User manual SIMA STP-150

Introduction Congratulations on your purchase of the STP-150 Power Inverter. It lets you provide two outlets for 115 Volts AC anywhere you have 12 volts DC; in your car, truck, RV or boat. It is designed to be easy to use and provide years of dependable service. IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTE Read all the Cautions and Warnings before installing and using the power inverter. The inverter must be properly installed. If you are not familiar with 12 volt, high-current wiring, it is recommended that you have a professional automotive installer install the inverter. Cautions · The STP-150 generates 115 Volts AC power from your 12 volt car battery. Treat the 115 Volt AC output just like you treat the 115 Volt AC in your house. It is just as dangerous. Keep away from children. With heavy use, the unit will become warm and possibly hot. Keep it away from any heat sensitive materials. Do not connect the unit to AC distribution wiring. Keep the unit away from water. Do not allow water to drip or splash on the STP-150 Keep the unit in cool environments. Ambient air temperature should be between 40o and 80o F. Do not block vent holes. Keep out of direct sunlight and away from heating vents. Keep the unit away from flammable material or in any location which may accumulate flammable fumes or gases, such as the battery compartment of your car, boat, RV or truck. · · · Sima Products Corporation 140 Pennsylvania Avenue Bldg. #5 Oakmont, PA 15139 412-828-3700 http/www.simacorp.com · · · P/N 21683 03.5 Health Advisory Sima Products does not authorize the use of the STP-150 with any products to be used in life support devices or systems. Model No. Date Purchased ____________ ___________ Parts supplied with STP-150 STP-150 Power Inverter with cigarette plug User Instructions (This document) Key Features The STP-150 is designed for high-efficiency operation to provide the most output with the least battery power usage. Advanced protection · Thermal Protection shuts the unit off to guard against the unit getting too hot · Overload Protection protects the unit from excessive loads · Under Voltage Protection turns the unit off to protect the battery from being over discharged This Sima power inverter produces a modified sine wave output which is suitable for most AC loads. This includes lights, appliances, motors, TVs and most electronics. CAUTION: There are a few battery chargers that are not compatible with modified sine wave operation. These are typically small rechargeable, battery-operated devices like razors and flashlights that can be plugged directly into an AC receptacle to recharge. Some chargers for battery packs used in power tools also should not be used with an inverter. These chargers typically have a warning label indicating that dangerous voltages are present at the battery terminals. Only a true sine wave inverter should be used with these types of appliances. Damage to the device could result if you attempt to use them with any type of modified sine wave inverter. Warning: Do not use the Sima power inverter with the devices mentioned above! Installation Needed for Installation (not included) Mounting hardware for the inverter Tools for mounting and electrical wiring Mounting Step #1: The STP-150 should be mounted on a solid flat surface capable of handling the weight of the unit, with space around the unit for ventilation. It is very important that the unit be secured using the proper sized mounting hardware (not included) to keep the unit from moving around or becoming loose in emergency situations. CAUTION: The power inverter must be mounted securely in any type of moving vehicle. In an emergency situation, if the power inverter is not securely mounted, it could cause bodily injury Connection to Power Source The STP-150 requires connection to a standard 12 volt DC power source as found in most cars, trucks, RVs and boats. The power source must provide between 11 and 15 volts DC. The power source must be able to provide sufficient current to power the load. At full power, the STP-150 will draw about 15 amps. The STP-150 comes with a cigarette lighter plug for easy connection to the power source. The tip of the plug is positive and the side contacts are negative. Insert the plug into a cigarette socket by pushing firmly for a good connection. A red indicator light on the adapter will light up. Do not use a 12V extension cord with this unit. Testing the Power Inverter Make sure the 12 volt power source is wired properly to the power inverter. With nothing plugged into the 115 VAC outlets, turn on the power switch of the STP-150. If the green power light does not come on, turn the power switch off and check your wiring and external fuse. With the inverter turned off, plug the appliance you want to use into the 115 VAC power outlet on the unit. Turn on the power switch of the STP150. The appliance should now be operational. Important: The STP-150 can draw up to 15 amps from your car's battery when operating. If you are using it for extended periods of time, you will want to operate your car occasionally to maintain the charge in your car's battery. The STP-150 will also draw a small current when not operating, so it should be disconnected from your