SAM Series Inverter / Charger SAM-1500C-12 Owner's Manual Please read this manual before installing your inverter
MANUAL | Index Section 1: Safety .............................................................................................. 1 SECTION 2: Features, Applications & Principle of Operation...................................... 3 SECTION 3: Layout .............................................................................................. 8 SECTION 4: Installation........................................................................................... 10 SECTION 5: Operation .....................
SECTION 1 | Safety Important Safety Instructions This manual contains important information regarding safety, operation, maintenance and storage of this product. Before use, read and understand all cautions, warnings, instructions and product labels, plus your vehicle’s battery manufacturer’s guidelines. Failure to do so could result in injury and / or property damage.
SECTION 1 | Safety ! Caution! 1. Please ensure the following when using the unit as Backup AC Power Source (UPS) • That the Utility AC Power input is fed from 15A/20A GFCI protected outlet to provide Ground Fault Protection. • Do not ground using external Chassis Ground Connection (15, Fig 3.1). The unit gets grounded to the Earth Ground of the Utility Grounding System automatically through the Grounding Wire of the AC Input Power Cord (10A, B- Fig 3.1). Use of multiple Grounds is not desirable. 2.
SECTION 2 | Features, Applications & Principle of Operation i Info For additional technical and operational information on Inverters, Battery Chargers and related topics, please refer to www.samlexamerica.com/Support/Application Notes/ White Papers. This unit is a Modified Sine Inverter / Charger with a Transfer Relay with primary function of Backup AC Power Source or Off-Line AC UPS (Un-interruptible Power Supply).
SECTION 2 | Features, Applications & Principle of Operation Applications • Backup AC Power Source or Off-Line AC UPS (Un-interruptible Power Supply) to provide AC power during power outages • 12V Lead Acid Battery charging • RVs, trucks and remote housing SOFT START TECHNOLOGY This feature offers the following advantages: • When the inverter is switched ON, the voltage ramps up to 115 VAC in around 2 sec.
SECTION 2 | Features, Applications & Principle of Operation Principle of Operation - Inverter Conversion of 12 VDC from the battery / other DC source to 115 VAC takes place in 2 stages. In the first stage, the 12 VDC is converted to high voltage DC (around 160 VDC) using high frequency switching and Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) technique. In the 2nd stage, the 160V high voltage DC is converted to 115V, 60 Hz Modified Sine Wave AC. (Note: 115V is the RMS value of the Modified Sine Wave AC voltage.
SECTION 2 | Features, Applications & Principle of Operation ! Caution! Certain devices (few examples given below) may malfunction when powered from Modified Sine Wave. Check with the manufacturer of the device for suitability of powering with Modified Sine Wave: • Devices utilizing zero voltage crossing for timing control: Some clocks used in consumer electronic items (will not keep accurate time) • Devices using modulation of RF signals on AC lines during zero crossing e.g.
SECTION 2 | Features, Applications & Principle of Operation Bulk Charge Stage 14 12 1 2 3 Charger Voltage Curve Charger Current Curve 20A 15A 10A 5A 2 11 10 9 1 Time Current Voltage 13 13.8V Float Charge Stage 0A 3 LEGEND 1. Charging Starts 1 to 2. Bulk Charge Stage: Constant Current = 15A 2. Exits Bulk & Enters Float 2 to 3. Foat Stage: Constant Voltage = 13.8V Current Tapers to 0.1% of Ah Capacity Fig. 2.
SECTION 3 | Layout AC INPUT/OUTPUT SIDE 14 2 4 1 3 1 5 6 7 8 9 10A 10B DC INPUT SIDE 15A/20A GFCI Protected Outlet Utility AC Power 15 13 11A 13 – 11 12A + 17 16 17 12 12V Battery LEGEND 1. AC Outlet - NEMA5-15R 2. ON/OFF Switch - Charger 3. ON/OFF Switch - Inverter 4. Breaker for AC Input - 15A 5. Fuse for Charger Section - 5A, 125V / 250V 6. YELLOW LED for Input Fault 7. GREEN LED for Charger ON 8. GREEN LED for Inverter ON 9. RED LED for Fault 10A. & 10B. AC Input Cord - 6 ft.
