How To Program an Inverter Charger

Inverter chargers are a vital component in off-grid electrical systems. By combining the function of an inverter, battery charger, and transfer switch into a single unit, this device allows DC power from batteries to be converted into AC power for household appliances. While batteries and solar panels are essential to providing power for your system, many of your electronics and appliances won’t be able to run without the ability to convert DC to AC power.

Inverter Charger Programming Parameters for LiFePO4 Batteries

While various inverter chargers will work with Battle Born Batteries, it’s imperative to ensure proper programming parameters are in place. These parameters can change depending on the type of inverter charger that you have. We’ll walk through the programming for the inverter chargers we recommend using with Battle Born Batteries.

Victron MultiPlus Inverter Charger

The best way to program your Victron MultiPlus inverter charger is through the VictronConnect or VEConfigure 3 software. It’s very user-friendly and can be done by connecting your phone or computer to the inverter using an MK3 cable. VEConfigure works best with Windows computers, and the VictronConnect app is most compatible with Mac computers or mobile devices. You can install your MultiPlus either before or after you program it.

Before programming your Victron MultiPlus, plug an ethernet cable into the far-left input port. Switch the MultiPlus OFF and then put on the positive and negative connections. (The positive and negative connection points are usually denoted by the corresponding (+) and (-).)

Steps for Programming the Victron MultiPlus Inverter Charger

1. Connect your MultiPlus to your computer and open the VEConfigure 3 software. (If the warning symbol pictured below appears, simply select OK) Then switch the power to your MultiPlus ON.

2. On the top right tabs, click on Port Selection > Com Port > Auto Detect

3. your Multiplus Inverter/Charger should be found if everything is connected correctly.

 

4. Select the “Inverter” tab and ensure the “Inverter output voltage” is set at 120V, the “Ground relay” box is selected, and the default voltage settings match the following:

• DC input low shut-down: 11.5V
• DC input low restart: 12.5 V
• DC input low pre-alarm: 13V

5. Then, on the “Charger” tab, select “Battery type,” choose “Lithium Iron Phosphate, LiFePO4, batteries,” and click “OK.”

6. An information box, like the one below, will show the modified default settings. Click “OK.”

7. Returning to the “Charger” tab, make sure that “Enable charger” and “Lithium batteries” are both checked and that “Fixed” is selected for the “Charge curve”.

8. Then, adjust the following settings:

• Absorption: 14.4V
• Float: 13.6V
• Charge Current: 120 Amps
• Absorption Time: 30 minutes per battery. (In this case, there are two batteries, which means we will spend 1 hour on both. Keep repeated absorption time and interval in default.)

9. Once you have finished adjusting the above settings, click “Send Settings” in the bottom left corner of your screen. Then, ensure you have selected to send the “modified settings” only and select “OK.”

 

10. Then, you will receive a notification that your MultiPlus needs to be reset to put the settings into effect. Click “YES”. An easy way to tell if the MultiPlus has reset is if you can hear a faint clicking noise coming from inside the inverter charger, and the red light flashes once.

When you reopen the software after the MultiPlus has reset, the lettering for the settings will be black instead of gold. This means all settings are in place, and you have finished programming your Victron MultiPlus Inverter Charger.

For helpful tips and tricks for programming your Victron MultiPlus, check out this video from EXPLORIST.life.

Magnum Energy Inverter Charger

To override the programmed settings on a Magnum Energy inverter charger and customize the battery profile, you can follow these steps:

1. Perform a soft reset by pressing and holding the reset button for 15 seconds.
2. Plug the inverter charger back into shore power.
3. Go to the Display menu on the device and select Setup 01.
4. Turn off “01 Search watts”.
5. Change “02 Low battery cut out” to 11.5V DC.
6. “03 Absorption time” should equal 30 minutes per 100-amp hours of batteries in your system (i.e., for a 600Ah system, this would be set to 3 hours).
7. Set “04 Battery type” to “Custom” and enter the specific battery manufacturer’s recommended settings for Absorb, Float, and Equalize voltages.

Magnum Energy Inverter Charger Battery profile:

• Bulk Charging LBCO = 11.5 VDC
• Absorb Charging Absorb Hrs = 2.0
• Absorb Charging BatType = Custom8955
• Absorb Charging Absorb = 14.4V
• Absorb Charging Float = 13.6v
• Absorb Charging Equalize = 14.4v
• Absorb Charging Max Charge = 100%
• Absorb Charging Dropout = 60 v
• Absorb Charging Final = Silent
• Absorb Charging Rebulk = 13.2V
• Absorb Charging Bulk Always = Off

8. Lower the “05 Charge rate” from 100% to 80% to extend battery life.
9. Change “06 VAC drop out” from 50VAC to 60VAC (according to Magnum’s recommendation).
10. Turn off “07 Power save”.
11. Leave “08 screen set up” as is.
12. Set “09 Final charge” to “Silent”.
13. Set “10 ReBulk” to 13.2V.
14. Set “11 Power up always” to “Yes.”

Remember to consult your battery manufacturer’s recommended charging profile for specific settings for your Custom battery type. Follow these steps carefully to ensure the safe and efficient operation of your inverter charger and battery system.

