RV2012 2512 3012 Owner’s Manual Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual TABLE OF CONTENTS IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS .............................................................. 1 THEORY OF INVERTER OPERATION................................................................ 4 Waveform...................................................................................................................................................4 Regulation .....................................................................................
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual Overview ..................................................................................................................................................15 AC Connections .......................................................................................................................................15 Important Precautions ............................................................................................................................
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual Mobile Installation...................................................................................................................................28 TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE ........................................................................... 29 APPLICATIONS ................................................................................................. 30 Resistive Loads.............................................................................
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS! This manual contains important safety and operating instructions as prescribed by UL specifications for inverters used in land vehicle applications. This manual covers Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Chargers models RV2012, RV2512, and RV3012. General Precautions 1.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual 10. Symbols used in this manual and on the inverter/charger are: Chassis Phase AC Output AC Input 1. Tools required to make AC wiring connections: Wire strippers, 1/2" (13 mm) open-end wrench or socket, Phillips screwdriver #2, Slotted screwdriver 1/4" (6 mm) blade. 2. This inverter/charger is intended to be used with a battery supply with a nominal voltage of 12 volts DC. 3. For instructions on shelf mounting, see ”Installation” on page 14.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual Personal Precautions 1. Someone should be within range of your voice to come to your aid when you work near batteries. 2. Have plenty of fresh water and soap nearby in case battery acid contacts skin, clothing, or eyes. 3. Wear complete eye protection and clothing protection. Avoid touching eyes while working near batteries. Wash your hands when done. 4. If battery acid contacts skin or clothing, wash immediately with soap and water.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual Theory of Inverter Operation Waveform The output waveform of the inverter is referred to as a modified sine wave. This waveform is suitable for a wide variety of applications—induction motors (such as in refrigerators and drill presses), resistive loads (such as heaters and toasters), universal motors (such as in hand tools and vacuum cleaners) as well as microwave ovens and computers.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual Search Sense Mode Using Optional RC7 Remote The SEARCH SENSE menu on the RC7 is used for adjusting the sensitivity of the search mode circuit. The RV inverter’s search sensitivity can only be set using the optional RC7 remote. However, once the mode is set the remote may then be removed and the inverter will retain the settings. The RV Series inverters feature an adjustable search mode circuit.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual Battery Charger Theory of Operation Inverter to Charger Transition The internal battery charger and automatic transfer relay allows operation as either a battery charger or inverter (but not both at the same time). An external source of AC power (such as shorepower or a generator) must be supplied to the inverter AC input in order to allow it to operate as a battery charger.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual • Temperature Compensation: The optimum voltage is temperature dependent. As temperature decreases the proper voltage for each charge stage needs to be increased. The optional temperature probe will automatically rescale charge voltage settings for ambient temperature. The compensation slope based on cell voltage is -2.17 mV per degree F per cell.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual Stage Three: Float Voltage The purpose of stage three is to maintain the batteries at a voltage that will hold full charge but not gas the batteries. The charger remains in the float stage until the AC input is removed. During this stage the status LED will show fast flashing green (four times per second).
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual Batteries Batteries come in different sizes, types, chemistries, amp hours, and voltages. There are nearly as many descriptions of how batteries should be used as there are people willing to offer explanations. It is not possible here to discuss all aspects in detail. However, there are basic guidelines you can follow that will help in battery selection and ensure that your batteries are well maintained.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual Sealed Gel Cell Another type of battery construction is the sealed gel cell. They don't use battery caps. The electrolyte is in the form of a gel (instead of a liquid) that allows the batteries to be mounted in any position without spilling. The advantages are no maintenance, long life (800 cycles claimed) and low self-discharge. The disadvantage is high initial cost and the possibility of damage from overcharging.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual It is also good to check the battery interconnections for tightness and corrosion. If any corrosion is found, disconnect the cables and carefully clean with a mild solution of baking soda and water. DO NOT ALLOW THE SOLUTION TO ENTER THE BATTERY. Rinse the top of the battery with clean water when finished.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual located generator. High battery temperatures will result in short battery life and should be avoided by ventilating the enclosure and reducing the external heat sources by shading and insulation. Battery Cabling Connect the individual batteries together to make a larger battery “bank” with heavy cables. The actual size of the cable depends upon whether the batteries are connected in parallel or series.