202 6 12 345 302 Weight: 4 kg / 8.8 lb Dimensions: 345 mm x 202 x 84 mm 13.54 x 7.87 x 3.35 inch SAM-1500C-12 120 SECTION 3 | Layout Fig 3.2 Dimensions & Mounting Arrangement SAMLEX AMERICA INC.
SECTION 4 | Installation Safety of Installation Warning! Please read safety instructions in Section 1 before commencing installation. When using the unit as a backup AC Power Source, Utility AC Power Input should be fed from 15A/20A, GFCI Protected outlet. Installation Environment For best operating results, the inverter should be placed on flat surface, such as the ground, car floor, or other solid surface. The power cord allows easy positioning of the inverter.
SECTION 4 | Installation Fig 4.1 Mounting Orientation on Wall (a) (b) (c) Grounding Arrangement ! Caution! 1. For grounding requirements, the METAL CHASSIS of the unit is connected as follows: • To the Grounding Nut and Bolt (15, Fig, 3.1) for external Earth Ground connection, when required. • To the Grounding Pin of NEMA5-15P plug of the AC Input Power Cord (10A, B- Fig 3.1).
SECTION 4 | Installation The Grounding Terminal of the NEMA5-15R AC outlet will be connected to the input section of the Electronic Ground Fault Protection Circuit on the Power Circuit Board.
SECTION 4 | Installation Important Wiring/Cabling Information Although wires and cables are good conductors of electric current, they do have some resistance, which is directly proportional to the length and inversely proportional to the thickness (diameter) i.e. resistance increases in thinner and longer wires. Current flowing through resistance produces heat. Cables and wires are covered with insulating material that can withstand a specified temperature of the conductor under specified conditions.
SECTION 4 | Installation Table 4.1 Recommended Cable and Fuse Sizes for Battery Connection Rated DC Input Current 1.25 Times Rated Current for Sizing 150A 187.5A Cable Size1 (Ampacity) Max Fuse Size2 AWG#2 (215A) 200A Distance between Inverter, Battery and % Voltage Drop3 3 ft. 6 ft. 10 ft. Samlex Fuse (Optional) 1.2% 2.3% 3.8% DC-FA-200 Samlex Cable + Fuse Kit (Optional) DC-2000-KIT NOTES: 1. Cable Size • As per NEC, size is based on Ampacity ≥ 1.
SECTION 4 | Installation ! Caution! 1. Do not connect the AC output of the unit to AC distribution wiring where the Neutral is bonded to Ground. The inverter will see this as abnormal condition of Ground Fault and will shut down. 2. The AC output of this unit can not be used in parallel with another AC Power Source – SEVERE DAMAGE WILL OCCUR! Limiting Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI) This unit contains internal switching devices that generate conducted and radiated electromagnetic interference (EMI).
SECTION 4 | Installation Connecting Batteries Series Connection Cable “A” 24V Inverter/ Charger Battery 4 Battery 3 Battery 2 Battery 1 6V Battery 6V Battery 6V Battery 6V Battery Cable “B” Cable “A” Battery Fig.1 Battery 2 4.2 Series Connection Battery 4 Battery 3 When two or more batteries are connected in series, their voltages add up but their Ah 12V 12V Battery 12V Battery 12V Battery 12V Battery capacity remains Inverter/ the same. Fig. 4.
Cable “A” 12V Inverter/ Charger 12V Battery 12V Battery 12V Battery 12V Battery SECTION 4 | Installation Cable “B” Series – Parallel Connection 12V String 1 12V String 2 Battery 1 Battery 2 Battery 3 Battery 4 6V Battery 6V Battery 6V Battery 6V Battery Cable “A” 12V Inverter/ Charger Cable “B” Fig. 4.4 Series-Parallel Connection Figure 4.4 above shows a series – parallel connection consisting of four 6V, 200 Ah batteries to form a 12V, 400 Ah battery bank.
SECTION 4 | Installation Negative Post of the first battery string (Battery 1 of Battery String 1 as in Fig. 4.4), the following abnormal conditions will result: • The resistances of the connecting cables will not be balanced. • The individual batteries will see different series resistances. • All the individual batteries will be charged at different charging current and thus, will reach fully charged state at different times.
SECTION 5 | Operation Sizing Chart for Typical Loads That Require High Starting Surge The manufacturers’ specifications for power rating of appliances and devices indicate only the Running Power required. The Surge Power required by some specific types of devices as explained above has to be determined by actual testing or by checking with the manufacturer. This may not be possible in all cases and hence, can be guessed at best, based on some general Rules of Thumb. Table 5.
