PI3000B & M 12V
8
VELLEMAN
We recommend installing a main fuse in the positive battery cable to protect the inverter against DC wiring
short circuits. The fuse should be as close as possible to the battery. An approved car fuse is recommended.
The fuse ampere rating should be appropriate to allow operation of all your DC powered equipment and to protect
your battery cables.
6. Operation
a. Front Panel Controls and Indicators (see fig.2)
ON/OFF switch (#2):
turns the control circuit in the inverter on and off ; DOES NOT DISCONNECT POWER from
the inverter. In the OFF position, the inverter draws less than 0.2mA of current from the battery. In the ON position
without load, the inverter draws less than 850mA ; this is a low current draw. At this current, discharging a 100amp-
hrs battery would take more than a week, so you need not worry about excessive battery drain if you leave the
inverter switched on for a few days. Do switch the inverter of if you do not plan to recharge the battery within a week.
Remote ON/OFF jack (#6):
a jack to interface with the optional remote ON/OFF switch, which allows you to mount
your inverter out of sight and turn it on and off from a conveniently located panel. The remote switch features an
ON/OFF pushbutton and an indicator light to indicate whether or not the inverter is switched on.
Battery voltage indicator (#4, left):
displays the voltage at the input terminals of the inverter. At low input currents,
this voltage is very close to the battery voltage. At high input currents, the voltage will be lower because of the
voltage drop in the cables and connections. Ideally, the voltage should remain in the green area of the indicator. If
the voltage goes into the red area at the top or the bottom, the inverter may power down automatically.
Battery current indicator (#4, right):
displays the current drawn from the battery by the inverter. For long-term
operation, the current should remain in the green area of the indicator. Short-term operation is possible with current
in the yellow area. If the current rises to the red area, the inverter will reduce its output voltage to protect itself.
Overheat indicator (#1):
lights up and the alarm sounds when the inverter is performing an automatic overheat
shutdown. This may occur when the inverter has been operated for a long time at levels above 2400W, or because it
has been installed in a location, which does not allow it to dissipate heat properly. The inverter will restart
automatically when it has cooled sufficiently.
Overload indicator (#3):
lights up when the inverter powers down because of a severe overload. Switch the inverter
off, unplug the load, and switch the inverter on again.
Alarm indicator:
the inverter is equipped with an audio alarm signal that sounds when the device is overheating, the
battery voltage is low (<10.7V) or the inverter is powering down because of low voltage (<10.0V)
b. Operating Limits
Power output:
the
PI3000B & M
will deliver 2400W or 11A continuously. It can deliver 3000W or 14A for approx. 5
minutes. Then it must cool down for 5 minutes before it can resume operation at 3000W. The wattage rating applies
to resistive loads such as heaters while the current rating applies to reactive loads such as motors.
The inverter will operate most AC loads within these ratings. Some induction motors require very high surge currents
to start. The inverter may not be able to start some of these motors even though their rated current draw is within the
inverter's limits. It will normally start single-phase induction motors rated at 1HP or less.
If a motor refuses to start, observe the battery voltage indicator while trying to start the motor. If the battery voltage
indicator drops below 11V while the inverter is trying to start the motor, this may be why the motor won't start. Make
sure that the battery is fully charged and well connected. If this is the case but the voltage still drops below 11V, you
may need to use a higher capacity battery.
Input voltage:
the inverter will operate from input voltages between 10 and 15V. However, optimum performance is
achieved with input voltages between 12 and 14V. If the voltage drops below 10.7V, the low battery warning will
sound and the voltage indicator will be in the lower red zone. The inverter will power down if the input voltage drops
below 10V. This protects your battery from being over-discharged. The inverter will not restart unless the input
voltage exceeds 11V.
It will also power down if the voltage exceeds 15V ; this protects the inverter against excessive input voltage. The
voltage indicator will be in the upper red zone. Although the
PI3000B & M
is equipped with an overvoltage protection,
it may still be damaged if the input voltage exceeds 16V.
