OutBack Power Owner's Manual

900-0209-01-00 Rev B 55
Troubleshooting
IMPORT
ANT:
Check the OutBack customer and user forum at www.outbackpower.com/forum/
for more FLEXmax 100 information.
General Troubleshooting
An OutBack MATE3s system display may be required for certain troubleshooting steps in Table 7.
Table 7 Troubleshooting
Symptom Remedy
Unit does not power up
upon initial connection
(no LED indicators or
system display
operation)

Check the battery connection and polarity. Reverse polarity or an improper
conn
ection will cause power-up issues.

Check the battery circuit breaker or device. Ensure all items are sized appropriately.

Check the battery voltage at the FLEXmax 100 terminals. A battery voltage below
15 Vdc may not power up the charge controller. A poor connection may not allow
sufficient voltage to reach the charge controll
er.

Rapid shutdown condition. The system display
Fault Input Active
message will
show
Y
(see page 38). This is not a controller error but a deliberate action
. See
pag
es 19, and 24, and 57 for more information. Resetting this condition requir
es
resetting the
external rapid shutdown device
.
Unit powers up but
does not operate. PV
voltage is present but
drops to a few volts
when connected.
Check PV wiring. This will occur if the PV array wiring polarity is reversed. The
heatsink may grow warm after a short time due to internal current flow.
Unit not operating;
unit had worked
normally before

This behavior is normal in cases of low light. Unit may be in “Sleep”, “Snooz
e”, or
“W
akeup” modes. Confirm conditions and behavior using Table 4 on page
34.

Battery temperature fault. Check temperature (see system display literature
).
If the R
TS reads in excess of 50°C, it indicates a battery too hot to safely oper
ate.

Rapid shutdown condition. The system display
Fault Input Active
message will
show
Y
(see page 38). This is not a controller error but a deliberate action
. See
pag
es 19, and 24, and 57 for more information. Resetting this condition requir
es
resetting the
external rapid shutdown device
.
Unit not operating;
red F
AULT indicator lit
Ground fault. The detection circuit has sensed an open connection on the GFDI fuse
(see page 15). The system display
GFDI Fault
message will show
Y
(see page 38).
Check the fuse. Make certain it is installed according to the instructions. Inspect the
rest of the system for grounding problems or shorted connections.
Charging is not
temperature-
compensated

The FLEXmax 100 is performing equalization (see pages 44 and 68). This function
is not temperat
ure-compensated. It is not a controller error but a deliberat
e action.

Remote Temperature Sensor (RTS) damaged. The system display
Shorted RTS
message will indicate
Y
. (See page 38.) To test, remove or replace the RT
S.