Need help - Is my brand new EG4 chargeverter broken?

[Dinobot248]

My brand new eg4 chargeverter (black version) arrived last week and I finally had a chance to open it. There was no shipping damage so I will rule that out.


For testing purposes, I have 4 x 12v 300ah lifepo4 dumfume branded batteries connected in series. They are brand new, out of the box with a voltage of series voltage of 50.1 volts. I just need something to charge without messing with my main battery bank.


I connect and configure the chargeverter and voltage increases to the target voltage of 56.5v but zero amps. Settings are

Charging volts 56.5v
Start voltage 50v
Stop voltage 56v
Charge rate 20 amps


Long story short, with AC cord unplugged and the chargeverter breaker set to off, the battery voltage is 50.1v

With the AC cord unplugged and the breaker set to on, the battery voltage is 0 V (zero or like 0.05v)


I check and recheck, plug in 240v AC and check and recheck annd 2 hours later. All with the same results as above. Turning on the breaker seems to disconnect the DC voltage.

Is the chargeverter broken? This is my first time ever using a chargeverter.

 

[wpns]

Is it possible the breaker is upside down? With the AC disconnected and the breaker off you should have no display, with the breaker on you should see the battery voltage. Check the label on the breaker handle.

Be wareful, it’s possible to plug the red and black Degson connectors into the wrong port on the CVGC

 

[Dinobot248]

I checked the cables again with the AC cord unplugged. I don’t want to open the chargeverter case since it is under warranty.

The attached picture should show that the DC wires are connected correctly.

 

[wpns]

Pictures are really helpful, thanks!

Looks like your MRBF fuse is blown, and has just enough leakage to light up your DVM when there's no load on the CV side. Test the battery terminals instead of the fuse when the CV is on.

Without some kind of precharge there might be a big current surge when you first turn on the CVGC breaker. Try replacing the fuse and then powering up the CV from the AC side and letting the voltage ramp up to the actual battery voltage before turning on the DC breaker.

 

[Dinobot248]

I took out the MBRF fuse and still have the same symptoms. Battery shows normal voltage 50.1v when the chargeverter breaker is set to OFF position and near zero volts when the chargeverter breaker is set to ON position.


Attached are pictures of the settings and the main menu.

 

[wpns]

I took out the MBRF fuse and still have the same symptoms. Battery shows normal voltage 50.1v when the chargeverter breaker is set to OFF position and near zero volts when the chargeverter breaker is set to ON position.


Attached are pictures of the settings and the main menu.

What does your DVM measure across the battery terminals?

 

[Dinobot248]

Also, with the MBRF fuse removed, chargeverter directly connected, and AC cord unplugged, when I turn ON the chargeverter breaker, the unit appears off. The screen remains off. I don’t know if this is normal or should the screen turn on when it is connected to a battery while AC cord is unplugged.

 

[Dinobot248]

What does your DVM measure across the battery terminals?

50.1v when on battery terminals directly


50.1v when chargeverter is connected and the breaker is set to OFF


Near zero volts when chargeverter is connected and the breaker is set to ON


I really think it is broken now. The chargeverter is near idiot proof.

 

[wpns]

My displays are on all the time (with no backlight) whenever they are connected to the batteries and the DC breaker is on. The AC input is rarely on.

 

[Dinobot248]

My displays are on all the time (with no backlight) whenever they are connected to the batteries and the DC breaker is on. The AC input is rarely on.

Thanks. The screen only comes on when the AC cord is plugged in.

When AC cord is unplugged and battery is connected, the screen remains off.

 

[wpns]

Thanks. The screen only comes on when the AC cord is plugged in.

When AC cord is unplugged and battery is connected, the screen remains off.

Without a battery, do you get any voltage on the CV leads when it’s powered from AC and had a chance to ramp up?

 

[Dinobot248]

Without a battery, do you get any voltage on the CV leads when it’s powered from AC and had a chance to ramp up?

With AC cord plugged in and no battery attached, here are the following ..

Chargeverter breaker is ON = 56.4v
Chargeverter breaker is OFF = 0 v

This matches the set charging voltage of 56.5v defined in the config

 

[wpns]

With AC cord plugged in and no battery attached, here are the following ..

Chargeverter breaker is ON = 56.4v
Chargeverter breaker is OFF = 0 v

This matches the set charging voltage of 56.5v defined in the config

But as soon as you connect those leads to the battery, which reads 51 volts open circuit, the _battery_ voltage goes to zero? That makes no sense. [Edit] Unless there's something wrong with the batteries or the wiring...

What are your individual battery voltages when the entire string is reading zero?

 

[Quattrohead]

Are you sure the plus and minus are the right way round when you measure? It sure sounds like the chargeverter is protecting itself from something.

 

[Madcodger]

Thanks. The screen only comes on when the AC cord is plugged in.

When AC cord is unplugged and battery is connected, the screen remains off.

That is definitely not right. The CV screen is powered via the DC connection. As @wpns notes it is on even when no AC present if connected on the DC side. I would contact and work with your retailer. You have either a very badly wired unit or you have some major wiring problems with your system.

 

[wpns]

That is definitely not right. The CV screen is powered via the DC connection. As @wpns notes it is on even when no AC present if connected on the DC side. I would contact and work with your retailer. You have either a very badly wired unit or you have some major wiring problems with your system.

Or one of your series batteries BMS is tripped out, and the whole string acts like a high-impedance 52-ish voltage source.

 

[Dinobot248]

I found the culprit. Thanks everyone for helping out and building the knowledge base on the forum.

I took apart the 4 brand new 12v batteries and checked voltage on each one. One battery came in at 12.3v while the others were about 13.1v.


When I put the battery with 12.3v on a charger, the voltage shoots up to the absorption voltage, which is 14v in this case. Actual charge rate is zero amps.


I sent a message to Dumfume via the Amazon app. Hopefully they will make this right.

 

[wpns]

I found the culprit. Thanks everyone for helping out and building the knowledge base on the forum.

I took apart the 4 brand new 12v batteries and checked voltage on each one. One battery came in at 12.3v while the others were about 13.1v.


When I put the battery with 12.3v on a charger, the voltage shoots up to the absorption voltage, which is 14v in this case. Actual charge rate is zero amps.


I sent a message to Dumfume via the Amazon app. Hopefully they will make this right.

Ah, yes, batteries in series without an inter battery balancer/equalizer. Look for 'hc02 battery balancer' on Amazon, personally I'd get the one with individual displays so you can tell at a glance if you are having issues.