Xantrex Technology 120 VAC/60 owner manual LOW Battery Protection, Setting Search Mode Spacing

OPERATION

Example A: If the SEARCH WATTS is set at 32 and a 30-watt incandescent light is turned on, the inverter will detect the light. The initial load of the bulb is much greater than 32 watts when its filament is cold. When the light gets bright, the filament heats up and the light becomes a 30-watt load. Since this is below the setting of 32, the inverter will not detect it and the light will turn off. This can cause cycling of the inverter between on and off.

Example B: If the SEARCH WATTS setting is 32 and a 40-watt florescent light is turned on, the inverter will not detect the light. The light presents a smaller load than 32 watts until the gas in the florescent tube ionizes and begins to glow. This problem is more common with the non-electronic type fluorescent bulbs.

Example C: There are some appliances that draw power even though they are turned off. TVs with instant on circuits, microwave ovens with digital displays and VCRs with clocks are examples. These loads can present a dilemma. If the SEARCH WATTS is set higher than the combination of these loads, then an additional load must be used to bring the inverter out of the search mode before the appliances can be turned on. If the SEARCH WATTS is set lower than this combination of loads, then the inverter and the loads will be left on. This will put an additional drain on the batteries (three such 15-watt loads would amount to an additional 45 amp/hours per 24 hours in a 24 VDC system). One solution is to turn these items off by using an extension cord with a rocker switch, a switched outlet, or a circuit breaker for the circuit. Unfortunately, this solution does not allow a clock to retain its setting and may cause it to blink constantly while operating.

SETTING SEARCH MODE SPACING

The SET SEARCH SPACING menu item is calibrated in cycles. To test for loads once each second, adjust this setting to 59 (for 60 Hz models); to test for loads about twice a second, adjust the setting to 30. NOTE: The lower the search spacing value – the less time it takes for the inverter to bring up a load. The lower the setting), the greater the power consumption while in the search mode, thus reducing power. The factory default value (59) is acceptable for most applications. The range is from 4 to 255.

LOW BATTERY PROTECTION

When the actual battery voltage reaches the LOW BATTERY CUT OUT menu item setting for the LBCO DELAY period, the inverter shuts off to prevent the battery from being over-discharged. If the inverter is setup to automatically start a backup generator (Gen Auto Start Menu), then it will start once the battery reaches the LBCO setting for the selected time (30 seconds, etc).

Any of the following three conditions will return the inverter to normal operation, after a LBCO condition:

1.Power is applied to the AC HOT IN 1 or AC HOT IN 2 input terminals, allowing the inverter to operate as a battery charger.

2.The inverter is manually restarted by pushing the red ON/OFF button and selecting OFF and then SRCH or ON.

3.Battery voltage rises above the SET LOW BATTERY CUT IN menu item setting.

While the inverter is shut off due to the battery reaching the LOW BATTERY CUT OUT settings, the red ERROR LED will be illuminated. When the battery voltage increases to the LOW BATTERY CUT IN setting, the inverter will automatically turn back on and the ERROR LED will turn off.

ADJUSTING THE LOW BATTERY PROTECTION

There are three settings used to prevent over-discharge of the battery. These settings are located under the INVERTER SETUP (9) menu heading. See the SETUP MENU section for instructions on accessing these settings.

The SET LOW BATTERY CUT OUT menu item determines the voltage level that the battery must reach for it to be considered low. The inverter will continue to operate until the voltage has continuously remained below this setting for the time period from the SET LBCO DELAY menu item. Once the inverter has shut off, the battery voltage must rise above the value from the SET LOW BATTERY CUT IN menu item.

The default LOW BATTERY CUT OUT setting may be lower than what is often recommended for many applications by battery manufacturers. It is set to allow maximum performance from the inverter, not to maximize the life of the battery. If the system is properly designed, the inverter should not reach the LBCO setting very often. If the system is expected to utilize the LBCO control on a regular basis, then increasing this setting is recommended.

 2001 Xantrex Technology, Inc.	Telephone: 360/435-8826	SW Series Inverter/Charger
5916 - 195th Street N. E.	Fax: 360/435-2229	Part No. 2031-5
Arlington, WA 98223	www.traceengineering.com	Rev. C: February 2001

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