Electrical noise from inverter

[Teich]

On my 2017 Isata 5, I have a lot of electrical "noise" that is heard through the surround speakers of the blue ray player. Does anyone else have this or does anyone have any idea of how to prevent it? Thanks

[Jeff_and_Abby]

Originally Posted by Teich

On my 2017 Isata 5, I have a lot of electrical "noise" that is heard through the surround speakers of the blue ray player. Does anyone else have this or does anyone have any idea of how to prevent it? Thanks

Two thoughts, ( 1 ) the "noise" is likely coming from the inverter, by the very nature of converting DC to higher voltage AC, it is generating electrical noise. Even the best "Pure Sine" inverters can still have a little bit of this, and ( 2 ) the "noise" is being changed into sound by whatever device is converting the blue ray player signal back to analogue audio, what is meant by that, is if you are using an HDMI cable (most likely) then the audio is leaving the blue ray player as digital, it is becoming noise at the surround amplifier / digital decoder - most likely your stereo head unit (if your DVD player is built in, then ... yes, it is the culprit.)

The discussion leads towards the "head" unit in that it could be operating off 12-Volt power, which is provided by the power converter unit, a device also succeptible to the "noise" from the inverter as it converts the 120 Volts AC back down to 12 Volts DC for many RV devices.

Your original post specifically identifies that you have narrowed the problem to times when you are using the 12-Volt to 120-Volt Inverter.

What is likely needed is "EMI - RFI" (Electro-Magnetic Interference / Radio Frequency Interference) filtering between the inverter and the affected devices. Most Power Management devices, i.e. EMS - Electril Management Systems - offer very simple if any EMI-RFI suppression at all, you would need a filter more specific to this problem.

All that said, a "quick fix" is to have the neutral and ground coming out of the Inverter checked for good solid connections. Sometimes that is a major "freebie - easy fix."

Others here may be able to recommend specific EMI-RFI filters they have found ....

[Flybob]

If you are not 100% certain it is from the inverter, then check to see if it goes away when you have no LED lights on. Some of the LED modules used in RVs have very inexpensive components and generate a significant amount of RF noise. If you are certain it is the inverter, check to see that the case has a good frame ground as mentioned above.

[Whalenss]

Originally Posted by Teich

On my 2017 Isata 5, I have a lot of electrical "noise" that is heard through the surround speakers of the blue ray player. Does anyone else have this or does anyone have any idea of how to prevent it? Thanks

No I don't have this noise with my I5.

[Teich]

Thanks "Jeff and Abby" for the good information. I believe the dvd player is 120 volt powered. The noise is definately coming from the inverter because I can alter it by changing settings on the inverter. I have already had the dvd player replaced but that did not fix the issue. Perhaps a filter as you have explained.
Thanks again for sharing.

[Jeff_and_Abby]

If you have a "home" DVD player, maybe trying that directly into the TV set, or if your DVD player is separate from the stereo/surround amplifier, then just connect it directly to TV and using TV speakers (by themselves not surround, of course) see if the noise is still present.

Other strange things to bug out ...

Are you using the inverter while there is a cable between the RV and shore / house / campground power ???

Do you have an "antenna / cable TV" wire from the RV to a site-provided (i.e. campground) cable TV connection ???

In these two cases, looking for a "ground loop" which can be a source of noise ...

I'll keep and eye on this thread, would rather exhaust the simple checks / fixes ... some people don't have this problem, so want to follow the whole "due diligence" and check what we can before you buy something ...

Anybody else see something obvious that has been missed ???

- Jeff

[Teich]

Originally Posted by Jeff_and_Abby

If you have a "home" DVD player, maybe trying that directly into the TV set, or if your DVD player is separate from the stereo/surround amplifier, then just connect it directly to TV and using TV speakers (by themselves not surround, of course) see if the noise is still present.

Other strange things to bug out ...

Are you using the inverter while there is a cable between the RV and shore / house / campground power ???

Do you have an "antenna / cable TV" wire from the RV to a site-provided (i.e. campground) cable TV connection ???

In these two cases, looking for a "ground loop" which can be a source of noise ...

I'll keep and eye on this thread, would rather exhaust the simple checks / fixes ... some people don't have this problem, so want to follow the whole "due diligence" and check what we can before you buy something ...

Anybody else see something obvious that has been missed ???

