Magnum Spec Confusion - Problem Resolved

PhilS · January 2008

Anyone bored enough can check my past posts to verify I'm not trolling. I was gonna buy a VFX2812 to replace a Xantrex SW2512MC and made posts here questioning whether I'd need to buy the Mate (yes). The Xantrex is still working fine and will move to "water pump" position, replacing a Heart Interface "Ultra High Preformance HF12-2000U" which still works fine (even after ALL these years) but my water pump dislikes the modified square wave.

Because I probably would follow boB and Robin anywhere, I read enough posts that I concluded that Magnum would be a brand I could trust (yeah, I know they aren't involved any longer but I didn't see a solution to my situation at Midnite Solar).

I downloaded the comparison sheet from Magnum here: http://www.magnumenergy.com/Literature/Brochures-Catalogs/Magnum_Product_Comparison_(64-0550%20Rev%20A).pdf

It's pretty clear by the 'check' mark (NOT 'O' for optional or 'M' for ask your dealer) that the "LCD remote display" is "standard on all models".

I ordered an MS2812 from W-S and received it yesterday.

No remote included. Optional. Another $135 + shipping.

What's up with that?

Also, (off-topic) does anyone know what the idle draw is for the Heart Interface that I'm replacing? It'll be nice to eliminate the constant buzz but back then specs like that weren't anywhere that I could find.

Phil

mike95490 · January 2008

Re: Magnum's false claims?

I've got to agree with ya, the photos all show the LCD panel, and the data sheet you linked to, seems pretty clear that its equipped with it.

The Dingo they have producing the literature must have forgot the " * " !

* remote data port connector included, cable & display extra.

Bad Dingo. No food tonight.

Buried on page 25 in the owners manual, under OPTIONS, is the ME-RC remote control.

I'll bet within a week, the photos will change !

boB · January 2008

Re: Magnum's false claims?

Thanks Phil...

I told the S & M guys about your discovery.

boB

PhilS · January 2008

Re: Magnum's false claims?

mike90045 wrote: »

Bad Dingo. No food tonight.

Mike,

You crack me up ;o)

Phil

PhilS · February 2008

Re: Magnum's false claims?

boB wrote: »

Thanks Phil...

I told the S & M guys about your discovery.

boB

I appreciate that boB. Did they even care?

Phil

boB · February 2008

Re: Magnum's false claims?

PhilS wrote: »

I appreciate that boB. Did they even care?
Phil

The two that I told about it sure seemed to care. Thanks !

BTW, you got an extremely good deal from NAWS on that remote ! They obviously care too when something like this happens.

boB

halfcrazy · February 2008

Re: Magnum's false claims?

Phil when you get the remote you should order magnums battery monitor it is grade a seems much more acurate then my trimetric was?

PhilS · February 2008

Re: Magnum's false claims?

halfcrazy wrote: »

Phil when you get the remote you should order magnums battery monitor it is grade a seems much more acurate then my trimetric was?

I don't use a battery monitor. Should I? Our power shed is 75' from the house, but in the kitchen we have a digital voltmeter that reads the batteries (I mentally add .3V for the line loss).

I don't use the auto-start for the gen from the inverter.... I mentally compute the power left in the bank, what the weather is and will be, what time of day it is, how much power we expect to use, etc. Then if necessary I flip the gen switch that's next to the meter. Turn it off after two or three hours. I don't want the generator running if we aren't home and the "auto" setting could make that happen.

But tell me more about the monitor and what it can do please. And so far I've received no indication that a remote is being sent.

Phil

on edit: I didn't understand boB's remark about the remote until now. He thought I'd paid $135 for one. Nope, I was actually guessing because I wasn't really planning on ordering something that the comparison sheet from Magnum clearly showed should be included. I am easily confused, I admit, but I don't even see the remotes listed at W-S in the Magnum page under inverters and accessories. Of course, all the Magnum inverter photos show the remote too.

halfcrazy · February 2008

Re: Magnum's false claims?

i have used a bunch of the magnum inverters and the remote is an option not standard. the inverter will work without it but you lose some functionality pretty much the same idea as the outback inverters except with the magnum the programming is stored in the remote so if you unplug it your inverter will revert back to default.
What Magnum is saying with the comparison sheet is that all there inverters have the ability to work with a display unlike a lot of others that have no option for a lcd display. like the old trace DR series no display just a couple leds

PhilS · February 2008

Re: Magnum's false claims?

Magnum has stepped up to the plate. They are correcting/clarifying the comparison sheet. They are also sending me a remanufactured remote.

I was ready to pull the trigger on my Outback purchase but saw Magnum mentioned here, did a quick search, and found nothing negative posted.

