400w Inverter Showing Red Fault Light

Daron2000 on 19/02/2022 - 20:07
Last edited 22/02/2022 - 19:16

Hey guys! Got a bit of problem that I need some opinions on.

I have a full 12v setup in my van. I have 2 110 watt solar panels that run down to a solar charge controller and then into my 100ah battery.

To charge things like my phone and laptop I have a powerboard connected to my 400w inverter which is hooked up to my 100ah lithium battery.

Sometimes it works but most of the time it doesn’t. Every time I plug in a charger and turn on the switch at the powerboard, it doesn’t charge and the whole powerboard seems to turn off. There’s even a red fault light that appears on the inverter. Ive tried other powerboards and I get the same outcome.

All my connections are good and all the devices that I charge are well below the wattage of the inverter so it should work. Just confused as to why it’s not.

Any help would mean a heap!

The Inverter I use is the 400w itechworld inverter.

UPDATE******

phone charges completely fine. Only when I plug in my laptop charger and switch it on, it seems to trip and fault light comes on. I’ve tested the voltage with a multimeter and everything is in it’s normal ranges so I’m still clueless as to what’s happening 😂

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • mskeggs on 19/02/2022 - 20:19

    A lot of cheap inverters label their ‘peak’ wattage, so it might only be able to handle 200w.
    Try it with nothing but a phone charger plugged in. That will only draw 10W or so. If it works then, you are getting the error from too much power being drawn via the power board, which means you have things sucking power plugged into it.

    • Daron2000 on 19/02/2022 - 22:25

      Nah they’re meant to be really good inverters, well I’ve at least heard a lot of good stuff about them. It says they have a peak wattage of 800w for a few seconds. And all the devices I charge on it are way below the wattage of the inverter so I just have no idea what’s happening. When I first plug my devices in to charge it works fine, but then when I turn it off and on again from the switch on the powerboard, it trips and the whole powerboard turns off.

      • mskeggs on 20/02/2022 - 14:44

        I don’t have that brand, but my old inverter used to get upset if it couldn’t draw enough power because the wiring between it and the battery was too thin. Thin means the kind of light weight speaker wire, rather than thinker wire.
        That said, a little phone charger shouldn’t be drawing much power at all, so unless you have really thin wires between the inverter and battery it shouldn’t be an issue.

        • Daron2000 on 20/02/2022 - 16:30

          I used 6mm sized wiring. You reckon that’s undersized or would that be fine?

          I thought the sizing was fine but now I’m thinking I’m wrong haha 😆

  • pharkurnell on 19/02/2022 - 20:37
    +1

    When you look in the manual what does the red error light indicate?

    • holdenmg on 19/02/2022 - 20:49

      Danger.

    • Daron2000 on 19/02/2022 - 22:25

      It doesn’t come with a manual unfortunately, which I found a bit weird. So the fault light can mean any of things

  • eug on 19/02/2022 - 22:20

    Every time I plug in a charger and turn on the switch at the powerboard, it doesn’t charge and the whole powerboard seems to turn off.

    Is it a laptop charger or a phone charger? Anything else connected at the same time? Does it work the second time after you reset the inverter? I'm wondering if it's the high inrush current that switchmode PSUs need to charge the input capacitors.

    • Daron2000 on 19/02/2022 - 22:28

      Either or. It happens when I have just the phone charger in, or just the laptop charger in. And it also happens when I have both plugged in at the same time. So the first time it usually works. But when I switch the chargers off and on again on the powerboard it seems to shut off. I’ve reset the inverter by turning it on and off and then it works fine again. Until I switch the chargers off and on though. What are switchmode PSUs?

      • eug on 19/02/2022 - 22:35

        But when I switch the chargers off and on again on the powerboard it seems to shut off.

        How long is the gap between switching it off and on? If you turn it back on within seconds, does it shut off?

        Switchmode PSUs are pretty much all power supplies/chargers nowadays. The other type is a linear power supply that uses a bulky heavy transformer that gets very warm.

