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41

7

TROUBLEShOOTING

 

The SCC-30AB is very rugged and designed for the most extreme operating conditions. 
Most PV system problems will be caused by connections, voltage drops, and loads.
Troubleshooting the SCC-30AB controller is simple. Some basic troubleshooting  
procedures are listed below.

Protections & Fault Messages on the LCD Display 

The LCD displays might have the following fault messages when SCC-30AB stops 

operating due to protections/system error:

Display

Description

Cause of Fault

Alarm:     OC

Over Current

Over Current

The current exceeds 45 A

Alarm:     OT

Heat Sink over temperature

Heat sink temperature 

exceeds 90° C

Alarm:  CPF00

Link Master error

Display Panel error

The CPU is not able to 

exchange data with the 

Display Panel

SYMPTOM  1.  BATTERY IS NOT CHARGING

•  Check the green LED indicator. The green CHARGING LED should be on if it is 

daytime.

•  Check that the proper battery charging algorithm (program) has been selected by 

DIP Switches.

•  Check that all wire connections in the system are correct and tight. Check the 

polarity (+ and –) of the connections.

•  Measure the PV array open-circuit voltage and confirm it is within normal 

limits. If the voltage is low or zero, check the connections at the PV array itself. 
Disconnect the PV array from the controller when working on the PV array.

•  Check that the load is not drawing more energy than the PV array can provide.
•  Check if there are excessive voltage drops between the controller and the 

battery. This will cause undercharging of the battery.

•  Check the condition of the battery. Determine if the battery voltage declines 

at night with no load. If it is unable to maintain its voltage, the battery may be 
failing.

•  Measure the PV voltage and the battery voltage at the SCC-30AB terminals. If the 

voltage at the terminals is the same (within a few tenths of volts) the PV array is 
charging the battery. If the PV voltage is close to the open circuit voltage of the 
panels and the battery voltage is low, the controller is not charging the batteries 
and may be damaged.

Summary of Contents for SCC-30AB

Page 1: ...30 Amp Solar Charge Controller SCC 30AB Owner s Manual Please read this manual before operating your charge controller ...

Page 2: ...ral Description of PV Solar System 5 3 General information Batteries 15 4 Introduction and Features 24 5 Construction Layout and Controls 30 6 Installation and Operation 34 7 Troubleshooting 41 8 Specifications 43 9 Warranty 44 INDEX ...

Page 3: ...even after the power has been removed Discharge the capacitors before working on the circuits Installation environment The Charge Controller should be installed indoor only in a well ventilated cool dry environment Do not expose to moisture rain snow or liquids of any type Preventing fire and explosion hazards Working with the Charge Controller may produce arcs or sparks Thus the Charge Controller...

Page 4: ...y make sure that the maximum Open Circuit Voltage Voc of each of the 12 V Panels is less than 25 V Do not exceed the maximum current rating of 30 A The Short Circuit Current of the Solar Array should be less than 30 A Do not exceed a battery voltage of 24V nominal Do not use a battery less than 12V Charge only 12 or 24 volt Lead Acid batteries when using the standard battery charging programs or N...

Page 5: ...way Metering Fig 2 1 Non Grid tied PV System Block Diagram Fig 2 1 shows a Block Diagram of a typical non grid tied Photovoltaic PV System with its main components It consists of a PV Solar Panel Module Charge Controller Batteries and Power Inverter The PV Solar Panel Module or Array converts the solar light energy into DC electrical energy The Charge Controller conditions the DC electrical voltag...

Page 6: ...pacity in times of need and feed electricity back into the Grid during times of excess production PV Solar Panel Module or Array Charge Controller Battery DC AC Power Inverter To AC Loads Solar Array Charge Controller Protection DC AC Power Inverter To AC Loads Power to and from grid Two way Metering Fig 2 2 Grid tied PV Solar System Block Diagram In order to safely transmit electricity to your lo...

Page 7: ...n of PV Solar Cell Sunlight photons External circuit Encapsulate seal Top electrical contact P Type material Boran doped Silicon N Type material Phosphorous doped Silicon P N junction Base contact Figure 2 4 Construction and Working of PV Solar Cell A PV Solar Cell is a semiconductor device that can convert solar energy into DC electricity through the Photovoltaic Effect Conversion of solar light ...

Page 8: ... neutral N type silicon has excess Electrons and P type silicon has excess Holes Sandwiching these together creates a P N Junction at their interface thereby creating an electric field When N type and P type silicon come into contact excess electrons move from the N type side to the P type side The result is a buildup of Positive charge along the N type side of the interface and a buildup of Negat...