I Googled "Magnum inverter" and saw the comparison page that I mentioned in my first post. I looked no farther as it seemed a direct comparison to the Outback I'd planned to buy. And it showed superior features. The sheet indicated the remote was "standard", but Magnum has explained that it was meant to mean their (optional) remote came standard with an LCD readout and not just LED panel. Of course, I'm used to my SW and it has LCD as standard as do my two Prosines. The only thing I have with LEDs is the Heart Interface I replaced with the Magnum, and it's about 18 years old.

I SHOULD have done as much research on the Magnum as I did for the Outback. Certainly not the first time I've erred in my ordering (see the BZ thread) but Magnum is coming through for me.

Phil

mike95490 · February 2008

Re: Magnum's false claims?

PhilS wrote: »

Magnum has stepped up to the plate. They are correcting/clarifying the comparison sheet. They are also sending me a remanufactured remote.

Wow ! Very decent of them. It's like business should work, complaint, resolution, everybody happy.

Now if my dual glazed windows, complete with hand prints (I could even pull fingerprints off the inner glass) and grease pencil markings, would get replaced under warranty, I'd be really happy. As it is, it's easier to count the dual glazed that haven't leaked and fogged.

nigtomdaw · February 2008

Re: Magnum's false claims?

A nice gesture by Magnum,good PR....:roll: Ive been looking at there systems and I was aware that the remote was extra, but really they should offer a complete package . I can see why OB list a mate as an option because of there very modular design. but even they should offer a deal where a mate can be bought at a discount with a single inverter.Whats the point of buying an inverter charger with lots of possible customer preferences and not being able to access them. Its like buying a new car with all sorts of gadgets fitted like radio, air con, electric seats and then having to order separately the control interface. crazy.:grr

PhilS · February 2008

Re: Magnum's false claims?

nigtomdaw wrote: »

A nice gesture by Magnum,good PR....:roll: Ive been looking at there systems and I was aware that the remote was extra, but really they should offer a complete package . I can see why OB list a mate as an option because of there very modular design. but even they should offer a deal where a mate can be bought at a discount with a single inverter.Whats the point of buying an inverter charger with lots of possible customer preferences and not being able to access them. Its like buying a new car with all sorts of gadgets fitted like radio, air con, electric seats and then having to order separately the control interface. crazy.:grr

I agree there! One thing I've noticed is that it never goes into search mode. The Xantrex had no problem and spent most of its life in search. Without the remote I don't know if I've got 5 watts of "leakage" keeping it out of search or whether it won't even go into search mode without the remote, which makes the search power figures given in the comparison sheet pointless unless a remote is attached, which should be pointed out also.

But my water pump REALLY likes sine wave power (from my SW). The house power from the Magnum seems a little cleaner than the SW's judging from a slightly reduced buzz from the central heater's transformer.... doesn't (and shouldn't) appear to be much difference otherwise. It charges fine. Without the remote I can't really tell much else. Magnum said it'd be shipped this week.... now it's back to the "kid before Christmas" in me.

Phil

boB · February 2008

Re: Magnum's false claims?

When you get the remote, try 10 Watts search level instead of 5.
I don't know of much in the way of 5 Watt loads anyway, except for maybe nite-Lites....
10 Watts search will be sure to go into search mode.
Yes, it is a nice waveform and PFC charger is very nice.
The SW was good for its time but has a bunch of little steps
which can be noisey electrically and acoutstically.

I'm glad that Magnum helped you out.

boB

BB. · February 2008

Re: Magnum's false claims?--Doc Mistake--Makes Good for Customer!

I just wanted bump the thread with an updated title to respect that Magnum recognized their unclear documentation and made good for their customer that made a decision on the less than clear sales bullet point. From PhilS:

Magnum has stepped up to the plate. They are correcting/clarifying the comparison sheet. They are also sending me a remanufactured remote.

Give a high five to Magnum for owning the problem!

-Bill

PhilS · February 2008

Re: Magnum's false claims?--Doc Mistake--Makes Good for Customer!

I know you were talking about the title to your post, but I'd be happy to edit the thread title but don't know how. Is there a way? Or can a moderator change it?

Phil

BB. wrote: »

I just wanted bump the thread with an updated tittle to respect that Magnum recognized their unclear documentation and made good for their customer that made a decision on the less than clear sales bullet point. From PhilS:

Give a high five to Magnum for owning the problem!

-Bill

BB. · February 2008

Re: Magnum's false claims?--Doc Mistake--Makes Good for Customer!

Phil,

Try editing the first post in this thread? I see that my change did not apparently carry through.

There is a problem with quick edit/save function... If it hangs (more than about 5 seconds), just push the advanced edit button and scroll down to the save (or post) button.

