Wagan 400 User Manual

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Item no. 2003

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User's Manual

Slim Line 400 Watt Power Inverter by Wagan Tech

USER’S MANUAL — Please read before using this equipment.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Your 400 Watt Power Inverter converts 12-volt vehicle
battery power into 110 volts of AC power. You can use

the inverter in your vehicle to operate many types of
appliances that use AC power such as TVs, VCRs,
portable computers, power tools, and lights for
emergency or camping use.

The inverter works with your vehicle’s engine turned on
or off (accessory mode). It provides a continuous output
of up to 400 watts.

BASIC OPERATION

x Use the right operating voltage for both input and

output of the inverter.

x Powering devices by connecting

Պ from inverter to

Պ of battery terminal and connect Ջ from inverter to

Ջ of battery terminal.

RECOMMENDATION

x If the power inverter makes a beeping sound, turn

OFF the power inverter and disconnect all
appliances from inverter and disconnect the inverter
from power supply. The beeping sound is simply the
low battery warning, which indicates that the voltage
of the battery power supply is getting low. Please
restart the vehicle engine before operating the
power inverter.

x When you are not using the inverter, turn the power

switch to OFF and disconnect the inverter from
power supply.

x Disconnect the inverter when starting the vehicle’s

engine.

x Turn ON the power switch that is located at the front

of the inverter, and the green LED light will light as
indicator that the unit at work.

x Insert the plug of your appliances into AC socket at

the front of the inverter.

CAUTION:

x DO NOT USE THE INVERTER IN A POSITIVELY

GROUNDED VEHICLE.

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© 2003 Wagan Corporation.

All Rights Reserved.

Wagan and Wagan.com are trademarks used by Wagan Corporation.

Printed in China

Slim Line 400 Watt Power Inverter by Wagan Tech

USER’S MANUAL — Please read before using this equipment.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

BATTERY USE

x To avoid over-discharging your vehicle’s battery, you

should run your engine for 10-20 minutes to
recharge the vehicle’s battery after 1-2 hours of

operating the inverter.

x If you choose to connect the inverter directly to your

battery terminals, it is important to connect with right

polarity (connect

terminal and connect
terminal)

CAUTION:

THE FOLLOWINGS OPERATION WILL DAMAGE AND
VOID THE WARRANTY OF THE INVERTER:
x REVERSE POLARITY BY CONNECTING THE

WIRES TO THE INCORRECT TERMINALS.

x CONNECTING THE BATTERY CHARGER TO

REPLENISH BATTERY WITHOUT
DISCONNECTING THE INVERTER FIRST.

x CONNECTING THE INVERTER TO POWER

SOURCE GREATER THAN 15-VOLT DC.

x OPERATING THE INVERTER AND BATTERY IN

OR AROUND WATER.

MEASURING THE AC VOLTAGE

Պ from inverter to Պ of battery

Ջ from inverter to Ջ of battery

SAFETY PRECAUTION

Do not open the case of the inverter. The high voltage
inside the unit is the same type of power as your
electrical outlets at home.

Do not let the cord of the inverter or any appliance’s cord
get wet.

Do not operate the inverter in or around water. The
voltage of the unit makes electrical shock hazard if
operated in wet conditions.

Do not connect the AC inverter directly to another AC
power source.

Keep it away from children, the inverter produces power
just like your AC wall outlets at home and should be
treated seriously.

Allow at least 1 inch of clearance around the inverter for
airflow.

If you operate the inverter in a moving vehicle, you need
to secure the inverter to prevent it from shifting around
while the vehicle is moving.

If there is anything wrong with the inverter, disconnect all
of the power.

The output waveform of the AC inverter is a MODIFIED
SINEWAVE. To measure the AC output voltage, you
must use a TRUE RMS VOLTMETER.

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© 2003 Wagan Corporation.

All Rights Reserved.

Wagan and Wagan.com are trademarks used by Wagan Corporation.

www.wagan.com

Printed in China

Slim Line 400 Watt Power Inverter by Wagan Tech

USER’S MANUAL — Please read before using this equipment.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TROUBLESHOOTING

Condition Solution

Poor contact Clean contact parts thoroughly
Battery voltage is
too low

Shutdown on
overload
Thermal shutdown Allow the inverter to cool down by

Receptacle has no
power

HINTS

Adding Extension Cord

If you need extension cord, we recommend the use of an
extension cord between the AC output of inverter and
AC appliances. You may use up to 100 ft. of high quality
extension cord. A long cord will result in reduced output
power.

Start the engine to recharge the
battery. Replace the battery if
needed.
Reduce the wattage of inverter’s load

reducing the load or turn it off for a
while.
Check the receptacle wiring.

3. Make sure that the antenna feeding your television

provides an adequate (“snow free”) signal and that
you are using good quality cable between the
antenna and the television.

4. Move the television as far away from the power
inverter as possible.

5. Keep the cables between the battery and the power

inverter as short as possible and twist them together
with about 2 to 3 twists per foot. This minimizes
radiated interference from the cables.

MAINTENANCE

Very little maintenance is required to keep the inverter
operating properly.

DESCRIPTION

1000W Peak Power — allow you to power appliances
that require a large amount of initial (peak) power to
work (such as many TVs and motor-power equipments).

