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Topic: Xantrex PROsine 2.5 - How to Set Charger to Come on Automatically  (Read 1433 times) previous topic - next topic

Xantrex PROsine 2.5 - How to Set Charger to Come on Automatically

I have the PROsine 2.5 Charger/Inverter, and I'm trying to figure out how to configure it so after a shore power failure, the charger goes on automatically.  Has anyone been able to do this?  The manual states it is possible, and refers you to page 25, but then doesn't explain the process.

It looks like you can easily do it if you have the ACS panel but that panel seems to be hard to find.

This is the second set of new Lifeline AGM's I've managed to drain to zero percent after coming back from vacation when the power failed while we were gone.
Jennifer
2003 36' U295 (# 6070)
Thousand Oaks, CA

Re: Xantrex PROsine 2.5 - How to Set Charger to Come on Automatically

Reply #1 –
We also have & enjoy the Prosgn 2.5 by Xantrex.  Have never had to reset or restart any part of it just like disconnecting from the power post and plugging not the next, it just takes off.  I was able to purchase the ACS panel, but it did not change any operation feature for us. Was able to change setting when added he 4th 8D Gel, best part of the ACS s direct Reading volts and Amps with  7 segment display vs a range. Maybe I did not get your question.
Is this a change in operation, or always been this way ?  Maybe a DIP switch position, will try to find my manual.

Google  Xantrex 2.5 prosign    The manual pops right up,
Good luck

Re: Xantrex PROsine 2.5 - How to Set Charger to Come on Automatically

Reply #2 –
Thanks Dave.  Yes, the reset and restart function of the inverter is fine.  It's the charger that I'm having the issue with.

When I connect to shore power (or after an unknown shore power failure,) I want the charger to come on automatically.  It has always been this way, whenever I connect to shore power, I must press the Charger On/Off button to turn the charger "On."

There are simple instructions in the manual for ACS Panel Configuration if you want the charger to come on automatically, but I'm just trying to figure out if this is possible without the ACS.

None of the DIP Switch positions seem to relate to this desired charger configuration.
Jennifer
2003 36' U295 (# 6070)
Thousand Oaks, CA

Re: Xantrex PROsine 2.5 - How to Set Charger to Come on Automatically

Reply #3 –
Hi Jennifer,

I have used the auto-charge-on setting at power up with the non-ACS panel in years past, but I can not find my notes now. It certainly can be done on the basic panel. I do remember that you have to have the "inverter ready" on prior to doing the final step - it involves some additional action to complete the process. I might be simply holding both the inverter button and charger button at the same when shutting panel off. You will have to shut off shore power,  then turn it back on to test for this charger-auto-on feature .

Maybe someone else will jump in that remembers the exact procedure with  the basic control panel.

Jim

2002 U320
Jim Frerichs
2002 U320 42'

Re: Xantrex PROsine 2.5 - How to Set Charger to Come on Automatically

Reply #4 –
Quote from: tothetrail –
When I connect to shore power (or after an unknown shore power failure,) I want the charger to come on automatically.  It has always been this way, whenever I connect to shore power, I must press the Charger On/Off button to turn the charger "On."

In the Prosine manual it states the On/Off button for the charger section switches between On/Off/Standby.  Can you not get it to go into Standby mode?  (I'm guessing you would need to do this without shore power attached).  Standby mode is what causes the charger section to start charging on shore power availability.

"On/Off Button The charger ON/OFF button switches the charger between charger standby mode,
On, and Off. In standby mode, the charger begins charging automatically when AC shorepower is
available. I"

"If AC power is available, upon system power-up, the unit will begin charging. If AC power is not
available the charger will automatically enter into STANDBY mode. If the inverter mode is not
enabled then the charger STANDBY LED will turn off after a few seconds as the unit enters low
power-draw sleep mode. If the inverter mode is enabled and the unit is inverting, when AC power
becomes available the unit automatically switches from inverter mode to charger mode after an 8
second delay. This delay gives the AC source time to stabilize. The Prosine inverter/charger senses the
battery state and the appropriate charge is delivered to the batteries. During charging, the charging
current will be indicated by the current bar graph on the Prosine inverter/charger control panel. As the
battery charges and the end of the charge cycle nears, the charging current will decrease and
eventually the READY LED will come on. This indicates that Prosine inverter/charger is now in Float
mode and will maintain the battery's charge as long as AC is supplied to the Prosine inverter/charger."
Learn every day, but especially from the experiences of others. It's cheaper!  - John C. Bogle

2000 U320 36' non-slide / WildEBeest Rescue
2003 U320

Re: Xantrex PROsine 2.5 - How to Set Charger to Come on Automatically

Reply #5 –
Thanks Jim, That would be great if you could dig up those notes.

