Why is the charger is not charging from the generator? It worked twice but after that didn't.
asked
MultiPlus is no longer charging the batteries from my generator?
OK, so the generator is connected to the MultiPlus right? When you say it's not working, what happens - any LED errors?
Maybe your configuration is not quite right. Did you try using "Weak AC" in VE.Configure?
Secondly, but importantly, your battery cables are too small. You really need to use good cables - same like the one that is connecting your two batteries together. Also you should connect the MPPT to the battery terminals - not to the Multiplus like that.
Hi again and thank you for your help. I'm new in this.
So the problem is like this, we moved in a new off grid house and we try the system and wr bought a new generator with AVR. It charged the batteries throught the Multiplus only two times and after that nothing. This is the problem, I tried again and again and nothing.
Hi, it is really interesting, how did you discover that your batteries are not getting charged?
Just in the "charging" LED is not lit? Or did you do further diagnostics with an interface cable and VEconfigure PC software?
Then it's really hard to tell you. I assume, that you tried to connect something directly to the generator and this is working.
I would suggest to get a MK3 PC USB interface cable and download the software from Victron. So it is possible for you to look "into" the Multi and see what's going on.
And what is more interesting I try with a friend's digital inverter generator and is charging but not anymore with mine, a normal one.
maybe the batteries state of charge is so low, that you exceed your generators capacity because of the high charging current. This can also be the case when the Multi is not optimized for your generator. There are very much possibilities to optimize the Multi with the USB cable mentioned above.
This is not a simple question, because it depends on diagnosis results. But I would start in limiting the current the Multi can draw from the generator and allowing a greater range of input voltage and look if it starts to charge the batteries again...
There are several posts in this community forum, related to this.
Also refer to operating manual and VEconfigure included help.
It is also very important as WKirby mentioned, to use the right cable diameter and fuses.
I hope you will get this set up and everything working.
Markus
Umm, can you elaborate a little bit?
From the title it seems like you connected a MPPT directly to a generator? Is that correct?
No, I have the MPPT charger controler conected to the Multiplus charger/inverter and from there I connected the generator.
@WKirby this is how I did it.
Hi. I've experienced this many times before I sorted it. The Multi is very particular about the ac-in it will accept. A *feature* I'm sure, but a pain when you experience it on a cold winter's night.
The Multi will 'click' a bit as it rejects it, and may well retry. I haven't watched for that, nor what the led's do. There is published info, like: https://www.victronenergy.com/live/multiplus_faq
Also, our esteemed contributor Guy, blogged this: https://www.victronenergy.com/blog/2017/11/27/the-trouble-with-generators/
And for some light bedtime reading, this too: https://www.victronenergy.com/generatortest (click on Generator Test Report and unpack it). Gennies differ markedly.
But it's fixable. I use a GX box and VEConfigure as in the 1st link, and I do recommend a GX wholeheartedly to do that. Also to set a limit on the ac input, which is useful to set a point where both your genny & batts will be happy (ie. not overloaded).
My Yamaha AVR is a bad offender, and I need to use "Accept Dirty Power" for it's acceptance. Yet a cheapy Chinee inverter type is ok? That "ADP" seems to come with an 'inbuilt' ac limit, but for me it's about right, so no issue.
Yeh, your wiring could use a little attention, also look at isolators/fusing. :)
Simple switch of UPS feature. Normaly this should solve your problem. You can do that with dipswitch ds3 => set to "off" to deactivate or you can uncheck "UPS" with mk3 dongel in "Grid" section
And please immediately change you DC Cables and attach correct Fuses!! it's really thrilling me
Are you talking about one of the dipswitches behind the front panel in the multiplus?
I've gone through all the colour control settings, and there's nothing I can see to make the multiplus less fussy about ac power coming in from my generator.
It doesn't even try and sync now. I can see the ac volts and Hz of the generator, but amps an watts are zero. "Disconnected"
Then when I hook up a sine wave inverter to a bunch of car batteries with perfect 240v and 50Hz output, there's not even a flicker.
I've lowered the max ac amps, tried earthing the generator, even plugging in a power smoothing device in the generator's 2nd plug.
We are sitting in candle light, with an expensive system sitting idle.
Is there some kind of reset to get it to look st my ac input again?
Hi everybody! Today it was a sunny day and in the evening I tried again the generators and...guess what, it worked. So? What is the problem?
