Mastervolt Mass Combi 12/2500-100 switch problem

[Mike55]

Recently our Mastervolt Mass combi 12/2500-100 inverter/charger appears to have developed a problem with its 3 position rocker switch. The 3 positions are: Inverter-Off-Charging, and it's working OK in 'Inverter', but in 'Charging' for some time I've had to rock the switch back & forth to get it to start working. Once it's started it's fine until it get switched off, then the problem recurs. It's now got worse and won't go into 'Charging' at all. This means that to charge the battery (& get the 240V system to work off the shore supply) I have to leave the switch in the 'Inverter' position. Why does this matter? It doesn't unless there is an interruption to the shore supply when it will then start to drain the battery, made worse by us having a dehumidifier and thermostatically controlled heaters running off the 240V system as the boat is unoccupied over winter.

 

I suspect the problem is a poor contact in the switch. Does anyone know if the switch is replaceable or alternatively if there is anything I can do to clean the contacts? I've tried repeatedly operating the switch, but it hasn't helped. The Mastervolt manual is no help whatsoever.

[Tracy D'arth]

Mastervolt will be buying the switches in from a supplier, so find out what it says on the switch.

[BEngo]

The switch will almost certainly be a standard item from someone.  The question is who.  RS or Farnell catalogues might be a start, but if you post some pics ,  inside view as well as outside please,  I expect someone on here may recognise it.

It may also help to see if you can get an idea of what is connected to what in each position.

 

N

[frangar]

Id also be tempted to try a carefully aimed squirt of contact cleaner into the switch....make sure the unit is isolated from both 12 & 240 first....and let the cleaner evaporate for up to an hour just to be safe before reconnecting .....just after squirting operate the switch several times. It might just do the trick. 

 

I have to say its not always easy to find parts like the switch...for some reason manufactures seems to like getting such things custom made rather than using stock parts but you might be lucky...also to replace you might need to be very deft with a decent temp controlled soldering iron and solder sucker...those boards are very crowded and its easy to damage a track. Failing all that a company like Sellweb in tamworth might be able to just replace the switch....or indeed supply you with one if you feel confident in fitting it.

 

http://sellweb.co.uk/services/leisure-inverter-repair.php

[Slim]

9 minutes ago, BEngo said:

The switch will almost certainly be a standard item from someone.  The question is who.  RS or Farnell catalogues might be a start, but if you post some pics ,  inside view as well as outside please,  I expect someone on here may recognise it.

It may also help to see if you can get an idea of what is connected to what in each position.

 

N

I've got a MV 12/2000/80(or100?) so have a good idea of the switch. A quick Google shows several superficially similar switches. Replacement may mean a bit of fiddling but doable 

4 minutes ago, frangar said:

Id also be tempted to try a carefully aimed squirt of contact cleaner into the switch....make sure the unit is isolated from both 12 & 240 first....and let the cleaner evaporate for up to an hour just to be safe before reconnecting .....just after squirting operate the switch several times. It might just do the trick. 

 

I have to say its not always easy to find parts like the switch...for some reason manufactures seems to like getting such things custom made rather than using stock parts but you might be lucky...also to replace you might need to be very deft with a decent temp controlled soldering iron and solder sucker...those boards are very crowded and its easy to damage a track. Failing all that a company like Sellweb in tamworth might be able to just replace the switch....or indeed supply you with one if you feel confident in fitting it.

 

http://sellweb.co.uk/services/leisure-inverter-repair.php

Walk gently, I didn't have the best of experiences with this company in two different instances.

[frangar]

10 minutes ago, Slim said:

 

Walk gently, I didn't have the best of experiences with this company in two different instances.

That’s interesting to know. I’ve not used them personally but know others that have who seemed happy. What issues did you have if you don’t mind me asking…if they have issues that’s irritating as there aren’t many companies that seem to want to tackle repairs to inverters etc. I’ve sent units back to mastervolt in the past but also with varying results..,and that’s not a cheap option! 

[nicknorman]

The switch just switches a control signal (low voltage and very low current) so most likely, the contacts are corroded. As has been mentioned, a good squirt with a switch contact cleaner spray will probably help. Ultimately though, if you want a semi-permanent fix, a new switch is required. It shouldn’t be a difficult job.

[Phil.]

I had this exact problem a few years ago, and it transpired that the fault was not the switch, but the shore power cable. Don’t just check the continuity of the cable either, check with a known working cable.

[Mike55]

11 hours ago, Phil. said:

I had this exact problem a few years ago, and it transpired that the fault was not the switch, but the shore power cable. Don’t just check the continuity of the cable either, check with a known working cable.

I doubt if it is the shore supply cable as the unit works fine in Inverter mode. I've got two shore supply cables so will try it with the the other one just to be sure, although of course this wouldn't eliminate a fault in either the socket I connect to or my fixed inlet plug.

[Mike55]

17 hours ago, frangar said:

Id also be tempted to try a carefully aimed squirt of contact cleaner into the switch....make sure the unit is isolated from both 12 & 240 first....and let the cleaner evaporate for up to an hour just to be safe before reconnecting .....just after squirting operate the switch several times. It might just do the trick. 