Page 9: ...ossible The output current of the PV Solar Panel Module can increase due to what is known as the Edge of the Cloud Effect As the sun moves into a hole between the clouds your solar panels will see full direct sunlight combined with reflected light from the clouds They will absorb more energy than they could on a cloudless day Thus a factor of 1 25 times the Short Circuit Current Isc is recommended...

Page 10: ... film type Amorphous Si CIGS CdTe Polymer organic Pros Low price Low price Able to automate all manufacturing process Low manufacturing Can be more efficient still in research Cons Low efficiency Low efficiency Table 2 1 PV Cell Types PV Module Panel and PV Array To increase their utility a number of individual PV cells are interconnected together in a sealed weatherproof package called a Panel Mo...

Page 11: ...ually glass or a type of tough plastic This protects them from breakage and from the weather An aluminum frame is fitted around the module to enable easy fixing to a support structure The picture in Fig 2 6 shows a small part of a Module with cells in it It has a glass front a backing plate and a frame around it Aluminum frame Glass front Backing Sheet PV Cell Fig 2 6 Construction of a typical Mon...

Page 12: ...connected anti parallel to the solar cells as in Fig 2 7 As a consequence larger voltage differences cannot arise in the reverse current direction of the solar cells In practice it is sufficient to connect one bypass diode for every 15 20 cells Bypass diodes also allow current to flow through the PV module when it is partially shaded even if at a reduced voltage and power Bypass diodes do not caus...

Page 13: ...current since the circuit is incomplete Typical value of the open circuit voltage is located about 0 5 0 6 V for Crystalline Cells and 0 6 0 9 V for Amorphous Cells These two extremes in load resistance and the whole range of conditions in between them are depicted on the I V Curve Current expressed in Amps is on the vertical Y axis Voltage in Volts is on the horizontal X axis The power available ...

Page 14: ... the maximum power Wmax in watts is 17 Volts times 2 5 Amps or 42 5 Watts Standard Test Conditions STC for Specifying PV Solar Modules The I V curve is also used to compare the performance of PV Solar Modules The curve is therefore generated based on the performance under Standard Test Conditions STC of sunlight and device temperature of 25 C It assumes there is no shading on the device Standard s...

Page 15: ...have a nominal voltage of 2 0 volts per cell Ni Cd NiFe batteries also called alkaline batteries have a nominal cell voltage of 1 2 volts per cell The nominal voltage of a Ni Cd NiFe battery bank can be made the same as a lead acid bank just by juggling the number of cells 10 cells for 12 volts 20 cells for 24 volts and 40 cells for 48 volt systems However the Ni Cd NiFe battery bank must be charg...

Page 16: ...deled by a voltage source with an equilibrium voltage VE in series with an internal resistor Rin see Fig 3 2 It must be noted here that this configuration can describe only a current state because the magnitude of VE and Rin are not actually constant but is function of many parameters such as state of charge SOC temperature current density and aging of the battery VB Vin IB Rin VE Rload VB VB Vin ...

Page 17: ...ltage level acceptable for a Lead Acid battery is defined as discharge voltage threshold Falling below this threshold is called deep discharge with which the battery may suffer damage In case that the battery is left longer after deep discharge lead of the support structure is converted to lead sulphate in rough crystalline form which during charging can be only bad or cannot be converted again an...

Page 18: ...enough to maintain the cell voltage However intermittent discharge which allows time for electrolyte diffusion will improve the performance under high discharge rates Gassing With 2 3 V 2 4 V namely the so called Gassing Voltage gas is developed at the electrodes in the battery by which the water is decomposed into hydrogen H2 and oxygen O2 Both gases mix together in the battery providing detonati...

Page 19: ...cle life refers to a capability of the battery to withstand a certain number of charge discharge cycles of given Depth of Discharge DOD Since the lifetime of the battery also depends on the average depth of discharge during cycling expressed in percentage of rated capacity the cycling capability may be more conveniently expressed by multiplying this average depth of discharge by the battery lifeti...

Page 20: ... Unfortunately the capacity of a battery is not a constant quantity but depends on the amount of discharge current The manufacturers therefore give the rated capacity of their batteries always with regard to a certain discharge current The so called Rated Battery Capacity refers to the capacity of the battery under given standard conditions it is common practical to define the rated capacity at 20...

Page 21: ...ime Lifetime The lifetime of the battery should be long especially in order to keep the specific kWh cost and the installation cost low particularly in remote areas Overall efficiency The overall efficiency η is derived from charge or coulombic efficiency ηI and voltage efficiency ηV η ηI ηV 3 3 The coulombic efficiency is usually measured at a constant discharge rate referring to the amount of ch...

