©
2017 Sensata Technologies
Page 31
Operation
3.0 Operation
The MS-PAE Series inverter has two normal operating routines: 1) Inverter mode, which powers
your loads using the batteries, and 2) Standby mode, which transfers the incoming AC power (i.e.,
utility power or a generator) to power your loads and uses this incoming power 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 MS-PAE series is
fi
rst powered up, it defaults to the OFF mode.
The momentary ON/OFF
power switch (Figure 1-1, Item 1) must 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 is provided to conserve battery power when AC power is not required. In this mode, the
inverter pulses the AC output looking for an AC load (i.e., 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).
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 the ME-RC or ME-ARC remote display.
Inverting:
When a load greater than 5 watts is connected to the inverter output, the MS-PAE
series “inverts” the DC power from the battery and supplies 120/240 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 Inverter mode.
CB1 (30A)
AC HOT 2 IN
AC HOT 1 IN
AC HOT 2 OUT
AC HOT 1 OUT
DC POSITIVE
DC NEGATIVE
AC Transfer Relay
Power Transformer
FET Bridge
CB2 (30A)
AC NEUTRAL
AC NEUTRAL
AC
DC
AC
OUT
240
VAC
120
VAC
120
VAC
DC
IN
Relay 2
Relay 3
Figure 3-1, Power Flow – Inverter Mode