Magnum ME Remote Fatal ERROR !!!

[Steve P]

My panel inside is displaying "Fatal ERROR $68 COP out".  Sounds ominous.  What is the COP?  What are my next steps?  The management panel shows all devices lit, indicating "powered when lit".  On/off Charger and On/off Inverter as well as Shore, Setup, and Tech do nothing. 

[Scotty Hutto]

I can’t find that code in any of the Magnum literature (owners manual, Tech manual, troubleshooting guide), but I’d suggest a hard reset.  Here are instructions:

https://www.magnum-dimensions.com/hard-reset-instructions-magnum-energy-inverterchargers

if that doesn’t restore it, call Magnum Tech Support tomorrow at 800-553-6418 weekdays between 8:00 am and 6:30 pm eastern time. 

[Tom Cherry]

49 minutes ago, Scotty Hutto said:

I can’t find that code in any of the Magnum literature (owners manual, Tech manual, troubleshooting guide), but I’d suggest a hard reset.  Here are instructions:

https://www.magnum-dimensions.com/hard-reset-instructions-magnum-energy-inverterchargers

if that doesn’t restore it, call Magnum Tech Support tomorrow at 800-553-6418 weekdays between 8:00 am and 6:30 pm eastern time. 

Agree with Scotty.  But I would add a few things that Magnum advised when another member had issues.

UNLPUG all the phone lines.  That includes the BTS, Network/AGS & Remote.  Then do the disconnects.

The instructions say 5 minutes.  Magnum says, over the phone, an hour.

Bring it back on line using the power switch.

Use your VOM and see what the battery voltage is…..as in CHARGING.  Depending on your batteries, it could be in the high 14’s down to 13 if in float.  Let it sit for a while.  If you don’t have at least 30 A service, use the Generator.  After 3 - 4 hours, you should be in float and the VOM should read in the low 13’s.

What you have done, assuming you have Flooded cells, is restore the DEFAULT settings in the Inverter.  So it is operating like it would with a remote right out of the box.

OK….more digging.  I found the page I was looking for.  ODDS ARE….without a 100% guarantee, your remote went south.  That is what I can relate to.  Mine did the same.  Magnum walked me through it….mine was NOT as bad, but it was still causing issues and the Inverter was flaky.

THAT is why I advised to go to the defaults.  Once you run through the recharging cycle….and it seems to be OK.  Unplug or kill Genny or shore power.  Let it bring on the interior outlets.  Your microwave should be blinking.  Put a moderate load, for example, a TV or such or plug in a table lamp or see if the inverter outlet that powers your icemaker (or Res Refer if you have one).  You can plug in or run Genny….then switch back to inverting.  If you have inverted power….you are probably good to go and need a remote.  Get the Model and S/N (may be on your build sheet) and give it to them.  They will tell your WHICH a remote to buy.  Avoid the “ARC” series, unless you have a Battery Monitoring Kit or ever want one.  Most replace with what came.

I would talk to magnum…..if the inverter is working OK, in default mode, then talk to them.  They will advise to plug in the remote….and then they can check the settings in the inverter.  Whether or not this was a freak or you have issues…..that gets tricky.  Have them walk you through the setup.  Write it all down.  Use the inverter… BUT….let it go through a few cycles of inverting then power and charging and such.

STOP.  Then go into the settings.  If anything has changed or you can’t “set it”, then it is definitely BAD.

BTW, you can have a bad BTS…and it will cause strange things….so an inverter without a remote, restored to default working is the first step.  Then try the remote….then eventually the BTS and then  the network/AGS.  THESE are complex electronics so one going south can mess things up and fake you out,  You need to isolate and not throw PART$$ at it.

YES….this comes from experience and that is how we learn.  I did not want to pop for a new inverter…..so I was patient and isolated the remote as the issue.  5K miles later and maybe a couple of months use, as well as prolonged storage with power…..the new remote is fine and the inverter is still chugging…

Thats about it.  Read the file or photo of the manual I did a screen shot of.

Good Luck and let us know….

