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Solar panels / charger doing what it is supposed to?

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MarkMaxPayne

RVF Supporter
Joined
May 24, 2023
Messages
86
Location
Beaverton, OR
RV Year
2013
RV Make
Newmar
RV Model
New Aire 3543
RV Length
36'
Chassis
Spartan
TOW/TOAD
Fiat 500 Turbo
Fulltimer
No
I recently purchased a new 2023 New Aire 3543 with their factory installed 640W of Lithionics batteries and 400W of GoPower solar with a Schneider Electric (Xantrex) C40 DVM solar charger. For the life of me it either displays 0 watts or 13 watts, with a solid green status light during the day regardless of battery storage %-age. Even if the batteries drop to 30% or below (even at 16%) the panel says there isn't more than 1.0 array/load current and 13 watts coming in from the panels into the batteries even in dead noon overhead full sun... Needless to say the batteries then automatically shut themselves off.

So... Unlike my previous Battleborn and Victron setup on my previous rig, which was brain dead simple to monitor and diagnose the flow of power throughout the system, this factory OEM setup from Newmar is a bit blackbox and cryptic.

Has anybody figured out how to tell what their solar converter / charger is really doing? Is there a config setting somewhere I can inspect / change? To me it is acting like it thinks it is connected to AGM or Lead Acid Batteries as opposed to Lithium from the factory. Since the voltage stays up there over 13.4V as opposed to dropping over time, it is like the charger thinks the batteries just need a trickle float/maintain vs sending actual bulk charge to them. I've looked in Newgle, but the supporting docs for the Xantrex C-Series Solar Charger don't really say much.

Best,
-Mark
 
Shut off all other sources of power and tell us what it says.
 
Here it is with no other power sources in the afternoon with full sun and no shade. It claims to be doing nothing.

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Lithium status screen also claiming no charge detected.

Best,
-Mark
 
Did it come with manuals you can look at? Maybe it is shut off in some way?
 
I have looked through every manual in my bundle and on Newgle and those downloaded pdf manuals. Next step is to trace wires with a volt and amp meter. I have also reached out to xantrex support and have an open support ticket with them.

I too was also thinking maybe a circuit breaker between the charger and the batteries, yet the solar charger knows the voltage.

Best,
-Mark
 
That minus 40 degree temperature is worrying me. Are you in Antarctica or do you have a bad temperature probe? This minus 40 temperature might be a failsafe mode to not charge a frozen solid electrolyte in the battery.

Erroneously in this situation, of course.

Rick
 
Interesting! I totally missed that given it has had the correct outside temp this weekend when I was doing some RV projects in the kitchen and bathroom. Dang, something else to add to my new rig bugs & gremlins list!

Thanks!
-Mark
 
Last screen does not reflect -40

I assume you have an air switch for the panels.
Turn the switch off then back on, and get back with us.

Your battery voltage is 13.2
On second to last screen, there seems to be a switch (touch screen?) And the legend says off. See if you can turn it on with the switch.
 
Kevin,

I think Rick was referring to the -40 in the top row (between the date and time) of the second screen and the second to last you are also referring to.

Air switch? Are you asking me to turn my inverters on in that second to last screen. I can turn them off and on if so... That just drains the batteries faster as they create 120V from the batteries. The chargers in the inverters only work if there is 120V shore or generator power and are seperate units from the Xantrex C40 solar charger. I must be misunderstanding your suggestion...

Best,
-Mark
 
I have the Newmar factory GoPower and Schneider Electric charge controller (with AGM batteries). Mine does work but I am NOT impressed either with the equipment nor the panel installation. Given that the green light on the Scheider stays on solid, I wonder if the controller maybe incorrectly configured (or not working).

Would be interesting to confirm the controller is getting power from the panels. I believe there are inline fuses in the panel wiring (which probably routed accross the corners of a couple of the panels).

Safe travels.
 

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