Sol-Ark Pre-Wired Hybrid Inverter System

Steps for Programming the Sol-Ark Pre-Wired Hybrid Inverter System

1. On the home screen of your Sol-Ark Inverter System, select the gear symbol in the upper right corner.
2. Begin by clicking on “Basic Setup” and unselecting the “beep” box to ensure no alarms are going off while you’re programming your device. Then enable “Auto Dim” and press “OK.”
   To confirm your settings.
3. Next, select “Battery Settings”. Ensure that these settings match the recommendations from your battery manufacturer based on your specific battery. For example, a 100Ah Battle Born Battery would need these settings:

• Batt Capacity: 100Ah
• Max A Charge: 50A
• Max A Discharge: 100A
• TEMPCO: -0mV/C/Cell (the same for all lithium batteries)

Select “Use Batt V Charged” and “BMS Lithium Batt.” Unselect “Use Batt % Charged” and “Activate Battery.” Then click “OK” to finalize settings.

4. Then, select “Batt Setup” and the “Charge” tab. Depending on the previous settings, any square you can edit will be right instead of gray. The box on the left will tell you whether your generator or grid charging should be turned on once the batteries reach a specific voltage or percentage. Since we selected “Use Batt V Charged,” make sure “StartV” = 49V and “A” = 100A. Select “Gen Charge” or “Grid Charge” to match your charging mechanism.
5. Still on the “Charge” tab, the right-side settings should look like this for a 100Ah Battle Born Battery:

• Float V: 13.4V-13.8V
• Absorption V: 14.2V-14.6V
• Equalization V: 14.4V
• 7 days:4 hours

6. Under the “Discharge” tab of “Batt Setup,” you can adjust the discharge settings. For a 100Ah Battle Born Battery, adjust the settings accordingly:

• Shutdown: 10.5V
• Low Batt: 10V
• Restart: 13.3V
• Batt Empty V: 10V
• Batt Resistance: 7 mOhms
• Batt Charge Efficiency: 99%
• Do Not Select BMS_Err_Stop

7. The smart load settings are not required for Battle Born Batteries.

Schneider Solar Hybrid Inverter Charger

1. Navigate to your Schneider Solar Hybrid Inverter Charger settings and ensure they match the settings below.

• Low Batt Cut Out: 48
• LBCO Delay: 0 Minutes

Once the inverter has shut off, the battery voltage must rise 4 volts above the Low Batt Cut Out setting (2 volts for 24 V systems) for inverter operation to resume.

• High Batt CutOut: 57.6

If the battery voltage exceeds this limit for more than 1 minute, the Xantrex XW Series Inverter/ Charger displays a fault message and shuts down.

2. In the Charger Menu, ensure the settings match the following parameters:

• Battery Type: Custom
• Custom Settings:
  • Eqlz Support: Disable
  • Eqlz Voltage: 56.8
  • Bulk Voltage: 56.8V
  • Absorb Voltage: 56.8V
  • Float Voltage: 54.4V
  • Batt Temp Comp: 70F
• Batt Capacity: TOTAL system battery capacity in amp hours (i.e., 400Ah for 4 – 12V 100Ah batteries wired in parallel)
• Max Chg Rate:
  • Xantrex XW4024 120/240 60—150 ADC
  • Xantrex XW4548 120/240 60—85 ADC
  • Xantrex XW6048 120/240 60—100 ADC

If multiple Xantrex XW Series Inverter/Chargers charge the same battery bank, set each inverter’s Max Chg Rate.

• Charge Cycle: 3-Stage (bulk, absorption, float)
• Recharge Volts: 52.8
• Absorb Time: 30 minutes for every 100 amps (i.e. 2 hours for 400Ah)
• Chg Block Start: To turn off the charger block function, simultaneously set Chg Block Start and Chg Block Stop.
• Chg Block Stop: To disable the charger block function, simultaneously set Chg Block Start and Chg Block Stop.

Generic Inverter Charger Programming

While the Victron MultiPlus, Sol Ark, and Schneider are the most common Inverter Chargers used with our batteries, many other types will work if they can be programmed to the proper parameters. Ensure the following settings can be adjusted to the corresponding values to work correctly with Battle Born Batteries.

• Bulk Charging LBCO = 11.5 VDC
• Absorb Charging Absorb Hrs = 2.0
• Absorb Charging BatType = Custom8955
• Absorb Charging Absorb = 14.4V
• Absorb Charging Float = 13.6v
• Absorb Charging Equalize = 14.4v
• Absorb Charging Max Charge = 100%
• Absorb Charging Dropout = 60 v
• Absorb Charging Final = Silent
• Absorb Charging Rebulk = 13.2V
• Absorb Charging Bulk Always = Off

Please note that the programming code may need to be adjusted based on your specific system and configuration. Therefore, we recommend carefully reviewing the diagrams and instructions to ensure proper programming and configuration of your system.

Want To Learn More About Inverter Chargers and Lithium Batteries?

Building or upgrading an electrical system can be overwhelming, so we’re here to help. Our Reno, Nevada-based sales and customer service team is at (855) 292-2831 to answer your questions!

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