OPERATION
Page
78
Copyright Trace Engineering Company, Inc.
5916 - 195th Street N.E.
Arlington, WA 98223
Telephone: 360/435-8826
Fax: 360/435-2229
www.traceengineering.com
PS Series Inverter/Charger
Part No. 3597
Rev. D: November 23, 1999
3-TO-2 WIRE CONVERTERS
Another option for three wire start type generators is to use a 3-to-2-wire converter. These vary from very
simple relay types to very advanced microprocessor types. Onan offers a simple 3-to-2-wire converter for
some of their generators that have worked well for many installations. Universal 3-to-2 wire converters,
can be used with virtually any generator and can control glow plugs as well for diesel generators. These
can also allow additional system components to signal the generator start system to start.
STOP COOL DOWN PERIOD
When the generator stop system is used to stop the generator automatically, the generator is
disconnected from the inverter first by opening the AC relay inside the inverter. This allows a very clean
transition from the generator to the inverter. The STOP signal is provided immediately if the generator is
manually shut off from the SWRC. If the generator is shut off automatically the generator will be allowed
to run for an additional 40 seconds before the STOP signal is provided. This allows the generator to cool
down before it is turned off. This is very important for turbocharged generators as it allows cooler oil to
reach the turbo. If the generator does not stop after the 40 second cool down period when the stop signal
is sent, then the inverter will reconnect to the AC source and remain connected as long as it is available.
If the generator is stopped manually from the SWRC, the generator is stopped immediately with no cool
down.
GENERATOR MAX RUN TIME
An adjustable setting is provided to indicate excessive operation of the generator. This setting is intended
to indicate excessive generator operation if the system has not been able to fully charge the battery.
Operating heavy loads while charging, an unstable generator or even low electrolyte levels in the battery
can cause this. If the default value results in repeated error conditions, then increasing the setting may be
necessary for your application. This may occur with systems that have very large batteries that require
long charge periods or systems with small generators that have limited battery-charging ability. When
using the automatic generator start system to complete a equalization cycle, the additional time required
for the EQ cycle should be considered in order to prevent reaching the SET MAXIMUM RUN TIME menu
item setting and causing a GEN MAX RUN TIME ERROR. The generator does not stop when a GEN
MAX RUN TIME ERROR has occurred.
EQUALIZATION CHARGING WITH THE AUTOMATIC GENERATOR START SYSTEM
A manual or automatically controlled equalization charge process is available in the PS Series inverter.
To start the equalization process, select EQ from the SET GENERATOR menu item, accessible by
pressing the green GEN MENU button on the SWRC. This equalization process can be powered by any
AC source. If the AC input is energized by utility power or a manually started generator, the inverter will
use it to power the battery charger and start the equalization process. Turning on the generator
manually will require you to manually shut the generator off when it has finished equalizing.
If the automatic generator start system is connected (“MAXIMUM AC AMP IN’ switch must be in the AC2
position), the inverter can be set to complete an equalization charge process during the next generator
run period. You must first select EQ from the SET GENERATOR menu item. The generator will start the
equalization process the next time the generator is automatically started and will automatically stop and
return the cursor to the AUTO position in the SET GENERATOR menu item once the equalization period
has been completed.
The SET EQUALIZE TIME menu item under the BATTERY CHARGING (10) menu heading sets the
amount of time that the battery voltage must exceed the BULK VOLTS DC setting before the equalization
process is considered to be completed. This timer is an accumulating type timer that does not reset if the
voltage drops momentarily below the bulk voltage setting. During the equalization process, the voltage
will be limited to the level of the SET EQUALIZATION VOLTS DC menu item.
During the equalization process, the BULK LED will flash slowly to indicate that the EQ position has been
selected from the SET GENERATOR menu item. When the process has finished, the FLOAT LED will be
on if the generator or utility power is still available.
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