MEP-003A No voltage/High Voltage

[Guyfang]

Any time you find that something doesn't work, and that someone has "Knob Dicked" around in the wires, its time to bite the bullet, and LOOK at the wires. Most of the time its not all that hard. The way the wire harness is made and run, will give you a feel for if wires might be hooked up wrong.

But me? I would just start on one side and work to the other. Often, people hook up a wire or two wrong, and the next guy, who is not interested in looking at the wire diagrams, unhooks wires and marks them with tape or sharpy pins. And just repeats the mistake of the previous person. I would never have peace of mind, if I did not check all the wires.

Is you new VR an after market, or OEM part?

 

[Hertzhurt]

The VR and diode board is aftermarket from Kurt, the inductor brick is OEM, but I checked before I installed it to make sure it was good. I might swap both the reconnect box and control box and see if the problem follows either one.
I think Guyfang is right though, i'm just going to have to go through the wires and make sure everything is where it's supposed to be.

 

[Hertzhurt]

A question slightly off the original question. Is there anyway to adjust the frequency generator? I've adjusted the gauge but it's reading 5-8Hz high no matter what I do. It's not that it's not working, it's just off.

 

[Ray70]

Yes, the bottom of the transducer has 2 adjustment screws, those can adjust the the transducer's output.
You have to unbolt the transducer and tip it upside down, occasionally the screws will be covered by potting material, but usually the screw heads are just barely exposed.
However, a transducer that is making the gage read high is often a sign that it will soon fail. Typically when they fail they peg the needle all the way up.

 

[Scoobyshep]

Me personally whenever one of these frequency gauges starts to act up I take it as an excuse to replace it with a better gauge.

 

[Ray70]

Yup, it's the perfect "excuse" to upgrade to direct read digital panel mount meters

 

[Scoobyshep]

Yup, it's the perfect "excuse" to upgrade to direct read digital panel mount meters

SHHHHHH dont tell my wallet!

 

[Ray70]

Na, your wallet will barely even know! To be honest I've always used the cheap $9 Chinesium panel meters ( the blue ones and red ones ) on several machines as much as 10 years+ ago and I also used one on my bandsaw to convert from the analog SF/m dial to a digital readout and to my knowledge they are all still working fine.
Of course $9 then is probably $20 now.... but still! I once got a quote for a new transducer for over $450... That wasn't going to happen!

 

[Scoobyshep]

Na, your wallet will barely even know! To be honest I've always used the cheap $9 Chinesium panel meters ( the blue ones and red ones ) on several machines as much as 10 years+ ago and I also used one on my bandsaw to convert from the analog SF/m dial to a digital readout and to my knowledge they are all still working fine.
Of course $9 then is probably $20 now.... but still! I once got a quote for a new transducer for over $450... That wasn't going to happen!

While my wallet is out of the room, Do you have links?

 

[Ray70]

It's been years, but let me take a quick look and see if I can find an example for you.... back then there were hundreds or thousands of listings for the same meter, but tell your wallet to stay put for a few minutes while I goof off at work and search ebay for a few minutes!

 

[Ray70]

Here is are 2 examples of the HZ gage. https://www.ebay.com/itm/4012746567...kuglnZj1Z6XpdSRTcGttw4j68=|tkp:Bk9SR-rot-LNZg

Pardon Our Interruption...

Here is a Volt gage: https://www.ebay.com/itm/2530507244...f8S1U7Cfgb8eQ7eVyDRbN5gdE=|tkp:Bk9SR7aAiOPNZg

Here is a different type of combo gage, with Amps Hz and Volt. https://www.ebay.com/itm/2361009943...ZB3bKhtRjo/qsRBk9uWR0ZI9E=|tkp:Bk9SR-rot-LNZg

I was using a similar gage that would read either volts or Hz. at the push of a tiny button on the faceplate. There were hundreds of different listings. Now just to find these examples I had to use different wordings to try to find them. Perhaps tariffs have squashed most of the other listings??
Just do some searching to see what else you can find similar, use "LCD" in the title and some are listed a "gage" rather than "meter"

 

[Scoobyshep]

Here is are 2 examples of the HZ gage. https://www.ebay.com/itm/401274656749?_skw=panel+mount+LCD+hz+meter&itmmeta=01K9Q2DYH73ZV3GGPQWS96SCET&hash=item5d6dd557ed:g:umoAAOSwr~lYnswf&itmprp=enc:AQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1fzBWphds3nsCVYC9VqgGZqyhatKWyPuJgBQnuVKj4b17/Jo4N+csbNCDOUz7BsVD+6tnDSwuvScYGGG2JlXq0TCNqAm5gFTfJvzWoixoW3fpYmT74zcAPG9ENlNmcOxrzKfvuiZeeGRf/5XD7PYKNj5KyVfcxTUEQbY/9jdR0IbNImF5y9aC3YMYnK90215NDtQtnLd9tnZDMKHQigL9Xel0S2D+Fp8wVCCjFXO4kuglnZj1Z6XpdSRTcGttw4j68=|tkp:Bk9SR-rot-LNZg

Pardon Our Interruption...

