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Chargeverter problem

myles said:
If you call champion please update this thread as I'd like to know if I canodify the automatic voltage regulator to adjust. In the manual there is a set screw to adjust voltage but I days to adjust to 115v. I adjusted my governor already to give the 63hz required with no load.

Had I had the knowledge I had now before I purchased I would have bought the 14kw just to charge faster. Less wear and tear vs running the 8.5kw for a long period of time.
Click to expand...
Might help
help.championpowerequipment.com

AVR Voltage Adjustment

This covers the following Champion Power Equipment models: 196cc-459cc Engine Powered Generators. Read instructions carefully and completely before performing service. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS. To reduce t…
help.championpowerequipment.com help.championpowerequipment.com

Edit nevermind, sounds like you already tried.
 
Ok. The first thing I’m going to do is buy a note book on the way home.

Going to make sure I do have #12 wire and not #10. I may have got those confused but hope I didn’t. That’s bad!
 
timselectric said:
I hope that it's #10.
Click to expand...
Nope! I did in fact F up its #12. What a bone head move! Maybe this was for the good? Learning lesson not gone bad yet. luckily I never ran the Magnum real hard. Also this generator portion of the wiring has not been installed as permanent or run for very long maybe 10 hours.

So a quick look at the hundreds of pounds of wire I have. I do have some #10 solid and stranded not sure I have enough yet of one or the other. I do have plenty of #8 THHN though it’s all black.

So to make this a more permanent install can I color tape the #8 in a residential building? All of this was removed from a farm demo and was color taped.
 
Jack Rabbit Off Grid said:
From what I have found #4 and larger can be color tabbed.
Click to expand...
That's what I found as well.
I'm by no means advocated violating codes... If you aren't getting inspected I would use what you had available as long as it was safe and made sense to the next person working in it, obviously don't make a ground hot.
I know somehow the ends of 1 of my 6awg runs got all wrapped up in a fight with a roll of white tape and came out just fine... I also know anyone else that has to work on it will be 1000% certain what line is N...
 
Jack Rabbit Off Grid said:
I do expect more out of the DC side then 55 to 60 amps being powered by a 8500w generator. The way he explained it to me was the lower the ac volts in the more current it will draw. I’m by no means an electrical engineer or even an electrician. But the way he explained it made sense.
Click to expand...
Current/Power calculations are not rocket science. It's really simple ohms law: P(watts)=E(volts)*I(amps) and dirt simple algebra. We are holding the output constant, I'll use 60A @ 54v:

P=54v * 60a, P = 3240w --> This is the output parameters you set on the Chargeverter.

So we need to supply 3240+ watts to the Chargeverter, If we send it 240v we will require:
3240w = 240v * I, I = 3240 / 240, I = 13.50a
Add in 7% loss:
13.50 * 1.07 = 14.45a

What about if we only send it 220v?
3240w = 220 * I, I = 3240 / 220, I = 14.73a
Add in 7% loss:
14.73 * 1.07 = 15.76a

The components inside the box don't give a crap what the voltage is, as long as it's between the rated 90 and 264v. If you stick an ammeter on the supply side you should see the calculated numbers above give or take an amp or two. Just like everything else electric there are limits based on current (I) because it heats up the wires. Looks to be a ~28A ceiling. Your current does go up as the voltage goes down, but between 240v and 220v barely enough to notice. If you have an 8500W generator, and it's "stalling" (not tripping a breaker, shutting down the motor?) when the output/load gets over 15 or 20a @ 200+ you have a problem with the generator.

You could test it with a bunch of space-heaters.
 
FWIW I called Champion, they advised that I should tune the generator so that unloaded it is 62.5-63 hz, and they advised to adjust voltage regulator to output 250V across both legs unloaded.
 
I use a Champion 100297 dual-fuel ( https://www.championpowerequipment.com/product/100297-8000-watt-dual-fuel-generator/ ) over 6awg wiring to provide 240v to my Chargeverter 5000.
1702409213155.png

In a recent test I had the Chargeverter up to 95a @ 52v battery ~4900w charging and ~5500w power from the generator - works smoothly. 5500w / 240v ~ 23a. The Champion 100297 has 30a breakers on each 120v leg so it can't output more than
- 30a @ 240v = 7200w or
- 30a @ 120v = 3600w on a leg
without tripping the breakers.

The Chargerverter is ~90% efficient per my measuring devices (Iotawatt on generator power to the Chargerverter and Batrium on battery charging).

Reading the thread, it was a little unclear to me - was the OP trying to do 120v -> Chargerverter (instead of 240v)? If so, it would account for hi amps and not getting anywhere near 100a charging to the battery.
 