The jump to "advanced edit" and save works even if it appears your first save failed.

-Bill

PhilS · February 2008

Re: Magnum's false claims?

boB wrote: »

When you get the remote, try 10 Watts search level instead of 5.
I don't know of much in the way of 5 Watt loads anyway, except for maybe nite-Lites....
10 Watts search will be sure to go into search mode.
Yes, it is a nice waveform and PFC charger is very nice.
The SW was good for its time but has a bunch of little steps
which can be noisey electrically and acoutstically.

I'm glad that Magnum helped you out.

boB

Thanks, boB. So it SHOULD be going into search 'out of the box' with no remote? When the remote arrives I'll better be able to tell what's happening. My inverters are 75' from the house through underground wiring and I wouldn't be surprised if the capacitance over that distance would trick a machine looking for only 5 watts.

Phil

nigtomdaw · February 2008

Re: Magnum's false claims?

I agree the post title seems a little harsh having read the thread,,,it would be fairer to re title or add a suitable rider.

Looking forward t the euro spec stuff soon !:cool:

crewzer · February 2008

Magnum Spec Confusion - Problem Resolved

Phil,

I think this may the best I can do in terms of a gentler thread title. You're the OP, so let me know if you'd like something different.

HTH,
Jim / crewzer

mike95490 · February 2008

Re: Magnum Spec Confusion - Problem Resolved

crewzer wrote: »

Phil,

I think this may the best I can do in terms of a gentler thread title. You're the OP, so let me know if you'd like something different.

HTH,
Jim / crewzer

WOW, there are what, 4 or 5 different titles in this thread. I guess a change at the top does not ripple downward. Maybe everyone has to edit their own posts ?

PhilS · February 2008

Re: Magnum Spec Confusion - Problem Resolved

crewzer wrote: »

Phil,

I think this may the best I can do in terms of a gentler thread title. You're the OP, so let me know if you'd like something different.

HTH,
Jim / crewzer

Good choice Jim. It mentions " Magnum" so it'll come up with even the most basic search query. And it explains that the problem was resolved. When I searched "Magnum" here before buying, if I'd read this thread the only thing I'd have done differently would've been to order a remote.

After my BZ experience I was really hoping that lightening hadn't struck me twice. That was the exact same scenario: I'd planned for months to buy Outback and then at the last minute bought BZ. This time I'd planned for months to buy Outback and then at the last minute bought Magnum.

You'd think I'd learn.

Phil

PhilS · February 2008

Re: Magnum Spec Confusion - Problem Resolved

THIS INVERTER ROCKS!!!

Or maybe I've just been using old technology for too long.

The remote arrived Monday. Plug and play. So first I discovered that the inverter wouldn't go into search until I changed the parameter to 50 watts. I found the breaker that fed this unknown load.

Yesterday I had time to troubleshoot and traced it to a timer that I used to use to switch one of my friges to AC during the day. I quit doing that as soon as I discovered a recall by Dometic of my fridges that basically acknowledges use of the electric element can result in a fracture of the burner tube and could cause a fire. The recall "fix" is to shield the burner flame so if the tube ruptures, it won't start a fire. Nothing to address the root cause of too thin burner tube metal and too much element heat at a weld.

But I'd never removed the timer and it was drawing a load more than 30w and less than 50w according to Magnum. I had the Xantrex set to go into search at 16w and it never failed to do so.

The Magnum goes into search now at 5w.

And when it comes out of search, it's a quick "ramp up" of voltage rather than the "instant on" (after a short delay) of the Xantrex. It only took us one evening to like that feature.

Another surprise: our microwave works better. I thought so immediately but now my wife has confirmed it (and wives aren't wrong). It's an older 900w model since that's the only way to get simple dial control, vs. electronic controls that have a parasitic load all the time (and would prevent "search"). I thought the 56-step Xantrex waveform would've been fine and didn't expect any difference.

I received an email today from Magnum with the new "comparison sheet" attached. He said it probably wasn't on the web yet, but it clearly shows the remote as an option in a special section devoted to comparing remotes. The file was too big to upload here.

Magnum has not only stood behind a typographical error but has designed and built an excellent inverter.

Phil

halfcrazy · February 2008

Re: Magnum Spec Confusion - Problem Resolved

Phil glad Magnum took care of you. i have been having very good luck with them and they do seem to care what a few small time installers think witch is a nice feature for a company to have. plus they have kept there prices down to a more reasonable area. the new xantrex xw inverters are wayyyyyyy to expensive. plus boB helps out there at magnum so thats another huge selling point.

Magnum Spec Confusion - Problem Resolved

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