Page 22: ...h are defined as self discharge This loss should be small particularly in respect of annual storage Maintenance cost The maintenance e g water refilling in case of Lead Acid batteries should be kept as low as possible Easy installation and operation Since batteries are often used also by non experts easy installation and operation are therefore favorable Power In special cases battery must be high...

Page 23: ... characteristics of the battery will vary with temperature This is nearly linear and the Voltage Coefficient of the temperature change can vary from 3 mV ºC Cell at 50 ºC to 5 mV ºC Cell at 10 ºC Please note that the Voltage Coefficient of the temperature change is negative which means that as the temperature rises the charging voltage is required to be reduced and as the temperature is decreased ...

Page 24: ...or 100 return of capacity and long battery life Bulk Absorption Float and Equalization Stages Choice of 8 sets of Absorption Float Equalization voltage settings to enable complete and safe charging of a wide range of Lead Acid Ni Cd Batteries Convenient 2 X 16 character LCD Display with backlight for display of operating information and data Additional LED indication for displaying the charging st...

Page 25: ...no load it may just tick and send very short pulses to the battery In a discharged battery the pulses would be very long and almost continuous The controller checks the state of charge on the battery between pulses and adjusts itself each time This technique allows the current to be effectively tapered and the result is equivalent to constant voltage charging Series and Shunt Type of Charge Contro...

Page 26: ...This produces lower stress On the other hand in a Shunt Type Charge Controller the MOSFET Switch sees the full Clamping Voltage and therefore it is stressed to a higher degree Lesser switching noise During charging the Shunt MOSFET Switch experiences higher level of stress because it is in a high temperature reverse bias standoff position The voltage applied across the Series MOSFET Switch is less...

Page 27: ...he current will taper off to safe levels as the battery becomes more fully charged 3 Equalization Many batteries benefit from a periodic boost charge to stir the electrolyte equalize the cell voltages and complete the chemical reactions See additional details on Equalization given below 4 Float When a battery becomes fully charged dropping down to the float stage will provide a very low rate of ma...

Page 28: ... the hardening sulfate crystals In addition to slowing or preventing lead sulfation there are also other benefits of equalization of the solar system battery These include Balance the individual cell voltages Over time individual cell voltages can drift apart due to slight differences in the cells For example in a 12 cell 24V battery one cell is less efficient in recharging to a final battery volt...

Page 29: ...qualize flooded batteries every 1 to 3 months or every 5 to 10 deep discharges Some batteries such as the L 16 group will need more frequent equalizations The difference between the highest cell and lowest cell in a battery can also indicate the need for equalization Either the specific gravity or the cell voltage can be measured The battery manufacturer can recommend the specific gravity or volta...

Page 30: ... back of the face plate Fig 5 2 For flush mounting on the wall panel a suitable cutout is required to be made in the wall panel to accommodate the PCB at the back of the unit As the components at the back of the unit will be hidden and protected behind the wall panel the components at the back of the unit are exposed and do not have a protective cover PLEASE HANDLE THE UNIT CAREFULLY TO PREVENT AN...

Page 31: ...id Orange Charging is in the state of Equalization Solid Red Charging is in the state of fault Over current Blinking Red Charging is in the state of fault Over Temperature Push Buttons Display Reset Amp Hours Push to change the display as in Fig 5 3 Push and hold to reset Amp Hours Equalization Start Stop When DIP Switch 5 is set at OFF hold Restart Stop Equalization for 5 sec to manually start eq...

Page 32: ... capable of showing negative values battery temperature below 0 ºC will not be displayed Voltage compensation will however be carried out even below 0 ºC Fault Messages PUSH Display Select Amp Watts BatV 0 0 0 0 12 0 Amp Hours 0 Ah Total Amp Hours 0 Ah Mode Charger State Bulk Bulk Float 14 0V 13 4V EQU EQU T CYCLE 14 2V 1hr 28day Heatsink BTS 25oC 25oC PUSH Display Select PUSH Display Select PUSH ...

Page 33: ... input output connections and DIP Switches for various settings Table 5 2 Control Terminal Connection At the back of the unit Name Description PV Connecting terminal for Solar Array Positive PV Connecting terminal for Solar Array Negative Battery Connecting terminal for Battery cable Positive Battery Connecting terminal for Battery cable Negative DIP Switch 1 ON Selection of battery voltage for 12...

Page 34: ...g of the PCB with the Terminal Strip connector for the Battery Temperature Sensor BTS and the DIP switches The wall panel will be required to be cut to accommodate the projections of the circuit board mounted on the back of the faceplate All the wiring 2 wires from the Solar Array 2 wires to the battery and 2 wires to the Battery Temperature Sensor if used will be led to the connections at the bac...

