Inverter / Converter - Tiffin Motorhomes Allegro Bus 2011 Owner's Manual

E L E C T R I C A L F E A T U R E S

Inverter / Converter

Your motor home is equipped with a 2800 or 2000 watt Sine Wave Inverter. When the 120 VAC power is not
available, either from the power cord or the generator, the optional
inverter/charger (Figure 7-15) may be used. The control panel for the
inverter/charger is located above or near the entrance door.
The inverter/charger has two modes of operation: INVERTER (providing
power to your appliances from the batteries) and AC (running from shore
power or a generator). Whenever the inverter is in AC mode, it passes power
directly to your appliances as well as recharges the batteries using a 3-stage
battery charger (Bulk, Absorption and Float). This approach to battery charging
provides rapid and complete chagrining cycles without placing undue stress on
the batteries. Inverter operation is fully automatic.
With search mode enabled, the inverter pulses the AC output looking for an
Figure 7-15. Sine Wave Inverter
electrical appliance (typically 5 to 100 watts, depending upon the setting
you've selected). Whenever there is no load detected, the inverter automatically goes into search mode (sleep) to
minimize energy consumption. During this time, the inverter's green LED flashes (fast) to indicate SEARCH
mode. When an appliance is switched on inside the coach, the inverter recognizes the need for power and
automatically starts the inverter.
Whenever AC Shore Power is no longer sensed, the inverter automatically transfers to battery power with no
interruption to your appliances. The inverter's green LED flashes once every 2 seconds (medium flash) to
indicate it is running on battery power and providing AC to the coach.
Whenever AC Shore Power is sensed, the inverter automatically transfers to the shore power with minimal
interruption to your appliances.
Whenever the inverter is running on nominal AC Shore Power, it charges the batteries. The inverter's green
LED stays ON (solid) to indicate the first stage of charging. During bulk charging, the charger supplies the
maximum amount of constant current to the batteries. As the battery voltage rises to a set value, the charger
will then switch to the next charging mode.
As the inverter continues to run on nominal AC Shore Power, and the batteries have been successfully bulk
charged, the charger enters its second stage of charging. The inverter's green LED flashes once every second
(fast flash) to indicate absorption charging for 1-3 hours depending upon battery bank selection. The charger
then switches to its final chagrining mode.
As AC shore power continues the inverter's green LED flashes once every 8 seconds (slow flash) to indicate
the third and final stage of charging. The batteries are held at the float voltage as long as AC is present at the
inverter's input. Float charging reduces battery gassing, minimizes watering requirements (for flooded batteries)
and ensures the batteries are maintained at optimum capacity.
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