Progressive Dynamics Converter problem

[onfire]

With a 60 amp rated converter and a 30 amp rated Honda generator the converter shuts off when I turn on a 14 amp ac unit. Nothing else turned on. Converter has a voltage circuit protection built in with 105V low and 130V high limits. Normal supplied generator voltage is 126V. Generator "blips" for 1/2 second and drops to 104V, then back to 126V, when the ac compressor kicks on and the converter shuts down all power for 30 seconds. Every time.

Nothing in the owners manual about decreasing the lower V limit in the converter.

AC looped to the generator, bypassing the converter runs fine...generator is loafing direct wired to generator...plenty of generator....but it also blips for 1/2 second when the compressor turns on.

Any suggestions to fix this problem are appreciated.

[ktmracer]

The AC more than likely needs at least 30A to start the AC for a few seconds. Once started then other stuff can be run. Even with a 30A generator (which generator do you have??) if you have any of the following on, WH on electric, converter with any signficant load, fridge on electric, your pushing the generator when the AC kicks on.

The symptom you described of the generator going to 104V indicates its in overload.

Only way to fix the problem is a bigger generator.

BTW I have two honda 2000's paralleled an AC and the PD60A unit. Even the two hondas in parallel have trouble starting the AC when the PD is putting out more than about 30A which is about an 8A draw from the 120V line. The PD60A unit will draw close to 14A when it is putting out 60A. Yes, I know thats more than you calculate from the PD watts rating, that's because the PD has no power factor correction and draws about 40% more current than you calculate from the watts.

[onfire]

3000is Honda 24 amp continuous, 30 map peak gen.

With every breaker turned off, all lights off....nothing but the 14 amp AC unit running...when the compressor activates, the converter shuts the power off.

Generator starts and runs the ac fine direct wired...with room to spare..

Worst case I can wire the ac directly to one of the generators extra 20 amp plugs and bypass the converter.

[ktmracer]

Originally Posted by onfire

3000is Honda 24 amp continuous, 30 map peak gen.

With every breaker turned off, all lights off....nothing but the 14 amp AC unit running...when the compressor activates, the converter shuts the power off.

Generator starts and runs the ac fine direct wired...with room to spare..

Worst case I can wire the ac directly to one of the generators extra 20 amp plugs and bypass the converter.

is the 3000 in eco mode when the AC starts?? if so it may not be recovering fast enough and the voltage sags on startup. Also the 3000 is 23A rated continous, 25A max, not 30A max. That only gives you a spare 8A or so once the AC starts, and really not much at all to spare when the AC is trying to start.

Also, if every breaker is turned off, then the converter is also off, since it is tied to one of the breakers. I still believe that the converter is charging the batteries, and/or supplying power to other 12V loads enough to make the 3000is struggle. Or, even if not supplying any load, it sees the power go below 105V and shuts off. Inrush current for the AC is not 14A, it can be as high as 50-60A for a second or so, especially at higher temperatures. That plus any other load is causing the generator to momentarily come close to overload. that is why the generator voltage is dropping to 104V. These inverter generators are not very forgiving for overload, nor are they very good for supplying surge current needs for motor loads. the output voltage drops like a rock as you get anywhere near max rated load. And if the 3000is is like other hondas, the 25A peak is for a second or less, not the 30 minutes honda claims.


when you stay "direct wired" what do you mean??

and when you say the converter "shuts down all power" for 30 seconds, what happens. If the converter output goes to 0, the trailer batteries should easily supply keep all 12V accessories running and you shouldn't even notice the converter momentarily shutting down.

Like I mentioned in the previous post, I have honda 2000's paralleled. they can provide more current than a 3000is, for continous(27A) and max (33). Starting the AC at high temps with any other signficant load (>5A) if the generators are not in eco mode will cause the voltage to sag down below 105V momentarily until the throttle catches up. In fact it will trip out my EMS system in eco mode even with no other loads if I don't bypass the EMS.

If they are not in eco mode, then voltage stays up and the EMS doesn't trip out even with a few other small loads.

[onfire]

Thanks for the suggestions. Here it is in a nutshell:

1. Turn off 12v batt breaker.

2. Turn off EVERYTHING in trailer except AC receptacle.

3. Turn gen on. NOT in Eco mode.

4. Turn AC on in fan mode. Fan runs.

5. AC calcs actual temp at 72f and desired temp at 70f.

6. AC compressor turns on and the PD shuts the power off. This turns the AC totally off including the ac fan, etc on it. Stays off until it resets internally and the ac fans turns back on without the compressor engaged.

7. The lights overhead on 12v do not stay on because they were not on during this test. No voltage draw on the pd or generator except for the AC unit.

Direct wire means I run an electrical cord directly from the AC unit directly to the generator and use one of the spare 20amp receptacles to power the AC this bypasses the PD and this works well (You just barely hear a generator blip when the compressor engages). The main trailer incoming is connected to the Honda 30amp locking receptacle. That leaves two unused 20amp receptacles.

1. Either the Honda can be adjusted to only drop to 106ish V when the compressor kicks.

2 Or the PD can be adjusted to allow 104V for 1/2 second without cutting the power off.

If not I will make the direct wire permanent and forget it.

[onfire]

Final test today.

1. Wired the AC directly to the generator bypassing the PD converter.

2. Turned on the generator

3. Turned on the inside 120v lights and the inside 12v lights.

4. Turned on the AC fan....all is running fine.

5. AC compressor kicked on and the generator blipped for 1/2 second (dropped from 126V to 103V for 1/2 second then back to 126V) but allowed the AC to cycle properly. PD turned the inside 120v lights off for 10 seconds. DC lights stayed on.

6. With the AC running wide open and the lights back on I turned EVERYTHING on inside and outside including a pancake air compressor. Generator easily handled full load which I will never use. Gen overload light did not blink and voltage stayed at 125.....

Best fix is to figure out how to lower the low limit of the PD converter to 100V or change the amount of time it reads Voltage under 105V before it shuts down.

[ktmracer]

If I understand your setup correctly, I think I know what the problem is. It sounds like you are disconnecting the battery, (turn off 12V battery breaker). do NOT DO THIS. Here is what sounds like is happening. With the battery disconnected, the ONLY source of 12V to the trailer is the PD converter. when it drops out, there is NO 12v to the trailer, including the AC thermostat (it runs on 12V from the battery). once it looses power, the AC shuts off, when the PD restores power, the AC will start the fan but NOT the compressor for between 3 and 5 minutes. Once compressor looses power, the AC has a time delay before restart to allow pressure to drop on the compressor so it can start again.

Also, the PD does NOT do anything on the 120V lights, ALL it does is output 12VDC. If the 120V shuts off the 120V lightsthat's something else. (Most trailers have NO 120V lights, all the overhead lights are 12V) again, if the 12V lights go out that means the battery is NOT connected, and it must be connected for the AC thermostat. You should be able to have the PD converter off and all the 12V stuff in the trailer should run normally including the AC thermostat and the battery indicator on your control panel should show the battery being "charged".

You CAN turn off the 120V breaker to the PD converter. If you do this, ALL the 12V lights and 12V accessories should stay powered up and the AC should start w/o any problems. If the 12V accesories and lights go off with the PD breaker turned off, you have another issue either with the battery or some other 12V wiring issue.

[onfire]

Just as stated above. Battery is connected and functioning. Batt breaker is on in the last test. AC is all 120V in this system. PD has a 105 to 130 hysterisis and the momentary drop to 103 is making the PD drop out.

Either the PD has to be adjusted to 100V low limit or the Honda has to be adjusted to 106 minimum drop when the compressor engages.