Trace 4048

[E Z Peaces]

My BIL has a windmill that charges batteries to power a Trace 4048
sine-wave inverter. He also has a Bosche washer. It worked fine on the
inverter for several months.

After that, the washer wouldn't come on unless something else was
putting a load on the inverter. The washer works fine on grid power.

From a thousand miles away, I imagine two possibilities. One is that
this inverter was not designed to produce a good sine wave when idling.
The other is that a capacitor in the inverter has deteriorated.

Any advice?

 

[RW Salnick]

E Z Peaces brought forth on stone tablets:

My BIL has a windmill that charges batteries to power a Trace 4048
sine-wave inverter. He also has a Bosche washer. It worked fine on the
inverter for several months.

After that, the washer wouldn't come on unless something else was
putting a load on the inverter. The washer works fine on grid power.

From a thousand miles away, I imagine two possibilities. One is that
this inverter was not designed to produce a good sine wave when idling.
The other is that a capacitor in the inverter has deteriorated.

Any advice?

The inverter may need to be set to be more sensitive to a load. Trace
inverters will stay in idle mode (conserving power) unless they detect
a load.

bob

 

[E Z Peaces]

If it was the first possibility, then why did it use to work?

It occurred to me that perhaps in the past, there happened to be another
load when he turned on the washer, and the pattern of using that other
appliance has changed. Bob says the inverter's sensitivity may need
adjustment, and maybe that adjustment has changed.

If it's the second, then is it under warranty?

I don't know if it's under warranty. I don't know if it uses
capacitance and inductance to filter the output. Maybe it will work
perfectly if I forward Bob's advice.

 

[Ulysses]

It may be that Search mode is enabled on the inverter.

If that is the case, its sensitivity can be adjusted, disabled, or your BIL
can just turn on a light bulb when he wants to start the washer.

Look in the Trace manual for Search mode
--ron

That would be my guess too. Many people use a 13W CF bulb to get past the
Search Mode, at least on OutBack inverters.

 

[E Z Peaces]

This model of inverter has a "search mode" (the idling state another
poster mentioned), where it sends out AC power only in brief pulses,
in order to detect whether a load is trying to draw any significant
current (in which case the inverter will switch fully-on).

This doesn't work very well with some appliances, though, especially
those with electronic controls.

He might try manually forcing the inverter to always-on before running
the washer. This can be done from the front panel (or remote panel,
if one is connected), by simply pressing the red "ON/OFF MENU" button
several times to move from "SRCH" (search) to "ON".

Don't forget to set it back to SRCH after the washing's done, to avoid
unnecessary battery drain.

Thanks, I'll forward this. I wish I could talk him into subscribing to
this group. He has never tried usenet.

 

[E Z Peaces]

That would be my guess too. Many people use a 13W CF bulb to get past the
Search Mode, at least on OutBack inverters.

Thanks, everybody, for the advice. My BIL says he turned off the search
mode months ago, and he turns on a light before trying to start the washer.

It sounds as if the inverter has changed. I imagine an electrolytic
capacitor could cause the problem. At one time, they were commonly
mounted in sockets for easy testing and replacement.

I'll ask him if it's under warranty.

 

[Bruce in alaska]

Thanks, everybody, for the advice. My BIL says he turned off the search
mode months ago, and he turns on a light before trying to start the washer.

It sounds as if the inverter has changed. I imagine an electrolytic
capacitor could cause the problem. At one time, they were commonly
mounted in sockets for easy testing and replacement.

I'll ask him if it's under warranty.

I can tell you from experience, that there are NO Socketed Capacitors
in a Trace SW 40xx Inverter/Charger. Having owned, operated, and
maintained a Trace SW4024 for the last 12 years, as well as generating
ALL my own power for the last 30 years, you can take the above to the
Bank.

 

[E Z Peaces]

I can tell you from experience, that there are NO Socketed Capacitors
in a Trace SW 40xx Inverter/Charger. Having owned, operated, and
maintained a Trace SW4024 for the last 12 years, as well as generating
ALL my own power for the last 30 years, you can take the above to the
Bank.

Are there electrolytic capacitors? My BIL says the engineer who
designed his windmill-powered system is baffled.

 

[Bruce in alaska]

Are there electrolytic capacitors? My BIL says the engineer who
designed his windmill-powered system is baffled.

There are some "electrolytic capacitors" on the Main PCB in the Trace
SW40xx Series Inverter/Chargers, BUT they are soldered to the PCB, and
definitely NOT socketed.

 

[E Z Peaces]

Very high currents would demand massive sockets larger than the capacitors.

I didn't ask if there were socketed capacitors in this equipment. I
referred to the past practice because designers knew electrolytic
capacitors had limited lifespans and unsoldering for troubleshooting
would be time-consuming and lead to complications. I'd say capacitors
are suspect in an inverter that doesn't produce as good a sine as it did
new. My BIL has a capacitance meter but nothing for in-circuit checks.

Wildcat Electronics makes surface-mount capacitor sockets. The DFI
LanParty Dark P35-T2RS Socket 775 Motherboard has a capacitor socket.

I haven't encountered a capacitor socket in a long time, but I'm glad to
find electrolytic capacitors that don't need solder. The one in my 240V
A/C compressor uses nuts and ring terminals, which made it much easier
to check when I wondered why the compressor wouldn't start. I don't
know of any motor-start capacitor that's soldered.

Some loudspeaker crossovers use capacitors with quick disconnects.
Others solder the capacitors but use quick disconnects for the crossover
boards and drivers. Through increased ESR or decreased capacitance, an
electrolytic capacitor may go bad long before a driver. I think
soldering them is bad design, especially when the crossover board is
glued in the back of the box.

Sockets for taillights cause problems, but they don't *just* cause
problems. They also make troubleshooting and repair easier. Why would
it be different for electrolytic capacitors?

I don't know where to answer the top post, but the starter circuit of a
car is disigned for perhaps 100 amps at 0.1 ohms. Connections aren't
soldered and they aren't massive.