[RE-wrenches] Magnum MMS inverter / Honda 3000i charger problems

[Dan Fink]

Hello esteemed Wrenches,  from the wilds of British Columbia......

I'm in a bit of a pickle. Brand new Magnum MMS1012 inverter/charger 
install. 4 x T105, 12v system.

Inverter side works fine.  Charger side works fine too, from a Honda 
1000i. But plug it into the Honda 3000i (also brand new) and I get an 
"AC Overload Fault" (that is with NOTHING hooked to the AC inverter 
outputs...stubbed off wires) --I  just called Magnum tech support on the 
satphone and they said that's because the power quality does not meet 
their specs. I'm measuring 125vac RMS off the honda 3000i, Hz is around 
2.2khz (ripple I assume....not a fancy DC clamp meter, Tenma, as it can 
be dunked in the river at any time during transport -- 2 mile canoe 
trip, then 4 mile backpack trip to the site, after the 150 mile 
floatplane trip)

While Magnum tech support was friendly and helpful, their suggestion of 
having the brand new Honda 3000i checked and serviced involves a 
helicopter and float plane at a cost of about $6k. The Honda 1000i that 
actually works with this Magnum MMS is headed down to another camp.

Any ideas? My Plan B is to fly in a dedicated 3-stage solid state 
battery charger from xantrex or iota next month and leave detailed 
instructions for the novices here to install it......I head down by 
canoe tomorrow to shore things up , and then backpack / canoe back up 
here and  fly out in 7 days. Leave the charger side of the Magnum MMS 
unhooked.....how do I explain that to my client exactly?

I just DO NOT GET IT. These are all brand new Honda i-series generators. 
Since we are all clouds and rain right now, I'm on interent via an 
identical Magnum MMS 1012 and a Honda 2000i here at the main camp, has 
worked like a charm for over a year now. The computers and internet do 
not even so much as fart during a gen/inverter transfer, even when on 
the sat phone. The 3000i down there at the other camp in question has 
been working fine on all loads for a month before this new 
install....everything from power tools to lights to radio/gps/satphone 
chargers to laptops to boom boxes.

Why is this 3000i causing trouble? Or is it some kind of new MMS 
inverter software? Wish I had time to switch this Magnum gear around 
between camps. But even an MMS is damned heavy when you have to carry it 
4 miles in a backpack......and any Honda over 1kw is impossible and 
needs a heli.

In fact, the gentleman who 3 days ago had to carry the MMS1012  4 miles  
in his backpack through clouds of mosquitos, wading through rivers and 
swamps,  wanted a word with Magnum tech support too today. His name is 
Mark. I wouldn't let him on the phone with Magnum. I only had to carry a 
backpack full of breaker boxes, which are relatively light in weight, 
which puts me in a relatively good mood. His mood was not so great.

All suggestions appreciated, as always, and thanks in advance.

Dan Fink
Executive Director
Buckville Energy Consulting
Buckville Publications LLC
NABCEP / IREC accredited Continuing Education Providers
970.672.4342 (voicemail)
970.373.1311 (FAX)