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If a 3G or 2G Cellular Gateway Reports “Charge Fault”

The error Charge Fault is generally indicative of a physical condition affecting the power consumption and charging of a cellular gateway with a battery backup. This article will provide information on this issue and possible resolution.

Possible Causes of a “Charge Fault” error

• The gateway is battery powered and has been exposed to temperatures outside of the specifications
• The power adapter supplying power to the gateway is not operating as expected
• The power supply being used is not the power supply provided by Iotplus
• There is the noise introduced in the power being supplied to the gateway from the power source (receptacle)
• The Battery Cycle Life of 500 discharges has been reached.
• The gateway/battery is damaged.

Gateway battery specifications

If a gateway is exposed to temperatures outside of the temperature specifications, this error may be triggered (and the gateway/battery may be damaged). Cellular gateways that have a battery backup have the following temperature specifications:

Operating Temperature: -20 to 55°C (-4 to 131°F)
Charging Temperature: 0 – 45°C (32 to 113°F)
Storage Temperature: -20 to +60°C (-4 to 140°F)

Battery Type: Rechargeable Lithium Polymer
Battery Duration: Up to 24 hours
Battery Cycle Life: 500 times

Gateway Specification documents:
Iotplus 4G LTE Gateway
Iotplus 4G LTE Industrial Gateway
Iotplus 2G CDMA, 3G, 2G Industrial, and 3G Industrial Gateways
Additional specification sheets are available at iotplus.com/support.

Troubleshooting this error

Note: These steps do not apply to 4G LTE Gateways.

-Power the gateway off.
-Gather the original power adapter supplied with the gateway.
-Connect the power adapter to a known-good power receptacle.
-Perform a full reset of the gateway using the steps below.

Note: if the gateway requires a custom APN to be provisioned, you will need to send the APN to the gateway again using the steps in the following article: https://Iotplus.com.au/content/documents/quickstart/MQS024-Iotplus-International-CGW-Quick-Start.pdf

• Start with the gateway powered down (unplugged/off).
• Press and hold reset button, while the gateway is powered off (keep holding).
• Power unit on (still holding reset).
• Allow LEDS to light 3 AMBERs to 3 GREENs, then stay on with 3 REDS, and then release the button.
• When the button is released the 3 LEDs flash GREEN an acknowledgment of the release, and then go back to 3 solid RED.
• At this point, press and hold the reset button until all lights go from SOLID RED to SOLID GREEN and finally to flashing green before you release the button.
• Wait for the unit to reboot.

Conclusion

After performing the full reset above, you may need to perform a provisioning of the gateway as mentioned in the note. Allow the gateway to check in and see if the issue is resolved. If you continue to see the error, there may be a physical issue. Please contact Iotplus Support for further resolution.