I have my P3 since June '16 but just minutes ago, it starts to have a clicking sound, very much like the relay switching and the P3 is doing it frequently and everytime the click sound appears, the power reading would increase by about 8~9 watts and drops back to norm. The click sound occurs even when no equipment is plugged to the P3.
Any ideas what I should do next?
The “click” is the regenerator disengaging and the output going back to the wall voltage. This can happen if the wall voltage gets too far from the limits of the regenerator or if something is wrong. You might want to contact our customer service to be on the safe side. They can help walk you through a diagnostic procedure to see which it might be.
Hi Paul,
Thanks for the prompt response. I am in Singapore, would the customer service be available? Meanwhile, i had checked my wall voltage, it’s 241V via multimeter, I usually get 243V on the P3 display and it was showing 243V as well when the click sound occurred.
Yes, we have service in 'Spore but I am concerned. Your input voltage is 243 or the output voltage of the P3? That seems quite high.
Did you order a P3 configured in buck mode or boost mode?
A P3 can handle 243V input easily, just make sure it was set to buck mode at the factory.
Hi brodricj,
i bought the P3 from our local and only distributor in Singapore. They state that it’s for 240V operations with US plug. I won’t know if it’s in buck or boost mode unless I open the top cover and perhaps some guidance on where to look for.
Besides, it has been working fine for the past 5 months, driving the same load until last night’s clicking sound.
Yes, you should be ok. Units sent overseas to Singapore are in the proper mode. The clicking may be just anomalies on the line so I wouldn’t be concerned unless it continues on a consistent basis. If it only clicks occasionally that’s probably just line related. Consistently then you want to have it checked.
Hi Paul,
i tried again this evening, but the clicks are consistent and doesn’t go away. It’s there even when I unplugged all cables connected to its outputs. I checked my mains and it’s stable at 240V +/- 0.5V.
i think I would need to send this in to my local distributor. Guess I will not be able to listen to my system until it’s fixed then.
While waiting to send my P3 down, is there anything I can do to troubleshoot? Like what’s the fault condition that can cause the P3 to go into protection mode? I am EE trained so I could fiddle abit.
Sounds like you might have a regenerator failure. It’s not easy to trouble shoot and there could be a number of causes. I would suggest bringing it back.
All right. Looks like I have not much choices then. Thanks Paul.
A quick question: will my P3 be shipped back to factory? I am wondering how long I will be out since I don’t have any alternatives.
No. The dealer contacts us, we send him a new module and he installs it. The whole operation wouldn’t take more than a day but it does have to ship. I would recommend speaking with him and explaining the problem. Ask him to get a replacement P3 regenerator module on the way and contact you when it’s in. That way he can have you up and running the same day.
Paul, thanks for helping. I will talk to my local distributor and hope they understand what my problem is and that they need the regenerator module replaced. You have been a great help!
I’d also ask the distributor to check that the P3 is set to buck mode.
It might be that, through some unfortunate oversight, it left the factory in boost mode. It wouldn’t be a first, as it happened to me (I live in the 240V+ world also).
[This is testing my memory, but I think if you look through the top cover air vents there is a small circuit board near the IEC input that will show a switch position, buck or boost. Again, testing my memory, just have a look, you don’t need to open the unit up to see it]