Replaced ProSine 2.0 w/Magnum MS2012

[Karl Welhart]

Just finished replacing my old and very unstable Xantrex ProSine 2.0 charger/inverter with a Magnum MS2012 pure sine unit.  This ProSine unit was the third one installed since my motorhome was new.  All of them failed for the same reason, multiple error messages during power source switching. Taking out of the old unit and installing the new unit was straight forward except that it was bolted to the drivers side basement wall making access very difficult.  

The battery temperature sensor has to be replaced with the new one that comes with the Magnum unit, even though it looks just like the old one that was used with the ProSine unit.  Fishing the new wire down the inside of the chassis rail was a little tricky but did not take too long.  The old wire that went to the Xantrex remote control panel can be used with the new Magnum ARC-50 remote control panel.

However, mounting the new remote panel was a bigger job then originally thought. It required taking out the old remote panel and making a new faceplate because it is smaller than the old remote panel.  The hole in the inside overhead cabinet had to be enlarged to accept the new faceplate, then I could install the new Magnum remote control panel. I used black Plexiglas for the faceplate and turned out very nice.

Plugged everything in and cycled all the varies modes of power sources without any problems.  The remote control is much simpler to display information, program different features and select settings. Bottom line, do not even think about replacing the old Xantrex charger/inverters with any Xantrex products.  Go with Magnum Energy.

[George H. Wall]

Great job Karl!!  I had my Xantrex replaced by BCS last year, after many unpleasant experiences, with the same unit you used. They were surprised that the Xantrex lasted as long as it did! I certainly agree with your recomendation on the Mangum.   Henry

[Dick Simonis]

Yep, did the same think last year when my Freedom died.  However in my case the new control pane was a direct replacement and the temp sensor wire was was fine, just cut the end and put on the telephone type plug to adapt to the Magnum.  I did use the PSW though.

Real nice unit.

[James Kim]

Hello, I am new to the board.  I look forward to learning a lot and hopefully contributing as well.

I purchased a 2002 Marquis Amethyst and in going over and servicing various components, was told that my Xantrex 3.0 was bad.

So, I purchased a Magnum 3100 watt inverter/charger and the remote from an internet supplier who was really great.  As the installer was about to remove the Xantrex, it was discovered that the dip switches were actually in the off position, so the Xantrex wasn't bad after all.

Now, based upon reading all the negatives about the Xantrex units, I am debating whether I should return the brand new still-in-the-box Magnum and eat the 15% restocking fee, or just hold on to it for the inevitable break-down of the Xantrex unit.

Your thoughts?

Thanks,
James

2002 Beaver Amethyst
Cat C12

[George H. Wall]

James, You're living on borowed time with thr Xantrex. I would go ahead  and change  the unit NOW, instead  of it going out when you are on the road, as happened to me.

[Gerald Farris]

James,
It is a crap shot if you go either way with your inverter options. The Xantrex units do have a high failure rate but some of them last for years without a problem. When I bought my 2000 Marquis, it was 3 years old and the inverter was bad so the previous owner replaced it with another Xantrex unit. That inverter is nearly 10 years old now and it is still working fine and as a fulltimer, I have given it a lot of use. So you just have to guess, are you lucky and have one that will last for many more years, or not.

Gerald  
  

[James Kim]

Thanks for your words of wisdom George and Gerald.

[Edward Buker]

If it isn't broken I personally would not fix it..... I have the original Xantrex in my 2002 Marquis. Since owning it I do have to reset it for a false alarm condition every few months by shutting off AC power to the coach and shutting off the house battery switch for 15 seconds. It is an annoyance but it never fails to restart. Some are lucky and some are not with Xantrex but it is not to say that you are doomed to failure just because it is a Xantrex.

 It is very good advice if you do have to replace it that you do buy a Magnum with a much more robust design. If money is not an issue at all then you have a better unit in hand now and it is more convenient to change things out when you are not on the road. The third option is to hold the new unit in back up. If the Xantrex never fails you can sell it as new at a later date when you part with the Marquis.

Later Ed

[Terry Melot]

"Now, based upon reading all the negatives about the Xantrex units, I am debating whether I should return the brand new still-in-the-box Magnum and eat the 15% restocking fee, or just hold on to it for the inevitable break-down of the Xantrex unit."