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual Battery Hookup Configurations Battery banks of substantial size are generally created by connecting several smaller batteries together. There are three ways to do this. Batteries can be connected in parallel, series, or seriesparallel. Parallel Connection Batteries are connected in parallel when all the positive terminals of a group of batteries are connected and then, separately, all the negative terminals are connected.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual Installation Environment Inverters are sophisticated electronic devices and should be treated accordingly. When selecting the operating environment for the inverter, don’t think of it in the same terms as other equipment that works with it, such as batteries, diesel generators, motor generators, washing machines, and so on. It is a highly complex microprocessor-controlled device, similar in nature to stereo equipment, television sets or computers.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual AC Wiring Overview The National Electrical Code (NEC) defines the standards for AC and DC installation wiring in RV applications, but there are still many installation variables. Most are determined by the level of automatic switching desired and the amount of external AC power to be switched. AC Connections Installation should be done by a qualified electrician. Consult local code for the proper wire sizes, connectors and conduit.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual Ground Fault Interrupting Outlets (GFIs) Xantrex has tested the following GFIs and found them to work satisfactorily with our inverters: LEVITON PASS & SEYMOUR ACE Hardware 6599 1591RI 4A957 ACE 33238 DC Wiring Safety Instructions THIS INVERTER IS NOT REVERSE POLARITY PROTECTED. If the positive terminal of the battery is connected to the negative terminal of the inverter the probable result is failure of every power FET.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual Connection of Grounding and Battery Systems The following diagram outlines proper connections for the RV Series inverter/chargers. Several points of caution are: • • DO NOT connect the battery negative (-) terminal to the vehicle chassis ground. DO NOT connect the DC load negative to the battery negative (-). Connect only to the chassis ground terminal on the inverter or to the vehicle chassis.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual Stacking Inverters Precautions • • • • • • Only stack the same models of the RV inverter. For example, stack an RV2012 only with an RV2012. Use only a Xantrex stacker cable, available in RV Series External Shunt Kit (part #2813). It is not a standard telephone cable. Connect AC neutrals together close to the inverters. Keep input and output neutrals isolated. Connect the inverter’s battery negative terminals together according to this manual.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual AC Wiring for Stacked Inverters Due to the neutral ground switching design of the RV Series Inverter/charger, it is mandatory that the AC input and AC output neutrals be isolated from one another. In a stacked pair configuration, connect the two AC input neutrals together then the two AC output neutrals and then attach each pair to isolated neutral locations.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual Search Sense Mode Operation with Stacked Pairs When two RV inverters are stacked the search control on the master unit will determine how much load must be present to “wake-up” both inverters. As a result, loads that will be used to bring the inverters out of search mode must be wired to the master unit’s 120 VAC output or across both units’ 240 VAC output.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual RC6 Remote Control The optional RC6 remote control unit duplicates the Power On/Off Switch on the RV Series Inverter/charger. It connects directly to the port labeled REMOTE CONTROL on the front of the inverter using a standard phone jack. You are recommended to use the included Xantrex remote cable because of its high quality cable and connectors.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual RC7 Remote Control The optional RC7 remote control has the ability to communicate and adjust settings in the RV Series Inverter/Chargers. Installation To hook up the RC7 Remote Control: 1. Connect the included phone cable between the port labeled REMOTE CONTROL on the front panel of the inverter and the RC7 before DC and AC power are applied to the inverter.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual User Menu The ON/OFF switch on the RC7 operates the same as the inverter’s ON/OFF switch. In order for the RC7 to remotely power up the inverter, the inverter must be started up with the RC7 connected so the inverter knows it is present. Once this has been done the inverter’s power switch should be left in the on position and the RC7 used to turn it on and off.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual Lobat/Start Chrg: The batteries have reached their minimum allowable charge and the charger will now take over and begin recharging them if AC power is present to the inverter. If no AC power is present then the automatic Low Battery Cut-Off (auto LBCO) will take over to protect the batteries from over discharge and to protect the AC loads from unregulated power (brown-out conditions).
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual operation with the remaining power in the battery. In the off position the battery voltage will drop to roughly 8–8.5 volts DC before the inverter will shut down. Bat Capacity: This mode allows the user to input the battery bank size in amp hours. This custom tailors the charger’s decision-making as to what charge rate to use. See the section on batteries for more information. See the RC7 Menu Map on page 34 for all available settings.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual Battery Cable Connection Observe Battery Polarity! Place the ring terminal over the bolt and directly against the inverter’s battery terminal, place a lock washer over the terminal and tighten the 5/16” nut to 10–15 ft./lbs. Do not place the lock washer under the cable terminal. Note: Connecting the battery cables to the inverter battery terminals will cause an arc, usually accompanied by a “snap”. This is normal—don’t let it scare you.