Page 35: ...Philips head screw driver may be used to tighten these screws Tighten each terminal clamping screw to 20 inch pounds of torque The distance between the barriers is 9 mm and a standard Spade Type of terminal lug meant for 8 Stud and AWG 10 AWG 12 wire may be used at the end of the wires to be connected to these terminals 4 such terminal lugs are provided with the unit for ease of installation 4 Set...

Page 36: ...tage for 12V system OFF Selection of battery voltage for 24V system DIP Switch 2 3 4 Battery charge control mode Battery charging algorithm see Table 6 1 DIP Switch 5 ON Selection of Auto Equalization OFF Selection of Manual Equalization NOTE Factory preset condition Battery Charging Notes The SCC 30AB manages many different charging conditions and system configurations Some useful functions to kn...

Page 37: ...6 13 4 15 3 3 28 On Off On 6 Flooded 14 8 13 4 15 3 3 28 On On Off 7 L 16 15 0 13 4 15 3 3 14 On On On 8 Ni Cd 16 0 14 5 None A Battery Type These are generic Lead Acid wet cell Lead Antimony Lead Calcium sealed AGM sealed Gel Cell and Ni Cd battery types B Voltage This is the PWM Absorption Stage with constant voltage charging The PWM Absorption voltage is the maximum battery voltage that will be...

Page 38: ...ion DIP Switch 5 is moved to the ON position the equalizations will begin automatically as per the charging program selected Other than starting the automatic and manual equalizations are the same and follow the standard charging program selected The push button can be used to start and stop equalizations in both the manual and automatic mode Typical Equalization The automatic equalizations will o...

Page 39: ...use the charging may go into PWM absorption almost every day If the battery temperature is colder the charging will begin to regulate too soon and the battery may not be recharged with a limited solar resource If the battery temperature rises the battery may heat and gas too much Equalization A colder battery will lose part of the benefit of the equalization A warmer battery may heat and gas too m...

Page 40: ...ill change the PWM Absorption equalization and float set points by 0 90V in a 24V system Typical compensation is given in Table 6 2 below Temperature 12 Volt 24 Volt 50ºC 122ºF 0 75 V 1 50 V 45ºC 113ºF 0 60 V 1 20 V 40ºC 104ºF 0 45 V 0 90 V 35ºC 95ºF 0 30 V 0 60 V 30ºC 86ºF 0 15 V 0 30 V 25ºC 77ºF Reference 0 V Reference 0 V Reference 20ºC 68ºF 0 15 V 0 30 V 15ºC 59ºF 0 30 V 0 60 V 10ºC 50ºF 0 45 ...

Page 41: ...rogram has been selected by DIP Switches Check that all wire connections in the system are correct and tight Check the polarity and of the connections Measure the PV array open circuit voltage and confirm it is within normal limits If the voltage is low or zero check the connections at the PV array itself Disconnect the PV array from the controller when working on the PV array Check that the load ...

Page 42: ...ctions in the system are correct and tight Disconnect the PV array and momentarily disconnect the lead from the BATTERY positive terminal BAT Reconnect the battery terminal and leave the PV array disconnected The Green charging light should not be lit Measure the voltage at the PV array terminals PV and PV with the array still disconnected If the Green charging light is on or battery voltage is me...

Page 43: ... Sensor BTS 12 V 5mV ºC cell 25 ºC reference 24 V 10mV ºC cell 25 ºC reference Temperature compensation range 0 ºC to 50 ºC PROTECTIONS High temp shutdown Temp of the face plate that is used as a heat sink 90 ºC disconnect solar panel array 70 ºC re connect solar panel array Over current overload shut down 45 A DISPLAY Backlit LCD 2 lines X 16 characters alpha numeric LED 1 LED for status display ...

Page 44: ...n without charge and returned to the Purchaser at the Warrantor s expense No refund of the purchase price will be granted to the Purchaser unless the Warrantor is unable to remedy the defect after having a reasonable number of opportunities to do so Warranty service shall be performed only by the Warrantor Any attempt to remedy the defect by anyone other than the Warrantor shall render this warran...

Page 45: ...or loss of income or profit or any other consequential or resulting damage which may be claimed to have been incurred through the use or sale of the equipment including any possible failure of malfunction of the equipment or part thereof The Warrantor assumes no liability for incidental or consequential damages of any kind Samlex America Inc the Warrantor 110 17 Fawcett Road Coquitlam BC V3K 6V2 C...

Page 46: ...46 NOTES ...

Page 47: ...47 NOTES ...

Page 48: ...110 17 Fawcett Rd Coquitlam B C Canada V3K 6V2 T 604 525 3836 F 604 525 5221 TF 1 800 561 5885 e mail samlex samlexamerica com website www samlexamerica com SCC 30AB_Charge_Controller_Manual_Sep2010 ...

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