2.3
The ground terminal
In order to complete the grounding circuit of your AC system, the inverter's housing can be
connected to ground by using the dedicated ground screw. See the figure below for the location of
the ground screw. Use a wire gauge of at least 2.5mm
2.4
Battery requirements
For correct operation, the battery voltage should be between 11V and 14.4V. The recommended
battery capacity is ≥ 300 Ah. This capacity can be halved for short time inverter usage not requiring
more than nominal output power. The DC input current at nominal output power is approx. 88A.
The inverter shuts down when the battery voltage is below approx. 10.5V and above approx. 16V.
When the battery voltage is too low or too high, first the inverter will generate one beep per second
to inform you about a possible inverter shut down. This acoustic message will start at a battery
voltage close to the shutdown voltage.
The inverter also shuts down when too high input ripple voltage is detected, reducing the inverter's
lifetime. High input ripple voltage values are mostly caused by using too small batteries and/or
extending the DC cables too much or with insufficient wire gauge. When the inverter shuts down
due to too high input ripple voltage, indicated by four blinks per second, it must be restarted
manually.
THE PHOENIX 12/850 MUST BE CONNECTED ONLY TO A 12V BATTERY
SYSTEM.
The inverter will not operate from a 6V battery and will be damaged when
connected to battery voltages higher than 16V.
CAUTION
2.4.1 Using power supplies instead of batteries
It is not recommended to power the inverter directly from a DC power supply when full inverter
performance is required. Most power supplies are not able to supply the huge surge currents
required by the inverter, and usually generate a too high ripple voltage causing the inverter's high
ripple protection to trip.
2.5
Connection to the battery
The Phoenix 12/850 is equipped with two 25 mm² wires with a length of 1.5 meters. Unless it is
absolutely necessary, Victron Energy advises not to extend the battery wires. Extending the battery
wires may increase system losses and can cause inverter malfunctioning like tripping the input
ripple protection circuit. If it is unavoidable to extend these wires, use a wire gauge of at least 1.5
times larger than the ones supplied with the inverter. Maximum recommended battery wire length is
approx. 3 meters. Make sure that the joint between the original wires and the extension wires is
made solid and with very low electrical resistance in mind.
8
2
12 VDC BATTERY INPUT
-
+
chassis ground
screw
(AWG13) for the ground wire.