Is Prosine real Xantrex?

[OperaHouse]

Just wondering if these are lower end imports and not the same as the box models?

[ChrisOlson]

They are "real" Xantrex but not the same as the XW and the new SW series inverters.  The big ones are designed for off-grid and grid-interactive renewable energy applications.  The ProSine, Freedom and ProWatt series are designed for mobile and marine.

None of them (sans perhaps Magnum Energy) are built in the USA anymore.  The Xantrex models are assembled in China, Outback in India, etc..  Even our Honda generator is made in China by Yanghou Generator Company anymore.
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Chris

[dnix71]

Made in China, that sums it up. I have a 600 watt SunForce ProSine. The company has a physical presense in the US and a real phone number with people who will answer questions, but I was told over the phone that the assembly is done in China under direct supervision. That keeps labor cost down while maintaining uniform quality. Plus there are no grey market/3rd shift ProSines on the market since someone from corporate locks up things at night before they go home for the day. 

[boB]

The Prosine is (I'm prettysure still is) built by Statpower's (now xantrex's) own company, Pylon, in China.  My brother, Robin, visited the plant back in the late 1990's when Trace Engineering and Xantrex first merged.  At the time, that plant was a first rate and very capable operation.
He took some videos of Pylon. I wonder if he still has that?  It was pretty cool.
I remember one last operation in particular where one girl pulled a sticker off a roll and handed it to another girl that actually stuck it on the unit!

[ChrisOlson]

These companies usually own the factory in China or whatever, so they got control of the quality control process.

This is what it says on our Honda generator - I guess it's not Yanghou - it's Mindong.  Zingwang, Yangwang, Yanghou, Mindong - who cares?:



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Chris

[boB]

 it's Mindong.  Zingwang, Yangwang, Yanghou, Mindong - who cares?:

Chris

Ever eaten the Duck-Dung-Yuck ?  I here it's delicious this time of year !

boB

[ChrisOlson]

Ever eaten the Duck-Dung-Yuck ?  I here it's delicious this time of year !

No.  My wife drives into town sometimes, though, to the Happy Wok and gets the C13.  The people that run the place don't speak English and my wife don't speak Chinese.  But everybody understands what C13 is.  LOL!
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Chris

[birdhouse]

i run a prosine 1800 (24v).  bought it used off ebay for $400.  i love the thing.  i'd find it hard to believe it was a third party knock off due to it's flawless service and robustness. 

it'll even run my miller matic 135 MIG unless i've got the dials cranked. 

my only gripe is the fan went out a few years back, but i fixed that.

adam

[vtpeaknik]

I bought my Prosine 2.0 about 5 years ago already well used.  It works great, except that after some days in operation (nowadays more often some hours to one day) the remote unit says something about a communications error, stops showing info, and its backlighting stays on.  Meanwhile the inverter keeps working normally, thankfully.  I wrote Xantrex about this problem but got no help.  Still I like the inverter, it seems quite robust.  My system is mostly for backup power, but I've been running the freezer on it, and sometimes the frig too.

I've had a wierd thing happen about 3 or 4 times by now (about once a month), when the Prosine shut itself off and shows "ac feedback" on the remote display.  This is while running both the frig and freezer, but with the frig on my homemade transfer relay that connects it to the grid at night and the inverter by day.  I've posted about that transfer relay here before, given the way I set it up it (two switches in series) seems to me that it is extremely unlikely to actually bridge between the grid side and the inverter side.  I suspect that when the relay switches from grid to inverter while (1) the frig compressor is running and (2) the inverter is running (freezer is on) or turning on very soon thereafter, then the frig compressor motor, still spinning after the split-second it takes for the transfer, may generate enough kickback voltage to confuse the inverter?  Anyway I'm glad the inverter has the protection circuits it has.

[OperaHouse]

Thanks for all the replies.  Even with a scorecard it isn't easy to follow the history of
Xantrex.  I am familiar with Canadian Xantrex power supplies which are well built.  Every
group of engineers has it's own Elements of Style.  I have repaired many Lambda power supplies
which are also well built. I just bought a Lambda-Nemic ZUP power supply from Israel to repair.
Electrically it is OK but mechanically it is junk.  Don't see how in normal shipping it survives.
Connectors should not be used as structural elements. Won't ever buy another of these.

I purchased a Prosine just to take apart.  These are readily available for repair so they are not
as reliable as other series of Xantrex. I assume a lot of this has to do with the more compact
nature of the Prosine in their effort to get more items in a shipping container.  I'll be reporting
on what I find.

[OperaHouse]

Got my PROSINE 3.0 and it says Designed in Canada, inside a board says Statpower.  I was hoping for a three transformer summing type inverter, this appears to be a PWM generated sine wave.  This had been opened up by a tech but fortunantly he didn't go too far and damage anything.  Just made up a problem and collected his estimate fee. There are three similar sized modules,  two are HV DC inverters and the third shown is the AC out.  You only get half a picture cause it took ten tries to get it under 100K.  Now, which one of those thinama jiggies wen't bad?  Enie meenie mine moe.