Sorry for the harsh language but I purchased a Honda EU1000i generator and took it out for a try this week-end. When I hooked it up to my Heart Interface Freedom Series Inverter/Charger on my '94 Legend 37.5, using the shore power connector/adapter, it trips the Honda's "overload indicator light" after about 10 seconds and quits charging. I figure I've got two choices: 1) Upgrade to a EU2000 and hope it's got the juice to not overload. 2) Find some sort of device that will send what output the EU1000 has to the charger without tripping the overload shut-down. (Will not sending enough current harm the charger?) All advice appreciated! Glen (Like "damned" is harsh language among sailors!)
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Do you have the Remote?
If so, all you need to do is select a lower AC input on the power share feature. If you do not have remote, check your manual to see if you can do it from the controls on the inverter. My 2000 will trip if I select 30 amps, but will do fine on 20. I'd try the 1000 on 15 amps. Good luck, RD
If so, all you need to do is select a lower AC input on the power share feature. If you do not have remote, check your manual to see if you can do it from the controls on the inverter. My 2000 will trip if I select 30 amps, but will do fine on 20. I'd try the 1000 on 15 amps. Good luck, RD
Pesky Electrons
Glen, I had a similiar problem. What is happening is that the output of the eu1000 (I also have one) has voltage on either side of the neutral. If you measure from ground to both sides (hot and neutral) you will see about 60v on either side of ground, but the 120vac across the hot and neutral. That, unfortunately, is the nature of the 'inverter' output from the generator. A bigger generator will do the same thing. When you initially power it, you will probably see that the reverse polarity indicator is lit. I solved my problem by lifting the 'diode' that goes between the neutral side of the 110v to the little breaker that is associated with your 110vac breaker in your panel. I have a H33 (2004) and discovered this problem early on. I did leave the indicator light in place so I can see if there is a reverse polarity from the shore power (but will not trip - it is up to me to figure the next step if this occurs). Michael
Glen, I had a similiar problem. What is happening is that the output of the eu1000 (I also have one) has voltage on either side of the neutral. If you measure from ground to both sides (hot and neutral) you will see about 60v on either side of ground, but the 120vac across the hot and neutral. That, unfortunately, is the nature of the 'inverter' output from the generator. A bigger generator will do the same thing. When you initially power it, you will probably see that the reverse polarity indicator is lit. I solved my problem by lifting the 'diode' that goes between the neutral side of the 110v to the little breaker that is associated with your 110vac breaker in your panel. I have a H33 (2004) and discovered this problem early on. I did leave the indicator light in place so I can see if there is a reverse polarity from the shore power (but will not trip - it is up to me to figure the next step if this occurs). Michael
Lifting a diode?
Michael, I was with you until you got to the lifting of diodes part. In my neighborhood, the mean streets of Olympia, lifting a diode means sending some of the boyz down to the Radio Shack and stuffing a 'doide' or two down your pants, providing, of course, that the boyz would have any idea what a doide is. Lifting a diode sounds intriguing but what does it mean? Explain it to me like I was Rocky Balboa. Glen Hellman Da Hood (Olympia, WA)
Michael, I was with you until you got to the lifting of diodes part. In my neighborhood, the mean streets of Olympia, lifting a diode means sending some of the boyz down to the Radio Shack and stuffing a 'doide' or two down your pants, providing, of course, that the boyz would have any idea what a doide is. Lifting a diode sounds intriguing but what does it mean? Explain it to me like I was Rocky Balboa. Glen Hellman Da Hood (Olympia, WA)
Workaround Options
There are a couple more workaround options: 1) install a different inverter, and, 2) if you have a high-output alternator. With a large battery bank the acceptance rate will take a lot of amps. Additionally, the start-up of the Heart will cause a large surge of current. The Freedom 10, for example, will surge to 50 amps at start-up before it figures out what the batteries need and it settles back down to a lower charge rate. The 1000i will have useable output about somewhere in the neighborhood of around 33 to 35 amps, as I recall, at rated output of 900W continuous and based on a formula I found on the Xantrex web site, for inverter charging purposes. The Honda has a higher output for shorter durations but it's not enought to handle the large start-up surge currents required. According to the Xantrex tech support people the Honda doesn't like charging to a Heart-type inverter (large iron coil) because of Honda's circuitry. Instead, they recommend going through a unit like the Prosine which uses a more compatible type of circuitry. Unfortunately, Prosine only comes in 20 and 40 amp models and the 20 amp leaves too much on the table and the 40 will cause the Honda to trip. There doesn't appear to be anything on the market that's in the 30 to 35 amp range. There are some other inverter manufacturers that have control panels that can reduce the charge rate of their units but by the time one changes over to one of these you could buy a 2000i but it has a continuous output rating of only 1600 W and is a lot heavier. Another consideration with a Honda-type generator is that it's better to err on the side of not stressing the output because the diodes, and maybe other parts of the circuit, will wear out sooner so a 30 amp charger would be preferable to a 35. Using the Freedom control panel to reduce input power requires it to be reduced to such a low level it would take a long time to charge a large bank and a lot of the Honda output capability would be wasted. The other workaround (2), if you have a high-output alternator like a Balmar, is to initially run the engine (at something, say, in the 1500 to 2000 RPM range) and do the high-acceptance charge with the Balmar. After some (depends on the alternator output and battery bank discharge) time the Honda-Heart system could be used to charge when the Honda doesn't trip. As time continues the engine RPMs can be slowly reduced (when the engine RPMs are reduced you will be able to hear the Honda "load up") and eventually the engine turned off. At this point the Honda-Heart is handling all the charging. A variation on the above is to just charge one side of the house bank initially and get it fairly charged up then go to "Both" but switching to both may require some engine/alternator support for a bit but the more charged Bank 1 would help to minimize this. The 1000i is a really nice unit, very portable, and would be heartbreak to sell. Hope this helps.
There are a couple more workaround options: 1) install a different inverter, and, 2) if you have a high-output alternator. With a large battery bank the acceptance rate will take a lot of amps. Additionally, the start-up of the Heart will cause a large surge of current. The Freedom 10, for example, will surge to 50 amps at start-up before it figures out what the batteries need and it settles back down to a lower charge rate. The 1000i will have useable output about somewhere in the neighborhood of around 33 to 35 amps, as I recall, at rated output of 900W continuous and based on a formula I found on the Xantrex web site, for inverter charging purposes. The Honda has a higher output for shorter durations but it's not enought to handle the large start-up surge currents required. According to the Xantrex tech support people the Honda doesn't like charging to a Heart-type inverter (large iron coil) because of Honda's circuitry. Instead, they recommend going through a unit like the Prosine which uses a more compatible type of circuitry. Unfortunately, Prosine only comes in 20 and 40 amp models and the 20 amp leaves too much on the table and the 40 will cause the Honda to trip. There doesn't appear to be anything on the market that's in the 30 to 35 amp range. There are some other inverter manufacturers that have control panels that can reduce the charge rate of their units but by the time one changes over to one of these you could buy a 2000i but it has a continuous output rating of only 1600 W and is a lot heavier. Another consideration with a Honda-type generator is that it's better to err on the side of not stressing the output because the diodes, and maybe other parts of the circuit, will wear out sooner so a 30 amp charger would be preferable to a 35. Using the Freedom control panel to reduce input power requires it to be reduced to such a low level it would take a long time to charge a large bank and a lot of the Honda output capability would be wasted. The other workaround (2), if you have a high-output alternator like a Balmar, is to initially run the engine (at something, say, in the 1500 to 2000 RPM range) and do the high-acceptance charge with the Balmar. After some (depends on the alternator output and battery bank discharge) time the Honda-Heart system could be used to charge when the Honda doesn't trip. As time continues the engine RPMs can be slowly reduced (when the engine RPMs are reduced you will be able to hear the Honda "load up") and eventually the engine turned off. At this point the Honda-Heart is handling all the charging. A variation on the above is to just charge one side of the house bank initially and get it fairly charged up then go to "Both" but switching to both may require some engine/alternator support for a bit but the more charged Bank 1 would help to minimize this. The 1000i is a really nice unit, very portable, and would be heartbreak to sell. Hope this helps.
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