Honda EU3200i generator

[2008RN]

Honda just released a new 3200watt (26.6 ) amp generator. It is in the same format of the EU 2200i.  It will fit under a tonneau cover an should also fit in the front basket. I haven’t measure the basket yet thought.  60 pounds, fuel injection, and all of the same features of the EU2200.  It is a little  expensive at list price $2999, the 2200 main and companion together are about $500 cheaper than the 3200.  If I hadn’t just bought the EU2200i main and companion I would really consider this because of the space savings and one less generator to maintain.  The 2 Eu2200i are 4400 watts or 36.6 amps vs 26.6 amps of the 3200

[John E Davies]

Wow, that looks interesting, I have an older Yamaha 2400 which works great, but this is 15 pounds lighter, smaller, more fuel efficient, way more powerful and has nifty modern features like fuel injection. But double the cost 😳. I personally would wait a year for any new model bugs to surface and get corrected, and for some impartial reviews showing how much surge power they can truly produce, and how much continuous power. They are not the same for all generators. “Peak power” numbers can be very deceptive. And wait for that price to drop a LOT. I am not a Honda fan boy, I have been burned by poor quality control and numerous warranty issues on their other products in the past…. Maybe that has been corrected. Caveat emptor !

https://powerequipment.honda.com/generators/all-new-eu3200i

BTW I have been very interested in a new Ryobi 30 inch zero turn mower, when the first test articles appeared it had an MSRP of $3999. It is sold exclusively through Home Depot. HD raised the price by $500, and shortly after raised it another $500😳. That mower is no longer on my honey-do list, for this mowing season at least.

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

[John Dehne]

I purchased the Honda EU2200i to charge the batteries and run the AC when needed. Just need to select what is your priority and change the Xantrex setting. It just purrs away in eco mode with the AC running and is very quiet.  So far so good. Definitely would wait some time per John’s recommendation before purchasing the EU 3200. Using the Honda app is nice to keep a eye on the generator load and shutting it down without leaving the trailer at night.  

[Steve Morris]

Wow, that's crazy that they've squeezed that much power into such a small package. And fuel injected to boot! We have the EU3000is, which has a slightly larger engine (160cc vs 130), but the whole package is huge by comparison. Here's a random photo I found with a person for scale.

It looks like my old one is a tiny bit quieter at 49-58 dB vs 54-58, but I'd trade that for size. We ended up putting the wheel kit on ours, as it takes both of us to move it around when we need to use it. Ours does have the same engine as our snowblower, so that's good for service parts commonality. I added propane as an alternate fuel a couple of years ago using the Hatch Mountain kit. Much easier to maintain, as Honda's carburetors are notorious for clogging with old gas.

 

 

[ChrisMI]

I talked with a Honda rep this past week regarding the 3200. They used stronger magnets and a higher rpm to get the output numbers. The fuel burn is very impressive, it could run forever on 6 gallons of gas. I might give it a try if it drops below $2.6k. 

[AlbertNTerri]

10 hours ago, John Dehne said:

I purchased the Honda EU2200i to charge the batteries and run the AC when needed. Just need to select what is your priority and change the Xantrex setting. It just purrs away in eco mode with the AC running and is very quiet.  So far so good. Definitely would wait some time per John’s recommendation before purchasing the EU 3200. Using the Honda app is nice to keep a eye on the generator load and shutting it down without leaving the trailer at night.  

what xantrex setting changes do you do to run the generator? I have a Wen 2250

[John Dehne]

Albert & Terri,

Hello, If you haven’t already downloaded the Xantrex app for FXC Control. That is the first thing to do, makes setting changes easy. With the apt open power up the inverter and on the remote panel press and how the top ESC button until you set two lines  flashing on the screen. This will allow the Bluetooth to connect. They apt will search for your inverter. Then go to settings.

To charge the batteries  I change

GRID Breaker settings from normal 25 amps to 15 amps for the  (Honda EU2200I)

CHARGER current settings from normal 50 amps to 15 amps

 

To charge batteries at a low rate and run the AC I change

GRID Breaker settings from normal 25 amps to 15 amps

CHARGER current settings from normal 50 amps to 5 amps (lowest setting)

you can make minor adjustments up and down to match you generator. Reference Oliver trailer service tab also for Xantrex Inverter normal settings.

