Xantrex Technology 120 VAC/60 - Manual (Page 73)

OPERATION
 2001 Xantrex Technology, Inc.
5916 - 195th Street N. E.
Arlington, WA 98223
Telephone: 360/435-8826
Fax: 360/435-2229
www.traceengineering.com
SW Series Inverter/Charger
Part No. 2031-5
Rev. C: February 2001
Page
65
BATTERY TEMPERATURE SENSOR (BTS)
Figure 22, BTS (Battery
Temperature Sensor)
A plug-in external Battery Temperature Sensor (BTS), which is provided,
automatically fine-tunes the charging process of the battery charger in
relation to temperature. When the temperature sensor is installed, the
charge voltage is adjusted either higher or lower than the BULK and
FLOAT setpoints based on temperature. The BATTERY TEMP COMP
VOLTS DC menu item under the METERS (4) menu heading shows this
adjusted charge voltage.
If the temperature sensor is NOT installed and if the battery is subjected to
large temperature variations, a shorter battery life cycle may be expected.
Install the BTS on the side of the battery below the electrolyte level. It is best
if the sensor is placed between batteries and if the batteries are placed in
an insulated box to reduce the influence of the ambient temperature outside
the battery enclosure. Ventilate the battery box at the highest point to
prevent hydrogen accumulation.
The BTS provided may be extended beyond the standard 15 feet by an
additional 20 feet using standard telephone cables with RJ-11 plugs.
CHARGER ONLY OPERATION
When the CHG mode is selected, the inverter will operate only as a charger. This is useful for unattended
operation where a power failure might allow the inverter to drain the batteries by powering an AC load
unnecessarily. To allow the Charger Only mode, FLT must be selected from the SET GRID USAGE menu
item under the INVERTER SETUP (9) menu heading in the SETUP MENU (FLT is the factory default
setting).
This feature is commonly used in marine applications where the inverter operates a refrigeration system
from the batteries. Normally, the engine’s alternators keep the batteries charged. When docked, a shore
cord is connected to the inverter to power the battery charger and run the refrigerator.
AC INPUT REQUIREMENTS
When an AC source is applied to the AC input, the AC1 IN GOOD or AC2 IN GOOD LED indicator will
blink slowly once the AC voltage has been detected. If the AC source is acceptable, the inverter will
synchronize to it after a delay period has passed. Once synchronized, the inverter will close an internal
relay, connecting the AC source to the AC loads, indicated by the green AC IN GOOD LED (ON solid),
and begin charging the batteries, indicated by the orange BULK LED (ON solid).
The AC source, connected to the inverter’s AC HOT IN 1 and AC HOT IN 2 terminals, is used to power
both the battery charger and the AC loads while the inverter is in the battery charger mode. There are
several settings, listed below, that involve the AC INPUT. See the USER SETTINGS WORKSHEET on
page 123 for factory default settings.
INPUT AC VOLTAGE
The AC HOT IN 1 and AC HOT IN 2 inputs share the same upper and lower limits for restricting
connection to an acceptable AC voltage operating window.
The AC input voltage window is typically set to the minimum / maximum range that the AC loads can
tolerate - the inverter itself can operate over an extremely wide voltage range. The upper and lower
settings are adjustable with the Control Panel and are located under the AC INPUTS (11) menu heading
in the SETUP MENU.