Lost all electric

[Steve Hepfer]

Some time last night I lost all power to our 2008 Diplomat 36PDQ. The Magnum Energy display board inside has a solid red fault light on and a blinking green light for the Charger.  The display panel says "Dead Batt Charge DC 0.0V 0A". If I press the inverter button I get a message "Low Battery DC 0.0V 0A". I am plugged in to 50 amp shore power and have 117V on one leg and 118V on the other. Need help figuring out how to restore power.

[Scotty Hutto]

First, try a soft reset of your inverter. If that doesn’t work try a power (hard) reset. Here are instructions from the Magnum manual:

Under some fault conditions (e.g., an internal fault), the inverter will need to be reset. Prior to performing any reset, ensure all AC power (utility, generator, shorepower) is removed from the inverter's input.

4.4.1 Performing an Inverter Reset

To perform an inverter reset (also known as a “soft reset”):

1. Press and hold the Power ON/OFF pushbutton (see Figure 4-1) for approximately fifteen (15) seconds until the Charging/Inverting Status LED comes on and flashes rapidly.

2. Once the rapid flashing has begun, release the Power ON/OFF pushbutton. The Status LED will go off after the pushbutton is released.

3. After the inverter reset is completed, press the ON/OFF pushbutton to turn the inverter on.

If the inverter reset fails, you will need to perform a power reset using the procedure below.

In either case, if an internal fault does not clear, the inverter will require repair at an Authorized Service Center (ASC). Info: The Power ON/OFF pushbutton is a small momentary type switch which operates by lightly pressing and releasing. Be careful not to apply too much force when pushing or the switch might break.

4.4.2 Performing a Power Reset

To perform a power reset (also known as a “hard reset”):

1. Open the inverter's positive DC disconnect (or disconnect the positive battery cable to the inverter). CAUTION: If removing all battery power (positive and negative) to the inverter, remove the positive battery connections fi rst, then remove the DC negative connections to the inverter or to any accessory. This will prevent damage to the inverter or to any network connected accessory.

2. Ensure the inverter and the remote are disconnected from all AC and DC power (the remote display will be blank).

3. After the inverter has been disconnected from all power for 30 seconds, reconnect the inverter DC disconnects (or reconnect the positive battery cable) and resume operation. Info: If DC disconnects are not used, there may be a momentary spark when the positive battery cable is connected to the inverter's terminal. This is normal and indicates that the inverter's internal capacitors are being charged.

 

[MyronTruex]

Test the DC voltage at the cables on the inverter.

If the path to the batteries has opened up for some reason it would not be detecting them. 

 

"Losing ALL power" sounds like you lost your 12-volt system. Since the blinky light is flashing on the remote, the inverter is getting its required shoreline 110 volts.

I suggested taking your first measurement at the Inverter because it should be an easy place to do so, however, you can start in the battery compartment but sometimes a loose connection can be bumped and then you may not know what cleared the issue if you don't get some measurements first. 

It could be as simple as a fuse getting tired between the batteries and the inverter. The fuse pops, batteries die, and things go silent and dark.

Just ten minutes ago I replaced my remote control panel for my Magnum inverter. It has been a happy camper for 15 years and never gave me a problem. Had some sort of power surge the other day and the darn thing went dark. Oh well, it was a relief to take four screws out, pop the new one in and it lit up.

This has little to do with your issue other than I am probably very familiar with your setup now. 

Edited July 21, 2023 by myrontruex

[Tom Cherry]

OK....Let's try another approach to this.  @Steve Hepfer, you say you "LOST ALL POWER"  I THINK that you mean the following...

You have NO internal OUTLET power nor do you have the Microwave.  Those Outlets are controlled by the Inverter.  YES....that is STRANGE...but a FACT.  IF THIS IS THE CONDITION, then you need to know that the incoming POWER (50 A) pedestal goes through the Automatic Transfer Switch to the MAIN panel.  There is a 30 Amp Breaker that feeds the Inverter.  That 30 Amp Breaker supplies the AC Power that you see on the outlets and the microwave. IF you have a DEAD Battery, there are SOME of the Magnums that will SHUT OFF YOUR AC POWER.  

