Connecting Cables

Installation

Connecting Cables (not included)

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Power wire and wiring are very important to the performance of the inverter. Because the inverter has a low voltage, high current input, low resistance wiring is essential between the battery and inverter. This is so it can deliver the maximum amount of energy to the load.

Use only copper wire. Aluminum wire has about 1⁄3 more resistance than copper wire of the same size, plus it is difficult to make good, low-resistance connections to aluminum wire.

We recommend #4 AWG copper cable (90°C insulation rating) as the minimum size for connections between the battery and inverter.

Keep the cable length as short as possible, no more than 4 feet (1.5 meters). This will keep the voltage drop to a minimum.

If the cable has too much voltage drop, the inverter may shut down when drawing higher currents because voltage at the inverter may drop below 10 volts. If you must use longer cables, choose thicker cables, such as #2 AWG, and trim the ends of the cable to fit the terminals.

To Connect the Cables Between the Inverter and the Battery:

1.Turn the On/Off Switch on the inverter to the Off position. If the power source is a DC power supply, switch it Off as well.

Turn On/Off Switch to Off

2.On the end of the cable that connects to the inverter, strip back the insulation about 1⁄2 inch (1.25 cm), exposing the bare copper conductor.

8 English

Connecting Cables

Installation

Strip the Insulation

3.Connect cables to the Power Input Terminals on right side panel of the inverter. The red terminal is positive (+) and the black terminal is negative (-). Insert the bare ends of the cables into the terminals and tighten the screws to clamp the wires safely.

Insert Bare Cables

4.Connect cables to the power source:

a.Connect each cable from the Negative (Black) Terminal of inverter to the Negative Terminal of the power source. Make a secure connection.

b.Connect each cable from the Positive (Red) Terminal of the inverter to the Positive Terminal of the power source (the battery’s main fuse or the battery selector switch, if you are using one). Make a secure connection.

Connect Cables

You might observe a spark when you make this connection, since current can flow to charge capacitors in the inverter.

Continued...

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