MEP003A frequency meter in-op

[rickf]

I just picked up a 003 with 8 hours on the clock. This thing appears to have been mothballed after testing since the convenience outlets were taped over, fuel tank and filters were bone dry and clean besides some rust from condensation. Once I soaked the pump in acetone and changed all of the filters, There were no fuel filter elements in the cans, I flushed out the system with the pumps running and the return line in a can. Once clear I hooked everything up and fired it up. All seems good except the frequency meter is dead. I find it hard to believe the meter died with 8 hours on it but this set has been sitting at the sellers house for 20 years under cover. The air filter is dated 1988 which is the same years as the inspection on the dataplate and it is perfectly clean. So I am betting this machine was test run and then mothballed and never brought back into service.
So, any ideas on the frequency gauge? I am going to dive into the manuals but I wanted to see if anyone had a simple solution.

 

[Light in the Dark]

Could be the gauge, could be the freq transducer (which I believe is more prone to failure than the gauge).

 

[rickf]

Are the transducers available at a reasonable price? If not I will simply go aftermarket and bypass the transducer.

 

[Light in the Dark]

The OEM unit isn't, but I shared a source a while back on a relatively inexpensive alternate. Milspec, for a diff machine... But works well in place. Just need to modify mounting holes slightly.

Searching in the forum should uncover it.

 

[rickf]

I will look it up tomorrow, I know I should look up in the manual where the transducer is but can you clue me in and save me some searching?

 

[Light in the Dark]

Its in the operator cube, back wall.

 

[Light in the Dark]

Non OEM: https://www.easternsurplus.net/Part...e-Driven-Electric-Generator-2A016-4A032-4A084

 

[Ray70]

Rick, FYI the one LITD linked to above is the same one I had mentioned in my P.M.
I've used a few of them in the past, you just need to drill new mounting holes in the control cube to mount it, works fine.

 

[rickf]

Thanks guys, for that price I guess it is worth a try. I am going to open up the control box first and make sure all the wires are connected and tight. But I believe you are right because the gauge does glitch over when I first start but then does nothing.

 

[Guyfang]

You should have 120 VAC on the left side of the converter.

 

[rickf]

Just went out to check the wiring and all is well, spotlessly clean in there also. I will check the voltage tomorrow, what kind of reading should I see on the DC side with it running? I am assuming that it would not show frequency on a handheld standard meter.

 

[glcaines]

Rick, you can also purchase a Kill A Watt. They are not very expensive and will tell you the voltage and frequency. The On-board frequency meter on my 003 is fairly accurate, but I fine tune the frequency based on my Kill A Watt EZ unit. I plug it into the convenience outlet. I purchased my Kill A Watt EZ on Ebay some time back for $12.00, new - open box with free shipping. I'm not sure what they go for now, but they work great.

 

[Chainbreaker]

While all my OEM panel gauges work, I still use a Kill-A-Watt meter to verify/compare Genset's Hz panel meter readings.

Then after startup & running on genset power, I take it inside & plug into a Kitchen Counter wall plug to monitor Hz from within house. Very handy to have a Kill-A-Watt meter regardless of whether panel meter works or not.

 

[Ray70]

Just went out to check the wiring and all is well, spotlessly clean in there also. I will check the voltage tomorrow, what kind of reading should I see on the DC side with it running? I am assuming that it would not show frequency on a handheld standard meter.

Look at the face of the meter, I believe the lower right side, you should see something that says FS XXXXX
That will tell you what the meter is looking for signal wise for a "Full Swing" of the needle.
If I recall, the 003A uses a DC mA signal perhaps 100 or 200 mA but its listed on the face of the gage.

 

[rickf]

Thanks Ray, I will look at it tomorrow. I ran it today for a 1/2 hour to get it up to temp to be sure the oil pressure stayed good and the vent louvres opened. All was good and I got the frequency set and voltage adjusted. Also got that monster switch set right on the Gen1/Gen2 control box.