Question for Xantrex LinkLite owners

[mcaswell]

I can't seem to get my LinkLite to auto-sync. I drain the bank down 15 - 20% or so, then switch the charger on... it's supposed to auto-sync once the battery is full, but it doesn't happen, even though the auto-sync conditions are met (13.2v from the charger, and no amps).

The result is that I end up with a full battery, but a battery meter that has not gotten all the way back up to 0 (maybe showing around -5 amps). I'm assuming that the LinkLite has an automatic CEF (charge efficiency factor) routine, which is not specifically mentioned in the manual but is present on all other Xantrex battery monitors, and that an auto-sync would cause this to be calculated. But because it won't auto-sync, the CEF is never calculated... and my AGM batteries, which charge more efficiently than flooded batteries, do not get "credit" for all the amps that are going into them.

While this is not a big deal when hooked up to shore power, and I know the battery is fully charged (and can manually sync), when out on a cruise for a week, it will become more of a factor, as negative amp hours accumulate.

I called Xantrex tech support, and after waiting on hold for about 30 minutes, the person who took the call was absolutely no help at all... I don't think he even knew what auto-sync was.

So, is anyone else having this problem?

--Michael

 

[Stu Jackson]

Here's the answer - Premature "Full"

Link Algorithms from our C34 Website Forum/Message Board:

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4922.0.html

Auto-sync doesn't apply.

Many thanks to Rich Stidger & Donalex for their contributions and help on working these issues.

You noted: "13.2v from the charger, and no amps..." That's below both of the default "thresholdS" so it says full when it is not. Change the "thresholds."

Any more details needed? Just ask away.

Thanks,

Stu

 

[Don12364]

In support of Stu's reply, do you mean the charge current threshold is actually set at "0"?
It seems likely that the programmer writing the software decided that anyone setting the threshold to zero did not wish to use this feature so it turns off if set to zero. The charger is monitoring the charge current and looking to see it reduce to cross over the set limit value.
If so I suggest setting the threshold to 1 amp or 5 amps just for this test.

Please be aware that Xantrex bought Heart Interface some years ago and it looks as if much of this technology was designed by Heart. If this is the case it would explain why Xantrex may not know too much about how the equipment operates.
(Or have I got hold of the wrong end of the stick in both cases?)
BTW - I have a Heart/Freedom combi charger inverter with a defunct charger here in the UK and there is no UK agent where I can get it repaired - and they have refused to let me have the circuit so I can fix it myself.
Can anyone help please?

 

[mcaswell]

In support of Stu's reply, do you mean the charge current threshold is actually set at "0"?

No, this parameter on the battery charger is set to the default (2% of the bank's capacity I believe, which would be about 4 amps in my case). So, when voltage is at or above 13.2, and charger current is under 4 amps, it's supposed to consider the battery full, and auto-sync.

Stu's link provides some helpful information, but I believe he's having the opposite problem... his observation is that the monitor will auto-sync too early in those conditions (refrigerator running, etc.). That could be a problem for me too later, but since the LinkLite does not allow for CEF to be set manually, I really need for it to be able to go through a few discharge/charge cycles with auto-sync so that it can calculate my bank's true CEF.

--Michael

 

[mcaswell]

Just a followup on this. To reiterate my problem, the LinkLite is supposed to "autosync" (that is, to automatically reset the amp hours to 0 when it detects a fully charged battery), but it wasn't doing so, despite the two parameters that trigger this (voltage at or above a set point, 13.2 being the default, plus amps at or below a set point, 2% of the battery bank size being the default).

A few weeks ago I began to notice that perhaps my charger (a Guest 30amp) wasn't operating properly. The voltage didn't seem where it should have been (it usually hovered in the area of 13.5v, during most of the charge, never getting in the 14v range), and there were some other inconsistencies that I observed.

I decided to go ahead and replace it with a Truecharge 40, and now the LinkLite is autosyncing as it should.

--Michael