[Steve P]

Thanks gents... Clearly, I have a great deal of diagnostic effort ahead of me.  I really need to get home first (travels next weekend).  I guess I will call Magnum tomorrow and see what needs to be done before departing Melbourne FL for Georgia.  I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed... I hope nothing frys itself during the delay. 

And to think I discovered this issue while trying to figure out why my water heater intermittently stops working on 120V... bad to worse, for sure. 

Thanks, 

Steve P

[Steve P]

I spent about a half hour on the phone with an excellent tech support person this evening.  The problem is resolved, but it did take a hard reset.  Here is the process as best I remember.  He started by having me disconnect just the phone line for the remote panel for about 30 seconds, and then reconnected it.  No go.  The panel still had the fatal error.

Next, we tried the power button on the end of the inverter (between the green light and the phone jacks).  Pressed and held it for 15 seconds.  No change in the panel error.

Next, killed the 50A power, toggled the power button.  No change in the remote panel.  Inverter went into action at some point and lit lights and outlets (had a fan, Roku, and a small 1500W heater plugged in).  Then turned off the House Disconnect rotary switch in the battery bay which disconnected the Inverter from the House batteries.  Waited 5 minutes.  Then reversed the process (turned on the House Disconnect rotary switch and turned on 50A power.  And voila', the panel error went away and the inverter started charging.  Big sigh of relief!!  And many thanks to Magnum for walking me thru it.

I asked if my intermittent 120V water heater problem cutting off might have triggered the fatal error, but the technician didn't think so.

I also want to mention a big THANK YOU to both Scotty and Tom who responded with information, suggestions, and your own experience.  I was feeling pretty rattled.  Sometimes just knowing that someone else has had the problem and worked it thru to a resolution is what it takes to be able to sleep at night.  Y'all are the BEST !!!!

High Fives,

 

[Tom Cherry]

Wonderful.  He knew, from the COP & $XX error code, per the manual, it was in the remote.  So, they had you eliminate variables.  The first on and off was a Soft Reset….which typically, with a remote, will not take care of the “lock out” in the remote.  Then the Hard Reset did it.  Odds are, if you had checked the inverter after the remote was pulled it would have been working.

Based on my experience and talking to Magnum, keep an eye your setup parameters.  If your remote goes flaky, it might reset and it will totally under charge or overcharge and fry your batteries. It may be a one time occurrence, but just be aware and don’t destroy your batteries..

Go with it and monitor it carefully.  Glad it worked worked out.  

[Steve P]

Tom - I'll be checking the remote a lot for the couple of weeks, but then the beast goes back in storage on a 20A dropcord to keep everything charged.  If the remote locks up while it's in storage, I'll be completely unaware.  Usually, I only drop by once a month to check on everything.  I certainly wish the inverter or the battery voltage could be monitored by my Simplisafe system -- they have every other imaginable sensor (I wonder if one of the off the shelf sensors could be modified?).  Thanks again -- Steve

[Ivan K]

Not sure if that would be a viable solution for you but I use a wifi cameras to check on temperatures and voltage panel displays. Also can see AH lights in a mirror. Eventhough the coach is at home, I don't have to go in just to look or get BT readings.

[Tom Cherry]

8 hours ago, Steve P said:

Tom - I'll be checking the remote a lot for the couple of weeks, but then the beast goes back in storage on a 20A dropcord to keep everything charged.  If the remote locks up while it's in storage, I'll be completely unaware.  Usually, I only drop by once a month to check on everything.  I certainly wish the inverter or the battery voltage could be monitored by my Simplisafe system -- they have every other imaginable sensor (I wonder if one of the off the shelf sensors could be modified?).  Thanks again -- Steve

Odds are you will be OK.  My only comment would be from mine as the experience of others in long term storage.  You have an Intellitec BIRD system, per your manual.  So, you should be charging both sets of batteries.  SOME of us have opted to not keep the Intellitec Big Boy Isolator/Charing solenoid energized when in storage. Simply put, the solenoid coil is constantly on and you also have current flowing to maintain each bank.