Michelle, thanks for the info, I really appreciate it.  That does work, as long as the inverter was on also.  I tested it, and as long as the inverter was on and I put the charger in standby, once the shorepower was unplugged, the inverter would go on, and the charger LED would turn solid amber in standby mode.  Then, once I plugged it, the charger "ON" LED would light up green, and the inverter Standby LED would light up amber.  This is great that the charger will come on automatically, which is the first time I've seen that!

The only issue with this is, when the shorepower is cut, it seems the batteries will drain exponentially higher with that big inverter on.  And if the plug where the coach is plugged in trips, the power could be cut for several days, even a couple weeks, without me knowing when I'm not home.

But I'm checking on the "Load Sense" feature, which is configurable with those DIP switch settings as Dave suggested.  I'm trying to figure out what setting it to zero means.  On page 2, it says load sense is disabled by setting it to zero, yet on page 25, it says if it is set to zero, the inverter will remain on all the time.  Just trying to figure out what setting will consume the least amount of power when it's not sensing a load.

But at least now I know the charger will come on once power is restored, even if the inverter must also come on when power is cut.  Thanks again for all your help!
Jennifer
2003 36' U295 (# 6070)
Thousand Oaks, CA

Re: Xantrex PROsine 2.5 - How to Set Charger to Come on Automatically

Reply #6 –
Quote from: tothetrail –
That does work, as long as the inverter was on also.  I tested it, and as long as the inverter was on and I put the charger in standby, once the shorepower was unplugged, the inverter would go on, and the charger LED would turn solid amber in standby mode.  Then, once I plugged it, the charger "ON" LED would light up green, and the inverter Standby LED would light up amber.  This is great that the charger will come on automatically, which is the first time I've seen that!


Jennifer,

I would suggest contact Xantrex to see if they would share the non-ACS procedure with you.  It sounds like yours was altered from default operation (ours has always automatically charged on shore power even without the ACS panel we now have, and it didn't care about the inverter status).  Hopefully they can help and if they do, please post to the forum since it will undoubtedly help others in the future.

Michelle
Learn every day, but especially from the experiences of others. It's cheaper!  - John C. Bogle

2000 U320 36' non-slide / WildEBeest Rescue
2003 U320

Re: Xantrex PROsine 2.5 - How to Set Charger to Come on Automatically

Reply #7 –
Quote from: Michelle –
Jennifer,

I would suggest contact Xantrex to see if they would share the non-ACS procedure with you.  It sounds like yours was altered from default operation (ours has always automatically charged on shore power even without the ACS panel we now have, and it didn't care about the inverter status).  Hopefully they can help and if they do, please post to the forum since it will undoubtedly help others in the future.

Michelle
Still no luck here.  When I called the first time, they said that the inverter needed to be in standby, but when I said I wasn't in front of the unit, they said I would need to call back.  When I was able to call (and be in front of the unit) during their business hours, their recording stated their customer service was unavailable at that time.  So I sent email and in their response, they said to reference the attached regular manual (which I have) and the ACS panel manual.  (Even though I explicitly stated that I don't have the ACS panel.) 
Jennifer
2003 36' U295 (# 6070)
Thousand Oaks, CA

Re: Xantrex PROsine 2.5 - How to Set Charger to Come on Automatically

Reply #8 –
I'm still pretty new to our coach, but this is what I have observed so far....

If i unplug when in the normal charging mode, it will charge when I plug back in.

If I set to standby which I prefer, it will stay in standby when plugged back up and I have to turn it back on manually to get it charging.

I have not tested with the inverter set to standby. I am stored and leave it on so the clocks don't blink....
2003 U320 PBDS

Re: Xantrex PROsine 2.5 - How to Set Charger to Come on Automatically

Reply #9 –
Here's a shot in the dark.

Try the reset procedure shown on Barry's site:

Fault Indications and Reset Procedures for the Prosine 2.5 Inverter

And if that doesn't work, try this:

ACS Configuration Considerations
ACS Configuration settings override the DIP switch settings discussed above. If your unit has been configured using the ACS control panel, it will retain these configuration settings even after the ACS has been disconnected. The physical position of the DIP switches does not necessarily indicate the setting. To reset the configuration settings to the DIP switch settings, perform these actions:
• Change all the DIP switches to the alternate setting.
• Wait at least 20 seconds for the Prosine to recognize the new setting.
• Change the DIP switches to the desired setting.
• Wait at least another 20 seconds for the desired setting to be recognized.



My reasoning, is that you need to get back to the factory default settings, which somehow appear to have been changed.  I don't see any dip switches for this problem, although it can be reset via the ACS panel.

