44
Operation
Battery Voltage Sense Failure (R+Y / G+Y)
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 LED’s will indicate a failure. If the control-
ler is restarted with the failure still present, the controller may not detect that the battery sense is
connected and the LED’s will not indicate a fault. A TriStar meter or the PC software can be used
to determine if the battery sense is working properly.
Settings (DIP) Switch Changed (R / Y / G sequencing)
If a settings switch is changed while there is power to the controller, the LED’s will begin se-
quencing and the solar input will disconnect. The controller must be restarted to clear the fault
and begin operation with the new settings.
Battery High Voltage Disconnect (G / R sequencing)
This fault is set when battery voltage is above normal operating limits. The controller will discon-
nect the solar input and set a High Voltage Disconnect fault. This fault is commonly caused by
other charging sources in the system charging the battery above the TriStar MPPT regulation
voltage. When the battery voltage returns to normal levels, the fault will automatically clear.
Custom Settings Edit (G+Y+R fl ashing)
A value has been modi
fi
ed in custom settings memory. The controller will stop charging and
indicate a fault condition. After all settings have been modi
fi
ed, the controller must be reset by
removing and then restoring power to the controller. The new programmed settings will be used
after the power reset.
Firmware Update Failure (Y / R)
The
fi
rmware update was not successfully programmed. The controller will not indicate the full
power-up LED sequence of G / Y / R when power to the controller is reset. Instead, the controller
will display green and then stop on yellow. The yellow LED will continue to be lit and the control-
ler will not complete start up or begin charging. Retry the
fi
rmware update. The
fi
rmware must be
successfully loaded before the controller will start up.
Alarms
High Temperature Current Limit
The TriStar MPPT will limit the solar input current if the heatsink temperature exceeds safe limits.
Solar charge current will be tapered back (to 0 amps if needed) to reduce the heatsink tempera-
ture. The TriStar MPPT is designed to operate at full rated current at the maximum ambient tem-
perature. This alarm indicates that there is insuf
fi
cient air
fl
ow and that the heatsink temperature
is approaching unsafe limits. If the controller frequently reports this alarm condition, corrective
action must be taken to provide better air
fl
ow or to relocate the controller to a cooler spot.
High Input Voltage Current Limit
The TriStar MPPT will limit the solar input current as the solar array Voc approaches the maxi-
mum input voltage rating. The array Voc should never exceed the 150 Volt maximum input volt-
age. See the array voltage derating graph in Section 8.0.
