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©
2017 Sensata Technologies
Operation
3.0 Operation
The ME Series inverter has two normal operating routines: Inverter mode, which powers your loads
using the batteries; and Standby mode, which transfers the incoming AC power (e.g., utility power
or a generator) to power your loads and to recharge the batteries. This inverter also includes an
extensive protection circuitry to shut down the inverter under certain fault conditions.
3.1 Inverter
Mode
When the ME Series is
fi
rst powered up, it defaults to the OFF mode.
The momentary ON/OFF power
switch (
see Figure 1-1, Item 1) m
ust be lightly pressed to turn the inverter on. Subsequently,
pressing this switch alternately turns the inverter off and on.
Inverter OFF
–
When the inverter is off,
no power is used from the batteries to power the AC
loads, and
the status
LED will be off. If AC power from an external source (utility or generator)
is connected and quali
fi
ed on the inverter’s AC input, this AC input power will pass through the
inverter to power the AC loads. However, if this AC power is lost, the AC loads will no longer be
powered because the inverter is off.
When the inverter is turned on, it operates either by “searching” or “inverting”, depending on the
connected AC loads.
Searching
– When the inverter is
fi
rst turned on, the automatic Search feature is enabled. This
feature conserves battery power when AC power is not required. In this mode, the inverter pulses
the AC output looking for an AC load (e.g., electrical appliance). Whenever an AC load (greater
than 5 watts) is turned on, the inverter recognizes the need for power and automatically starts
inverting. When there is no load (or less than 5 watts) detected, the inverter automatically goes
back into Search mode to minimize energy consumption from the battery bank. When the inverter
is searching, the inverter’s green LED
fl
ashes (medium
fl
ash – blinks once every second).
Info:
The factory default value for the Search feature is 5 watts. It can be turned off or
adjusted from 5 to 50 watts using a remote display.
Inverting
–
When a load greater than 5 watts is connected to the inverter output, the ME Series
inverts the DC power from the battery and supplies 120 VAC power to your sub-panel. The
inverter’s
green LED
fl
ashes once every second (medium
fl
ash) to indicate it is inverting. The
amount of time
the inverter can be inverting and
providing power is directly related to the amount of AC loads
that are connected, and the capacity of the battery bank. Refer to Figure 3-1 to see the
fl
ow of
power from the DC input to the AC output while in the Inverter mode.
0
VAC
120
VAC
120
VAC
INV
OUT
Neutral-Ground
Transfer Relay
AC Hot
Transfer Relay
AC HOT 1 IN
AC HOT 2 IN
CB1 (30A)
AC NEUTRAL IN
AC GROUND
Power Transformer
FET Bridge
AC
DC
DC
IN
AC HOT 1 OUT
AC HOT 2 OUT
CB3
(optional)
CB2
(optional)
DC POSITIVE
DC NEGATIVE
AC NEUTRAL OUT
Figure 3-1, Power Flow – Inverter Mode
