heaters, water heating elements, and air conditioners.
The EMS will also control the 2012 Magnum inverter
charge
rate
or switch to invert depending on the charging status.
The charger will only reduce once it is in float status.
The current-sensing relay
will display the amperage on each leg.
The EMS will start shedding loads
and look at the AC
current when it sheds a load, determining when
it has enough current available to turn on the load again.
When the EMS sheds a load, it only looks at one leg to see how much of a load was shed.
For coaches equipped with
the SilverLeaf system, refer to the SilverLeaf Functional Guide for more information on your EMS.
Converters
All Newmar
coaches
are equipped with a converter
or an inverter/converter combination.
Converters are used to
transform alternating current
power (120 Volt AC) to direct current
power (12 Volt DC).
Converters
supply the coach
with
12 Volt
power to operate systems in the coach and provide
battery charging.
Newmar
currently
uses three
sizes of converters:
45, 60, and 80 Amp models.
Previous units may have a 55 or
75 Amp
converter
or
two 45 Amp converters with a total of 90 Amps available.
When replacing
a converter, it is necessary to
use
the same size converter to ensure sufficient wiring and breakers for the converter's
input and output ratings.
Possible causes of converter failure:
• Overheating caused by cooling fan malfunction or inadequate ventilation causing damage to the converter
• Blown fuses
Inverters
An inverter changes 12 Volt DC
power
to 120 Volt
AC power.
Coaches
with an inverter only
typically use it for powering
the entertainment equipment like the TV, DVD, and Blu-ray players.
The inverters used for this purpose are usually
600
watt to
1000 watt (1000 Watt inverters
may also power a small refrigerator)
and do not have battery charging
capability.
The inverters are usually located in a basement compartment of the coach.
Some inverters
have a remote panel for an
on/off switch in the overhead driver area or above the entry door.
When power is supplied by either the generator or
shore power, the inverter merely allows the power to "pass through" and will then stop pulling power from the batteries
to
try and supply
120 Volt power.
There is a protective breaker on the inverter
to prevent circuit overload.
Possible causes for inverter failure:
• Overheating caused by inadequate ventilation causing damage to the inverter
• Overloading the circuit causing "tripped" breakers
Inverter/Converter Combinations
Many Newmar coaches
are equipped with inverter/charger combination units, sometimes referred to as an inverter/
converter unit.
These units range from 1200 to 3000 Watt and
serve as a three stage charger and an inverter.
Coaches equipped with this option will also be equipped with a 120 Volt subpanel.
The subpanel is used to limit the circuits powered by the inverter(s).
This is necessary to avoid draining the batteries by
supplying inverted power to all circuits.
The subpanel is located next to the main service panel.
On units equipped with
an EMS, the subpanel is located in the same breaker box but is separated in the interior of main panel.
The coach
battery bank supplies the inverter 12 Volt
power and has a high
amp fuse link on the positive lead from the batteries and
is located near the battery bank.
The inverter/charger can be controlled by a remote panel, from
another system like
SilverLeaf,
or at
the inverter itself.
The remote panel is typically located in the front overhead compartment or above the entry door and
is used to control
the inverter and the battery charging functions.
If a remote panel is connected to the inverter, then the remote panel
takes priority.
Three-Stage Charging Process
The charging cycle uses three states: bulk, absorption, and float.
During the initial bulk stage, the inverter charges at
near its full current ability.
This causing the battery voltage to rise over time.
After the battery voltage reaches the bulk
voltage setting, the charger starts the absorption stage.
During this phase, the charge rate is gradually reduced while the battery voltage is held near the bulk voltage setting.
This
insures that the battery is fully charged.
The float stage is initiated when the battery
has been held at the
bulk
voltage
setting for the absorption period.
At this point the battery voltage is allowed to fall to the float voltage setting,
where it is
maintained until another charge cycle is initiated. This reduces gassing of the battery and keeps it fully charged. A new
three-stage charging cycle is initiated after an AC source is reapplied to the AC input terminals.
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