The Magnum tech literature and support say...  You must have SOME source of 12 VDC Power for the Inverter to PASS THROUGH (there is an Automatic Transfer Switch INSIDE the Magnum) the power to the outlets.  When you are on battery power and inverting....then the inverter provides power to the outlets.  BUT, when you are on SHORE, the only way you get power to these outlets is by the ATS on the Magnum PCB working...and if the Magnum does NOT "SEE" power....it ain't gonna give you any POWER.  

SO...  There are a couple of things you can try.  When you state your voltage....that means the AC incoming power is OK.  If you measured it with a VOLT meter and know how to trouble shoot, then there are some tests...

BOTTOM LINE....YOUR HOUSE BATTERIES are 100% DEAD.  There is NOT any magical fuse, unfortunately, that can be replaced.  You MIGHT TRY THIS...

TURN OFF THE SHORE...  trip the pedestal breaker.  Then CYCLE ON AND OFF the House Disconnect Switch.  That is the FIRST place to LOOK.  Then power back up.  Scotty's instructions on the Magnum MAY have cleared the system...but if the batteries are totally dead or as I think....they are...it MAY NOT WORK.  

NOW...this gets DEEPER, I THINK that your Inverter is connected through the House Bank Switch.  SO, if you turn OFF the House Bank Switch....that kills the power to it.  I SAY THINK...as we only have ONE set of prints in the files that are close....2007.... and it has a MISSING print on the charging system.  I spent quite a bit of time looking.

IF your MH is cabled like Monaco started circa 2008, then they cabled the Inverter DIRECTLY to the batteries...obviously through a FUSE....a 300 Amp one.  If it is cabled through the Disconnect switch, there will be a fuse there.

OK...IF THAT IS NOT HELPFUL....and AFTER you cycle the House Switch and then try the RESET and if you still get a Fault light on the inverter and still have NO outlets....then here is the best I CAN OFFER.

Get an Automotive Jumper Cable.  Jumper the Chassis and the House Positives together.  THEN do the Reset.  NOW....DO NOT PUSH the Power Button ON AGAIN....after you hold in the POWER BUTTON to start the RESET.  WAIT 5 minutes or SO.  LONGER if needed.  Bad or ugly faults take time to dissipate.

That should get you power as the Inverter will "see" or have a GOOD battery (the Chassis).  BUT if it does NOT....you either have a BAD board (the GUTS) of the inverter OR there is a deep down "FAULT" Condition buried in the inverter.  The ONLY HOPE for the that is to do a HARD RESET.  

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

DISCONNECT the JUMPER CABLE.  Follow the instructions....but again... IGNORE the 5 minute WAIT.....think an HOUR.  That is exactly what I was told by Magnum and that has worked for several people that I helped....  

NOW....before you hook up POWER (on the BACK of the Inverter), you need to install the Jumper Cable between the positives...so that there is GOOD POWER.  

You MAY....and this has happened....have to try the SOFT reset.

IF THIS ALL FAILS....ODDS ARE....the Inverter has a bad board.  Folks that are handy will usually just buy a new one and install it themselves.  

This is TEMPORARY.  You may have a myriad of issues....BUT, since you have POWER on the Magnum Remote...something is still working....but the House Batteries are DEAD....totally.  If you want to try to recharge them....and the Magnum is really "MAD AT THEM" and sometimes gets cranky.  THEN start the engine with the Jumper Cable in place and the Alternator will recharge them.  Leave it running for maybe 30 minutes or an hour to put a good surface charge on them.

THEN....disconnect the jumper.  Turn OFF the AC power (Pedestal breaker).  Do the SOFT reset.  BUT....THIS TIME....WAIT ABOUT 5 MINUTES before you PUSH the Power Button again. If you have a really DEEP and UGLY fault.....it takes time to drain off the current and the system board to work normally.  OR repeat the HARD reset

IF this fails and you can charge (driving with the Jumper connected will charge the HOUSE as well) you HOUSE bank....then if the Magnum doesn't give your AC power....you have a decision.  Magnum tech says they would NOT rebuild (put in a NEW board) an inverter over 10 years old.  We have members that have....and is still running.  BUT, there are fans and other components in there they they can replace.  If you have it rebuilt, you will end up with 60 - 70% of the cost of a NEW Inverter....so the logic is.  Buy a NEW one.  Any auto mechanic or any friend that can make simple house wiring repairs or install a new outlet can do the AC side of it.  The DC is just unbolt and reconnect.  

