto the the (4) leads of the telephone cable, then does it matter what colors go where? Do you need to connect all 4 of the conductors? Or just the middle two?
Since I believe that living in a hot climate in Arizona would require that I have this, and if my cheap ass needs to buy new, before shipping and tax, the Magnum Sensor (ME-BTS-15) @ $20.99 is much less expensive than the one that came with my Xantrex = 76-0022-00 @ $35 on sale. Even a different Xantrex sensor, the 809-0946, is only $25. If it is best to just mount it in the battery compartment and it does what it's supposed to, then I would rather pay the least amount that I have to. You said that the stick on version wasn't compatible but are the listed Magnum/Xantrex sensors at the required 400K ohms? If none of these will work, is there a less expensive stick on version out there that will?
Thanks for this info. I will move mine. Can you buy the black stick on version you showed. Seems like it would be the safest.
The one pictured in the video would not be compatible. They are thermistor devices and the resistance is different. The unit that works with the Freedom 458 (the red one with the ring) is about 400K ohms. The black stick on one is about 100K ohms. I do not know all the sensors out there. You could put the sensor in a small plastic box with holes and mount it up somewhere safe. Or at least insulate the ring with some tape.
Im going to give you a call tomorrow to tshoot this a little more but, I think this is my issue (it is connected to the positive on the batt). However I have some odd conditions. My hope is you can answer this for others also. Im on shore power and current state is the temp overload light is light. I have power to the panel inside also showing the overload and the "invert" light is blinking (i saw the other video on that , ill go back and watch it again). The odd part is the only thing working is my microwave light. Micro won't start but the light works. Is there a way to clear the overload? And is my converter actually shot? I will be pulling it apart to check the board you mention.
Note to self and others. Not sure if it is mentioned in any of the PCS videos. If the batteries are DEAD the overload fault light will stay on until they reach a certain voltage (3.5 volts i think). I replaced my house batteries and so far so good. I still have the invert light blinking though.
My only other question would be.... When the batteries were dead and I was on shore power, why doesn't the normal inside functions work ie.. the overhead lights and the entry stairs etc..?
There are multiple reasons the temp overload light could be on. The microwave issue is strange, it may have been damaged along with the inverter. Most likely the control board will have to be repaired or replaced. We can discuss this when you call. 573-814-3131
@@pcselectronics5423 I just wanted to thank you Sir for taking my call. I did all the checks you recommended and it looks like everything is working as intended. My mistake was testing while shore power was plugged in. Thank you for your time and expertise.
Matt
I had a question about mine, when I'm hooked up to shore power my microwave will work fine but when I'm running just off the inverter or generator the microwave will show its on and when I go to cook something it loses power and turns off, my house batteries are also boiling when I run the generator so I can run my A/C while I'm driving. What could the problem be?
@@edgmac1 Just a guess but you should have a 30/50 amp female plug in the back of your rig. The same plug you are plugging into shore power needs to be plugged into that outlet when you run Gen or battery in inver to AC power. First time out with mine, I had no idea. A nice older guy helped... lol, "well, you have to plug that into that he said". And tadah we were good to go.
Any body know how to get ahold of the old Trace BTS units? P/N 1799-1. I need a few
I replaced my Heart 458 inverter/charger with a new Xantrex 458, what can I do with my old one for rècycle?
If you ship it to me and it has at least one good board in it I will buy it. Call 573-814-3131
I think this happened to me.
Is there a way to repair the unit? Or will I have to replace it?
Thank you
If your unit was damaged by the temp sensor then it will cost too much to repair. Time to get a new unit.
Wish you could make more videos
Hi, it appears freight is around 90 dollars so it will probably be cost prohibitive to sent to you unless you let me strip it down to a lighter weight. Thanks Tom
If you want you can take it apart and just ship the circuit boards. Thanks for what ever you can do.
PCS Electronics going ups tomorrow, thanks for your help!
We own a 1992 Prevost Royale. We just had to order a new inverter. It's costing us $1800.00. That's outrageous, I think. 🤔
If it is only a 2000 watt step wave unit then yes you paid too much. That is the price for a 2000 watt sine wave or 3000 watt step wave. Of course it also depends on brand. Dimension inverters cost more.
very helpful
Thank you ! I will be moving mine 👍
The one they sent me is to short of wire only 6' can i lengthen the wire without changing impedance or changing calibration turning it into a little lier lol
Put It On Negative Battery Terminal :)
Yes you can do that. It is better than the positive which can blow the unit. Just be aware that if it shorts when on the negative it will not damage the unit but the charger may stop working.
that inverter is a POS, put it in the trash!!!!
Thanks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sounds like a class action. Ridiculous that they'd tell someone to do that.