Inverters Troubleshooting Guide
Contents
1. batteries condition must be evaluated To do this you must follow the following steps A Properly recharge the batteries using a low amperage charger Tundra IBC series Battery Chargers are among the best options Perform a load test using a quality AVR device designed for this purpose Never replace only one battery on a battery bank Preferably replace them all at once If not possible find a tested good used battery D Ifthe problem is not the batteries then the alternator or its capacity should be evaluated See next topic for more details Ow WARNINGS I Combining new batteries with older ones will promote a rapid deterioration of the most recent better batteries 6 CHARGING PROBLEMS Charging problems are frequent If your vehicle is equipped with an alternator of less than 160A the batteries are perhaps not fully charged even if the vehicle has traveled for more than eight consecutive hours Indeed in some cases the consumption is greater than the alternator s charging capacity This condition happens mainly in winter and or at night when the different electrical systems are highly solicited If the batteries are in a discharge state and the alternator is working fine after testing its output capacity you should consider replacing the vehicle s alternator with a more powerful one A An alternator should always be tested using a quality AVR B The maximum continuous amperage required by a truck should nev2. cause an incident leading to equipment loss or personal injury Always follow the user manual recommendations Select the appropriate cable type amp gauge Select the appropriate in line fuse Proceed to an adequate crimping and color coding of all terminals NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE CONSEQUENCES OF A BAD INSTALLATION MOO gt 2 LOW VOLTAGE PROTECTION All Tundra Power Inverters are software controlled and equipped with a Low Battery Protection that prevents draining the batteries below a predetermined level The Low Voltage Protection LVP set up may vary from one model to another You may refer to the user manual or specs of your inverter for more details Low end Power Inverters and none truck specific ones generally allow a very deep discharge of the batteries 8 to 10 Volts These are therefore putting at risk the engine starting as well as the batteries and alternators lifespan Tundra Truck Approved Series Power Inverters have a special programming informing you that the capacity of your batteries is decreasing and that it is time to recharge them Although the reaching of this alarm can be gradual it can also be instantaneous if you attempt to power a substantial load The remote remains the best tool to asses and understand what is going on Tundra Truck Approved series Other Tundra series Low battery voltage alarm at 11 5 Volts Low battery voltage alarm at 10 5 Volts Low battery voltage shutdown at 11 0 v
3. J l Le Tk E EE Inverters Troubleshooting Guide E1000 E1500 E2000 HD1200 HD1800 HD2500 HDII800 HDI3000 HTS 300 T HTS600 T HTS1200 T THIS DOCUMENT WILL HELP YOU IDENTIFY THE SOURCE OF THE MOST COMMON PROBLEMS IN A COMMERCIAL TRUCK APPLICATION PLEASE READ THIS GUIDE BEFORE UNINSTALLING AND OR RETURNING A PRODUCT www tundrainternational com INTRODUCTION This document will help you identify the source of the most common problems in a commercial truck application Please read this guide before uninstalling and or returning a product This will help you identify understand and solve 99 of the problems you might be facing If after reading this document you are still unable to solve the problem or if you encounter a problem that is not described in this guide please call your dealer or our online customer support at 1 877 964 2582 with the hereunder listed information ready This will help our distributors and or customer support representatives give you a quick and quality service 1 Model 2 Serial number 3 Purchase date 4 Fault codes if available TUNDRA INTERNATIONAL INC warrants its Power Inverters against defects in material or workmanship for a period of one 1 year from the date of purchase This warranty applies only to the original purchaser end user of the product All defective products must be returned to an authorized dealer for a warranty claim Returned units will then be evaluated by
4. MS amp CAUSES Before coming to the conclusion that your power inverter is not working properly we recommend you read this section which refers to the most common causes of malfunctioning of a power inverter in a commercial truck application I Improper Installation 5 Noise in audio video equipment 23 Low Voltage protection 8 Improper output voltage 3 Reverse polarity 9 Improper Sine Wave 4 Improper maintenance 10 Overload protection 5 Battery problems 11 High input voltage protection 6 Charging problems MOST COMMON PROBLEMS COMMON CAUSES Lack of output power Poor performances 1 4 5 6 9 10 Automatic shut off 2 4 5 6 9 10 11 1 3 4 5 10 11 Unable to power a specific load device 4 5 8 9 1 IMPROPER INSTALLATION An improper installation is the most common cause of failure malfunctioning of a power inverter Here is a simple way to identify whether the installation is undersized poorly made or if it requires maintenance gt Ifa small load i e 100W can be supplied properly but a greater one i e 1000W is placing the inverter on a Low Voltage Protection LVP state the installation is probably at cause 3 I T5G 0512 EN The use of our CM Series Installation Kits is strongly recommended but not obligatory However it is crucial to carefully follow the material and methodology recommendations found in the user manual of your inverter Failure to do so could cause operational problems and potentially