car's battery if your vehicle will not be used for a few days. Lights and Alarms Power Indicator (Green light) The green light is illuminated when the inverter is turned on and is operating normally. If this light goes out, either the 12 volt power supply is missing (possible blown fuse) or some fault condition has occurred. These fault conditions include: output overload, output short circuit, low input voltage and over-temperature of the unit. This can happen if a device has a large start-up surge, if an appliance (like a drill or saw) is stalled or if the inverter does not have a circulating supply of cool air. Overload Fault (Red light) The red light is illuminated when a current overload fault is detected. An overload fault occurs when the power draw exceeds the inverter's maximum capability. An under-voltage fault (beep) An under-voltage fault can occur when the input voltage reaches about 10.2 volts. The STP-150 will sound a continuous alarm and shut off when the input voltage drops to 9.6v to protect your battery from being completely discharged. An over-temperature fault An over-temperature fault occurs when the STP-150 internal circuitry gets too hot due to overload or improper air circulation. The STP-150 will turn off the green power light and the unit will turn off. Fuse Replacement (see figure 2) If you overload the STP-150, it is possible that the fuse in the cigarette plug might blow. If this happens, unplug the cigarette plug from the power source, wait for the tip to cool and unscrew the metal tip on the plug. Remove the tip. Remove the fuse and install a new fuse rated at 15 amps. Never use a fuse greater than 15 amps. Replace the tip and screw firmly but do not over tighten. Always determine why the fuse blew and remedy the problem before using the STP-150 again. Operation Equipment Power Usage It is important to use only products that draw less than 150 watts with the STP-150. Use of products greater than 150 watts may either cause the protection circuitry of the STP-150 to shut down or the fuse to blow. Repeated use of excessive power draw can cause failure of the STP-150. How to calculate power usage. Most products have a power rating on them such as 45 watts. Others may be marked with their current draw, such as .9 amps. To convert the current to watts multiply the current by 115. Thus .9 amps x 115 = 104 watts. Turn the unit on Plug the appliance you want to use into the 115 VAC power outlet on the STP-150 (see Fig. 1 below). Turn on the power switch of the STP-150 so the green power light is illuminated. Turn on the appliance. The appliance should now be operational.* Fig. 2 Troubleshooting Guide Problem · Unit does not operate. Possible cause · Input voltage is below 10 volts. · Fuse is blown. Solution · Attach to proper power supply. · Determine cause for fuse blowing and then replace the fuse feeding the inverter. · Be sure the load is less than the rated watts of inverter. Remove excessive load. Turn the inverter off and back on. · Allow inverter to cool down. Turn the inverter off and on to reset. · Make sure car engine is running. · Check condition of wiring. · Battery may be low and needs recharged. · Position the power inverter and wiring as far as possible from electronic equipment, antennas and cables. Re-orient as necessary. · Use a true RMS meter like a Fluke 8060A or Triplett 4200 to measure correct voltage. · Unit operates for a short time and turns off. · Unit operates for a while and gets hot and shuts off. · Low battery alarm is on. · Load is trying to draw too much current. · Inverter is in thermal shutdown mode. · Input voltage is below 10.2 volts. Fig. 1 * Note : Some products, such as televisions, draw a high surge current to start up. If the appliance does not operate and the inverter turns off, you may need a larger inverter. Check that the battery and the 12V wiring to the inverter is large enough to handle the current draw. Be sure the battery is fully charged. You may need to turn the power switch on and off a few times to get the appliance "started". Some motors and televisions may require this technique to get them operational. · Television and stereo interference. · 115 VAC Output voltage reads incorrectly. · RF interference from power inverter Typical Power Usage Chart Typical Appliance Cellular phone charger Camcorder VCR Soldering iron Laptop computer 13" TV 100 watt work light Small stereo system Typical Appliance Current Draw 20 watts 23 watts 40 watts 45 watts 75 watts 80 watts 100 watts 150 watts · Modified sine wave output can cause an incorrect reading on a typical multimeter. Product Specifications Max. continuous power output Surge (peak) power output Input voltage range No load current draw Full load current draw Low battery alarm/shut-down Efficiency Output Weight Size 150 watts 300 watts 11 to 15 vdc < 0.2 amp 15 amps DC 10.2 V / 9.6V, +/- 0.5 V 90% 115VAC, 60 Hz, Modified sine wave 1.2 lbs. 5.7" x 4.3" x 2" Important: The STP-150 will not operate most appliances designed to produce heat such as hair dryers, heaters, toasters, and coffee makers. Battery Life Chart Power Usage 100 watt Approx 12v current 9 amps Typical operation time with 50 amp-hr. car battery 5.5 hours Typical operation time with 100 amp-hr. car battery 11 hours