46
Operation
diagnostics that report Fault and Alarm conditions as they occur.
Faults are events or conditions that require the TriStar MPPT 150V to cease operation. A Fault
usually occurs when a limit such as voltage, current, or temperature has been surpassed. Fault
conditions are indicated with unique LED sequences and are also displayed on the TriStar Meter.
Alarms are events or conditions that may require the TriStar MPPT 150V to modify operation.
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rent, or temperature limit. Alarm conditions are only displayed on the TriStar Meter.
Some basic fault conditions are reviewed below:
Protections
Solar Overload
The TriStar MPPT 150V will limit battery current to the
Maximum Battery Current
rating. An
over-sized solar array will not operate at peak power. The solar array should be less than the
TriStar MPPT 150V
Nominal Maximum Input Power
rating for optimal performance. See section
8.0 for more information.
Solar Short Circuit
The TriStar MPPT 150V will disconnect the solar input if a short circuit is detected in the solar
wiring. Charging automatically resumes when the short is cleared. No LED indication.
Solar High Input Voltage
Solar input current will be limited as the array open circuit voltage approaches the 150 Volt maxi-
mum input voltage limit.
Very Low Battery Voltage
If battery discharges below ~7 Volts the controller will go into brownout and shut down. When
the battery voltage rises above the 8 Volt minimum operating voltage, the controller will restart.
Faults
Remote Temperature Sensor Failure (
G - R sequencing, with constant yellow
)
If a fault in the RTS (such as a short circuit, open circuit, loose terminal) occurs after the RTS has
been working, the LED’s will indicate a failure. However, if the controller is restarted with a failed
RTS, the controller may not detect that the RTS is connected, and the LEDs will not indicate a
problem. A TriStar meter or the PC software can be used to determine if an RTS is detected and
working properly.
Battery Voltage Sense Failure (
G - R sequencing, with constant yellow
)
If a fault in the battery sense connection (such as a short circuit, open circuit or loose terminal)
occurs after the battery sense has been working, the LEDs will indicate a failure. If the control-