That's it....

[Steve Hepfer]

16 hours ago, Scotty Hutto said:

First, try a soft reset of your inverter. If that doesn’t work try a power (hard) reset. Here are instructions from the Magnum manual:

Under some fault conditions (e.g., an internal fault), the inverter will need to be reset. Prior to performing any reset, ensure all AC power (utility, generator, shorepower) is removed from the inverter's input.

4.4.1 Performing an Inverter Reset

To perform an inverter reset (also known as a “soft reset”):

1. Press and hold the Power ON/OFF pushbutton (see Figure 4-1) for approximately fifteen (15) seconds until the Charging/Inverting Status LED comes on and flashes rapidly.

2. Once the rapid flashing has begun, release the Power ON/OFF pushbutton. The Status LED will go off after the pushbutton is released.

3. After the inverter reset is completed, press the ON/OFF pushbutton to turn the inverter on.

If the inverter reset fails, you will need to perform a power reset using the procedure below.

In either case, if an internal fault does not clear, the inverter will require repair at an Authorized Service Center (ASC). Info: The Power ON/OFF pushbutton is a small momentary type switch which operates by lightly pressing and releasing. Be careful not to apply too much force when pushing or the switch might break.

4.4.2 Performing a Power Reset

To perform a power reset (also known as a “hard reset”):

1. Open the inverter's positive DC disconnect (or disconnect the positive battery cable to the inverter). CAUTION: If removing all battery power (positive and negative) to the inverter, remove the positive battery connections fi rst, then remove the DC negative connections to the inverter or to any accessory. This will prevent damage to the inverter or to any network connected accessory.

2. Ensure the inverter and the remote are disconnected from all AC and DC power (the remote display will be blank).

3. After the inverter has been disconnected from all power for 30 seconds, reconnect the inverter DC disconnects (or reconnect the positive battery cable) and resume operation. Info: If DC disconnects are not used, there may be a momentary spark when the positive battery cable is connected to the inverter's terminal. This is normal and indicates that the inverter's internal capacitors are being charged.

 

 

[Scotty Hutto]

It takes my flashing green light several seconds to go off, but if it’s staying on for “minutes” I would go ahead and do a hard (power) reset. 

If that doesn’t work, call Magnum tech support.  My problem turned out to be a bad ME-ARC.  I thought I was looking at a new inverter ($2,000), but it was just a flaky remote ($200) causing the whole system to not work properly. 

I confirmed that by completely shutting down the 12v and 120v, removing all of the network connections, and powering back up.  (The inverter runs in “default” mode). When I did that, I had normal power and charging. Then, I added back components one-by-one (removing 12v and 120v power each time) until I found which one was causing the inverter to show a fault. 

[Steve Hepfer]

Scotty:

For Item 4.4.1 Line 1 above, when the coach is disconnected from shore power there is nothing. When pressing the ON/OFF button without shore power there are no messages and no LED light on the Inverter reset button. When I am connected to shore power and press the ON/OFF button on the inverter the green LED comes on but does not go off

[Tom Cherry]

29 minutes ago, Steve Hepfer said:

Scotty:

For Item 4.4.1 Line 1 above, when the coach is disconnected from shore power there is nothing. When pressing the ON/OFF button without shore power there are no messages and no LED light on the Inverter reset button. When I am connected to shore power and press the ON/OFF button on the inverter the green LED comes on but does not go off

Not Scotty.  You have (Probably) a dead set of HOUSE batteries.  If you have a good or even a partially good set of House, the Inverter Remote would WORK.  This is ALL DC power.  BUT, when you kill the SHORE, you then are killing the power to the dead batteries.  Hope that is clear.  The inverter is sending out a weak charging current...but the Batteries are either DEAD or there is a blown fuse or a bad switch....

