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Fault on Sterling ProPower S 700W Sine Wave Inverter.


alan_fincher

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It seems like everything on the boat wants to die at the same time....

 

We have a Sterling ProPower S 700W Sine Wave Inverter. It has not been used in a couple of years.

Now if we try to start it, it initially comes on, showing a green light, and issuing 3 beeps.  Then immediately it shows a red warning light for over-voltage protection or under-voltage protection, and shuts down.  I don't know if the 3 beeps means "I have started" or "I have detected an error - I can find no reference in the instructions.

 

According to the instructions, "under voltage" would be less than 10V, whereas "over voltage" would be over 15V. I measured at the inverter as 12.7v, so should be fine.  Because there is one light for both "under" and "over" it is not clear what condition it claims to have detected.

 

The unit isn't knowingly damaged, but is in an all steel, uninsulated engine room, so may get "damp".

 

Does anybody have any ideas, please, and is a fix likely to be possible?

 

Oh, and before anyone says "it's your fault - you bought a Sterling product!", I've already worked that one out. 😟

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49 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

It seems like everything on the boat wants to die at the same time....

 

We have a Sterling ProPower S 700W Sine Wave Inverter. It has not been used in a couple of years.

Now if we try to start it, it initially comes on, showing a green light, and issuing 3 beeps.  Then immediately it shows a red warning light for over-voltage protection or under-voltage protection, and shuts down.  I don't know if the 3 beeps means "I have started" or "I have detected an error - I can find no reference in the instructions.

 

According to the instructions, "under voltage" would be less than 10V, whereas "over voltage" would be over 15V. I measured at the inverter as 12.7v, so should be fine.  Because there is one light for both "under" and "over" it is not clear what condition it claims to have detected.

 

The unit isn't knowingly damaged, but is in an all steel, uninsulated engine room, so may get "damp".

 

Does anybody have any ideas, please, and is a fix likely to be possible?

 

Oh, and before anyone says "it's your fault - you bought a Sterling product!", I've already worked that one out. 😟

I've got loads of sterling kit  and IME most of the problems are due to the user - that's why Charles senior got ratty and thus gained a reputation (OK p'raps some the early stuff was a bit ropey). - that may be the case here....

 

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59 minutes ago, BEngo said:

Take it home and put it in the airing cupboard ( or somewhere else nice and warm) for a week, then try again. 

 

Expect to be looking for a replacement.

 

N

Unfortunately I don't have a week.  I need something up and running almost immediately, or my  son who will join us for our next travels will not be happy.

I've opened it up now, and the inside looks pristine - absolutely no visual indication f having ever got damp internally.

It is a very much more complex bit of electronics than I imagined it was going to be - heaps of components on multiple boards.

56 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Check ALL the connections. A bit of hidden corrosion in a connection can cause voltage drop on start up.

Not many joints involved - it's fairly directly off the battery bank, other than a fuse, which is of the screw down type, and well screwed down.

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1 minute ago, alan_fincher said:

Unfortunately I don't have a week.  I need something up and running almost immediately, or my  son who will join us for our next travels will not be happy.

I've opened it up now, and the inside looks pristine - absolutely no visual indication f having ever got damp internally.

It is a very much more complex bit of electronics than I imagined it was going to be - heaps of components on multiple boards.


if there are multiple boards, you could try disconnecting and reconnecting the boards, on the premise that a slightly corroded inter-board connection might be the problem. Just unplugging and re-plugging internal connectors can help wipe any tiny layer of corrosion off the contact surfaces that would inhibit data and other low voltage signals.

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3 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

've opened it up now, and the inside looks pristine -

 

 

The  three beeps on start-up sounds like an error message to me.

 

I'd start by putting my multimeter probes on the terminals and noting the voltage while it initialises. If it dips then there's ya problem. If the voltgage looks correct I'd finish with that too and just buy a new one, given the urgency you outline. 

 

Welcome back BTW :hug:

 

 

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42 minutes ago, nicknorman said:


if there are multiple boards, you could try disconnecting and reconnecting the boards, on the premise that a slightly corroded inter-board connection might be the problem. Just unplugging and re-plugging internal connectors can help wipe any tiny layer of corrosion off the contact surfaces that would inhibit data and other low voltage signals.

On delving in again, I find that there are 2 boards.  The larger one lies flat against the base of the unit, then a dmaller "upright" one forms an L with that one.

 

Both are hard coupled by solid L shape wires - no obvious plugs or sockets.

 

The only obvious plug extends an RS232 interface out to a socket mounted on the end. (The instrucions don't mention RS232, so I don't know what this could have been used for

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45 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

 

The  three beeps on start-up sounds like an error message to me.

 

I'd start by putting my multimeter probes on the terminals and noting the voltage while it initialises. If it dips then there's ya problem. If the voltgage looks correct I'd finish with that too and just buy a new one, given the urgency you outline. 

