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Old 31-03-2017, 11:21   #1
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Promariner/Pronautic 2430 c3 wiring conundrum.

I have a legacy Pronautic 2430 c3 battery charger which appears to function normally on 240V AC (Australia).

Working through the installation (Promariner have the manual in their website) I find that apparently only one half of the two sides of the unit appear to be functioning. No lights on one of the two sides.

When I open the service panels I find that the 240 V AC wiring is correctly connected. The two sides appear to be designed to be connected with a factory supplied heavy jumper cable but this is not connected at the 240 incoming side and the terminals are insulated tape wrapped .

This seems odd so I sent a
query to Promariner who politely replied that they did not understand what or why re the wiring arrangement and I should have the charger looked at by a qualified marine electrician.[emoji2]


See attached pics:

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Is there anyone with an understanding of this wiring / apparently non-factory alteration to the wiring.

Is the unit working at half capacity?
Something to do 110 US vs Aus 240 single phase ? I did enquire of Sterling direct but no reply.

The batteries on board are 24 v lead acid start and AGM house and both banks appear to be charged correctly by the unit as it stands with the battery selection of AGM

Just wanting to understand more clearly.

Thanks in advance.
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Old 01-04-2017, 22:19   #2
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Re: Promariner/Pronautic 2430 c3 wiring conundrum.

The white cable is 110v colours. I'm guessing 2nd wire is to swap the charger to a us power cord at dock. Powering only charger well in the us

I'm not sure what your question is.

If the charger is getting ac power and only partly working. It's dead.

How many batteries is it connected too?

I don't understand your jumper question. You sure as heck don't jump ac wires
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Old 02-04-2017, 02:34   #3
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Re: Promariner/Pronautic 2430 c3 wiring conundrum.

The charger appears to be functioning normally.

The White AC cable looked as though it should be connected to something and clearly connects the two sides of the charger.

If the AC cable is disconnected for 240 Single phase ac, what would be it connect to if 110 VAC?

Curious is all, given that Promariner techs could not decipher the connections either.
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Old 02-04-2017, 05:07   #4
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Re: Promariner/Pronautic 2430 c3 wiring conundrum.

I don't understand the question either. (And what are "sides" in this context?)

When ProMariner advises to use jumpers they often mean in situations where a 3-bank (for example) charger is only servicing one of two banks. The jumper connects unused DC terminals to the terminal being used.

Can't say that's the only time they discuss jumpers. Can't tell if that's relevant to the question here.

Directions for our original ProMariner charger -- older than yours -- advise using the lead-acid setting for AGMs... and that worked for us, even during the 3 year transition period where we had one AGM bank and two lead-acid banks... and then since we finished the whole changeover to AGMs, as well.

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Old 02-04-2017, 08:10   #5
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Re: Promariner/Pronautic 2430 c3 wiring conundrum.

Follow the white wire. Like I said it probably goes to either an extension cord , or a110v shore power plug on the boat. For use in North American waters, or 120v countries. So the boat can be charged at the dock when traveling by switching those 3 wires, then plugging the white cable in. Then when in 110v countries you can not plug the normal shore power in, only the charger. A much better solution would be a switch instead of having to unscrew them and swap them
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Old 03-04-2017, 11:11   #6
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Re: Promariner/Pronautic 2430 c3 wiring conundrum.

My PronauticP series charger is self selecting it's ac voltage. If you connect it to USA power or Australian power it will be fine. You do have to connect the power input. Remove the cover as shown on the left of your photo. The three connections are where you connect the AC input. Wire it to 120 volts. black/white/green.The wire you show seems to be USA, but I don't know what Australian looks like. You also do not seem to have a ground wire from the DC side.
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Old 03-04-2017, 11:55   #7
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Re: Promariner/Pronautic 2430 c3 wiring conundrum.

Ok, that makes sense. Just a clumsy work around from a legacy machine.

Thanks for the input. Maybe you should give the Pronautic support techs a hand . [emoji38][emoji38]
Thanks again.
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Old 03-04-2017, 12:34   #8
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Re: Promariner/Pronautic 2430 c3 wiring conundrum.

I had a look at their installation manual and it is clearly written. To be honest, manufacturer's reply might have been most appropriate, because (per manual):

- heavy jumpers are mentioned in the context of charger _output_ only,
- AC connections are clearly described (only 3 points: PE, N, L, no jumpers!, with possibility to wire as PE, L1, L2 i.e. 'US 240V AC'),
- AC side is auto-ranging, i.e. the charger will happily use any worldwide available household level AC,
- one side lights are fault indicators and they should _not_ be lit unless some fault is detected.

All the above is clearly stated in the manual which you claim you have read...

Heavier gauge wire on the AC side (currently disconnected) will work for both 110 and 240 V AC if you can live with isolation colours not to code (but verify isolation rating!), while the smaller gauge black cable (currently connected) may have not enough current carrying capacity to use with 110 V supply. Anyway, only one of the two is required.

