Charge Controller Settings (C)
o
Charger
(
C-1
)
o
MPPT
(
C-2
)
o
Temperature
Compensation
(
C-3
)
o
Battery Equalize
(
C-4
)
o
Grid-Tie Mode
(
C-5
)
o
Auxiliary Output
(
C-6
)
o
Restart Mode
(
C-7
)
o
Calibrate
(
C-8
)
o
Reset Charge Controller to Factory Defaults
(
C-9
)
C-1. Charger
The charge controller uses a “three-stage” charging cycle
with multiple settings. This menu controls the charging
voltages and timers. See the charge controller literature for
an explanation of the cycle.
Absorb Voltage
— Adjusts the voltage of Bulk and Absorption
stages. (See page 42 for the effects of the Profile Wizard.)
(Absorb)
Time
— Adjusts the duration of Absorption stage.
Float Voltage
— Adjusts the voltage of Float stage. (See page 42.)
Rebulk Voltage
— Adjusts the point of low battery voltage that
triggers a new Bulk stage after 90 seconds.
Current Limit
— Adjusts the maximum charging amperage.
Absorb End Amps
— Adjusts the “trickle” charge that will override
Absorb Time
and proceed to the Float stage. This should be set to
just above the lowest absorption current.
NOTE
: if more than one
controller is present, this item should be left at zero.
IMPORTANT
Battery charger settings need to be correct for a given
battery type. Always follow battery manufacturer
recommendations. Making incorrect settings, or leaving
them at factory default settings, may cause the batteries
to be undercharged or overcharged.
C-2. MPPT
The charge controller uses a maximum power
point tracking (MPPT) algorithm which controls
the PV array to harvest maximum wattage.
Although MPPT is automatic, this menu allows
adjustment for special applications. See the
charge controller literature for more details.
MPPT Mode
— Selects between
Auto
(which allows
automatic MPPT) and
U-Pick
(which limits the MPPT
to a specified voltage).
U-Pick VOC
— Adjusts the MPPT limit as a
percentage of the array’s open-circuit voltage (V
OC
).
Wakeup VOC Change VDC
— Adjusts the amount
of V
OC
increase for wakeup needed to leave Snooze
mode and begin MPPT. (The charge controller
manual uses the title “Wakeup Mode.”)
Wakeup VOC Change Time
— Adjusts the
minimum duration of the array V
OC
and amperage
before leaving Snooze mode. (The voltage must be
at least 0.3 Vdc above battery voltage; the current is
controlled by
Snooze Mode Amps
.) (The charge
controller manual uses the title “Wakeup Mode.”)
Snooze Mode Amps
— Adjusts the controller’s
required current level during the wakeup time.
MPP Range Minimum
and
Maximum
— Adjust the
lower and upper MPPT limit to narrow the focus of
the process.
Minimum
options are half the array’s
V
OC
, or the full V
OC
.
Maximum
options are 80%,
85%, 90%, and 99% of the array’s V
OC
.(The
Owner’s
Manual
uses the title “Mpp Range Limit %.”)
C-3. Temperature Compensation
When equipped with the Remote Temperature Sensor (RTS), the
charge controller compensates for temperature changes by raising
or lowering its charging voltages. However, the sensitivity of other DC devices
could require limits on this compensation. This menu can adjust the upper and lower limits of temperature
compensation. See the charge controller
Owner’s Manual
for an explanation of temperature compensation.
Mode
—
Selects between
Wide
, which allows full compensation, and
Limited
, which allows the manual limits controlled by the next
two set points. (The charge controller
Owner’s Manual
features this as an option under “RTS Compensation.”)
Limited: Lower
and
Upper Battery Voltage
—
Adjust the lowest and highest allowed compensated voltage. (The
Owner’s
Manual
features these as an option under “RTS Compensation.”) See page 42 for the effects of the Profile Wizard on both settings.
C-4. Battery Equalize
!
CAUTION: Battery Damage
Do not equalize any sealed battery types (VRLA, AGM, Gel, or other) unless approved
by the manufacturer. Some batteries may suffer severe damage from equalization.
Contact the battery manufacturer for recommendations on equalization voltage, duration,
schedule, and/or advisability. Always follow manufacturer recommendations for equalization.
This menu controls the settings for the equalization process, which is used for battery maintenance. See the
charge controller
Owner’s Manual
for an explanation of equalization.
Equalization Voltage
—
Adjusts the voltage of the Equalization cycle.
Hours
—
Adjusts the duration of the Equalization timer, once the
voltage has been reached.
C-5. Grid-Tie Mode
This menu allows the charge controller to work more effectively with any grid-interactive inverters present
on the HUB. When enabled, this setting automatically raises the charge controller’s Float voltage to equal
its Absorption voltage. Since the inverter sells power to maintain its own Float, Absorption, or other settings
(all normally lower than the controller), this mode makes it easier for the inverter to sell power.
NOTE
: The charge controller’s Float voltage returns to normal any time the inverter enters
PassThru
or
Silent
modes. (See the
MATE3s Overview Guide
for a list of inverter modes.)
N
(No) disables
Grid-Tie Mode
.
Y
(Yes) enables
Grid-Tie Mode
. (See page 42 for the effects of the Profile Wizard on this setting.)
IMPORTANT
Grid-Tie Mode requires a grid-interactive inverter (also known as grid-tied or grid-tie enabled). Not all inverters are
grid-interactive. If the MATE3s is connected to a non-grid-interactive inverter, Grid-Tie Mode will not function if selected.
Automatic Battery Equalization
—
Establishes a
schedule which begins a new cycle after a certain number
of days. Setting to 0 disables the automatic schedule.
C-6. Auxiliary Output
This menu controls the output and functionality of the Auxiliary (AUX) output.
These terminals provide a 12 Vdc output that can deliver up to 0.2 Adc
to control external loads. Typical loads include signaling a generator to start, sending a fault alarm signal, or
running a small fan to cool the inverter. See the charge controller
Owner’s Manual
for more information.
Status
– The
Auxiliary Output
status is controlled by the
<Off>
,
<Auto>
, and
<On>
soft keys.
<On >
activates the AUX immediately. It displays
Manual On
and remains continuously active until
<Off>
is selected.
<Auto>
activates the AUX by automatic criteria according to the
Aux Mode
selected. (See the next page.) When activated,
it displays the
Auto On
; otherwise it displays
Auto Off
.
<Off>
deactivates the
Auxiliary Output
and prevents any of the charge controller’s automatic AUX options from working.
When <Off> is selected, it will display
Manual Off
.
Note that even if the AUX output is set to
Off
, it may still be activated by an
external option not based in the charge controller, such as AGS. (See page 25.)
Aux Mode
–
Selects one of nine functions. See the next page.
Page 18
900-0125-12-01 Rev A
©2017 OutBack Power Technologies. All Rights Reserved.
Page 19
Charge Controller
Charge Controller Settings
