Magnum Energy ME Series Operator's Manual - page 8
1. INTRODUCTION
3. How an Inverter/Charger Works
A n i n v e r t e r t a k e s d i r e c t c u r r e n t ( D C ) f r o m y o u r b a t t e r i e s a n d t u r n s i t i n t o a l t e r n a t i n g
c u r r e n t ( A C ) , exactly like you use at home. It also takes alternating current when your motor coach is
connected to shore power and transforms it into direct current to recharge your batteries.
There are two modes of operation associated with an inverter/charger: Inverter Mode:
D i r e c t c u r r e n t ( D C ) f r o m t h e v e h i c l e ’ s b a t t e r i e s i s t r a n s f o r m e d i n t o a l t e r n a t i n g
c u r r e n t ( A C ) f o r u s e w i t h y o u h o u s e h o l d e l e c t r i c a l a p p l i a n c e s .
Charger Mode:
A l t e r n a t i n g c u r r e n t ( A C ) i s t a k e n d i r e c t l y f r o m s h o r e p o w e r ( o r o t h e r A C s o u r c e s ) and
passed directly to your household appliances. At the same time, the incoming A C i s a l s o c o n v e r t e d
t o D C t o r e c h a r g e t h e v e h i c l e ’ s b a t t e r i e s .
4. Appliances and Run Time
T h e M E S e r i e s i n v e r t e r / c h a r g e r c a n p o w e r a w i d e r a n g e o f h o u s e h o l d a p p l i a n c e s
i n c l u d i n g s m a l l m o t o r s , h a i r d r y e r s , c l o c k s a n d o t h e r e l e c t r i c a l d e v i c e s . A s w i t h a n y
appliance using batteries for power, there is a certain length of time that it can run - t h i s i s c a l l e d “ r u n
t i m e . ” A c t u a l r u n t i m e d e p e n d s o n s e v e r a l v a r i a b l e s i n c l u d i n g t h e s i z e a n d t h e t y p e o f
a p p l i a n c e , t h e t y p e o f b a t t e r i e s i n s t a l l e d i n y o u r r e c r e a t i o n a l vehicle, as well as the battery’s
capacity and age. Other factors such as the battery’s state of charge and temperature can also affect the
length of time your appliances can run.
A p p l i a n c e s s u c h a s T V s , V C R s , s t e r e o s , c o m p u t e r s , c o f f e e p o t s , i n c a n d e s c e n t l i g h t s
a n d t o a s t e r s c a n a l l b e s u c c e s s f u l l y p o w e r e d b y y o u r i n v e r t e r . L a r g e r e l e c t r i c a l appliances,
however, such as stoves, water heaters, etc., can quickly drain your batteries and are not recommended for
this application.
All electrical appliances are rated by the amount of power they consume. The r a t i n g i s p r i n t e d o n
t h e p r o d u c t ’ s n a m e p l a t e l a b e l , u s u a l l y l o c a t e d o n i t s c h a s s i s n e a r the AC power cord. Even
though it is difficult to calculate exactly how long an i n v e r t e r w i l l r u n a p a r t i c u l a r a p p l i a n c e , t h e
b e s t a d v i c e i s t r i a l a n d e r r o r . Y o u r M E S e r i e s i n v e r t e r h a s a b u i l t - in s a f e g u a r d t h a t
a u t o m a t i c a l l y p r o t e c t s y o u r b a t t e r i e s from over discharge.
N O T E : F o r o p t i m u m p e r f o r m a n c e , a m i n i m u m b a t t e r y b a n k o f 2 0 0 A H r i s
recommended.
Device
Load
Device
Load
B l e n d e r
400 W
C o f f e e M a k e r
1200 W
Computer
300 W
Color TV
150 W
Drill
500 W
H a i r D r y e r
1000 W
H o t P l a t e
1800 W
Iron
1000 W
L i g h t ( F l o )
10 W
L i g h t ( I n c )
100 W
M i c r o w a v e
1000 W
R e f r i d g e r a t o r
500 W
Table 1 - Typical Appliance Power Consumption Ó 2003 - Magnum Energy, Inc.
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