2018 Alta fault code 103 second time

[snydes]

Yes, what most people refer to as the rapid or “R” charger is the fast(er) charger designed for the R pack bikes (also can be used on A pack bikes). 3.3kw is really what we should refer to it as since many people are/were under the impression that it only worked on 240v and the standard (2.7kw) only worked on 120v. All Alta chargers are capable of both voltages.

 

[paul34]

Yes, what most people refer to as the rapid or “R” charger is the fast(er) charger designed for the R pack bikes (also can be used on A pack bikes). 3.3kw is really what we should refer to it as since many people are/were under the impression that it only worked on 240v and the standard (2.7kw) only worked on 120v. All Alta chargers are capable of both voltages.

I wonder why it's having a problem then. Since I've got it wired to a 240v outlet. I've tried all of the outlets in my shop (which is only about 5 years old) to no avail. It'd be nice to see if anyone near me had a charger that I was able to try. Not sure what I can do to determine if it's the charger or the MXR?

 

[Redwolf]

I wonder why it's having a problem then. Since I've got it wired to a 240v outlet. I've tried all of the outlets in my shop (which is only about 5 years old) to no avail. It'd be nice to see if anyone near me had a charger that I was able to try. Not sure what I can do to determine if it's the charger or the MXR?

It appears the chargers are sensitive to dissimilar voltages in the legs of the supply line.

If you are experiencing the same error from different circuits in your building, you may have a problem with the incoming power from the grid. I would suggest you use a volt meter to measure each leg of the circuit to neutral independently to verify if this is the case or not.

 

[snydes]

At any rate, I’d recommend to make up an adapter cord so you can connect to your 120v outlet and at least get that bike charged up. That should also serve to zero in on the problem.

 

[paul34]

It appears the chargers are sensitive to dissimilar voltages in the legs of the supply line.

If you are experiencing the same error from different circuits in your building, you may have a problem with the incoming power from the grid. I would suggest you use a volt meter to measure each leg of the circuit to neutral independently to verify if this is the case or not.

I measured the legs of the 240v receptacles and only found .5v difference. They were 120.8 and 121.3. I can't imagine the charger is that sensitive.

 

[paul34]

At any rate, I’d recommend to make up an adapter cord so you can connect to your 120v outlet and at least get that bike charged up. That should also serve to zero in on the problem.

I went ahead and made up an adapter for 120v and it is still doing the same thing. Have you heard of a bad charge port on the bike or brand new rapid chargers having these issues?

 

[snydes]

I went ahead and made up an adapter for 120v and it is still doing the same thing. Have you heard of a bad charge port on the bike or brand new rapid chargers having these issues?

That’s a bummer. We haven’t yet, but we were originally thinking the OP of this thread had a bad charge port. The easiest way to narrow this down now is to find another Alta within reasonable distance who could let you try their charger.

 

[Redwolf]

I measured the legs of the 240v receptacles and only found .5v difference. They were 120.8 and 121.3. I can't imagine the charger is that sensitive.

I concur, that difference in voltages should not be great enough to cause a fault with the charger.

I would second Snydes suggestion at this point and find a nearby Alta to test your charger and bike. Luckily, California has a fairly large population of Alta's.

 

[paul34]

Thanks for your input guys! It's cool to know there's a good group of knowledgeable people willing to help each other out. If anyone knows of someone in So Cal I'd love to talk with them.

 

[snydes]

Like Redwolf said, most of all Alta support is in California, so you are lucky in that respect. @TCMB371 might know of some SoCal Alta people.

 

[paul34]

Like Redwolf said, most of all Alta support is in California, so you are lucky in that respect. @TCMB371 might know of some SoCal Alta people.

Thank you snydes. I PM'd him the other day but haven't heard back yet. He's only about 2 hours from me so hopefully we can get in touch.

 

[paul34]

Hey Guys,

I found a dealer today that still has some Alta stock. He agreed to put his charger on my bike to see if it was my charger and it worked fine. It was only a 120v slow charger, but it worked! So... I'm' stoked about that but now I have a brand new "R" charger that doesn't work and the dealer agreed to sell me his charger for $700. Does anyone out there have any experience with diagnosing a bad charger?

When plugged in I can get both 120v or 240v through the GFCI to the union at the charger but no voltage is coming out the other side of the charger. I guess I'll take it apart since there's no warranty to void to see if there's anything obviously wrong.

 

[Redwolf]

Good to hear that the fault is not the bike, and you managed to get a replacement charger! Now charge the bike up and go have some fun on it.

And don't be afraid to share some pictures of your fun too!

 

[snydes]

Hey Guys,

I found a dealer today that still has some Alta stock. He agreed to put his charger on my bike to see if it was my charger and it worked fine. It was only a 120v slow charger, but it worked! So... I'm' stoked about that but now I have a brand new "R" charger that doesn't work and the dealer agreed to sell me his charger for $700. Does anyone out there have any experience with diagnosing a bad charger?

When plugged in I can get both 120v or 240v through the GFCI to the union at the charger but no voltage is coming out the other side of the charger. I guess I'll take it apart since there's no warranty to void to see if there's anything obviously wrong.

Perhaps we can figure out who made the chargers and maybe they can suggest things to look for. I want to say the standard chargers were from Elcon?? @Rashid510 , you able to comment on this?

 

[Rashid510]

Perhaps we can figure out who made the chargers and maybe they can suggest things to look for. I want to say the standard chargers were from Elcon?? @Rashid510 , you able to comment on this?

Both chargers (Rapid and Non Rapid) are Elcon units. I have to find the documentation on them. The Rapid charger is very similar to the Elcon units that Diginow used in the v1 supercharger they developed for Zero bikes. 3.3kW charger.

 

[paul34]

Good to hear that the fault is not the bike, and you managed to get a replacement charger! Now charge the bike up and go have some fun on it.

And don't be afraid to share some pictures of your fun too!

I'm excited to do that except for the fact that I didn't buy his charger just yet. I'd really like to find out what's wrong with mine if I can. I'm looking into the leads given by the others on this post. Thanks everyone.

 

[snydes]

I'm excited to do that except for the fact that I didn't buy his charger just yet. I'd really like to find out what's wrong with mine if I can. I'm looking into the leads given by the others on this post. Thanks everyone.

Take the lid off and flip it over. There is a clear plastic enclosure for most of the connections. Look around for anything obvious. We had one guy accidentally pull a few wires out of his some time back.

 

[Mark911]

Does it start to charge and then trip the GFCI?

 

[paul34]

Take the lid off and flip it over. There is a clear plastic enclosure for most of the connections. Look around for anything obvious. We had one guy accidentally pull a few wires out of his some time back.

Opened it up last night but there was nothing obviously wrong or burnt or showing signs of wear.

The GFCI stays on with no issues. I have correct voltage at the charger side of the initial jumper (post GFCI) into the charger box. It clicks when initially hooked up to the bike and clicks again after disconnecting it. Not sure where to go from here. I was going to call Elcon after looking them up yesterday but unsure how much they'll know about the way Alta set up the charging box.

 

[paul34]

Hooked up with Mark911 today to go through charger with me. Awesome dude and completely cool to spend all afternoon trying to get this charger to work. He deduced that everything that Alta did in the clear box inside charger was working correctly. We found that the transformer seemed to be the culprit. Tried to get into it but it was filled with silicone and were unable to go any further. I'll reach out to tccharger.com to see what they can do if anything. Thanks for all your help guys. If anyone has a charger out there that they don't need any longer and would like to sell it, please DM me.