Here is a Volt gage: https://www.ebay.com/itm/253050724462?_skw=LCD+AC+volt&itmmeta=01K9Q3200D3BTB17CCNVKX1QV9&hash=item3aeaffa06e:g:t50AAOSwF1tZbWR5&itmprp=enc:AQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1fG1pU5GYo2xDdV3K2/2i4FneQVhOsh3rrWaCjchq0uNVJ5Ya0WHVXdopK7+bMHN3NrRVca6z1TGORDmMaxUPR0LkrBHIGUpCLkpM4Qkfd0jDh+KvK33037iAvq5mOQr3j+J2yIqyI6Uu+kX7pbcyMJcfRkLD3ByW44kTx4GZh1EYO9tB+ctCEGfJuWsHtnsqbBlnr3Mm99lo417NahWKeW8QYulHJH/glvNyUrzZf8S1U7Cfgb8eQ7eVyDRbN5gdE=|tkp:Bk9SR7aAiOPNZg

Here is a different type of combo gage, with Amps Hz and Volt. https://www.ebay.com/itm/236100994359?_skw=panel+mount+LCD+hz+meter&epid=27038860628&itmmeta=01K9Q2DYH72TKZFQMJ18NAXX6H&hash=item36f8b74537:g:BEoAAOSwB8hnHgBY&itmprp=enc:AQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1c0Lv3TnaHnzrPbnlGquwJ7eVzRFwbEBxJXt8FbTmdbyyhRHJbBQmVP7YUy+Kitv5YLNNWdQFuNWADZQ2Cl8HWpDEpdp2RE6KPfzkBXsX1AcP+RChMCnB+HMQpt01MVTQ2T1/VRAgnZ1YqmZ9aAG4bHOEaVxXx6VJd78k6FG5bHD1d6epVNibvNxAveQK1ZkyRuzcGss8qIkJJHJ+MgFigvDT6vr/2I1u0AFC/NYGZB3bKhtRjo/qsRBk9uWR0ZI9E=|tkp:Bk9SR-rot-LNZg

I was using a similar gage that would read either volts or Hz. at the push of a tiny button on the faceplate. There were hundreds of different listings. Now just to find these examples I had to use different wordings to try to find them. Perhaps tariffs have squashed most of the other listings??
Just do some searching to see what else you can find similar, use "LCD" in the title and some are listed a "gage" rather than "meter"

Thats where I was getting hung up. I was looking for gauges with the same form factor.

 

[Ray70]

Never found much for cheap digital meters in Round form, but I did find cheap analog gages that look "identical" and were direct read on the Hz., but they were super cheap plastic. They worked but I bet they won't last long. One arrived with a broken wire inside just from shipping! Here's the Volt meter.

Pardon Our Interruption...

There were Hz meters as well. They actually created the 300V AC meters at my request because the 250V was all they had at the time.

The rectangular LCD meters just need a round block off plate with a rectangular hole in it. The gage almost fits within the confines of the round hole in your control panel, but you need to file 4 small notches because the corners are a tiny bit too wide for the existing round hole.

 

[Scoobyshep]

Never found much for cheap digital meters in Round form, but I did find cheap analog gages that look "identical" and were direct read on the Hz., but they were super cheap plastic. They worked but I bet they won't last long. One arrived with a broken wire inside just from shipping! Here's the Volt meter.

Pardon Our Interruption...

There were Hz meters as well. They actually created the 300V AC meters at my request because the 250V was all they had at the time.

The rectangular LCD meters just need a round block off plate with a rectangular hole in it. The gage almost fits within the confines of the round hole in your control panel, but you need to file 4 small notches because the corners are a tiny bit too wide for the existing round hole.

The last time I needed a meter (frequency) I ended up finding a used reed style meter. I wonder if theres a big enough demand to 3d print a replacement housing and fit a digital meter to it, making a drop in replacement.

 

[Ray70]

Well, there was a time many years ago when another member was doing just that. Don't recall if it was Triple Jim perhaps??
Someone offered a 3D printed round cup with a rectangular meter in it. Had Volt Hz. and Amp.
I think these were several hundred bucks a set, so perhaps at the time the demand was not enough to justify the cost and he stopped making them.
But now the meters themselves are cheap, the demand is higher and perhaps time for a 2nd look!
Just need a meter small enough to fit into a cup smaller than 3" OD.

 

[Scoobyshep]

Well, there was a time many years ago when another member was doing just that. Don't recall if it was Triple Jim perhaps??
Someone offered a 3D printed round cup with a rectangular meter in it. Had Volt Hz. and Amp.
I think these were several hundred bucks a set, so perhaps at the time the demand was not enough to justify the cost and he stopped making them.
But now the meters themselves are cheap, the demand is higher and perhaps time for a 2nd look!
Just need a meter small enough to fit into a cup smaller than 3" OD.

sounds like I have a project now

 

[Guyfang]

You guys should be putting this info into a parts listing.

 

[2Pbfeet]

I've used the $9 Hz meters in other generators that came without frequency meters. I haven't had one fail yet. I made up an extra on a plug to put in the house when on generator power to keep an eye on the status when on standby power and not at the genset. You can get small round meters that fit in the existing cutout with an adapter plate that wouldn't be hard to fabricate. e.g.

(60-500V, 100A, 20-75Hz, +/-5%, 3 for $17)
(Amazon, "frequency panel meter")

All the best, 2PbFeet

 

[massey]

Well, there was a time many years ago when another member was doing just that. Don't recall if it was Triple Jim perhaps??
Someone offered a 3D printed round cup with a rectangular meter in it. Had Volt Hz. and Amp.
I think these were several hundred bucks a set, so perhaps at the time the demand was not enough to justify the cost and he stopped making them.
But now the meters themselves are cheap, the demand is higher and perhaps time for a 2nd look!
Just need a meter small enough to fit into a cup smaller than 3" OD.

That was JimC up in New Jersey, He also did a decal overlay for the control panel along with all the decals as a kit.

 

[Hertzhurt]

Wow, I'm now looking at upgrading to all of that! That "frequency panel meter" setup looks awesome. I just have to get the one running first, Lol.
Update: I swapped both the control box and the reconnect box out with my good ones and everything worked fine. So now I'm going to tear into the reconnect box and see if the actual reconnect switch has any issues. I did pull Q2 off of the new VR and it tested fine, so I think the VR is fine and I didn't cook it.