Trace Engineering TS Manual page 10

C harging Bulk S tage
S tarted
D C V oltage
M ax C harge
A m ps S etting
D C & A C C urrent
C ons tant C urrent
FLOAT - During this stage the voltage of the battery is held at the FLOAT voltage setting.
Full current from the PV array can be provided to the loads connected to the battery during
the float stage. When the battery voltage has reached the FLOAT stage, the status LED
will be steady green.
When the battery voltage drops below the FLOAT setting for a cumulative period of one
hour, a new BULK cycle will be triggered. This typically occurs each night. If the battery
is full at the start of the day, it will receive an ABSORPTION charge for one hour and then
be held at the FLOAT setting for the remaining period of the day. Should the battery
voltage drop below the FLOAT setting for a cumulative period of one hour, another BULK
and ABSORPTION cycle will be initiated.
This three-stage charging process results in faster charging compared to on-off relay type
or constant voltage solid-state regulators. The final FLOAT voltage setting reduces battery
gassing, minimizes watering requirements and ensures the complete battery recharging.
Warning: Do not connect the AC power cord to
the AC out terminal. You may damage the unit.
Inverter to Charger Transition
On inverter models equipped with the three-stage internal standby battery charger, the
charger and an automatic transfer relay allows operation as either a battery charger or an
inverter, (but not both at the same time). An external source of AC power (e.g. shore
power, generator, and/or utility grid) must be supplied to the inverter AC input in order to
allow it to operate as a battery charger. As long as AC power is supplied to the charger, it
operates regardless of the position of the On/Of switch. When operation as a charger, the
inverter's AC output is provided by the external source.
The inverter automatically becomes a battery charger after a 10-second delay whenever
AC power is supplied to it. This delay is built-in to provide time for a generator to spin-up to
a stable voltage and avoid relay chattering.
Copyright Trace Engineering Co. Inc.
t h
5916 195 Street, NE
Arlington, WA 98223 USA
Absorption S tage
B ulk V oltage
80-90% C apacity
Two-Hour Absorption Period
C onstant V oltage
Tel (360) 435-8826
Fax (360)435-2229
www.traceengineering.com
Float S tage
Float V oltage
100% capacity
R educed C urrent and V oltage
Part Number 3141
Effective Date: July 15, 1998
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