Tripp Lite AG-879F Series User manual

1
Owner’s Manual
Tripp Lite
DC-to-AC Inverter
Model: PINV1500
(Series Number: AG-879F)
Español 22 • Français 43
1111 W. 35th Street, Chicago, IL 60609 USA • www.tripplite.com/support
Copyright © 2018 Tripp Lite. All rights reserved.
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Congratulations! You’ve purchased a high-quality inverter designed to
function as a mobile energy source powered by your automotive bat-
tery. Tripp Lite inverters convert 12V DC (battery) power into 120V AC
(household) power, allowing you to use equipment you commonly use
at home—computers, appliances, electronics, power tools and more—
while traveling by automobile or working at remote locations that lack
AC power. Tripp Lite inverters include advanced features that protect
your equipment, lengthen the service life of your battery and ensure
you’ll always have battery power to start your vehicle:
• Automatic Overload Protection
• Automatic Low-Battery Protection
• High-Performance DC-to-AC Inversion
• Frequency-Controlled Output Power
• Simple, Maintenance-Free Operation
• 2 AC Outlets
• 2 USB 5V 2.0A Charging Ports
Important Safety Instructions 3
Feature Identification 6
Battery Selection 9
Mounting 10
Battery Connection 12
Operation 15
Troubleshooting/Maintenance 17
Service 20
Warranty & Product Registration 21
Reliable AC Power Wherever You Need It
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Important Safety Instructions
SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS!
This manual contains important instructions and warnings
that should be followed during the installation, operation and
storage of all Tripp Lite Inverters.
Location Warnings
• Install your Inverter (whether for a mobile or stationary application)
in a location or compartment that minimizes exposure to heat, dust,
direct sunlight and moisture.
• Although your Inverter is moisture resistant, it is NOT waterproof.
Flooding the unit with water will cause it to short circuit and could
cause personal injury due to electric shock. Never immerse the
unit, and avoid any area where standing water might accumulate.
Mounting should be in the driest location available.
• Leave a minimum of 2 inches (5 cm) clearance at front and back of
the Inverter for proper ventilation. The heavier the load of connected
equipment, the more heat will be generated by the unit. Any
compartment that contains the Inverter must be properly ventilated
with adequate outside airflow to avoid overheating the Inverter.
• Do not install the Inverter directly near magnetic storage media, as
this may result in data corruption.
• Do not install near flammable materials, fuel or chemicals.
• Do not mount unit with its front or rear panel facing down (at any
angle). Mounting in this manner will seriously inhibit the unit’s
internal cooling, eventually causing product damage not covered
under warranty.
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Important Safety Instructions
Battery Connection Warnings
• Multiple battery systems must be comprised of batteries of identical
voltage, age, amp-hour capacity and type.
• Because explosive hydrogen gas can accumulate near batteries
if they are not kept well ventilated, your batteries should not be
installed (whether for a mobile or stationary application) in a “dead
air” compartment. Ideally, any compartment would have some
ventilation to outside air.
• Sparks may result during final battery connection. Always observe
proper polarity as batteries are connected.
• Do not allow objects to contact the two DC input terminals. Do not
short or bridge these terminals together. Serious personal injury and/
or property damage could result.
• Connect the Inverter to the battery with recommended DC fusing
(see Battery Connection), along with properly sized battery cabling.
Ground Connection Warnings
• Safe operation requires connecting the Inverter’s main grounding
screw directly to the frame of the vehicle or earth ground.
Equipment Connection Warnings
Use of this equipment in life support applications where failure of this
equipment can reasonably be expected to cause the failure of the life
support equipment or to significantly affect its safety or effectiveness is
not recommended.
• You may experience uneven performance results if you connect a
surge protector, line conditioner or UPS system to the modified sine
wave output of the inverter.
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Important Safety Instructions
Operation Warnings
• Your inverter produces a modified sine wave, not a pure sine
wave. Inductive loads like a refrigerator or drill are not suitable for
long-term use with a modified sine wave inverter. Otherwise, it may
damage or shorten the working life of the inverter or associated
devices.
• Your inverter does not require routine maintenance. Do not open the
device for any reason. There are no user-serviceable parts inside.
• Potentially lethal voltages exist within the inverter as long as the
battery is connected. During any service work, the battery should
therefore be disconnected.
• Do not connect or disconnect batteries while the inverter is
operating. Dangerous arcing may result.
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Feature Identification
AAC Outlets: Two NEMA 5-15R outlets allow you to connect
equipment that normally plugs into an AC utility outlet.
