electrical gremlin has me stumped

[emery395]

I put this question under 120v AC thread but it could also go in 12v because the issue seems related to both...

Unit is always hooked to 50a shore power

-suddenly all led lights dim...and air conditioning circuit quits simultaneously though thermostats still energized.
-wall outlets still function normally
-I hook up charger to battery and led lights return to full strength but air conditioner still wont go on
-I start the generator and the AC unit will now run.
-after a few minutes I stop the generator and THE AC WILL CONTINUE TO RUN and led light remain at full strength.

Seems like some device is failing due to weak battery and effecting one leg of 110v circuit. I will replace converter which may solve weak battery but why is the air conditioning circuit going weird?

How is starting the generator for a minute fixing the issue?

spent an hour with factory service tech and no answer from them.

Anyone have a clue?

 

[danemayer]

From your description, you have a good circuit path from battery to fuse box, but the battery isn't getting charged, the there appears to be no output from the Power Converter - otherwise the battery would charge and the Power Converter output would keep the lights running.

There is another subsystem where the 12V DC and 120V PCAC power intersect. That the Precision Control Circuits (PCS) energy management system. It senses the generator running and changes modes. I'm wondering if it gets "confused" when the battery runs down, and then when you charge the battery and change modes to the generator, it clears up the confusion. Could just be a software bug.

If that's it, the problem may go away when the Power Converter problem is fixed.

Have you checked 1) the circuit breaker that supplies power to the Power Converter? 2) that the Power Converter is actually plugged in? 3) That the on-board blade fuses are not blown? (They blow immediately if the battery is installed with the wrong polarity).

 

[emery395]

Thanks Dane
I see no Circuit breakers tripped or 12 V fuses blown in panel so I’m assuming the fuse you mention is on the converter. I’ll have to figure out where that converter is located and check it tomorrow

The PCS you mentioned is that the automatic switchover from shore to generator

 

[danemayer]

Thanks Dane
I see no Circuit breakers tripped or 12 V fuses blown in panel so I’m assuming the fuse you mention is on the converter. I’ll have to figure out where that converter is located and check it tomorrow

The PCS you mentioned is that the automatic switchover from shore to generator

The Power Converter is often located behind the rear wall of the pass through basement storage.

The PCS is not the same as the automatic transfer switch. On a Cyclone, there would be a small rectangular face plate near your other controls and switches. The attached picture is from a Landmark. The Cyclone face plate is probably smaller; maybe only has 1 display line.

I've also attached a picture of the main circuit breaker panel with the cover removed. The area encircled is where the PCS components intersect with the 120V circuit breakers and wiring. Again, this is from a Landmark, but the Cyclone is likely similar.

 

[wdk450]

I am wondering if a battery is intermittently having problems (shorted cell?), pulling too much DC charging current, and tripping the charging 12 volt circuit breaker on the 12 volt bus bar. This scenario might fit even better if somehow there is a SELF RESETTING circuit breaker there instead of the standard manual reset button type.

As part of the extended troubleshooting it might be worthwhile to have your batteries load tested.

 

[danemayer]

Another thought: sometimes weird electrical problems on the 12V DC side are due to poor grounding. Your trailer probably has a ground buss in the front compartment (if that's where the battery is) where the battery negative ground and other ground wires are attached and grounded to the trailer. Make sure everything is tight.