Operation
Power Save Levels
Depending on the model, each inverter consumes approximately 20 watts of idle power while it remains on, even if it is not actively inverting or charging. The Power Save function allows the option to put some or all slave inverters into a quiescent state known as Silent mode. This mode minimizes the inverter’s idle consumption. The inverters will come on again when the loads require power. (The term “Silent” is also used in the context of battery charging. See page 20.)
¾The master inverter remains active unless specifically ordered to turn off. It does not enter Silent mode.
¾When the majority of the inverter’s wattage is consumed by loads, the master turns on one or more slaves for assistance. When the load drops back to a lesser wattage (as detected by the master), the slaves return to Silent mode.
¾The order in which slaves turn on (or return to Silent mode) is controlled by programming in the system display. The slaves are given a “rank”, or level number. The lower the number, the sooner a slave will be turned on.
IMPORTANT:
It is important to use the system display to set up the Power Save menus for any system with multiple inverters, regardless of system type. The Power Save feature itself is only usable by systems with inverters that have been programmed as OB Slave L1. However, many other system types have internal priorities that are controlled by the power save level settings. Failing to set these correctly may cause erratic or unusual behavior.
In the MATE system display, the power save level menus contain two screens. These are master adjust only and slave adjust only. Both screens have a settable range of values. In the MATE3, these items are located in the Inverter Stacking menu and are named Master Power Save Level and Slave Power Save Level. (See the system display manual for more information.)
¾The first screen, master adjust only or Master Power Save Level, must only be used when port P01 is selected with the <PORT> soft key. This should be the master inverter. Although the screen is still visible when other (slave) ports are available, it should not be programmed when other ports are selected. The range of rank numbers is 0 to 7. The default value is 0. The master is normally left at this value.
¾The second screen, slave adjust only or Slave Power Save Level, must only be used when ports other than P01 are selected. Although the screen is still visible when the P01 (master) port is selected, it should not be programmed for P01. The range of rank numbers is 1 to 15. The default value for all ports is 1.
¾The ranks are prioritized so that
¾It is highly recommended to rank the slave inverters in order (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.). Leaving the master at 0 automatically makes the master’s full wattage instantly available. If a slave is prioritized higher than the master (by raising the master level to 2 and the slave to 1, for example), that slave will not go silent. This will keep the power save mode from functioning. In general, if the slave settings have not been programmed correctly, the master may override them and begin turning on unnecessary slaves, defeating the purpose of the Power Save feature.
¾It is also recommended that slaves do not share rank numbers. If, for example, multiple slaves were all ranked at 1, they would all come on at the same time. Once they came on, the divided load would cause the master to detect a minimal load on its output, so it would shut off all the slaves, at which point the master would read a high load again. This could quickly escalate into a rapid on/off cycling of inverters and could cause
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