5. can give the impression that they are small because they are commonly used in residential or commercial applications e Microwaves coffee makers bar fridges vacuum cleaner etc The ability to provide a peak power capable of starting a demanding load is much lower on a Power Inverter than on a conventional power source residential commercial supplied by the public services Heavy loads like a circular saw or a compressor may require a larger capacity Power Inverter as well as more battery capacity than you currently have In the event that a load would be impossible to operate with your existing configuration please contact us for more information and recommendations 8 I T5G 0512 EN 11 HIGH INPUT VOLTAGE PROTECTION All Tundra Power Inverters are software controlled and equipped with a High Input Voltage automatic shutdown that prevents damaging the Power Inverter above a predetermined level The High Voltage Protection set up may vary from one model to another You may refer to the user manual or specs of your inverter for more details Low end Power Inverters and none truck specific ones generally allow a very high input voltage from alternators or shop chargers 16 to 18 Volts These are therefore putting at risk the inverters lifespan Tundra Truck Approved Series Power Inverters have a special programming that will instantaneously shut down the Power Inverter if it senses an input voltage higher than its initial programming Th
6. er exceed 75 of the maximum capacity of an alternator WARNINGS I If you replace the alternator by a more powerful one you should plan to replace the alternator output cable by a heavier gauge NOISE IN AUDIO VIDEO EQUIPMENT Some CB radio stereo systems or televisions may under certain circumstances emit a buzzing sound or show a pixelized image called noise These devices have been designed to catch surrounding signals to function properly Among the 7 I TSG 0512 EN available signals it is common that they also catch inappropriate ones such as the magnetic field generated by an alternator or a rotary apparatus fridge compressor fan etc If more than one of these accessories are powered through the same Power Inverter the phenomenon can be accentuated Our inverters are designed to minimize as much as possible this kind of inconvenience If you experience some of the said troubles very few solutions exist other than A Reviewing the installation in order to make sure that both DC cables from the batteries to the inverter are joined all the way B Managing your way of working with the inverter differently and stop using rotary apparatus and audio equipment at the same time 8 IMPROPER OUTPUT VOLTAGE To read a Modified Sine Wave you must use a True RMS multi meter It is common to find multi meters though expensive which are unable to read a Modified Sine Wave With such multi meter the output power readin
7. gs could range between 96 and 140V which is incorrect Keep in mind that the value of the equipment multi meter you are using does not reflect the fact that it is True RMS or not If you need to test the output power of your inverter using a True RMS multi meter remember that our Power Inverters are designed to produce an output voltage that ranges from 115 to 125V IMPROPER SINE WAVE Modified Sine Wave ONLY If your load accessory runs great on a conventional electrical outlet 1 e at home but not through your Power Inverter its incompatibility to a Modified Sine Wave may be the cause If no other problem source has been found after going through this document and the trouble persists the use of a PURE Sine Wave Power Inverter will most likely be required A Our Modified Sine Wave power inverters are engineered to offer you the very best Modified Sine Wave possible thus virtually offering no restrictions You can run Microwaves coffee makers toasters LCD TVs laptops battery chargers and much more with confidence WARNINGS I Regardless the quality of the Modified Sine Wave Power Inverter you are using some very sensitive devices such as medical equipments e CPAP machines must run from a Pure Sine Wave ONLY Otherwise these may be suffering of an erratic functioning if running at all and their lifespan could be shortened as well 10 OVERLOAD PROTECTION Load higher than inverter nominal capacity Heavy loads