 

I have to say its not always easy to find parts like the switch...for some reason manufactures seems to like getting such things custom made rather than using stock parts but you might be lucky...also to replace you might need to be very deft with a decent temp controlled soldering iron and solder sucker...those boards are very crowded and its easy to damage a track. Failing all that a company like Sellweb in tamworth might be able to just replace the switch....or indeed supply you with one if you feel confident in fitting it.

 

http://sellweb.co.uk/services/leisure-inverter-repair.php

I'll get some contact cleaner and try that as a first go, failing that I'll look at Sellweb, although noting the other comments. By coincidence I live just outside Tamworth and the boat is moored nearby at Fazeley too, so convenient if nothing else. I'm not great at soldering - my hands just aren't steady enough.

Thanks for the very useful input.

[Slim]

17 hours ago, frangar said:

That’s interesting to know. I’ve not used them personally but know others that have who seemed happy. What issues did you have if you don’t mind me asking…if they have issues that’s irritating as there aren’t many companies that seem to want to tackle repairs to inverters etc. I’ve sent units back to mastervolt in the past but also with varying results..,and that’s not a cheap option! 

First time Was my Mastervolt inverter that failed. Sellweb repaired it and it failed again within 5 hours with a bang and magic smoke. Returned it and they diagnosed a blown circuit board but with no circuit diagram (MV would not supply diagram or new board) they couldn't repair. Left it with them hoping that they got an identical unit in and they could compare. Still waiting and never got refund as per warranty. 

Second example which overlapped chronologically but totally separate was my Paguro (generator) control panel. I think they had 3 attempts at fixing that even with a circuit diagram that I sourced. Each time it came back faulty. In the end I gave up with a 90% functioning panel and fitted  a supplementary external warning light and switch.        

[Mike55]

Bought some electrical contact cleaner (from Toolstation) on the way down to the boat this morning. Gave the switch a squirt between the rocker & its surround, left it to evaporate, put the power back on and hey presto it's working again. The contact cleaner worked a treat! Thanks for that top tip folks, quick, easy & best of all, cheap!

[frangar]

1 hour ago, Mike55 said:

Bought some electrical contact cleaner (from Toolstation) on the way down to the boat this morning. Gave the switch a squirt between the rocker & its surround, left it to evaporate, put the power back on and hey presto it's working again. The contact cleaner worked a treat! Thanks for that top tip folks, quick, easy & best of all, cheap!

Brilliant!! Thanks for letting us know the outcome. 

[frangar]

3 hours ago, Slim said:

First time Was my Mastervolt inverter that failed. Sellweb repaired it and it failed again within 5 hours with a bang and magic smoke. Returned it and they diagnosed a blown circuit board but with no circuit diagram (MV would not supply diagram or new board) they couldn't repair. Left it with them hoping that they got an identical unit in and they could compare. Still waiting and never got refund as per warranty. 

Second example which overlapped chronologically but totally separate was my Paguro (generator) control panel. I think they had 3 attempts at fixing that even with a circuit diagram that I sourced. Each time it came back faulty. In the end I gave up with a 90% functioning panel and fitted  a supplementary external warning light and switch.        

Hmmm thats not great at all is it...although to be fair I sent a unit back to mastervolt that was out of warranty on one of the boats I wired that had popped a cap on the main board...unit was about 5 years old...they only give a 6 month warranty on repairs and guess what....lots of magic smoke in month 7 and a shrug of the shoulders from Mastervolt HQ...I wasn't very impressed. Im really not sure they are fixable once out of warranty....I did like Mastervolt and indeed have a 500w PSW inverter on my boat thats now 20 years old....but that was before they were built in China...The rest of my kit...MPPT Controller and Charger etc is now Victron....

[Beo]

Does anyone have any similarly quick and cheap ideas to restore the touchscreen capability to our MasterVolt monitor display unit? I know that there is a screen lock but that isn’t the problem - it just doesn’t respond when I touch to change the display so we’re left with only the % reading. A new one is around £300!

[frangar]

10 minutes ago, Beo said:

Does anyone have any similarly quick and cheap ideas to restore the touchscreen capability to our MasterVolt monitor display unit? I know that there is a screen lock but that isn’t the problem - it just doesn’t respond when I touch to change the display so we’re left with only the % reading. A new one is around £300!

Hiya1 Presume you've tried just unplugging the cat 5 cable from it and resetting it? Does the physical button work on the front of the unit?...the only other thing might be to take it out and put it in a warm place in a rice sack as it may be a bit damp which can upset touch screens...I think there is a reset you can do but I cant remember what that is now!!

[Beo]

No - I haven’t tried unplugging it as I wasn’t sure whether it would lose all the settings. I’ll give that a go - and the rice if that fails. The physical button works fine. 👍Thank you. 

[frangar]

3 minutes ago, Beo said:

No - I haven’t tried unplugging it as I wasn’t sure whether it would lose all the settings. I’ll give that a go - and the rice if that fails. The physical button works fine. 👍Thank you. 

The settings will be stored…and apart from boat name and stuff like high/low voltage alarms all the important settings are stored in the combi & shunt….so even if you do a full reset there’s not too much to put back in.