Buzz in audio system

Some stereo systems and “boom boxes” will emit a
buzzing noise from their loudspeakers when operated
from the power inverter because the power supply in the
device does not adequately filter the modified sine wave
produced by the power inverter. The only solution is to
use a sound system that incorporates a higher quality
power supply.

Operating a TV

Picture tubes have a degaussing coil that uses a high
initial surge of power to light up the screen from a “cold
start”. If the TV does not start up on the first try, switch
ON the TV every 2 - 3 seconds until the screen comes
on. Sometimes, it may take 2-5 tries before starting.

Television interference

Operating of the power inverter can interfere with
television reception on some channels. If this situation
occurs, the following steps may help to alleviate the
problem.

1. Make sure that the chassis ground lug on the back
of the power inverter is solidly connected to the
ground system of your vehicles.

2. Do not operate high power loads with the power
inverter while watching television.

Low Battery Alarm — the inverter sounds an audible
alarm then turns itself off if the source battery becomes
too low.

Auto Shutdown/Reset Protection — the inverter
temporarily shuts itself down to protect itself from
overheating.

Overload/Short Circuit Protection — the inverter
automatically turns itself off if the connected load is too
high or if it shorts.

Fuse — the inverter comes with fuse/s already installed
and easily changed if it is damaged.

Dual AC Outlets — allows you to power up to two
appliances at the same time.

4

© 2003 Wagan Corporation.

All Rights Reserved.

Wagan and Wagan.com are trademarks used by Wagan Corporation.

www.wagan.com

Printed in China

Slim Line 400 Watt Power Inverter by Wagan Tech

USER’S MANUAL — Please read before using this equipment.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

HEAT DISPERSAL

The inverter generates heat while it is working. This is
not a malfunction. However, if the inverter gets too hot
while working, it will turn off by itself.
Position the inverter where air flows freely around it to
allow the heat to disperse.
The inverter’s thermal protection prevents it from
operating when its temperature exceeds 130 ± 10 qF / 55
± 5 qC.

SPECIFICATION

Name Description

Input 12V (10-15V) DC
Output 110V AC
Output frequency 60 Hz
Output waveform Modified Sine Waveform
Continuous power 400 Watt
Surge power 1000 Watt
Efficiency Approx. 90 %
No load current < 0.3 A
Battery low alarm 10.5 ± 0.5 V DC
Battery low shutdown 10 ± 0.5 V DC
Alarm and thermal
shutdown
Internal DC fuse None
External DC fuse 35 A
AC output socket 2 outlets of 3-prong
Power switch DC input ON/OFF control
Dimensions (LxWxH) 5x4.5x2 in³
Net Weight 1 lb

130 ± 10 qF / 55 ± 5 qC

NOTE

All specifications are typical at nominal line, half load,
and 77 qF / 25 qC unless otherwise noted.
Specifications are subject to change without notice.

www.wagan.com

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© 2003 Wagan Corporation.

All Rights Reserved.

Wagan and Wagan.com are trademarks used by Wagan Corporation.

Printed in China

WAGAN Corp. Limited Warranty Registration Form

All WAGAN Corporation products are warranted to the original purchaser of this product.
Warranty Duration: This product is warranted to the original purchaser for a period of one (1) Year
from the original purchase date, to be free of defects in material and workmanship. WAGAN
Corporation disclaims any liability for consequential damages. In no event will WAGAN
Corporation be responsible for any amount of damages beyond the amount paid for the product
at retail. In the even of a defective item, please ship the item, prepaid, with a complete
explanation of the problem, your name, address and daytime phone number. WAGAN
Corporation will, at its option, replaces or repair the defective part. This warranty is void if the
product has been damaged by accident, in shipment, unreasonable use, misuse, neglect,
improper service, commercial use, repairs by unauthorized personnel or other causes not arising
out of defects in materials or workmanship. This warranty is effective only if the product is
purchased and operated in the USA and does not extend to any units which have been used in
violation of written instructions furnished.
Warranty Disclaimers: This warranty is in-lieu of all warranties expressed or implied and no
representative or person is authorized to assume any other liability in connection with the sale of
our products. There shall be no claims for defects or failure of performance or product failure
under any theory of tort, contract or commercial law including, but not limited to negligence,
gross negligence, strict liability, breach of warranty and breach of contract.
Warranty Performance: During the above one (1) Year warranty period, a product with a defect
will be replaced with a comparable model when the product is returned to WAGAN Corporation
with an original store receipt. The replacement product will be in warranty for the balance of the
one (1) Year warranty period.

Please activate my limited warranty for WAGAN Corp.400 Watt AC to DC Power Inverter
Enclosed copy of original sales receipt.

Name

Mail Address

City

State, Zip Code

4

Item Purchased

Stores Name

Date of Purchase

Signature

All WAGAN Corporation Products must be registered within (30) days of purchased to activate this warranty.
Mail the complete registration form, along with a copy of the original receipt to:

00 Watt AC to DC Power Inverter

Date

Attn: Customer Service

WAGAN Corporation

3589Yale Way

Fremont, CA 94538

c 2003 WAGAN Corp.

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