Operation
Power Save Levels
Each inverter consumes approximately 30 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 22.)
The master inverter remains active unless specifically ordered to turn off. It does not enter Silent mode.
When 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.
The order in which slaves turn on (or return to Silent mode) is controlled by programming in the MATE3. The slaves are given a “rank”, or level number. The lower the number, the sooner a slave will be turned on.
IMPORTANT:
It is highly recommended to use the MATE3 Configuration Wizard to set up this function. It is essential to set the slave Power Save Levels in sequential order. Failure to set them up correctly will cause erratic system behavior. The Configuration Wizard automatically programs the correct priorities. (See the MATE3 Owner’s Manual.)
If it is necessary to set these items manually:
In the MATE3 system display, the Inverter Stacking screen contains two Power Save Level menu items. These are Master and Slave. Both items have a settable range of values. (See the MATE3 manual for more information.)
The first item, Master Power Save Level, must only be used when port P01 is selected with the <PORT> navigation key. This should be the master inverter. Although the item 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 31. The default value is 0. The master is normally left at this value.
The second item, Slave Power Save Level, must only be used when ports other than P01 are selected. Although the item 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 31. The default value for all ports is 1.
The ranks are prioritized so that
It is highly recommended to rank the slave inverters in order (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.). Leaving the master at 0 automatically makes 4 kW of power instantly available (from the master). 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, setting the number higher than 0 will activate an additional 4 kW of power for every increment. If the slave settings have not been programmed correctly, the master may override them and begin turning on unnecessary slaves. This defeats the purpose of the Power Save feature.
It 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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