Schumacher PI-1000,PI-1500 Owner's Manual
OWNER’S MANUAL
Power Inverter Models
PI-1000 and PI-1500
Converts 12V DC Battery Power to
120V AC Household Power
CAUTION:
Before using your inverter, Read, Understand and Follow all Safety and Operating Instructions. Save These
Instructions.
Schumacher Electric Corporation
Mount Prospect, Illinois 60056 U.S.A.
Send Warranty Product Repairs to:
Customer Service Returns
P.O. Box 280
1025 E. Thompson
Hoopeston, IL 60942-0280
Questions? Call Customer Service:
1-800-621-5485 (Hours: 7:00 am to 5:00 pm CST)
00-99-000901-0409
TRADEMARK ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
TRADEMARK ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Schumacher® is a registered trademark of Schumacher Electric
Corporation
Schumacher® Logo is a registered trademark of Schumacher
Electric Corporation
PI-1000 and PI-1500 ™ is a trademark of
Schumacher Electric Corporation
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
PI-1000 and PI-1500 Owner’s Manual
© 2008 Schumacher Electric Corporation
The information, specications and illustrations in this manual are
based on the latest information available at the time of printing.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION PAGE
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS 5
INVERTER FEATURES 6
FASTENING THE INVERTER TO A FLAT SURFACE 7
GROUNDING THE INVERTER 8
BEFORE USING YOUR POWER INVERTER 9
CONNECTING INVERTER CABLES 10
USING THE GFCI OUTLET (MODEL PI-1500 ONLY) 11
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS 12
POWER SOURCE 14
HOW DO POWER INVERTERS WORK 15
LED INDICATORS AND SHUTDOWN PROTECTION 15
IF THE INVERTER FUSE BLOWS 16
TROUBLESHOOTING 17
SPECIFICATIONS 17
REPLACEMENT PARTS 18
LIMITED WARRANTY 18
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS 1.
SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS
Keep the inverter well ventilated in order to properly •
disperse heat generated while it is in use. Make sure
there are several inches of clearance around the top
and sides and do not block the slots of the inverter.
Make sure the inverter is not close to any potential •
source of ammable fumes, gases or clothing.
Do not place the inverter in areas such as battery •
compartments or engine compartments where fumes
or gases may accumulate.
Keep the inverter dry.•
DO NOT allow the inverter to come into contact with •
rain or moisture.
DO NOT operate the inverter if you, the inverter, the •
device being operated or any other surfaces that may
come into contact with any power source are wet.
Water and many other liquids can conduct electricity,
which may lead to serious injury or death.
Do not place the inverter on or near heating vents, •
radiators or other sources of heat or ammable
materials.
Do not place the inverter in direct sunlight. The ideal •
air temperature for operation is between 50° and
80°F.
Only connect the power inverter to a 12-volt acces-•
sory outlet or 12-volt airplane power outlet. Do not
attempt to connect the inverter to any other power
source, including an AC power source. Connecting
to a 6-volt or 16-volt battery will cause damage to the
inverter.
Make sure the AC plug is tight.•
Do not modify the AC receptacle in any way.•
• 5 •
Do not try extending or otherwise changing the 12-•
volt power cord attached to your inverter.
Incorrect operation of your inverter may result in •
damage and personal injury. WARNING: The inverter
output is 120V AC and can shock or electrocute the
same as any ordinary household AC wall outlet.
Do not open – No user serviceable parts inside.•
This device does not include an internal Ground •
Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI). For GFCI protection,
use a Coleman Cable 02822 GFCI outlet (Model PI1000 only).
WARNING: Pursuant to California Proposition 65,
this product contains chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm.
INVERTER FEATURES2.
1. ON/OFF Rocker Switch – Turns the inverter ON
and OFF.
2. LED Indicator Light – (Green = power ON, Red =
Overload, interruption in power.
3. 12-Volt Power Cord – One pair
4. 120V AC Outlet – Two Standard (Model PI-1000)
Two GFCI (Model PI-1500)
5. High-Speed Cooling Fan(s) – Keeps the inverter
cool. The speed of the fan is faster as the load
increases. The fan does not run when the inverter is
turned OFF.
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6. Analog Output Power Display – Shows 120V AC
continuous power consumed. Five lights indicate half
of the continuous output power and ten lights indicate
full continuous power consumption. When the inverter
is OFF, no lights appear.
7. Positive Battery Cable Terminal (Red) – Accepts
Positive connector cable.
8. Negative Battery Cable Terminal (Black) – Accepts
Negative connector cable.
