Terminology
975-0125-02-01 C–3
Engine Battery The engine battery is the battery connected to the Echo Charger output. Typically,
this will be an engine starting battery or an auxiliary battery for loads other than the
inverter.
Float Charge The third stage of three-stage battery charging. After batteries reach full charge,
charging voltage is reduced to a lower le vel to pre vent ga ssing a nd to prolo ng batte ry
life. This stage is ofte n ref e rred to as a maintenanc e ch a rge . R at he r th an ch arg i n g a
battery, it keeps an already-charged battery from discharging while providing load
current.
Hertz (Hz) The frequency, or number of times per second, that the flow of AC electricity
reverses itself. Also referred to as cycles per second (see alternating current).
House Battery The house battery is the large capacity, deep cycle battery that is connected to the
inverter/charger’s main DC terminals.
Idle Current The amount of electrical current drawn from the ba ttery to keep an inverter running
without a load.
Inductive Loads TVs, VCRs, stereos, computers, and electric motors (power tools, vacuum cleaners,
for example) are examples of inductive loads which surge on start up. They require a
high startup current compared to a resistive load such as a toaster or a coffe e p o t.
Inverter A device that converts DC power to AC power.
Light Emitting Diode (LED) An LED is a type of solid-state lamp used to display various status functions.
Load Any device that consumes electricity in order to operate. Appliances, tools, and
lights are examples of electrical loads. The r e are different types of loads such as AC
loads and DC loads.
Low Battery Protection A control circuit that minimizes the flow of electricity from batteries to the inverter
when battery vo l ta ge drops below a de termined leve l.
Main Charger The main charger output is at the main DC terminals on the inverter/charger and
connects to the house batteries. The main charge r repleni shes the charg e to the hous e
batteries. The mai n charger can be config ured as a two stage o r a three-stage charge r.
National Electric Code The elec trical wiring and installation code used in the United States (NFPA 7 0 ) .
Overload/Over-current
Protection
A control circuit designed to protect a device (wire, inverter or charger, for example)
from loads exceedi ng its capacity. A fu se, for example, i s an over-current pr otection
device. All Xantrex inverters have internal circuitry to protect themselves from
overload/over-current conditions.
Parallel Wiring A group of electrical devices, such as batteries or PV modules, wired together to
increase current, while voltage remains constant. Two 100 amp-hour 12 VDC
batteries wired in parallel form a 200 amp-hour 12 VDC battery bank.
Resistive Loads Toasters, coffee pots, and incandescent lights are examples of resistive loads. They
use a resistive heater element to generate heat or light.
Series Wiring A group of electrical devices, such as batter ies or P V modul es, wired together to
increase voltage, while current remains constant. Two 100 amp-hour 12 VDC
batteries wired in series form a 100 amp hour 24 VDC battery bank.