SECTION 5 | Operation When the Charger is switched ON, Green LED “Charger” (7, Fig 3.1) is lighted. Please note that the Charger is powered from the Utility AC Power. Hence, the charger will switch OFF when Utility AC Power fails even if the charger ON/OFF Switch is in ON Condition. Operation as Backup AC Power Source - Switching ON 1. Make sure that the maximum single / combined load is less than 1500W. Please refer to Sizing Chart at Table 5.1 for guidance. 2. Switch OFF the Inverter and the Charger. 3.
SECTION 5 | Operation 7. Under normal operation, the load(s) will be powered from the inverter. Refer to Troubleshooting Guide in case abnormal operation is observed. Operation as Stand-alone Inverter - Switching OFF 1. Switch OFF the load(s) 2. Switch OFF the Inverter Operation as Stand-alone Charger - Switching ON 1. Switch OFF the Inverter ON/OFF Switch (3, Fig 3.1). As only battery charging is required, the inverter should be off. 2. Plug the NEMA5-15P plug of the AC Input Cord (10B, Fig 3.
SECTION 6 | Protections Monitoring & Troubleshooting Protections & Monitoring when Inverter is Supplying Power & is Operating as Backup AC Power Source NOTE: Please refer to Table 6.1 for status of monitoring LEDs and Buzzer for various protections / operational conditions explained below. Over Temperature Protection The unit is cooled by load-controlled fan.
SECTION 6 | Protections Monitoring & Troubleshooting i Info It is normal for the alarm to sound while the unit is being connected to or disconnected from the power source. This is not indicative of a problem. Ground Fault Protection - General Due to loss of insulation as a result of aging of insulating materials, accident or malfunction, voltage source inside an electrical device can get connected to its metal chassis.
SECTION 6 | Protections Monitoring & Troubleshooting Failure to Start Some Devices on Load Some high capacitance loads like Compact Fluorescent Lamp (cfl) or Switched Mode Power Supply (smps) will shut down the inverter under overload condition if the inverter is switched on with these loads in on condition.
SECTION 6 | Protections Monitoring & Troubleshooting Operating Condition/ Protection No output due to Over Load Shut Down Threshold/ Reason Output power is > Continuous / Surge Rating GREEN LED (8, Inverter) YELLOW LED (6, Input Fault) RED LED (9, Fault) Buzzer ON OFF ON OFF Remedy/Reset Check starting surge rating of load. If happens with low power CFL or SMPS, try adding small resistive load.
SECTION 6 | Protections Monitoring & Troubleshooting Protections and Monitoring When Utility AC Power is Available, is Being Passed Through to the Load(s) and Battery Charger is Charging the Batteries: Overload / Short Circuit Protection in AC Load(s) 15A Breaker (4, Fig 3.1) in the AC Input Circuit of the unit provides protection against overload and short circuit in the AC loads when the unit is in Utility AC Power Pass Through Mode.
SECTION 7 | Specifications PARAMETER output inverter mode OUTPUT - GRID PASS THROUGH Model No.SAM-1500C -12 continuous active output power maximum surge power nominal output voltage OUTPUT FREQUENCY PEAK EFFICIENCY inverter on/off control NOMINAL VOLTAGE, FREQUENCY OF GRID MAXIMUM POWER Battery System Voltage InPUT battery InPUT - GRID transfer specifications battery charger dc current draw from battery at rated output power 0.65A to 0.
SECTION 8 | Warranty 2 Year limited warranty SAM-1500C-12 manufactured by Samlex America, Inc. (the “Warrantor“) is warranted to be free from defects in workmanship and materials under normal use and service. The warranty period is 2 years for the United States and Canada, and is in effect from the date of purchase by the user (the “Purchaser“). Warranty outside of the United States and Canada is limited to 6 months.
Notes SAMLEX AMERICA INC.
Contact Information Toll Free Numbers Ph: 800 561 5885 Fax: 888 814 5210 Local Numbers Ph: 604 525 3836 Fax: 604 525 5221 Website www.samlexamerica.com USA Shipping Warehouse Kent WA Canadian Shipping Warehouse Delta BC Email purchase orders to orders@samlexamerica.