9. Ground Terminal – Grounds inverter to reduce
electrical shock.
10. Thermal Protection – When the inverter case becomes hot (exceeds 145° F) the inverter shuts down.
11. Surge Protection – When the power input from the
vehicle’s battery exceeds 15-volts the inverter shuts
down.
12. Low-Battery Protection – When the power input
from the vehicle’s battery drops to approximately
10-volts the inverter shuts down.
FASTENING THE INVERTER TO A FLAT 3.
SURFACE
For convenience your inverter can be fastened to a at
surface, horizontally or vertically. The area where the
inverter is to be fastened must be dry, well ventilated and
away from any combustible material or fumes.
1. Turn off and disconnect the inverter.
2. Place the back of the inverter with the mounting
bracket against a secure and at surface.
• 7 •
3. Attach the inverter to the at surface using corro-
sion resistant screws.
GROUNDING THE INVERTER4.
To avoid electrical shock, it is necessary to ground the
inverter as well as the device powering it. The inverter
should be grounded using a #8 AWG copper wire (not
included).
NOTE: Do not turn on the inverter or the power source
until the inverter and the power source are grounded. To
ground the inverter:
1. Turn off and disconnect the inverter.
2. Locate the chassis ground screw below the negative terminal on the left side of the inverter, remove
the outer hex nut and loosen the second hex nut.
3. Strip the insulation of the #8 AWG copper wire back
1.5” and wrap the bare end of the wire around the
ground screw between the two washers.
4. While holding the wire in place, tighten the hex nut
you loosened securely. Then, replace the other hex
nut and tighten it securely.
5. Attach the other end of the wire to a properly
grounded location, as described next:
A. VEHICLE: Connect to the chassis, unpainted
frame part, or engine block of the vehicle.
B. BOAT: Connect to the boat grounding system.
C. FIXED LOCATION: Connect to a ground rod
or other appropriately rated ground.
• 8 •
BEFORE USING YOUR POWER INVERTER5.
When you turn on a device or a tool that runs on a motor, the device basically goes through two stages:
1. Start Up – Requiring an initial surge of power (commonly known as the “starting or peak load”).
2. Continuous Operation – Power consumption drops
(commonly known as the “continuous load”).
The wattage (WATTS) or amperes (AMPS) can normally
be found stamped or printed on most devices and equipment, or in the user’s manual. Otherwise, contact the
manufacturer to nd out whether the device you want to
use is compatible with a modied sine wave.
To calculate the wattage: Wattage = AMPS x 120 (AC
Voltage).
To calculate the starting load: Starting Load = 2 x
WATTS. In general, the start up load of the device or
power tool determines whether your inverter has the
capability to power it.
To calculate the continuous load: Continuous Load =
AMPS x 120 (AC Voltage).
Attention: Always run a test to establish whether the
inverter will operate a particular piece of equipment or
device. In the event of a power overload, the inverter is
designed to automatically shut down. This safety feature
prevents damaging the inverter while testing devices and
equipment within the wattage range of the inverter.
If a device does not operate properly when rst connected to the inverter, turn the inverter rocker switch ON
(I), OFF (O), and ON (I) again in quick succession. If this
• 9 •
procedure is not successful, it is likely that the inverter
does not have the required capacity to operate the device in question.
CONNECTING INVERTER CABLES6.
The inverter and power source must be in the OFF
mode.
IMPORTANT: Make sure you connect your inverter to a
12-volt power supply only.
1. Locate the Positive and Negative plastic terminals
located on the left side of the inverter. Using a stan-
dard (athead) screwdriver, unscrew the positive (red)
and negative (black) terminal screws just enough to
be able to insert the bare end of the connector cables.
2. Insert the bare end of the positive (red) cable into
the positive (red) terminal. Insert the bare end of the
negative (black) cable into the negative (black) terminal. Tighten each terminal screw so that the cable
cannot come loose.
CONNECTING INVERTER CABLES TO 12V BATTERY
OR 12V POWER SOURCE:
1. Keep hands, hair, clothing and jewelry clear of battery terminals.
2. Wear eye protection and clothing protection.
3. Connect the negative (black) inverter terminal cable
to the power source negative (-) or battery terminal.
Make sure the connection is secure.
4. Connect the positive (red) inverter terminal cable
to the power source positive (+) or battery terminal.
Make sure the connection is secure.
• 10 •
5.To disconnect the inverter, reverse the above steps.
NOTE: The internal speaker may make a brief “beep”
when the inverter is being connected to or disconnected
from the 12-volt power source.
