User manual

8
Interestingly, the battery separator consumes a significant amount of power when active.
The case will become noticeably warm in operation. This is not a problem since when
active; you have a source of power other than the batteries.
Automatic Resetting Circuit Breakers
In the diagram there are three components labeled "CB" with either 50A or 30A labels.
These devices are circuit breakers which will open the circuit should there be more than
the rated current flow in the circuit. They are thermally
operated and after a period of cooling they
automatically reset. More recent vehicles have higher
current rated circuit breakers.
You may wonder why there are two circuit breakers in a
series connection. This is because there are power
sources at both the front and back of the vehicle. A
short circuit will draw current from both sources, so
protection near each source provides protection. The batteries, alternator and
converter/charger can deliver tremendous current and circuit protection devices are a
necessity.
The third circuit breaker protects the converter/charger. There are three sources of power
driving the same conductor. Again a protection device is needed to remove this source of
power should a short circuit arise.
Onan Generator
The system has a 2.8KW generator which produces 120 volts AC. The generator is
directly connected to the RV battery and has a remote control panel to start and stop the
unit. If the RV battery has enough charge, it will start the generator regardless of any
other conditions in the vehicle.
In the simulator, the current to the generator starter is shown when the battery has some
charge and the start button pushed, but the generator won’t start if the battery condition is
poor.
When running, the simulator changes the color of the generator from blue to green and a
message appears above the block indicating the status.
The generator uses the RV battery for starting and control. The generator has a very low
current charger and when running will produce a small amount of current to charge the
battery. It produces 1 amp maximum. However when the generator produces 120 volts
it will charge the battery at a high rate due to the operation of the converter/charger using
AC power provided by the generator. Depending on the configuration, the battery may or
may not change based on the battery disconnect state. Prior to the introduction of the
Tripp-Lite converter/charger, the converter charger would not charge the battery very fast.
The Tripp-Lite is a much more sophisticated variable rate charger and can charge at a
much higher rate. Running the vehicle engine is the fastest way to charge a depleted RV
battery. Running the engine for 30 minutes will make a significant difference in the