Everybody please join in if you do it differently thanks . Safe Travels 
 

[Chukarhunter]

On 7/30/2022 at 7:01 AM, John Dehne said:

To charge the batteries  I change

GRID Breaker settings from normal 25 amps to 15 amps for the  (Honda EU2200I)

CHARGER current settings from normal 50 amps to 15 amps

 

To charge batteries at a low rate and run the AC I change

GRID Breaker settings from normal 25 amps to 15 amps

CHARGER current settings from normal 50 amps to 5 amps (lowest setting)

 

Setting the grid limit at 15 amps on generator power seems correct because the EU2200I is rated at 1800 watts continuous which equates to 15 amps continuous current at 120 volts (120 volts * 15 amps = 1800 watts.)  However, I don't think you need to set the charge current as low as you are doing, especially if you have the lithium batteries.   Remember that the charger is supplying its charge current at a nominal charging voltage of 13.5-14.5 volts, not 120 volts.  One amp of 120 volt current delivers 120 watts of power, whereas 1 amp of charge current is only delivering 13.5-14.5 watts of power to the batteries (volts * amps = watts).

The Eu2200I is capable of 1800 watts continuous at 120 volts.  If the battery charger is the only load and you assume 15% losses through the inverter charger, then the EU2200I is capable of charging the batteries at a rate of 1,530 watts  (1800 watts * 0.85 = 1530 watts).  If the charger is charging the batteries at a rate of 1530 watts at a charge voltage of 14 volts, then the charger is delivering 109 amps to the batteries (1530 watts / 14 volts = 109 amps).  I would think you should be able to set your charge rate at 100 amps and the EU2200I would supply the 100 amp charge rate just fine if there are no other 120 volt loads.  (My inverter charger has a maximum charge rate of 80 amps which is what I have it set at when charging with my EU2200I).

I don't know how many watts your air conditioner draws with the compressor running, but lets say it is 1200 watts.  That leaves 600 watts of generator power to charge the batteries (1800 watts continuous from the generator minus 1200 watts to the air conditioner = 600 watts).  Assuming 15 percent losses through the inverter charger, you should be able to run the air conditioner while simultaneously putting as much as 510 watts into your batteries (600 watts * 0.85 = 510).  If the charging current is 14 volts and power into the batteries is 510 watts, then the charger is putting out 36 amps of charge current (510 watts / 14 volts =36 amps).  This means you should be able to set the charge current limit as high as 30-35 amps while running the air conditioner with the EU2200I without overloading the generator.  This will result in a 6-7 times faster battery charge rate than the five amp setting you chose.

When not running the air conditioner, you should not have to reduce the charge current at all from your 50 amp normal.  In fact, you may want to increase the rate to 80-100 amps to take full advantage of your 1800 watt generator and thereby reduce your generator run time needed to charge your batteries.

I may have calculated something wrong here.  Others please chime in if I have.  All this is not really intuitive.

 

 

 

[Geronimo John]

On 8/5/2022 at 5:40 AM, Chukarhunter said:

Assuming 15 percent losses through the inverter charger, you should be able to run the air conditioner while simultaneously putting as much as 510 watts into your batteries

One interesting and enlightening tidbit of knowledge is to know what your converter efficiency really is.  One method is to calculate the power output divided by the power input.

I spent quite a bit of time looking for the power in/out numbers for the 2018 PD Converters.  Failing to find the data on-line, I measured the amps and volts and did the math.

It was apparent that this MFG does not really desire that prospective customers know how bad the efficiency of their product is.  When i ran the numbers while monitoring the performance of our Battleborns it was "shockingly" low.  I called Dragon Fly Energy and they candidly stated that "some converters are better made and are much more energy efficient"". 

Not knowing what your Ollie's converter is, I would not guess as to it's efficiency.  But for the PD's of my OTT, they are no where near the top of the efficiency rating stack. 

This would make an interesting thread to test and report actual converter efficiencies by year and model of MFG.

GJ 

[ScubaRx]

On 1/11/2024 at 12:38 PM, Geronimo John said:

 This would make an interesting thread to test and report actual converter efficiencies by year and model of MFG.

GJ 

When we added our BB Lithium batteries a couple of years ago I also replaced the PD4045 45 Amp charger that was installed in our Hull #050 back in 2014. I have been satisfied that it is doing a good job for us. When the BB’s voltage drops and it is in bulk mode our Blue Sky IPN Pro indicates it is delivering 43+ amps to the batteries. 

[Geronimo John]

Steve:

I have not observed any of the inverter or converters not being able to produce their rated outputs.

But rather I am referring to their efficiency of their process.  Specifically the the ratio of output divided by input.  My PD 4045 and 4060 Converters and the Renogy 3000 watt inverter were all very low.   If I recall it was on the order of 50%.  When I asked Dragonfly Industries (Battleborn guys), their comment was that some systems for sure are not as efficient in their process as others. 

For RV Camp Grounds it's not much of a concern.  But for Boondockers it should be a consideration when replacing these power conversion elements.  Other considerations of course are:  Will it fit, what's it cost, how difficult will be the installation process be, what is the reliability of the various units, etc.

This summer I'll retest mine and post real numbers to start a thread for comparison purposes. 

GJ