Last edited:
OffGridInTheCity said:
Reading the thread, it was a little unclear to me - was the OP trying to do 120v -> Chargerverter (instead of 240v)? If so, it would account for hi amps and not getting anywhere near 100a charging to the battery.
Click to expand...
That was my first thought. But they wouldn't be able to charge above 50a from 120v.
 
Update.

So today I replaced the #12 wire with #8. I even stopped by the electric shop and purchased green so I didn’t have to mess with color tabbing any. I connected the #8 wire nutted strait to the CV where I removed the plug. L1/brown L2/blue ground to yellow/green.

The generator still does the same thing. Con not charge above 70a DC on the Chargeverter.

Voltage and amperage as tested at the CV wire nut connection
Set point 60a DC output
227.4vac input
L1 15.78a
L2 15.71a

Set point 65a DC output
227.1vac input
L1 17.19a
L2 17.10a

Set point 70a DC output
226.9 to 227.2 input
L1 18.48a
L2 18.42a
 
Jack Rabbit Off Grid said:
Update.

So today I replaced the #12 wire with #8. I even stopped by the electric shop and purchased green so I didn’t have to mess with color tabbing any. I connected the #8 wire nutted strait to the CV where I removed the plug. L1/brown L2/blue ground to yellow/green.

The generator still does the same thing. Con not charge above 70a DC on the Chargeverter.

Voltage and amperage as tested at the CV wire nut connection
Set point 60a DC output
227.4vac input
L1 15.78a
L2 15.71a

Set point 65a DC output
227.1vac input
L1 17.19a
L2 17.10a

Set point 70a DC output
226.9 to 227.2 input
L1 18.48a
L2 18.42a
Click to expand...
Those numbers look good. I'm guessing that the battery was around 53v.
 
Jack Rabbit Off Grid said:
Update.

So today I replaced the #12 wire with #8. I even stopped by the electric shop and purchased green so I didn’t have to mess with color tabbing any. I connected the #8 wire nutted strait to the CV where I removed the plug. L1/brown L2/blue ground to yellow/green.

The generator still does the same thing. Con not charge above 70a DC on the Chargeverter.

Voltage and amperage as tested at the CV wire nut connection
Set point 60a DC output
227.4vac input
L1 15.78a
L2 15.71a

Set point 65a DC output
227.1vac input
L1 17.19a
L2 17.10a

Set point 70a DC output
226.9 to 227.2 input
L1 18.48a
L2 18.42a
Click to expand...
I just installed one today with a 6500/5000 watt champion generator. The best the generator will do is about 3000 watts before it lugs out and generator cuts out the load. So out of my 5000 running watts I only get about 60% before the generator lugs out. Maybe Champion is a bit too optimistic...?
 
redalertdt said:
I just installed one today with a 6500/5000 watt champion generator. The best the generator will do is about 3000 watts before it lugs out and generator cuts out the load. So out of my 5000 running watts I only get about 60% before the generator lugs out. Maybe Champion is a bit too optimistic...?
Click to expand...
My 8.5kw is rated @ 35.4 amps. It was putting out 37 amps but don’t like it. I only did this for testing for about 30 seconds.
 
Jack Rabbit Off Grid said:
My 8.5kw is rated @ 35.4 amps. It was putting out 37 amps but don’t like it. I only did this for testing for about 30 seconds.
Click to expand...
Do you mean 120v? or 240v? I think the twist lock outlets are usually for 30a @ 240v or 30a @ 120v.

Mine was putting out about 14 amps at 240 volts. so 14a x 240v=3360 watts
 
Jack Rabbit Off Grid said:
Update.

So today I replaced the #12 wire with #8. I even stopped by the electric shop and purchased green so I didn’t have to mess with color tabbing any. I connected the #8 wire nutted strait to the CV where I removed the plug. L1/brown L2/blue ground to yellow/green.

The generator still does the same thing. Con not charge above 70a DC on the Chargeverter.

Voltage and amperage as tested at the CV wire nut connection
Set point 60a DC output
227.4vac input
L1 15.78a
L2 15.71a

Set point 65a DC output
227.1vac input
L1 17.19a
L2 17.10a

Set point 70a DC output
226.9 to 227.2 input
L1 18.48a
L2 18.42a
Click to expand...
Jack Rabbit Off Grid said:
My 8.5kw is rated @ 35.4 amps. It was putting out 37 amps but don’t like it. I only did this for testing for about 30 seconds.
Click to expand...
You never reported actual readings of 37 amps. All the measurements previously were 15-18.4 amps.
You don't add the L1 and L2 amperage measurements, just like you don't add current measurements taken on DC + and DC -

At 18.5 amps you're at about 50% of rated load on the generator.

Did you adjust the voltage and frequency as the manufacturer previously recommended?
 
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