I seriously DOUBT you are going to reset the Magnum without adding the Jumper Cable between the House and Shore.  Many of us HAVE left the power on and done the reset...because the techs told us it was OK.  BUT, without any sign of life in the HOUSE....there is NOTHING powered UP...so nothing ain't happening.

That was my original conclusion.  Your house went dead.  That caused a MEGA Fault.  You have to have HOUSE POWER with a partially charged Set of batteries....otherwise, the inverter has NO POWER.  SO...TWO OPTIONS.

Do the RESET with POWER ON.  Magnum says NO in the manual but the techs say yes.  NOT RESPONSIBLE and just because I and others HAVE and no ISSUES....we are NOT liable.

OR Add a Jumper Cable.  Then do the reset.  IF the Magnum is OK, then it will start to charge the batteries.  You are charging TWO SETS of batteries....the Magnum DON'T know that.  All it knows....we have 12 VDC Power and the soft reset worked.  IF you have an UGLY problem....you are going to have to Jumper the Batteries.  THEN disconnect, per the instructions, THE Positive and Negative BEHIND or the back side of the Inverter.  THEN wait an hour.  NOW...you will need to use the Disconnect Switch....BOTH SETS OFF.  and then reconnect and turn on both.  That will let the Magnum reset and then recharge.

I personally would NOT run out and buy new House Batteries until I knew what went wrong....

BTW....DID you try cycling the House Disconnect switch a few times...  

In addition.  There is a BIG 200 or 300 A fuse somewhere protecting the inverter.  THESE DO BLOW.  You have NOT got a good 12 VDC on the Inverter.  Bad switch or bad HIGH current Fuse or ABSOULUTELY DEAD HOUSE.  The only simple way is to JUMPER and HOPE for the best.  If all is WELL, then you need to deal with the reason...

That's it as plain and simple (???  LOL) as it is and HOW the system works...and how you reset a Magnum....

[waterskier_1]

Guys, if the batteries are below the Low Voltage Cutoff, typically around 10.5 Volts, the inverter/ charger has disconnected itself, and will not reconnect until the battery voltage raises above a certain value, typically around 11,5 Volts.  You can reset till heel freezes over m but it will not acknowledge the batteries.  You will have to use an external charger to recharge the batteries, then the inverter/ charger will reconnect, if the batteries accepted the charge.  

The rationale for the above is two fold: first to protect the inverter from over heating and destroying itself because of the excess current required at the reduced voltage and, second, to protect the batteries from damage from drawing them down.

  - Rick N 

 

[Tom Cherry]

6 hours ago, waterskier_1 said:

Guys, if the batteries are below the Low Voltage Cutoff, typically around 10.5 Volts, the inverter/ charger has disconnected itself, and will not reconnect until the battery voltage raises above a certain value, typically around 11,5 Volts.  You can reset till heel freezes over m but it will not acknowledge the batteries.  You will have to use an external charger to recharge the batteries, then the inverter/ charger will reconnect, if the batteries accepted the charge.  

The rationale for the above is two fold: first to protect the inverter from over heating and destroying itself because of the excess current required at the reduced voltage and, second, to protect the batteries from damage from drawing them down.

  - Rick N 

 

AMEN.  Most may not know the quirk about pass through AC power via the internal ATS.  BUT, if you can’t charge them and have good Chassis and Jumper….that makes the Magnum “think” or actually does supply the proper voltage so the ATS will work.  Quite frankky, I’ve helped at least 20 or more….and found some ugly faults….but, never seen the error message printed here. A soft reset may not be “powerful” enough….so the next step is the hard reboot.  One member did it a few times…..and then, it sort of “burped” and all has been well.  That was a year ago and it hasn’t missed a lick since then.  I would not give up.  But after it clears….then the cause of the “dead as a doornail” batteries has to be addressed before throwing new ones in and they have the same fate….

[Steve Hepfer]

Thanks to all for the input. With the help of a good friend we disconnected almost everything wire by wire. Still not sure why my meter kept reading 28V but once we reconnected everything I pressed the ON/OFF button on the inverter it reset and for now all is well. 

Edited July 22, 2023 by Steve Hepfer