New Balmar ars-5: Not Working, No Tach

[granche1]

Balmar ars-5 not working, no tachometer
Hey everyone. I finally made it back down to my boat in mexico and got back into tinkering with my charging system. When I left it, I had just installed a new Balmar ars-5 and for the most part things seemed to be working fine. Today I started the motor and noticed that my tach was not working. I then noticed that the display on the ars-5 did not seem to be scrolling correctly. It starts off just rapidly moving through the battery selection mode and the magnet does not seem to activate the switch. The alternator is also not working. However, when I plug the alternator into the old alpha voltage regulator, everything seems to work fine. Any insight would be appreciated.

grant
s/v viandante

[toodleoo]

Try e-mailing Balmar customer service - good folks!

[Sharkbrain]

I'd be interested in any answer you found. I just had a similar problem. I was motoring and noticed that the tach was intermittently failing. Initially, it transiently bounce between the appropriate reading and zero and then seemed to work fine. The next time I ran the motor it swept up once and then died. A few minutes later I noticed that my Balmar ARS-5 voltage regulator fried. I suspect that an inoperative tach wouldn't cause the regulator to fail, but I'd like to be sure before I install a new one. I am scheduled to transit the panama canal tomorrow and would like to be able to head out to the Pacific with some confidence in my charging system.

[granche1]

I have not found any answers yet but I am going to send my ars-5 back to balmar soon. From what I understand, the tach not working is a symptom of a VR problem because the tack gets its reading from the alternator via the VR. Balmar told me that the regulator may have fried due to voltage spikes which is b.s. as as far as im concerned. I probably put max 2 hours on my new ars-5 before it stopped working. I did not get hit by lightning. My old alpha regulator works fine and is now back on the boat until I hopefully get a replacement from Balmar. Ill keep ya posted.
g

[CharlieJ]

Balmar told me that the regulator may have fried due to voltage spikes which is b.s. as as far as im concerned. I probably put max 2 hours on my new ars-5 before it stopped working.

Just to keep perspective, a voltage spike is a very short duration (<< 1 msec), of an amplitude that can be as much as four to six times the nominal operating voltage. It and the resulting current spike can and does damage electronic circuits.

A voltage spike can be caused by many events:
1. Opening or closing a switch in the circuit.
2. Creating a short circuit.
3. The aforementioned lightening strike, or more insidious, a near strike.
4. Opening of an over current protection device in a circuit.
5. Etc.

That your ARS-5 has only operated for two hours is immaterial regarding damage by a voltage spike, if such a spike occurred. It certainly is not "b.s.".

Charlie

[granche1]

I hear you on the sensitivity of electronic equipment. I guess what I mean is that to me it is b.s. that my state or the art voltage regulator can be so easily fried where as my old school turn the screw type Alpha unit still functions fine after many years operating in the same conditions. I am going to hope that it is a defective unit as opposed to the other option that it was damaged by my boat. Claiming that the ars was destroyed by my boat, to me, would mean that it is inferior to the older technology simply because a regulator that controls the alternator with less precision is still better than one that does not work at all. In fact I will dont think I will have one on my boat if that is the case.

For all I know the thing was just defective and they will send me a new one as soon as I get time to mail this one into them.

[Blue Stocking]

You must know the unwritten electronics rule: if it survives 3 hrs, it will last 3 yrs.