Freedom 20 Inverter/Charger

[ricorrea2002]

I have a little and strange problem with my Freedom 20. It doesn't have remote control panel, but it has LINK 2000, XANTREX.

Every morning I need to charge my batteries around 1 hour.

I start my Gen, it draws 120 v without load, and 63 hz, but the charge doesn't start. I wait around 3 - 5 min and nothing. Then I go to the Freedom, I hit "gently" with my hand the Inverter and It starts to work. And It works very well!!!

It is like if the inverter is in Idle Mode, and any contact relay was stick and need a knock to split..????

It happened once a while several months ago but now it happens every day.

Did anybody have a similar problem? Did anybody change the internal relay?


I tried resetting the switch OFF/ON, and the breakers of 25 and 30 amps and nothing. Only the hit works.

I asked to Xantrex Customer Service and the suggested It could be a internal transfer relay, but they don't give support because Heart Interface is a discontinued model.

[smac999]

What happens when you turn the charge button off and back on?

[Stu Jackson]

What is the Power Share feature set to?

[donradcliffe]

Yes, the relays do give out.

[ricorrea2002]

Nothing happens when I turn ON/OFF the charge buttom.

I don't know what is Power Share, Stu

Xantrex told me they give an special discount for a new one (1600 usd) taking in account the problem and they not longer support the old model.

Besides the amount, it is a pitty to spend so much money for a device that works good.

I'll try to dismount it and look for lubricate or replace the relay. If someone has the schematic of Freedom I'd appreciate to send me.

Thanks anyway

[Stu Jackson]

Power Share Feature for Link 2000 Controlling Honda Generators
Very helpful hint to control generators and 20A shorepower
Power Share feature on Link 2000

If you don't have the Link 2000 manual, Xantrex has it on their website under discontinued models.

[smac999]

If no loads on boat, nothing to do with power share.

[ricorrea2002]

Thanks Stu.

Power Share is set 30 Amps

[Stu Jackson]

Just occurred to me: The Link 2000 has a gazillion connections at the back of it, plus the telephone cable to the Freedom.

Have you checked these wires?

Have you removed and replaced the phone cable? It controls the I and C, IIRC.

The Link manual tells you when to connect this cable.

Link 2000/2000-R Microprocessor Reset Procedure November 1996
512-0089-01-01 Rev 1 Page 1 of 2
Technical Note
Link 2000/2000-R
512-0089-01-01 Rev 1
Link 2000/2000-R
Microprocessor Reset Procedure
Overview
This procedure is more detailed than what is described in the Advanced Functions section on page 19 and 20
(page 30 and 31)* of the Link 2000 Owner’s Manual. Please refer to the Link 2000 manual for other information
regarding Link operation and reprogramming of the setup values. Please read and understand these instructions
entirely before beginning the procedure. Also note that in the advanced functions mode the Battery 1 button
becomes the “Reset” button.
To reset the Link 2000/2000-R Microprocessor
1. Disconnect the inverter remote cable from the rear of the Link monitor.
2. De-power the meter by removing the fuse from the red wire. If the red wire is connected to the blue or violet
wire, remove the fuse from the appropriate wire. If your meter is a Link 2000-R you can de-power the meter
by removing the gray ribbon cable from the monitor terminal board.
3. Wait at least 30 seconds before reconnecting the fuse (or the ribbon cable if you have a 2000-R). When the
fuse or ribbon cable is reconnected, use a continuous motion while making the connection. If the meter is
intermittently powered and de-powered several times in a short time period, the microprocessor may lock up.
4. Press the Invert and Charge buttons so that their LEDs are illuminated.
5. Select battery bank 1 on the Link 2000 by pressing the Battery 1 button
6. Press and hold the Setup button for approximately 10 seconds. After 5 seconds the setup LED will begin to
flash slowly. Continue to hold until the setup LED begins to flash quickly (about 3 times per second).
Release the setup button, press and hold the Battery 1 button for 5 seconds. A “0” (zero) will appear
momentarily in the display. If you do not see the zero, the meter did not reset and this step must be repeated.
7. Select battery bank 2 on the Link 2000 by pressing the Battery 2 button
8. Press and hold the Setup button again for approximately 10 seconds until the setup LED begins to flash
quickly. Release the setup button, press and hold the Battery 1 button again for 5 seconds. A “0” (zero) will
appear momentarily in the display. If you do not see the zero, the meter did not reset and this step must be
repeated.
9. Re-program the necessary setup values such as battery type, battery capacity, etc. Refer to the setup section
of your Link 2000 Owner’s Manual.
10. Press the Invert and Charge buttons so their LEDs are not illuminated and reconnect the remote cable to the
rear of the Link 2000.
*Newer style Link 2000 (Link 2000 above serial number 4000, 2000-R above s/n 2000) with “Time” function.