BUSB Charging: Two 5V USB-A charging ports share 2.0A of
power to charge mobile phones, tablets and other personal
electronic devices.
A D C
E
F F
B
G
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Feature Identification
CON/OFF Switch: When you set the switch to the ON position,
the Inverter provides AC power by converting DC power from the
connected 12V battery system. Set the switch to the OFF position
to shut down the Inverter and conserve the battery’s charge when
you are not using connected equipment. Also set the switch to
the OFF position to reset the Inverter if it has shut down due to
overload or other critical events. See the Operation section for
more information.
DLED Status Indicators: When the switch is set to the ON
position, the LED system will illuminate green during normal, low-
voltage alarm and output short circuit conditions. If there is an
overload, over-temperature, or if a high/low DC voltage shutdown
condition occurs, the LED system will illuminate red.
LED
Operation
Status
Normal
Voltage
(12V)
Low
Voltage
Alarm
Low
Voltage
Shutdown
High
Voltage
Shutdown
Over-
Temperature
Output
Overload
Output
Short
Circuit
Green LED
Status ON ON OFF OFF OFF OFF ON
Red LED
Status OFF OFF ON ON ON ON OFF
Alarm OFF ON ON ON OFF OFF OFF
ETemperature/Load-Controlled Cooling Fan: This fan regulates
the internal temperature of the inverter and prolongs service
life. It will only come on if the temperature or load demand goes
beyond the set thresholds.
FDC Power Terminals: These positive and negative terminals
connect to the battery via the included or user-supplied cabling.
See Battery Connection for instructions.
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GMain Ground Screw: Connect to an earth ground or a vehicle
grounding system in order to properly ground the inverter. See
Battery Connection for instructions.
Not Shown:
Audible Alarm: The internal audible alarm activates when either a low
or high DC voltage condition exists.
Feature Identification
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Battery Selection
Match Battery Amp-Hour Capacity to Your
Application
Select a battery or system of batteries that will provide your Inverter
with proper DC voltage and an adequate amp-hour capacity to power
your application. Even though Tripp Lite Inverters are highly efficient
at DC-to-AC inversion, their rated output capacities are limited by the
total amp-hour capacity of connected batteries, plus the output of an
alternator (when one is used).
STEP 1) Determine Total Wattage Required
Add the wattage ratings of all equipment you will connect to your
Inverter. Wattage ratings are typically listed in equipment manuals
or on nameplates. If your equipment is rated in amps, multiply that
number times AC utility voltage to estimate watts. (Example: a drill
requires 2.5 amps. 2.5 amps × 120 volts = 300 watts.)
Note: Your Inverter will operate at higher efficiencies around 75% - 80% of
nameplate rating.
Step 2) Determine DC Battery Amps Required
Divide the total wattage required (from Step 1, above) by the battery
voltage to determine the DC amps required, then multiply by 1.2 to
account for conversion losses.
Step 3) Estimate Battery Amp-Hours Required
Multiply the DC amps required (from Step 2, above) by the number of
hours you estimate the equipment will operate exclusively from battery
power before recharging the batteries. This will provide an estimate of
how many battery power amp-hours (from one or several batteries) you
should connect to your Inverter.
Note: Battery amp-hour ratings are usually given for a 20-hour discharge rate.
Actual amp-hour capacities are less when batteries are discharged at faster
rates. For example, batteries discharged in 55 minutes provide only 50% of their
listed amp-hour ratings, while batteries discharged in 9 minutes provide as little
as 30% of their amp-hour ratings.
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Mounting
WARNING!
Mount your Inverter BEFORE DC battery connection. Failure
to follow these instructions may lead to personal injury and/
or damage to the Inverter and connected systems. Ensure the
inverter never is mounted in a vertical position (fan or outlet side
facing up or down). Mounting an inverter in a vertical position
allows debris to enter the unit and inhibit proper operation of its
cooling system, which can void the inverter’s warranty.
Tripp Lite recommends permanently mounting the Inverter in the
configurations illustrated below. The Inverter features integral mounting
brackets on the right and left sides of the unit. The user must supply
mounting hardware and is responsible for determining whether
hardware and mounting surfaces adequately support the weight of the
unit.
Use the measurements as shown in the following diagram to install two
user-supplied fasteners to the right or bottom (wall-mount) mounting
slots of the unit, leaving the heads slightly raised. Slide the unit over
the fasteners to engage the mounting slots. Tighten fasteners. Install
and tighten two additional fasteners to the remaining mounting slots
for proper securement.
Flat Surface
Mount
Wall Mount
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