James, almost exactly the same thing happen to me. From recently purchasing a 2002 marquis, to purchasing a Magnum inverter when the Prosine needed resetting frequently.  I learned that the Prosine senses battery fluid low, even when it is still visible. The failure code kept saying "check batteries". I filled to the top indicator on all the batteries, and the Prosine has not kicked off since. That was a almost two months ago, 1000 miles and two trips.
Now I have the same decision. To take the Magnum back or hang on to it.

[Edward Buker]

Terry,

It really does not sense battery fluid being low, it actually watches temperature of the battery at the terminal and adjusts the charge rate if the temperature gets too high. It may also give an error if the batteries get too hot. If you are low on fluid and charging is boiling it out and you are then getting a high temp error you may have a shorted cell causing that condition. These batteries should go a month or more without high temp errors or loss of much electrolyte fluid before any water needs to be added. If you are getting high temp indications keep an eye on the fluid levels. If a cell is getting low and a battery feels warmer than the rest change it out.

Later Ed

[Dick Simonis]

If you already have the Magnum, consider replacing it and selling the old one on Craigs List.  Should be worth a bit to someone.

[Joel Weiss]

If it isn't broken I personally would not fix it..... I have the original Xantrex in my 2002 Marquis. Since owning it I do have to reset it for a false alarm condition every few months by shutting off AC power to the coach and shutting off the house battery switch for 15 seconds. It is an annoyance but it never fails to restart. Some are lucky and some are not with Xantrex but it is not to say that you are doomed to failure just because it is a Xantrex.

Interesting that your "normal" operating mode involves having to do a reset every few months.  Ours had not been like that and when it started exhibiting that behavior we replaced it with a Magnum rather than get caught out on the road in a situation where it wouldn't reset.  As full-timers there's just too much risk of things breaking down in remote locations where the availability of help and the price of getting it won't be optimum.

One thing I've notice at which the Magnum is substantially better than the Xantrex is in its ability to switch to inverter use when shore or generator power is lost.  The Xantrex was pretty good at maintaining power when I would disconnect from the shore, but most of the time after a generator shut-down the inverter would not come on.  The Magnum never seems to miss a beat on this task.

[Edward Buker]

Joel,

No doubt the Magnum is a better unit. My guess is that there is a design flaw in the Xantrex that makes it susceptible to an internal logic error. I say that because the problem always results in an error alarm, no code is stored, and the unit will immediately come back online and run fine. (It requires dropping all power to clear the logic and reset the unit)  This is not uncommon in computerized electronics that have self protection logic, some just do it better than others. If this behavior varied or if a quick reset did not always put you back online then I would think it is something more serious....it is just the nature of my particular beast. This is not unlike restarting a computer that has locked up, you are just resetting the logic and moving on. This issue for me does not mean it is failing because the symptom and the work around are always the same and stable.

I will probably aim my spending on a new set of tires in the not too distant future rather than replacing the Xantrex...I will say it would be better to never have this alarm happen in the middle of the night which it did once this summer  :-)

Later Ed

[Joel Weiss]

Ed:

Your situation must be a bit different than mine was; I didn't receive any kind of audible alarm (I'm not sure mine had the capability to do that).  I would simply discover at some point that my batteries were heavily discharged and that even though the panel would indicate that the charger was operating, in fact it wasn't.  A reset as you describe would restart it, but I wasn't comfortable with whether or not it would the next time.  Without an alarm I was very concerned that battery levels could get low enough that starting the coach or generator could be an issue without me knowing it.

As for the tires, I can feel your pain.  In addition to the parking brake which I posted about recently, we're now replacing the RVA hydraulic pump since ours has definitely died.  (The Splendide is also down at the moment, but at least that's warranty) It's been an expensive year, but at least we'll have lots of new subsystems when we start moving next spring.

Joel

[Dave Cunningham]

I need to replace the xantrex unit in my new motorhome, as the charger works but it will not invert , I have heard that Magnum is definitely the way to go, just wondered where the best ( cheapest) place to get one is , I have poked around on ebay and they are not cheap.
Also I have a dumb question about house batteries, the ones I have in. This unit are pretty well done, I had six in my 03 Marquis, that were sealed units, and I never had a problem with them, and I just wonder if the sealed units work well why would anybody buy non sealed and have to constantly watch the levels all the time?

Dave