Do not use this system if there are 240 VAC loads! When the generator is running the main AC panel, leg 1 and leg 2 of the generator are connected independently to the two halves of the main AC panel. When the inverter is operating, both sides of the main AC panel are automatically connected together. Only 120 VAC is available when the inverter is operating.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual Mobile Installation IN OUT RV Inverter BAT + 28
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual Troubleshooting Guide Symptoms Problem Remedy No power output and no warning LEDs Battery voltage at the inverter’s terminals is too high or low No power output and LED indicator is flashing No power output and warning LEDs “ON” Load too small for Search Mode circuit to detect • High or Low battery LED “ON” Check the battery voltage, fuses or breakers and cable connections Reduce search threshold setting or defeat search mode • Check the battery volt
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual Applications Resistive Loads These are the loads that the inverter finds the simplest and most efficient to drive. Voltage and current are in phase, or, in this case, in step with one another. Resistive loads usually generate heat in order to accomplish their tasks. Toasters, coffee pots and incandescent lights are typical resistive loads. Larger resistive loads—such as electric stoves and water heaters—are usually impractical to run off an inverter.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual volts due to internal losses. Therefore, the time needed to cook food will be increased if battery voltage is low. Clocks: The inverter’s crystal-controlled oscillator keeps the frequency accurate to within a few seconds a day. However, external loads in the system may alter the inverter’s output waveform, causing clocks to run at different speeds. This may result in periods during which clocks keep time and then mysteriously do not.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual Typical Battery Draw of Common Appliances TIME IN MINUTES 15 30 60 APPLIANCE WATTS 5 120 240 Single PL Light 10 .1 .3 .7 1.3 2.7 5.3 B & W TV 50 .
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual English to Metric Wire Conversion AGW DIAMETER (mm) AREA (mm²) 14 1.628 2.082 DC Resistance / 1000 ft 3.14 12 2.052 3.308 1.98 10 2.588 5.261 1.24 8 3.264 8.367 0.778 6 4.115 13.299 0.491 4 5.189 21.147 0.308 2 6.543 33.624 0.194 1 7.348 42.406 0.154 0 8.525 53.482 0.122 00 9.266 67.433 0.0967 000 10.404 85.014 0.0766 0000 11.684 107.219 0.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual RC7 Menu Map Setup Menu To ENTER and EXIT the Setup menu press both the Menu Item buttons for five seconds. Search Sense: Defeat Search Sense: About..5 W load Auto LBCO: Off Auto LBCO: On Bat Capacity: Auto Bat Capacity: 125 Ah Battery Type: Gel Cell Battery Type: Liquid Lead Charge Rate: 100% Search Sense: ..40 W Search Sense: ..10 W Search Sense: ..20 W Search Sense: ..
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual User Menu The following is the information normally available to the system users. System Status: Waiting for AC System Status: Searching Bat State of Chg: 0 % of Full Bat State of Chg: E F System Status: Inverting System Status: Bulk Charging System Status: Absorption Chg System Status: Float Charging System Status: Hibat/Stop Chrg System Status: Lobat/Start Chrg System Status: Otemp/Less Load System Status: Oload/Less Load Time Left to Run 0.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual Technical Information RV Series Specifications Continuous Power @ 25°C Max AC Current Efficiency Input Current Search Mode Full Voltage At Rated Power Short Circuit Nominal Input Voltage Input Voltage Range Auto Low Battery Protection Voltage Regulation— Maximum Voltage Regulation—Typical Output Waveform Power Factor allowed Frequency Regulation Standard Output Voltage Adjustable Load Sensing Series Operation for 240 VAC Forced Air Cooling Automatic Transfe
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual Limited Warranty What does this warranty cover? This Limited Warranty is provided by Xantrex Technology, Inc. ("Xantrex") and covers defects in workmanship and materials in your Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger. This warranty lasts for a Warranty Period of 30 months from the date of purchase at point of sale to you, the original end user customer.
Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual CONDITION OF QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE TO THE EXTENT REQUIRED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW TO APPLY TO THE PRODUCT SHALL BE LIMITED IN DURATION TO THE PERIOD STIPULATED UNDER THIS LIMITED WARRANTY.
Xantrex Technology Inc. Toll free 1 800 670 0707 Direct 1 604 422 2777 Fax 1 604 420 2145 CustomerService@xantrex.com www.xantrex.com 445-0202-01-01 Rev. 2 Printed in the U.S.A.
