Magnum Energy ME-ARC Remote - Manual (Page 72)

7.0 Using an AGS Module
66 © 2012 Magnum Energy, Inc.
SETUP: 04A Gen Run VDC Menu
This menu starts/stops the generator based on the battery voltage as shown
on the METER button’s 03B DC Volts-AGS menu. This menu provides the op-
tion to start the generator when the battery voltage gets low, and to stop the
generator once the battery reaches a higher voltage level, or has been fully
charged and goes into the Float Charge stage. Using voltage to automatically
start and stop the generator is a common method because it is considered
the simplest and easiest to understand. The 04A Gen Run VDC menu also
has a delay setting to minimize nuisance starts/stops and the short cycle run
times of the generator.
• Set Start Gen Volts – This setting will start the generator when the
battery voltage (on Terminals #3 & #4) decreases to or below this set-
ting continuously for the duration of the Set Start Volts Delay setting.
Default setting: Set Start Gen Volts = 11.5 VDC (12v), 23.0 VDC
(24v), 46.0 VDC (48v)
Range: OFF, 9.0-15.9 VDC (12v), 18.0-31.8 VDC (24v), 36.0-63.6 VDC (48v)
Where should I set Start Volts? When setting the VDC start voltage, it
must be high enough to not over-discharge the battery, but also low enough
to keep from nuisance starting the generator. Typically, start volts is set
based on what is determined to be approximately 50% of the battery ca-
pacity. Since this is an inverter/battery system, and the battery is normally
loaded, the VDC used to determine 50% battery capacity should be set lower
than what is shown on typical battery voltage SOC charts (approximately
11-11.5 in a 12-volt system), which show the battery at rest (not loaded).
Info: The DC voltage the AGS uses to determine when to autostart is
displayed in the AGS: 08 AGS TECH menu under the AGS VDC meter.
Example: Using a 12-volt battery as an example, a typical SOC (State of
Charge) battery chart will show that 12.2 VDC is considered 50% SOC. This
voltage is a battery “at rest,” meaning it has no load connected and has been
at rest for a minimum of 30 min. While this voltage is accurate under these
at rest conditions, this same voltage with a load applied means the battery is
well above 50% SOC, and should be set much lower. The larger the battery
bank the less the voltage will be affected by a load applied to the battery
bank. A typical start voltage setting would be between 11.0 VDC - 11.5 VDC
for a 12-volt system.
• Set Start Volts Delay – This setting determines how long the Start
Gen Volts parameter must be continuously maintained before the gen-
erator autostarts. This ensures the generator does not nuisance start.
By setting a delay, momentary surge loads will not start the generator
when the battery voltage dips due to the heavy load applied to the
battery.
Default setting: Set Start Volts Delay = 120 Seconds
Range: 0-127 Seconds, 1-127 Minutes
Where should I set Start Volts Delay? Determine what loads will be
running when the generator needs to start. The larger the load the shorter
the delay time setting. When a large load is applied to the battery bank the
battery voltage drops quickly, so the delay time should be short to ensure
the batteries are not over-discharged. If you are unsure what loads might be
running or where to set the start delay, error on setting a shorter time such
as the default of two minutes (to protect batteries from over-discharge).