 

Welcome back BTW :hug:

 

 

I get 12.7 volts, with no obvious fall as it goes through start up then failure.

 

I think I need a new one.  The question now is what - I would have preferred to do some research, but needs must, so I guess it will be driven more by rapid supply than necessarily best inverter.

 

Does anybody have any recommendations, or ones to avoid.  Probably between 600 and 1000w, and pure sine.

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At a low price all will be Chinese, but then so are some of the expensive ones. You pays the price and takes your chance.

There are always Victron and Mastervolt of course.

 

I would buy a mid priced unit and keep your fingers crossed.

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44 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

At a low price all will be Chinese, but then so are some of the expensive ones.

 

This particular Sterling one was Taiwanese.

I worked for a while in Electronics, and can say with some confidence it is very much better constructed than things being manufactured in the UK in the mid-1970s.

I've been looking at Victron, but now find they have a bigger footprint than the space I have available.  Back to the drawing board...

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I have always been a fan of the big names, Mastervolt and Victron. But that said, I put a SunshineSolar inverter into my caravan about 4 years ago. It doesn’t get a huge amount of use but it has been flawless so far, and the quiescent current is quite low at about 1A for the 1500w model. Which I note is currently on special offer for cheap-as-chips £199.

 

https://www.sunshinesolar.co.uk/Category/PureSineWave12V

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47 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

I have always been a fan of the big names, Mastervolt and Victron. But that said, I put a SunshineSolar inverter into my caravan about 4 years ago. It doesn’t get a huge amount of use but it has been flawless so far, and the quiescent current is quite low at about 1A for the 1500w model. Which I note is currently on special offer for cheap-as-chips £199.

 

https://www.sunshinesolar.co.uk/Category/PureSineWave12V

Similarly, the Epever stuff, which Bimble sell seem to be good. Cheaper than Victron/Mastervolt, but with UK support and consumer protection and a low quiescent current (<1A). I fitted a 1500W one for a friend recently and would be happy with one on my own boat.

Jen

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5 hours ago, OldGoat said:

I've got loads of sterling kit  and IME most of the problems are due to the user - that's why Charles senior got ratty and thus gained a reputation (OK p'raps some the early stuff was a bit ropey). - that may be the case here....

 

 

I never had any of the alleged problems with Charles Sterling, at least you used to be able to talk to him unlike most manufacturers these days. I had a Sterling digital Alternator controller which worked, but was giving erratic readings on the Ammeter. I spoke to Charles and asked him if I was doing something wrong, which turned out to be the correct approach with him, he was very helpful and admitted that had received similar observations from other users which he had not been able to replicate on the test bench. He asked me if I was willing to participate in a number of field tests using our boat which I agreed to, unfortunately none of them worked, so he asked me if I was prepared to remove the existing unit and replace it with a new prototype unit, which he would send to me. I agreed and fitted the new unit which eliminated all the earler problem, and after reporting back to Charles, he thanked me and said I could keep the unit free of charge. It was still working fine when i sold the boat fifteen years later.

 

 

Edited by David Schweizer
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Thanks everybody.

 

Current Sterling pricing is certainly not bargain basement, and not even really mid range. - some of it is pretty pricey.

 

For the sums being asked, I would hope for a long life, and where length of warranty shouldn't really matter, as the product should easily outlive any warranty expiry.

 

It's true Victron and Mastervolt will cost more, but you would seem to have a better chance of buying something that keeps working.

Edited by alan_fincher
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1 hour ago, David Schweizer said:

Just a small point, but have you thought of phoning Sterlings? There may be a simple fix, which no one has come up with yet,

 

This is a good suggestion, particularly as the three beeps on startup is undocumented. It might lead directly to a diagnosis as the folk at Sterling will probably know what they mean.

 

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5 hours ago, alan_fincher said:

Does anybody have any recommendations, or ones to avoid.  Probably between 600 and 1000w, and pure sine.

For less than £400, I'd buy Victron.... perhaps this one, with the VE Direct cable, and bluetooth dongle.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Victron-Energy-Phoenix-Inverter-1200VA/dp/B08PPTPR89/ref=asc_df_B08PPTPR89/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=500982087357&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=175790939652095271&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046455&hvtargid=pla-1320243016020&th=1

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20 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

You probably won't start a fridge on that much power, just saying.

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3 minutes ago, Tracy D&#x27;arth said:

You probably won't start a fridge on that much power, just saying.

 

I hadnt seen mention of a fridge, merely a replacement for a 700w unit. The Victron he is quoting is 650W, so fairly close.

 

Or is his son bringing a 240v fridge with him?

 

 

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1 hour ago, Tracy D&#x27;arth said:

You probably won't start a fridge on that much power, just saying.

Our fridge just consumes expensive gas...

1 hour ago, Richard10002 said:

Or is his son bringing a 240v fridge with him?

 

No, but he travels with enough hardware that you might be excused for thinking so.

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