If anything is still unclear, maybe the best course of action is to follow their emailed advice..




Quote:
Originally Posted by stillbuilding View Post
I have a legacy Pronautic 2430 c3 battery charger which appears to function normally on 240V AC (Australia).

Working through the installation (Promariner have the manual in their website) I find that apparently only one half of the two sides of the unit appear to be functioning. No lights on one of the two sides.

When I open the service panels I find that the 240 V AC wiring is correctly connected. The two sides appear to be designed to be connected with a factory supplied heavy jumper cable but this is not connected at the 240 incoming side and the terminals are insulated tape wrapped .

This seems odd so I sent a
query to Promariner who politely replied that they did not understand what or why re the wiring arrangement and I should have the charger looked at by a qualified marine electrician.[emoji2]


See attached pics:

Attachment 144396

Attachment 144397

Is there anyone with an understanding of this wiring / apparently non-factory alteration to the wiring.

Is the unit working at half capacity?
Something to do 110 US vs Aus 240 single phase ? I did enquire of Sterling direct but no reply.

The batteries on board are 24 v lead acid start and AGM house and both banks appear to be charged correctly by the unit as it stands with the battery selection of AGM

Just wanting to understand more clearly.

Thanks in advance.
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Old 06-04-2017, 02:24   #9
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Re: Promariner/Pronautic 2430 c3 wiring conundrum.

Hmm, some confusion here which I now understand.

I have just purchased a new Pronautic 2430 ( long story which does not impact in this thread) and the unit functions fine, the manual is accurate and life is good - almost.

You see the new unit as supplied is exactly half the original Pronautic 2430! If you can imagine two of these chargers back-to-back with a heavy duty AC cable connecting them, then that is what my original unit comprises.

I now realise that my original photo only shows one half face ( silly me I thought all pronautic 2430 C3 were like that so only took one view).

When I have time I will remove it for more revealing pics.

For the record this is the new unit.

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And yes it functions fine and the manual is accurate.

Will try for time tmr but am hard pressed at the moment.
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Old 06-04-2017, 04:33   #10
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Re: Promariner/Pronautic 2430 c3 wiring conundrum.

Quote:
Originally Posted by stillbuilding View Post
You see the new unit as supplied is exactly half the original Pronautic 2430! If you can imagine two of these chargers back-to-back with a heavy duty AC cable connecting them, then that is what my original unit comprises.


You're saying ProMariner sells two versions of the Pronautic 2430? One like your new one, and one (two, together) like your old one(s)?

Or are you saying you originally had two Pronautic 2430s onboard, and they happened to be mounted/installed back-to-back?

Or...?

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Old 06-04-2017, 05:20   #11
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Re: Promariner/Pronautic 2430 c3 wiring conundrum.

Well, that is really what I am wondering:

Two identical 2430 C3s mounted back to back on an obviously purpose designed side mounting plate and the two sides are linked by a three part cable (except that on the power incoming side this is not connected)

The charger performs fine as per the manual but only one side lights up.

I have mounted the old charger near the electrical panel so I can observe but is a PITA to take out.

I have taken two poor snaps en situe which I hope shows something of the construction.

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I am not dissatisfied with the charger which works fine. But I just don't understand what animal I have here.[emoji848][emoji15]

As noted, the support techs responded politely but did not understand the animal. And yet it looks like a half baked manufacturer experiment.

Maybe I can separate them and score two for the price of one.[emoji38][emoji38]
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Old 06-04-2017, 05:24   #12
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Re: Promariner/Pronautic 2430 c3 wiring conundrum.

Seriously, I wonder if two units have been joined together at the factory to provide 110 and European 240 alternatives by changing the connections. Just guessing.
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Old 06-04-2017, 05:29   #13
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Re: Promariner/Pronautic 2430 c3 wiring conundrum.

Page 10 of the manual discusses 240 V AC US but I am not familiar with this. I gather is three phase so maybe ...
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Old 06-04-2017, 05:34   #14
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Re: Promariner/Pronautic 2430 c3 wiring conundrum.

Quote:
Originally Posted by stillbuilding View Post
Seriously, I wonder if two units have been joined together at the factory to provide 110 and European 240 alternatives by changing the connections. Just guessing.
Except this wouldn't make much sense as they can take wide range AC input voltage. Are you comfortable with separating them and testing each charger separately for proper functioning?
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Old 06-04-2017, 05:34   #15
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Re: Promariner/Pronautic 2430 c3 wiring conundrum.

Quote:
Originally Posted by stillbuilding View Post
Page 10 of the manual discusses 240 V AC US but I am not familiar with this. I gather is three phase so maybe ...
Nope, it is a _two_ phase arrangement.
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