I'm having a little problem figuring the charge rate setting.
The manual suggests using a C5 charge rate setting which means dividing the total amp hours of the battery bank by 5.
My batteries total amp hours are 735 (245 X 3) divided by 5 is 147 amps, and the inverter's max charge is only 125 amps.
What am I missing?
Maybe a C6 setting which is 124.16 amps, or a C7 setting of 106 amps is necessary. C7?
That is the MAXIMUM recommended charge rate. You are fine.
And maximum charge rate also depends on battery technology, with the lower internal resistance, AGM's can safely accept a higher charge rate.
So I should go with the C5?
When we installed the 2812 in our 36 I contacted Magnum tech support and reviewed all of the settings b/4 it was connected to a.c. power.
Not sure it matters, the charger section can not exceed its 125 amps rating.
Is tech support easily accessible by phone?
Brett is correct, "That is the MAXIMUM recommended charge rate. You are fine." Your battery capacity puts it beyond the max charge rate (125amps) of the charger. The MS2812 default setting is 100%. Again, you are fine. You might find this page interesting from the Magnum site regarding your firmware version. Your remote control meter works with many of Magnum models other than yours, and all functions may not work on your MS2812. Magnum Remote Compatibility | Magnum Dimensions (http://www.magnum-dimensions.com/references/magnum-remote-compatibility) I also see on their website they have support by email, and you can always call the main number in Washington and see if currently phone support is available.
The batteries will only accept so much charge rate. If you max out then it's close enough.
Probably why busses have two 130 amp chargers in their two inverters. 260 x 5= 1300 amp hours worth of batteries capacity at max output and max acceptance
When I called Magnum on the phone and asked for Tech. Support I had no problem getting through to them promptly. They were very professional, courteous and answered all of my questions. I also contacted a knowledgeable FoFum member and verified what I verified.
It is important to monitor the battery temperature, because high (i.e. C5) charge current when the batteries are hot can cause permanent damage.
If you install the battery temperature monitor for your Magnum MS2812, you may find that when the outside temperature is high (i.e. 95+ F) your Magnum 2812 may not provide the full 125 amps in order to protect the batteries from heat damage.
Some slide model Foretravels, which have the batteries in an enclosed area in the center of the coach, are more prone to having batteries which cannot be charged at the C5 rate without causing heat damage.
I mounted the new Magnum yesterday using a piece of 1/4" aluminum plate that I mounted to the compartment sidewall
using the two original Prosine hex-head screws/holes up top, and three more countersunk flat-head screws further down
that are screwed into a diagonal framing member. Originally the Prosine was mounted using only the two screws at the top and two 5/16" thru-bolts with fender washers, lock washers and nuts at the bottom that went through foam and filon only into the Aqua Hot bay.
I had already drilled and tapped four 1/4-20 corresponding inverter mounting holes in the aluminum plate that I put studs in with red Locktite. So then it was just a matter of painting the plate black and mounting it to the wall, and in turn hanging the inverter on the studs and securing them using flat washers and nylock nuts.
As soon as it stops raining here I plan to install the new temp sensor, but for now the inverter is running using a charge rate of 90% without any temp sensor attached.
Thanks everyone for all the help.
Love the new Magnum and here's some pix of the install.
I had to move the magnetic latch assembly down nearer the bottom of the plastic door to allow for the new remote,
but it looks as close to OEM as I can make it.
Beautiful work! Looks better than factory to me. You could eat off that bay floor! ^.^d
Nice job, Peter. Did you have to remove the panel to put in the magnum control? On mine that was the hardest part of the job.
T-Man,
It looks very OEM... One thing though, when installing the inverter in a vertical orientation, Magnum documentation states that the use of the inverter hood is required which covers the vents on top.
Magnum MP-HOOD Hood for Magnum Inverter (http://thesolarstore.com/magnum-mp-hood-hood-for-magnum-inverter-p-198.html)
Ostensibly the hood's purpose is to keep stuff from falling into the vent, but when my first one went up in smoke, the hood kept the basement roof from melting or worse. It looks like you have room to mount it above. One other thing, the inverter is supposed to be mounted on something non-flamable as it can get pretty warm just in normal operation, let alone the meltdown I experienced with my defective unit. That is one requirement I see routinely ignored, but I was glad that I had used .050 sheet aluminum as a backing plate after mine went up in smoke!
Up in smoke! (not the Cheech and Chong movie) (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=28732.msg240498#msg240498)
Don
The opening that accommodated the Prosine panel was about 1.5" taller than the Magnum panel so I removed the Power Line monitor and cut a piece of Formica to cover the entire back of the compartment as well as the void. A couple of Popsicle sticks cut to size and glued onto the back of the Formica where the void was covered gave it some strength there. That was the hardest part Roger........pre-cutting the holes in the Formica for the two panels to sit in. I then stuck the Formica piece on using two-sided carpet tape and mounted the panels. The Formica isn't a perfect match but the door is always closed so it's not that noticeable.
Funny you should mention that. I realized the Prosine had a hood, but nowhere in the Magnum manual did I see a requirement
for one, nor did I even know they existed. I'll order one tomorrow..........thanks Don.
I used .025" aluminum plate painted black which has a slight air-gap between it and the compartment sidewall due to the hex heads on the bolts that I used for mounting studs.
I was looking at your old thread .. WOW good thing it didnt cause a fire... They must have missed the sticker from the factory that keeps the spark from happening.. I cry Foul!! Glad it didnt hurt anything to bad
Excellent! Below is the page that describes the orientation requirement. They also want you to use their conduit box (perhaps a code requirement), but I protected each connector individually and the conduit box wouldn't allow me to do the cable management the way I wanted to. I may (or may not) make a shield that protects the cabling and allows enough air flow at some point, but I don't feel like it is a hazardous omission like not having the hood. That is especially true on our coach where the inverter A/C cables enter from right above the mounted inverter, so when the meltdown occurred the heat very likely would have shorted the 6 gauge Romex wiring.
Don
Excellent! Below is the page that describes the orientation requirement. They also want you to use their conduit box (perhaps a code requirement), but I protected each connector individually and the conduit box wouldn't allow me to do the cable management the way I wanted to. I may (or may not) make a shield that protects the cabling and allows enough air flow at some point, but I don't feel like it is a hazardous omission like not having the hood. That is especially true on our coach where the inverter A/C cables enter from right above the mounted inverter, so when the meltdown occurred the heat very likely would have shorted the 6 gauge Romex wiring.
Don
Don, I looked at our owner's manuals and in comparing our installations there seem to be significant differences.
Apparently the Hybrid is a real heat producer and the 2812 not so much. My mounting instructions seem to be
a lot simpler than yours, with no mention of a hood or base-plate temps possibly reaching 194F. But I'm still
gonna get the hood, thanks again.
http://www.magnum-dimensions.com/sites/default/files/MagDocs/64-0058-Rev-A-MSH-M-Series_Web.pdf
http://www.magnum-dimensions.com/sites/default/files/MagArchive/64-0007-12-04-MS-Manual.pdf
Well now, that is interesting... physically, the MS2812 and MSH3012M are identical. There must be a difference in some of the electronics and firmware, but when drilling down into the tech menus, my MSH3012M reports that it is a MS2812. Though the label and all the settings show the correct parameters. I first saw this phenomena with the my first MSH3012M, but I thought maybe it was because they had just been released. I was surprised when I saw the same thing on the replacement unit that I got more than two years later. Anyway, the new one has been working flawlessly (knock on wood!).
Don