ATTENTION: Failure to make the correct connections
will result in blown fuses and permanent damage to the
inverter.
USING THE GFCI OUTLET (MODEL PI-1500 7.
ONLY)
The PI-1500 inverter includes two “GFCI” (Ground Fault
Circuit Interrupter) outlets located on the right side of the
inverter. The purpose of a GFCI outlet is to quickly stop
the ow of electricity in the event a ground fault occurs
on the device plugged into the inverter’s GFCI outlet.
Use only 3-prong grounded plug when using the GFCI
outlet.
The GFCI outlets provide auxiliary power to 120V AC
devices that require less than 15-amps.
The GFCI outlets provide auxiliary power to 120V AC devices that require less than 15 amp. If using both GFCI
outlets at the same time, the amperage cannot exceed a
total of 15 amps for both devices combined.
The GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) must be
tested before each use. To test:
1. Connect the inverter (see “CONNECTING INVERTER CABLES” section).
2. Turn the inverter on.
3. Push the “Reset” button located on the GFCI recep-
tacle, rst to assure normal GFCI operation.
• 11 •
4. Plug a nightlight (with an ON/OFF switch) or other
device (such as a lamp) into the GFCI receptacle and
turn the device “ON”.
5. Push the “Test” button located on the GFCI receptacle. The nightlight or other device should go “OFF”.
6. Push the “Reset” button and the light or other device should go ”ON” again.
NOTE: If the light or other device remains “ON” when the
“Test” button is pushed, the GFCI is not working properly
and should not be used. Call Customer Service.
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS8.
1. Connect the inverter (see “CONNECTING INVERTER CABLES” section.
2. Switch the inverter switch to the ON (I) position.
3. The LED indicator light should glow GREEN verifying the inverter is receiving power.
4. Turn the inverter rocker switch to the OFF (O) posi-
tion. (The GREEN LED power indicator light may ash
briey and/or the internal speaker may make a brief
“beep”. This is normal.).
5. Make sure the device to be operated is turned OFF.
6. Plug the device into the inverter AC outlet.
7. Turn the inverter on.
8. Turn the device on.
9. To disconnect, reverse the above procedure.
• 12 •
NOTE: If more than one device is to be powered,
start one device at a time to avoid a power surge and
overloading the inverter. The surge load of each device
should not exceed the inverters Continuous Operation
wattage rate.
IMPORTANT: If you are using the power inverter to
operate a battery charger, monitor the temperature of
the battery charger for about 10 minutes. If the battery
charger becomes abnormally warm, disconnect it from
the inverter immediately.
NOTE: You can use an extension cord from the inverter
to the device without signicantly decreasing the power
being generated by the inverter. For best operating
results, the extension cord should be no longer than 50
feet.
Using the Inverter to Operate a TV or Audio Device:
The inverter is shielded and ltered to minimize signal
interference. Despite this, some interference may occur
with your television picture, especially with weak signals.
Below are some suggestions to try and improve reception.
1. Make sure the television antenna produces a clear
signal under normal operating conditions (i.e. at home
plugged into a standard 120-volt AC wall outlet). Also,
ensure that the antenna cable is adequately shielded
and of good quality.
2. Try altering the position of the inverter, antenna
cables, and television power cord. Add an extension cord from the inverter to the TV so as to isolate
its power cord and antenna cables from the 12-volt
power source.
• 13 •
3. Try coiling the television power cord and the input
cables running from the 12-volt power source to the
inverter.
4. Afx one or several “Ferrite Data Line Filters” to the
television power cord. Ferrite Data Line Filters can be
purchased at most electronic supply stores.
5. Try grounding the inverter with an 18 AWG (minimum) wire, using as short a length as possible.
NOTE: You may hear a “buzzing” sound being emitted
from inexpensive sound systems when operated with the
inverter. This is due to ineffective lters in the sound system’s power supply. Unfortunately, this problem can only
be resolved by purchasing a sound system with a higher
quality power supply or higher quality lter.
POWER SOURCE9.
Your average automobile or marine battery at full charge
will provide an ample power supply to the inverter for
approximately 3 hours when the engine is off. The actual
length of time the inverter will function depends on the
age and condition of the battery and the power demand
being placed by the device being operated with the
inverter.
If you decide to use the inverter while the engine is off,
we recommend you turn OFF the device plugged into
the inverter and disconnect the inverter’s plug from
the 12-volt accessory outlet before starting the engine.
To maintain battery power, start the engine every 2 to
3 hours and let it run for approximately 10 minutes to
recharge the battery.
• 14 •
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