We use a jumper (hard wired) or Jumper Cable.  If you use a Jumper Cable between the Positives of the House and Chassis and leave both Battery Switches ON, then the Magnum will charge both.  20 Amps is more than sufficient.  When you are normally charging, your inverter will be drawing in the high 80 - 90 Amp range.  That equates to 9.75 Amps of 120 VAC power.  Now here is what you NEED (MUST) do....Regardless of whether you chose to Jumper or use the Intellitec.

In you Magnum, you need to do a couple of things in the setup.

SHORE, since you are on 20 amps, you need to set the SHORE for 20.  When you are using it normally and have 30 amps or 50 amps or Generator, then you set it for 30 AMPS.  That is a bit confusing to some folks.  The reason....you have a 30 Amp CB for the Inverter.  That is WHAT "SHORE" means.  BUT, when you only have 20 Amps incoming, the Magnum has nary a clue that you have reduced current....so EITHER WAY you store, ALWAYS SET SHORE TO 20 when using the extension cord.

Main SETUP.

Search Watts should be OFF (Disabled)

Low Voltage Cutoff should be 11.9 VDC

Low AC Voltage should be the MAX or maybe 100

Charging rate should be at 80%.  Your Magnum is getting older.  There is no need to run it at peak.  When you do this, you run the risk of overheating the circuit boards.  The fans are aging, that cool it.  They probably have dust on the blades and such.  So, by running it at 80%....you keep from over working it.  I actually use 70% when in storage....and my NORMAL SETUP is always 80% to protect it.  HEAT is the number one enemy of the inverter....

The other parameters should be FLOODED and 400 AMP HOURS (that might depend on your remote...but I think that it was 400 and then 1000 on yours....as I had one).  THAT was one of the parameters that my flaky remote would change.  It would jump to 1000 hours and it would also change some other parameters....sometimes I could NOT set it up.

Next up is PARASITIC LOADS.  Unplug any cell phone chargers in the DC power plugs or AC's.  UNPLUG all your electronics.  I have a Power Strip for each area (front and rear bedroom) and I KILL the power. You do NOT want any parasitic load....same for lights and whatever....I even UNPLUG the Microwave in case there is a power outage and surge.  That will (has or can) damage the Microwave....and it reduces the parasitic.

NOW>>>>IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE A JUMPER CABLE.  Look on page 173 of your owner's manual....or download if you don't have one.  The upper left figure is the BIRD Module that controls both sets.  All you do is pull the wire off the RELAY Terminal.  Now, you may have the NEWER Intellitec Module.  It looks exactly like that one....but is has a SOLENOID terminal.  The Relay or Solenoid terminal is what goes to the Big Boy's coil....and when you pull it, it will go CLUNK and drop out.  Then the Jumper Cable maintains the circuit or the connection and the Inverter then charges BOTH batteries.

This WORKS....and folks get MORE life out of the Big Boy Solenoid.  Mine FAILED one....it had some internal arcing, but it did not reengage.  I swapped mine out with a new Big Boy Solenoid and am planning on disassembling and cleaning the contacts.  It will be a spare.

When you take the MH out of storage....reset the SHORE to 30 Amps.  Plug in the Relay (Solenoid). Remove the Jumper Cable and you are good to go....

That's what I and one of our best electrical experts do....

Good Luck....

[Tom Cherry]

ONE FINAL COMMENT.  Hopefully you or a previous owner has replaced the IOTA 50R ATS.  That is a fire and and safety danger.  I always ask this as many folks, as learned as they are, are NOT AWARE OF IT.  If IOTA, do a search in the topics….many good threads and discussions…

[Steve P]

No IOTA in mine

On 1/23/2023 at 11:37 PM, Ivan K said:

Not sure if that would be a viable solution for you but I use a wifi cameras to check on temperatures and voltage panel displays. Also can see AH lights in a mirror. Eventhough the coach is at home, I don't have to go in just to look or get BT readings.

No Wifi in storage unless I buy a phone and enable a Wifi hotspot.  At home, the coach is too far from the router.  But I like the idea!