8. ies 8 fuses located F1 to F8 on the PCB I T5G 0512 EN HD A HDI Series 12 fuses located F1 to F12 on the PCB E Replace all ATO fuses only if all burned by gently removing them out of their socket Once replaced and before trying to restart the inverter you MUST place the cover back and re install the Power Inverter refer to user guide for installation recommendations WARNINGS I IF and ONLY IF all ATO fuses are burned you can replace them all using the same type and amperage fuses in order to bring the Power Inverter back to service If only one or few of the ATO fuses are burned this indicates a major failure and therefore not repairable on site Ignoring this advice and replacing some fuses can lead to a fire and personal injury II Replace fuses using identical fuses same type and same capacity Replacing the fuses with a different capacity can lead to a fire and personal injuries III DO NOT attempt to repair and or replace any other components on the printed circuit board This can lead to a fire and personal injuries PUNI IMPROPER MAINTENANCE The maintenance of a Power Inverter is often overlooked Over time the various electrical connections on batteries fuse block and Power Inverter s ends tend to loosen corrode and lose their effectiveness In the past signs of corrosion were easily detected on the copper connectors Today tinned or plated connectors grey are less prone to corro
9. is function shows no alarm code and no automatic restart The Power Inverter must be manually reset If this condition is frequent you must evaluate your alternator for a potentially higher than normal charging voltage 9 I T5G 0512 EN
10. olts Low battery voltage shutdown at 10 0 volts No tolerances on these parameters No tolerances on these parameters 3 REVERSE POLARITY Reversing the polarity of the cables when installing or doing the maintenance of a Power Inverter is not unusual This problem typically occurs during the initial installation because the installer failed to color code each cable using heat shrink tubing or simply by lack of attention during a regular maintenance Black amp Red Although this is not covered by the warranty Tundra inverters distinctive and innovative design are generally serviceable when this happens To do so you must carefully follow the following instructions A YOU MUST completely disconnect the inverter from the batteries B YOU MUST remove the inverter from the vehicle C Carefully remove the top cover see hereunder illustrations 4 I T5G 0512 EN D E amp HTS Series Remove the 2 upper screws on the front panel and the 2 upper screws on the rear panel only total 4 V d 22a mer mmm eee Y e gt w mm So mme Q mp ms mmm Remote Control q g t 4 H O ON OFF SWITCH qe O AC receptacle Lo e Ce SES mme G emmmer o Zemmeren HD amp HDI Series Remove 4 top screws 4 left screws 4 right screws 12 total only NSSNNSNSNSNNNN TE XQ Evaluate ALL the ATO fuses using a multi meter on diode mode E amp HTS Ser
11. our technical department where a decision will be made as to whether the unit is covered by the warranty and will be repaired credited or sent to a recycling plant In order for the warranty to be valid THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA MUST BE MET A You certify that you have read and understood the related troubleshooting guide and to your knowledge the origin of the problem is not your vehicle or the installation B The product has never been abused or modified or The product has never been exposed to liquids heavy dust or corrosive material IMPORTANT NOTE Charges may apply if the unit is returned in good working order or if the nature of the anomaly is related to the installation the vehicle or 1ts maintenance 2 I T5G 0512 EN FAULT CODES From the front panel of the Power Inverter all models Visual Indicators Potential Problem s Blinking Green light Low voltage condition with intermittent alarm Blinking Orange light Low voltage shut down with constant alarm High voltage shut down Overload shut down From the Power Inverter remote control models equipped with digital remote only Visual Indicators Potential Problem s Solid Red Fault light Low voltage shut down High voltage shut down Overload shut down LUP stands for LVP Low voltage shutdown OLP Note The Overload protection as very Overload shutdown little reaction time and usually comes ON instantaneously COMMON PROBLE
12. sion but are still subject to a chemical reaction producing a gum which may prevent the free flow of electric current between the connectors or terminals It is indispensable to clean all the terminals in the battery box including the fuse and Power Inverter connections at least every six months USING A WIRE BRUSH AND A GREASE DISSOLVENT AGENT A All battery terminals and lugs must be cleaned every 6 months B Fuse amp fuse holder terminals and lugs must be cleaned every 6 months C A protective sealant which dries like paint must be used on all battery terminals after cleaning maintenance WARNINGS I Grease based protective coating or those which remain humid sticky should be avoided at all times They tends to attract contaminants i e dust therefore promoting a faster destruction of the connections Additionally the 6 I T5G 0512 EN formation of debris on the terminals will prevent you from seeing the state of your connections during a visual Inspection H The accumulation of contaminants on the batteries can cause a continuity between the battery poles being at the origin of a constant cycling of your batteries thus reducing their lifespan and causing additional maintenance costs and downtimes 5 BATTERY PROBLEMS To supply a Power Inverter with the voltage and amperage it needs batteries must be in good condition and fully charged In the event where a Tundra Power Inverter would prematurely shut down the
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