Trouble charging cell phones while running generator

[hogie7171]

On our first trip with our new champion 3100 watt generator, and we are having issues trying to charge/use our cell phones with the generator plugged into the camper. When we plug a call phone into any of the camper outlets the cell phone goes all wonky as my girlfriend would say. Different apps Will open on there own. Different apps Will open will swiping between home screens. While swiping left or righ the phone will act as if you swiped up or down. Happens on both Android and iPhone. We have ran the had the TV and DVD player on while the AC was running with no problems. So my questions are.
1. Has anyone ever had this issue?
2. Is it safe to charge a cell phone or portable battery pack?
3. Is there anything that can be done to fix this ?

[A32Deuce]

Use an adapter and charge from a 12 volt outlet. Been doing that since they came out. Battery seams to last longer on a charge and charges faster. THTS how I do mine.

[hogie7171]

A32Deuce are you saying to get an adapter to plug into the the generator itself?

[NMWildcat]

We charge our droid cells from the 110 outlets while running the generators with no problem. Also charge them from some 12v USB ports I wired into the RVs 12v wiring. Never had problems with phones going wonky either way.

Check your plugs with a multimeter to see what is going on with them.

[wevitt]

Is it a inverter generator? I have read that some electronics are super sensitive to voltage and frequency fluctuations.

[hogie7171]

I should also say it's never happened when plugged into shore power.

Yes it is an invertor generator. It's a champion 75531i

[wevitt]

Very strange I have the exact same generator and have no issues with both android and iOS. Hopefully someone has a answer. You could try a neutral ground bond plug to see if it helps.

[NMWildcat]

So what outlet on the generator are you plugged into, and do the phones go wonky all the time, or is it sporadic, like when you have other power draws, like a coffee maker or microwave?

Try testing the outlets with a multimeter when on generator and a charging phone is wonky. Maybe you have a grayout situation.

[hogie7171]

I am plugged into the 30amp outlet on the generator. It happens all the time and I have tried the phonos on every outlet in the camper

[5picker]

What is the voltage at the outlet(s) when running on generator power?

[hogie7171]

I am not sure , I am at the campground now and have no tester. I will check when I get home

[hogie7171]

I am not sure, I am camping. I will have to check when I get home

[NMWildcat]

I'm guessing either the plug is loose on the generator, the generator is bad, or there may be a loose ground somewhere.

Let us know what you find with your meter. Interesting problem.

[hogie7171]

I tried the 12 volt outlets on the generator itself and they have the same affects on the phones

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by hogie7171

I tried the 12 volt outlets on the generator itself and they have the same affects on the phones

Ah. I'm guessing a trip back to exchange the generator is in your future

[Cypressloser]

I suggest you better be safe and use a 12 Volt charger.
When we had a trailer with a 5500 Onan generator, our Shark vacuum cleaner went all wonky with it on but it would do just fine on our Xantrex (pure) sinewave inverter. The trailer before that had a modified sinewave inverter that fried my Blackberry, I remember spending an hour talking to customer support back in 2008.

[TitanMike]

If you have a battery pack that you can charge your phone from, use it. Then just charge it from the tow vehicle's power outlet(s).

If I'm correct, your Champion 3100 watt "generator" is an inverter type that produces a pure sine wave output. If you are attempting to charge from a 12 V outlet (with USB charge adapter) in the trailer the battery is acting like a giant filter.

You may well have an issue with the phone(s). When charging have you tried using the "Wall Wart" charger? They act as line filters as well.

Lastly, take a look outside. Is there another camper nearby with a big antenna? I parked next to one in Jackpot, NV once and every time he "Keyed up" my TV went "wonky" and that was while hooked to the park's cable.

FWIW, I have zero issues with my Champion inverter type generator. Not even the slightest interference on distant AM radio stations which is where a "noise" problem would show up first.

[JLeising]

Originally Posted by A32Deuce

Use an adapter and charge from a 12 volt outlet. Been doing that since they came out. Battery seams to last longer on a charge and charges faster. THTS how I do mine.

As A32Deuce says, using a 12 volt (“cigar lighter”) outlet and a “car charger” may well correct the issue (assuming you are now using a 120 volt outlet and charger). The 12 volt outlet and car charger will have, in addition to the car adapter, the RV’s converter between the phone and the generator, and will have the converter’s 12 volt output “filtered” by the RV’s batteries.

Good to find out what the issue is with the generator’s power, however, as it might well start effecting other devices. My guess would be some sort of “noise” (spikes or ripples) riding on the 120 volt AC output, and getting through the phone charger. May need more than a meter to identify (e.g., an oscilloscope comes to mind).

[hogie7171]

I don't have a 12volt outlet in the camper so that's not an option. So looks like I will be using the Tow Vehicle to charge our devices. And it also looks like I will be making a call to champion support to see if they can help figure it out. That sucks since I just got it on Thursday from Amazon. Thanks for everyone's input.

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by hogie7171

I don't have a 12volt outlet in the camper so that's not an option. So looks like I will be using the Tow Vehicle to charge our devices. And it also looks like I will be making a call to champion support to see if they can help figure it out. That sucks since I just got it on Thursday from Amazon. Thanks for everyone's input.

I would arrange a return/exchange depending on their return policy. I would think the generator will require at least a new 'brain' board. I would rather have a new one myself. But, you are probably correct in that they might require a tech to say, "yeah, it's bad".

Look into installing some 12v USB ports in your 12v wiring system. Lots of articles and threads on how to do this. One of the better mods we have done. Now we can charge devices at any time.

Good luck with the generator.