91 replies to this topic

[Vic Harder]

What happens if you turn on the inverter with no loads plugged in?

[buckland]

Hello Vic! Just went out and tried. Turn on ... a beep (red light too) for 1/2 a second .... hear the fan... then quiet with the green light on.

[Vic Harder]

Try a different load?

[buckland]

I will plug in an electric fan tomorrow... having a beer now at 8PM is not a good time to play with electrics! 

Not knowing a lot about inverters.... in campers... should it be grounded additionally other than through the battery...and is that the reason perhaps for the alarm went off? actually Vic... you have an induction plate stove burner which must pull a lot of amps real fast .... so is this any different from a charger?

Edited by buckland, 27 September 2021 - 12:14 AM.

[Vic Harder]

I will plug in an electric fan tomorrow... having a beer now at 8PM is not a good time to play with electrics! 

Not knowing a lot about inverters.... in campers... should it be grounded additionally other than through the battery...and is that the reason perhaps for the alarm went off? actually Vic... you have an induction plate stove burner which must pull a lot of amps real fast .... so is this any different from a charger?

My inverter (AIMS 3000W) does not need an additional ground.  The Induction cooktop pulls 1800W (150A or so) and does it happily.  Something funny is going on in your scenario, and I'm just telling you to try a few things I would try if I was sharing a beer or 3 with you.  Your ebike charger should work just fine....

[buckland]

I tried the fan and it works fine.... perhaps the draw from the charger, when first started "jumps" to too high a demand? (not really electrical lingo) and if so... is there a "capacitor' that could cushion the initial shock that trips it off?

[rando]

I am guessing the bike charger has a large capacitor on the input, which is causing the issue.   When you plug it in, the capacitor on the charger tries to charge (they charge almost instantly) causing a large in rush current, that trips the inverter.   

 

There are a couple of things you could try - to see if this is the problem, plug the charger into line power without the battery and let it sit for a minute (maybe plug the camper into shore power and use the inside outlet on the camper).  This will charge the internal capacitors.  Then quickly move the charger to the inverter - if the inverter stays on then it is capacitive in rush that is killing it. 

 

You may be able to solve this by trying to turn the charger on several times in quick succession.   While the inverter will shutdown the first couple of times, it may be providing enough power to at least partially charge the capacitor before it shuts down - on the third or fourth try it may work.    

 

An electrical way to solve this would be to use an inrush limiting device. 

Edited by rando, 27 September 2021 - 02:49 PM.

[buckland]

1....... I wish I had your knowledge and experience (the good stuff!) ...... I was on hold forever trying to get the tech help from Battery charger as Volts and amps are on the back but not wattage... this info was asked at Renogy. I have recharged the battery (in the house) so I have to go for another ride tomorrow to drain the battery a bit then I will try the idea of plugging in via the shore power and switching over..... wondering does that then set the capacitors or must I do that  each time?!

 

Attached is the e-bike battery 'specs' .... it says 603 Wh ? 

If I do have to install the inrush device .... I think it is way above my skillset  though maybe I can find some to do it.

Could it be the 1000 watt Renogy is to small.... 

 

Seems I am always dancing on thin ice with electronics so thanks for the advice

 

Also....Vic... love to lift a jar of suds one day after all this crazy coodies goes away... 

Attached Files

•  battery specs.png   459.63K   13 downloads

Edited by buckland, 27 September 2021 - 10:00 PM.

[Vic Harder]

Your Renogy should be up to the task.  I had one before I bought my AIMS.  It could handle a bit of inrush, but not the full load of my induction cooktop.  A battery charger should be an easy load.... rando may be onto something - he is a very smart fellow indeed!

 

As for the caps "setting" you would have to do that every time.  It would be interesting to plug in the charger after the inverter is already on, and with no battery to connected.  And THEN add the battery load.  There will be sparks, so don't do that around combustibles. 

[buckland]

Went for a good 10 mile ride and really cheated by not pedaling! (for scientific reasons of course) wanted to drain down the battery as much as possible so I could test the ideas stated above. Alas... though the charger rain for 10 seconds instead of two it still overloaded. I had plugged the charger into the inverter then turned on the switch (bike battery not connected) waited 20 minutes...then with the charger still on... plugged it into the battery. 

 

Was now wondering if there is a "Inrush limiting device" rando mentioned above that is incorporated in a male/female adapter that I could plug inline to the inverter...then the charger into it. Can one be made...or do the "Inrush limiting device" (capacitors) need be soldered into the charger?