        Once the capacitors have a bit of charge in them, they won't need to draw as much current the second time you switch it on, so the inverter won't trip.

        • Daron2000 on 19/02/2022 - 22:45

          Ahh okay.

          It seems to be pretty random to be honest. Sometimes it doesn’t trip but other times it does.

          When we first plugged something in and turned it on it tripped. But now it seems to be the second or 3rd time we turn it on.

          • eug on 19/02/2022 - 22:59

            @Daron2000: Maybe it's worth contacting the manufacturer. They seem responsive on their Facebook page.

  • bobbified on 20/02/2022 - 00:28

    Contact them directly and ask: https://itechworld.com.au/pages/contact

    • Daron2000 on 20/02/2022 - 09:20

      Yeah I’ve contacted them, I’ve heard they take like 2 weeks to get back to you though which is annoying

  • iamherenow on 20/02/2022 - 08:37

    Exact same problem with friend who recently installed 1000w version. Half the stuff we plug in won't work (red light just comes on). Stuff that runs on a cheaper inverter won't even run on this itechworld one. So frustrating because this wasn't cheap. Thought it may be due to the installation. We found some instructions online (bad they supply these without any instructions…) No issues with install. It's waiting for friend to chase up with itechworld. But i'm guessing it's faulty.

    • Daron2000 on 20/02/2022 - 09:22

      Yeah that’s super annoying, I’m kinda thinking my one is faulty too. Just weird because it’s pretty much brand new so a bit frustrating. I’ve contacted them but apparently they take ages to respond

      • iamherenow on 20/02/2022 - 09:26

        Yep this one was brand new too. We did wonder if we were doing something wrong, but the fact the cheaper one did its job correctly made us think this one is stuffed.

        • Daron2000 on 20/02/2022 - 09:47

          Damn that’s so shit. 😫

  • FoxJump on 20/02/2022 - 08:46

    Bugger! I have same itech inverter. So far, I've charged some batteries off it for an hour. But I really hope I didn't waste my money. I want it to run a fan one day when we finally go camping

  • JIMB0 on 20/02/2022 - 09:20

    Try a sticker over the red light.

  • GordonD on 20/02/2022 - 10:26

    Have you asked itechworld what it means?

    • Daron2000 on 20/02/2022 - 11:46

      Yeah I’ve contacted them but they take ages to respond unfortunately

      • eug on 20/02/2022 - 12:33

        Have you tried their Facebook page?

        • Daron2000 on 20/02/2022 - 12:49

          Nah good point, I’ll try that out today

  • lgacb08 on 20/02/2022 - 22:04

    maybe just faulty crap inverter, are you sure it's pure sine wave one?
    Also, just so you know, you're doing it very inefficient by convert to ac and back to dc, best is to get one of these at Ali for a few bucks, drill a 25mm hole into your battery box and make it neat. There're plenty of different version and if you want to pay a bit more probably you'll get one that can even charge laptop. These unit do dc buck/boost conversion and will be a lot more efficient.

  • Boots64 on 29/12/2022 - 17:04

    Hi @Daron2000, did you ever sort out you inverter issue?
    I am trying to fire up a starlink from one of these inverters and after boot up, I guess when the antenna tries top move the red light flashes and then the modem resets. I connected it to a dedicated Dc power supply and the initial boot up current is around 1.3A, but when the antenna tries to move or fire up the DC current increases to about 3Amps then the red light flashes and the inverter resets.
    Did Itechworld simply replace your unit?

    • Chri5 on 03/01/2023 - 00:19

      Hey @Boots64 I’m trying to do exactly the same, itech 400w with starlink. I tried using the cigarette/ accessory plug the other day and starlink modem starts but when it goes to orientate the dish i get the red flash. Tried a few outlets on my caravan and same thing

      I ended up directly connecting using the clamps to both my car battery and caravan battery and i think that works as it did orientate it’s self but i couldn’t get out of tree cover so couldn’t properly test it

      We’re you using the battery clamps or the ciggy plug?

      I only see the red fault light quickly, I didn’t realise it was modem then resetting

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