Inverters
Submitted: Monday, Feb 28, 2005 at 22:02
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Ray Bates
Hi,
I was on line earlier today equiring about batteries. I have had them on
test through an inverter to a 60w incandecant lamp. All seems to go OK but the low voltage alarm of the inverter sounds but I still have 12.5v in the batteries and the globe is still as
bright as when I started. The inverter does not close down due to lack of voltage.
Could any of you advise at what voltage the alarm should sound and is there anything wrong with the inverter? or if I can isolate the alarm. The inverter is a 150w Digitron.
Thank you
Reply By: Eric Experience. - Monday, Feb 28, 2005 at 22:42
Monday, Feb 28, 2005 at 22:42
Ray.
The alarm is monitoring the voltage inside the iverter so if you have any voltage drop in the wiring between the battery and the inverter you will get the alarm effect, just try measuring the voltage at the inverter. Eric.
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Follow Up By: Ray Bates - Monday, Feb 28, 2005 at 23:12
Monday, Feb 28, 2005 at 23:12
AC or DC?
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Follow Up By: Mike Harding - Tuesday, Mar 01, 2005 at 07:52
Tuesday, Mar 01, 2005 at 07:52
>AC or DC?
Your personal preferences are a matter for your own choice :)
Joking aside: you need to set your meter to the "DC Volts" scale and (leaving everything switched on) measure the voltage at the terminals on the inverter when the alarm sounds, next measure the voltage on the battery terminals - these two measurements should be within about 0.25 volts of each other - the less difference the better. If the difference is more than 0.25V
check the terminals and battery connections are clean and tight and if it's still more than 0.25V go to a larger size cable. For a 150W inverter you really want cable of around 1.5mm cross sectional area - you could also use 32/02 cable which is a bit light for 12A but will do the job for a run of <5m
I'm a bit perplexed as to why the alarm is sounding but the inverter is not shutting down? You may have a faulty unit.
Mike Harding
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