8
Multiple ProStar units can be paralleled at the system battery,
but be careful that no PV sub-array exceeds a controller’s
individual current rating.
3.
BATTERY (+ and -)
Before connecting the battery, check the
open-circuit voltage of the system battery. It must be at least
8 volts for the controller to operate. If your PV system is 24
volts, the battery MUST be over 17 volts, or the controller
will regulate at the 12 volt setpoints. Any battery starting at
less than 11 (or 22) volts should be fully charged before con-
nection to a PV system, or battery life will be significantly
reduced.
N
OTE
:
The battery should be connected first. This will
activate the controller self-protection features,
and will power the LED’s to guide installation
and start-up.
Connect the battery and observe that all 5 LED’s flash in se-
quence one time. If the LED indicators do not sequence or
the
BATTERY TYPE
LED does not light, check the battery
polarity.
The green, yellow or red
BATTERY CHARGE
LED will light
depending on the battery charge state.
4.
SENSE (+ and -)
Battery sense leads are recommended if the
controller is located more than 2 or 3 meters from the bat-
tery. This will avoid voltage drops and improve the control
accuracy. However, if the sense leads are not connected, the
controller will default to
BATTERY
connections for control.
A smaller wire size can be used for sense (draws less than 1
mA current). Note that the wire entry slots into the case for
SENSE
are smaller than the other system power terminals to
prevent mixing the
BATTERY
and
SENSE
connections.
5.
PV (+ and -)
Use these terminals to connect the solar array.
First confirm that the PV modules are wired for the same
voltage as the battery (either 12 or 24 volts).
Use caution, since the PV array will generate power whenever
in sunlight. Also, be careful not to short-circuit the PV array
while connected to the controller, since this will damage the
controller.
There is a 2 minute delay after connection of the PV array
before the controller begins charging. Check that the