Link 2000/2000-R Microprocessor Reset Procedure
Link 2000/2000-R Microprocessor Reset Procedure November 1996
512-0089-01-01 Rev 1 Page 2 of 2

Xantrex is a registered trademark of Xantrex International.
© 2003 Xantrex International. All rights reserved.
Technical Note: Link 2000/2000-R Microprocessor Reset Procedure © November 1996 Xantrex International
UNLESS SPECIFICALLY AGREED TO IN WRITING, XANTREX TECHNOLOGY INC. (“XANTREX”):
(a) MAKES NO WARRANTY AS TO THE ACCURACY, SUFFICIENCY OR SUITABILITY OF ANY TECHNICAL OR OTHER INFORMATION
PROVIDED IN ITS MANUALS OR OTHER DOCUMENTATION.
(b) ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR LOSS OR DAMAGE, WHETHER DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL OR
INCIDENTAL, WHICH MIGHT ARISE OUT OF THE USE OF SUCH INFORMATION. THE USE OF ANY SUCH INFORMATION WILL BE
ENTIRELY AT THE USER’S RISK.
Part number: 512-0089-01-01 Rev 1
Contact information:
Phone: 1-800-670-0707 (toll-free in North America)
Fax: 1-604-420-2145 (outside North America)
Email: CustomerService@xantrex.com
Web: Xantrex | Power Inverter, Inverter Charger, Battery Charger Manufacturer

[ricorrea2002]

Thanks Stu.

I'll try your suggestions.

Most of them aim to the relationship between Fredom-Link 2000

My concern is every morning I hit with a clap the Freedom and instantly start charging.

I found in some RV forums the same problem and they say it is a relay inside Freedom

[Stu Jackson]

Good luck, please let us know what you find out.

[CaptTom]

Yeah, I know. 9-year-old thread. Sorry.

I just wanted to bump it because I had the exact same problem. All of a sudden, my Heart Freedom 20 (circa year 2000) wouldn't charge the house bank. It was getting power, the inverter worked fine, connections tight, all the right lights (and none of the wrong ones) lit up. It even went from Charge to Accept to Float. But nothing was going into the bank. The display showed normal usage (a negative number)on the 12V side.

After checking everything I could think of, I did a quick search. This tread came up.

Yup. A sharp tap on the outside of the case and the charging current jumped right up.

Has anyone replaced the relay on one of these? At this point I'm thinking I'll just wait, since a new charger which supports Lithium profiles is probably in my future anyway.

[CaptTom]

Update:
I removed the cover and found one of the pins where a relay was soldered to a board showed signs of overheating.


Looks like this is going to take more than just cleaning the relay contacts. The repair wouldn't be too difficult, but at this point I'm thinking of relegating this unit to spares and getting a new one.

Presumably I could get one which outputs pure sine wave and has a charging profile for Lithium batteries. Probably even support for solar input. Recommendations welcome.

[Calaban-Alleria]

Never cheep of course but I vote for victron: robust, quiet, and fully featured.