I have an ACS panel (found on eBay five years ago) so, don't use the dip switches anymore, but remember this always working correctly.

Good luck.

By the way, if i had my coach at home instead of in Coarsegold, i would let you borrow the ACS panel long enough to change any settings as needed.  These settings override the dip switches until the unit is reset.
Tom Lang K6PG (originally  KC6UEC)
and Diane Lang
2003 38 U295 build 6209
2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Ecodiesel
still have tow-ready 2006 Acura MDX 
Temple City, California
Motorcade 16681 California Chapter President
SKP 16663 member of SKP Park of the Sierra, Coarsegold California
FMCA F071251
Retired electrical and electronic engineer

Re: Xantrex PROsine 2.5 - How to Set Charger to Come on Automatically

Reply #10 –
Tom, thanks, I 'll give this a try.  Good idea!
Jennifer
2003 36' U295 (# 6070)
Thousand Oaks, CA

Re: Xantrex PROsine 2.5 - How to Set Charger to Come on Automatically

Reply #11 –
Since the setting to have the inverter come on when power is cut is working so far, I haven't attempted to reset to factory settings.  Especially with a trip coming up, I didn't want to make any changes that might affect anything.  But I'll definitely post when I resolve this issue.
Jennifer
2003 36' U295 (# 6070)
Thousand Oaks, CA

Re: Xantrex PROsine 2.5 - How to Set Charger to Come on Automatically

Reply #12 –
Jennifer,

This is from the latest version of the manual.  Look towards the bottom.  Maybe it will help.

Keith

Prosine 2.5/3.0 Installation & Operation Guide
 9
Section 2: Controls and Indicators

Fault LED 
This LED flashes on-and-off during an error condition from which the unit will automatically recover and restart when the condition is remedied. The FAULT LED will be lighted steadily when any error occurs from which the inverter/charger cannot automatically recover. It is usually necessary to disconnect the AC or DC supply to recover from this type of error. An error
condition is accompanied by an audible alarm if the alarm is enabled.

Temp LED
This LED flashes on-and-off to indicate that the internal temperature of the Prosine inverter/charger is too high and the unit has shutdown. When the internal temperature of the unit cools sufficiently, the inverter/charger will automatically restart. The audible alarm that accompanies this condition (if enabled) will also be silenced upon auto-restart.

Reset Button 
The RESET button on the Faults panel has two functions: pressed and released, it will silence the audible alarm which, if enabled, will sound an insistent intermittent tone anytime an error condition occurs, which can be looked up in a table to determine the nature of the error. Press and hold the RESET button to display error codes. Error codes are listed in an Appendix to this
manual.

Inverter Status Indicators and On/Off Button
Invert LED When the green LED labeled INVERT is flashing, shorepower is not present, Load Sense is enabled, and no AC
loads exceed the Load Sense threshold. The inverter is not producing AC power from the batteries. When the INVERT
LED is lighted steadily, shorepower is not present and the inverter is producing AC power from the batteries. The INVERT
 LED is not lighted when shorepower is present.

Standby LED
When the amber LED labeled STANDBY is lighted steadily, shorepower is present and the inverter will pass AC power through to any AC loads that may be present.
If shorepower should fail or be removed while the inverter is in Standby mode, the inverter will automatically begin to produce power from the batteries, and the INVERT LED will be lighted.

On/Off Button.
A button labeled ON/OFF is provided adjacent to the INVERT and STANDBY LEDs. When pressed, this button switches the inverter from On to Standby mode. Use in conjunction with the charger's ON/OFF button to set the startup inverter/charger mode. See "Section 3:
Configuration," on page 25 for instructions on how to set the startup inverter/charger mod
Keith, Joyce & Smokey the Australian Cattle Dog
1995 U320 SE Extreme 40' WTBI Build # 4780, with a Honda CR-V hopefully still following behind.
Motorcade # 17030
FMCA # F422159

Re: Xantrex PROsine 2.5 - How to Set Charger to Come on Automatically

Reply #13 –
Load sense at zero means the inverter is on all the time.

If you set it to some value, then it is idle and using relatively little juice while it waits for you to turn something on.

HTH, Mike
2003 U320 PBDS
 

Re: Xantrex PROsine 2.5 - How to Set Charger to Come on Automatically

Reply #14 –
Thanks everyone for all the replies.  I finally found a new ACS panel so I'm all set with this.  You can configure what happens when you plug into shorepower four different ways:

1. Nothing comes on
2. Charger only
3. Inverter only
4. Both come on

I was able to set it to have the charger only come on and it works perfectly.
Jennifer
2003 36' U295 (# 6070)
Thousand Oaks, CA