- Jeff

The blue ray player is the one provided by dynamax in my Isata 5. It connects with the TV to provide 5 speaker surround sound. If using just the TV speakers there is no electrical noise. All the TVs on board (4)do not have any "noise", only sound from the blue ray player.

[Jeff_and_Abby]

That Isata is a gorgeous rig !!! Was hitting the FR Site, books, etc.

You probably have the "GT-3.0" Sound System - DVD Player if I am following FR's information ... that "head unit" has the speaker outputs for surround plus two extra zones. It actually operates on the 12-Volt power supply.

Also did some digging on the Xantrex inverter you likely have, and some search on inverter noise getting into radio / stereo / TV in general.

There is probably a separate CHASSIS GROUND on the inverter, distinct from the negative 12-Volt input connection. Good to insure that both of these connections are good, clean, tight. (Props to Flybob for covering this one earlier. It is a most likely candidate for the issue.)

It is odd that only the rear speakers exhibit the noise, it would be logical that this problem would affect all speakers connected to the DVD / receiver / head unit. So that COULD mean a wiring error in just the pair of wires that go to the A-Left-Rear and A-Right-Rear speakers. As these types of amplifiers have separate leads for each speaker and do NOT use, or allow, any common ground, this chance of this sort of wiring error is slim; they would probably not work at all if not properly connected. Not saying impossible, but less likely.

The Antenna and Black Wire Ground connections to the DVD / receiver / head unit should also be double checked.

Keep us informed ... would be happy to try and talk you through some filter installation if you feel up to that sort of task, I sort of hate seeing someone spend $30 - $50 for a $7 electronic part, or eat an hour or two of service charges to install a couple simple ebay / radio shack parts that involve twisting two wires.

Of course, if you aren't comfortable with that kind of thing, best get hooked up with a qualified tech. First and foremost, Safety.

- Jeff

[Teich]

Originally Posted by Jeff_and_Abby

That Isata is a gorgeous rig !!! Was hitting the FR Site, books, etc.

You probably have the "GT-3.0" Sound System - DVD Player if I am following FR's information ... that "head unit" has the speaker outputs for surround plus two extra zones. It actually operates on the 12-Volt power supply.

Also did some digging on the Xantrex inverter you likely have, and some search on inverter noise getting into radio / stereo / TV in general.

There is probably a separate CHASSIS GROUND on the inverter, distinct from the negative 12-Volt input connection. Good to insure that both of these connections are good, clean, tight. (Props to Flybob for covering this one earlier. It is a most likely candidate for the issue.)

It is odd that only the rear speakers exhibit the noise, it would be logical that this problem would affect all speakers connected to the DVD / receiver / head unit. So that COULD mean a wiring error in just the pair of wires that go to the A-Left-Rear and A-Right-Rear speakers. As these types of amplifiers have separate leads for each speaker and do NOT use, or allow, any common ground, this chance of this sort of wiring error is slim; they would probably not work at all if not properly connected. Not saying impossible, but less likely.

The Antenna and Black Wire Ground connections to the DVD / receiver / head unit should also be double checked.

Keep us informed ... would be happy to try and talk you through some filter installation if you feel up to that sort of task, I sort of hate seeing someone spend $30 - $50 for a $7 electronic part, or eat an hour or two of service charges to install a couple simple ebay / radio shack parts that involve twisting two wires.

Of course, if you aren't comfortable with that kind of thing, best get hooked up with a qualified tech. First and foremost, Safety.

- Jeff

Problem solved. After much investigation I was able to zero in on the solar controller. I spoke directly with the manufacturer, Gopower Systems. They were very nice, and ultimately sent me a replacement that is an upgrade from the original. After installation, all the noise is gone.

[bclemens]

What upgrade did they send?

[Teich]

The defective unit was a GP-PWM-SQ-30. The replacement is a GP-PWM-30. The difference in appearance is that the old one was more of a surface mount and the width would fit between the vertical wood rails in the mounting area, whereas the replacement sits flatter to the mounting surface but is wider. I have to modify the width of the unit, (cutting down to size), to fit in the original location.
The upgrade I spoke about is probably more due to improvement over time. The tech at first didn't think the controller had anything to do with the electrical noise, but did say that the replacement unit was an upgrade in the sense that the circuitry was different and the most recent design. He said it might work to solve the issue. It did.