Crud! My inverter won't power my e-bike charger!

[tx2sturgis]

'At 400 watts, your inverter is just barely powerful enough. 3 Amps times 120 volts equals 360 watts.'

I'm just going off of the numbers you posted. It is very possible that either:

A) The numbers printed on your charger are not accurate. 
B) Your battery and charger are much more powerful than what those other people are using.
C) Their chargers are able to work with lower current for longer time while yours does not. 
D) Your first guess, that your inverter is crap, is accurate. 

 Or:

E) E-bike chargers are rated for the amps provided at the bike battery voltage level.

So a charger rated at 3 amps and the e-bike battery is rated at 52 volts...power used by the e-bike charger is roughly 156 up to maybe 175 watts...(which should be easy to handle for a true (continuous) 400 watt sine-wave inverter, assuming it is wired adequately and working properly)

I mentioned this calculation in post #39.

 

[BigT]

Thanks, guys. All good points and much appreciated. I'm sure the 1000W model I just picked up with do the job.

It's just going to take a little tweaking to get it to fit in my tiny van.

 

[highdesertranger]

test before mounting. highdesertranger

 

[BigT]

test before mounting.  highdesertranger

Yup.  Just waiting for my larger eyelet connectors to arrive so I can securely attach the wires to the new inverter.  
The lugs on the 1000W are much larger than those on the Wagan 400.

 

[highdesertranger]

I have my fingers crossed for you. I sure hope this solves your problem. highdesertranger

 

[BigT]

I have my fingers crossed for you.  I sure hope this solves your problem.  highdesertranger

I wish I had good news, but I don't.  This new 1000W inverter isn't running my battery charger either, thought the symptoms are different. 

Now instead of running the charger in spurts or surges, I get an error code #10 and the inverter shuts down.  
As usual, I tried running a very short length of cable to ensure it wasn't due to Voltage drop, but it made no difference.  

I also ran a 120V electric fan off the system, and it was no problem at all.  

I'm trying to dig up information on error codes for the Xantrex PROwatt SW 1000, so I can figure out what this #10 means.   :huh:

Ugh!

 

[tx2sturgis]

Short circuit possibly. Or maybe the inverters see something that LOOKS like a short circuit in the charger.

 

[BigT]

Weird.  I'm not getting an audio alarm, just a red light and a LED reading that says "E 10"

Is that chart specifically for the Xantrex Prowatt SW 1000?  I found another Xantrex model with a different description for the #10 code.  
It said it had something to do with interrupted power input, but it was't the model I have.  

The charger works find when plugged into shore power.  

This is really starting to get annoying.

 

[highdesertranger]

dang, I feel for you. highdesertranger

 

[BigT]

I just ordered a 2A slow charger to see if there's an internal issue with the 3A quick charger I have now, that only shows up when it's run off an inverter. I'm not sure what else I can do. The larger, more powerful inverter really should have fixed the problem, unless it was never the issue in the first place.

I wonder if Amazon will let me return the 1000W if the Wagan 400W ends up working with the new charger?

 

[Weight]

If the charger works on mains plug it should very well work on a Sine Wave inverter. Have you physically examined the wires from the battery to the inverter? Do you have a buddy with a working inverter that you can test your charger? Any volunteers in the San Fran area?

 

[Weight]

Hre is a link to your operators manual. E-10 is a problem with the output side. Check your plug from the battery charger.
http://www.xantrex.com/documents/Power-Inverters/PROwatt-SW/975-0529-01-01_Rev-C(Artwork).pdf

 

[B and C]

If you are extending the output of the charger (extension cord) try plugging the charger directly into the plug of the inverter. That is the only thing that comes to mind here.

 

[BigT]

I'm not using an extension cord, just the regular cord for the charger.  It's about 4' long.  I suppose I could cut it and shorten it, if you think that would help.  I just find it odd that so many people are running their 52V, 3A battery chargers off much smaller inverters than mine with no problems at all.  Makes me think it's something to do with the charger and not the power supply, even thought the charger runs fine off shore power.

My 3A charger is a "rapid charger", if that makes any difference.  I'm hoping the 2A slow/trickle charger I just ordered will resolve the issue, though I'm not sure it will.  I was sure the 1000W Xantrex would fix the problem, but..................  Nope.  

As I mentioned before, I've tried shortening the power cables to less than 2' to make sure it wasn't an input wire length issue, and it wasn't.  

I'm going to call Xantrex tomorrow to confirm what a E 10 code means and what they think the problem might be.

 

[B and C]

No need to shorten the cord from the power brick to the battery. It was just a passing thought about a frayed extension cord in the mix. The charger wire is in good shape with no hard bends that could cause a short when plugged into the charger? Makes no sense otherwise.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Is the GFCI tripping?

Can you verify the inverter is working with another appliance?

A handheld electric drill, a 500 or 750 watt space heater, a 300 watt halogen worklamp, a large flat-screen TV, a small countertop food blender, anything that will put a moderate load on the inverter just to be 100% sure it is working correctly.

 

[B and C]

He tried a fan but maybe not enough of a load. A portable heater should be a good test.

 

[BigT]

I have a pedestal type space heater, but it's rated at 1,500 Amps. Wouldn't that kill the inverter or blow the fuse?
I've also got a blender I can try. It doesn't show the Watts, but it does say 120V / 3.7A
I suppose I could try my Kitchen-aid stand mixer. That beast has a pretty powerful motor in it.

I'll run a few tests and post my results. Heck, I've got to do something while I wait for my new 2A charger to arrive.

When I was testing my smaller, 400W inverter, I plugged a paper shredder into it, and it ran fine so long as I didn't try to run it while the battery charger was plugged in and running in spurts. If I ran them at the same time, the paper shredder and the charger both ran in spurts or surges.

 

[B and C]

1,500 watt heater is too much. The blender should do it if you blend something in it (late enough for a frozen margarita?). The 3.7A is close to your charger amperage and will only be reached under a load and not just turned on empty. In other words, give the blender something hefty to work on.

 

[BigT]

It powered a blender full of water just fine.  Granted the H2O wasn't as thick as a load of peanut butter, but it was all I had and provided some amount of resistance.  (I noted a change on the digital meter as I changed speed settings).  

So it seems to be working, just not with my battery charger.  

I'll report my findings next week when I try powering my 2A trickle charger.