mystery wires

bill

I purchased a used Outback 3524 inverter from someone I have lost contact with. With the top cover removed, exposing the battery terminals, I found two black leads; one labeled DC+ and the other labeled DC-. The ends of these leads fit the battery terminals, and they are about 20 something AWG. This size wire isn't made to handle much current so they must be used for potential rather than power. My main concern is the path these two wires take from the A.C. side up thru the top of the unit (to connect to the battery posts) without accessory holes. If I tighten the screws on the plastic cover the cover bends where the leads go (center of cover) from bottom to top.
I need to know the purpose of these two wires and what route they should take. I suspect they provide the exact voltage of the batteries, i.e., not subject to I square R drops.
Thanks,
Bill

Cariboocoot

Re: mystery wires

What are they for? Who knows. Remove them.
The only thing that connects to the battery terminals is the battery wires. Probably the previous owner had some monitoring equipment on it such as battery sense wires for an MS controller. This would be the wrong place for that, by the way: battery sense wires go on the battery.

bill

Re: mystery wires

These wires terminate on the battery posts!
I won't be satisfied until I find out what and why.
It is important to remember that these two wires originate inside the inverter.

Cariboocoot

Re: mystery wires

bill wrote: »

These wires terminate on the battery posts!
I won't be satisfied until I find out what and why.
It is important to remember that these two wires originate inside the inverter.

There are no wires that come from 'inside' the inverter and go to the battery posts on a 3524. See pic. Sounds like someone has been messing with it.

inetdog

Re: mystery wires

With some charge controllers, not inverters, there are separate battery voltage test leads that let the CC set the battery terminal voltage to the desired value rather than just putting out the set voltage on the CC output terminals. What the equivalent function would do on an inverter escapes me.

Cariboocoot

Re: mystery wires

Perhaps this unit has/had the tubro vent fan on it? Usually that is connected to he AUX terminal (under the plastic cover) but he may have hooked it directly to the battery for some reason?

Reaching here.

BB.

Re: mystery wires

I assume that this is an Inverter/Charger--So conceivably, it is possible that they have remote sense wires to accurately measure batter voltage--But I don't find any such connections in the (what I could find) installation manual:

http://www.outbackpower.com/downloads/documents/fx_vfx_series/fxseries_installmanual.pdf

-Bill

Cariboocoot

Re: mystery wires

BB. wrote: »

I assume that this is an Inverter/Charger--So conceivably, it is possible that they have remote sense wires to accurately measure batter voltage--But I don't find any such connections in the (what I could find) installation manual:

http://www.outbackpower.com/downloads/documents/fx_vfx_series/fxseries_installmanual.pdf

-Bill

No, they don't: I have the same inverter myself.

Tulumtam

Re: mystery wires

I am guessing they are from the Flexware surge protector. I have installed a couple of these and they have ring terminals labeled DC+ and DC- which connect to the DC terminals of the inverter.

BB.

Re: mystery wires

Here is the replacement surge suppressor board (based on Tulumtam's post above):

http://www.outbackpower.com/downloads/documents/flexware_surge_protector/fw_sp_specsheet_english.pdf

Attachment not found.

https://www.myenergywarehouse.com/fw-sp-r.html

-Bill