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MPPT solar charger manual

BlueSolar MPPT 100/30 & 100/50

06/2021

ENGLISH

Summary of Contents for BlueSolar 100/30

Page 1: ...MPPT solar charger manual BlueSolar MPPT 100 30 100 50 06 2021 ENGLISH ...

Page 2: ...x 7 4 Installation 9 4 1 Mounting 9 4 2 Battery 9 4 3 PV array 9 4 4 Grounding 10 4 5 Electrical connections 11 4 6 Connect the MPPT Control display 11 5 Configuration and settings 13 5 1 How to change settings 13 5 1 1 Settings via the VictronConnect App 13 5 1 2 Settings via the rotary switch 13 5 1 3 Settings via MPPT Control display 15 5 2 All settings explained 15 5 2 1 Battery settings 16 5 ...

Page 3: ...arged 45 9 4 1 Battery voltage setting too high 45 9 4 2 Battery charge voltages too high 45 9 4 3 Battery unable to deal with equalization 45 9 4 4 Battery old or faulty 46 9 5 Solar issues 46 9 5 1 PV reverse current too high 46 9 5 2 PV yield less than expected 47 9 5 3 Full rated output not reached 47 9 5 4 Max PV output power relates to battery voltage 48 9 5 5 Mixed PV panel types 48 9 5 6 P...

Page 4: ...11 3 Charger error code overview 55 MPPT solar charger manual ...

Page 5: ...is designed and tested in accordance with international standards The equipment should be used for the designated application only Connections must always be made in the sequence described in the Installation 9 chapter of this manual The installer of the product must provide a means for cable strain relief to prevent the transmission of stress to the connections In addition to this manual the syst...

Page 6: ...The grounding terminal is located in the wiring compartment and is identified by this symbol MPPT solar charger manual Page 2 Safety precautions ...

Page 7: ...ltage and will charge the battery with a current up to its rated current The product name of the solar charger incorporates the maximum PV voltage and the maximum battery charge current For example A 100 30 model has a maximum PV voltage of 100V and can charge the battery with a maximum of 30A The table below indicates the maximum PV voltage and maximum battery charge current of the solar chargers...

Page 8: ...not be the optimum MPP 3 3 Outstanding conversion efficiency The solar charger has an outstanding conversion efficiency The maximum efficiency exceeds 98 One of the benefits of the high efficiency is that the solar charger does not have a cooling fan and the maximum output current is guaranteed up to an ambient temperature of 40 C 104 F 3 4 Extensive electronic protection The solar charger is prot...

Page 9: ...ia the VE Direct USB interface VictronConnect App connection via USB using a VE Direct USB interface The VictronConnect App can connect remotely to the solar charger via a GX device connected to the same local network or via the internet using the VRM portal VictronConnect App connection via LAN or the internet VRM portal using a GX device for example a Cerbo GX 3 6 Display There are a number of d...

Page 10: ...This to prevent overcharging of the battery But if the battery was deeply discharged the absorption time is automatically increased to make sure that the battery is fully recharged Float During the float stage the voltage is reduced and batteries full charged state is maintained A storage stage is not needed for a solar charger unlike is the case for an AC charger since at night there is no solar ...

Page 11: ...unicates with the Smart Battery Sense via Bluetooth using a VE Smart Network For more detail on the VE Smart network see the VE Smart Networking manual Alternatively a VE Smart Network that measures battery temperature and battery voltage can also be set up between a solar charger and a BMV 712 Smart or SmartShunt battery monitor that has been equipped with a Temperature sensor for BMV without the...

Page 12: ...e information and to find the right MPPT WireBox for your solar charger see the MPPT WireBox product page MPPT WireBox Tr Example of a solar charger with MPPT WireBox MPPT solar charger manual Page 8 Features ...

Page 13: ... than 5 C between the solar charger and the battery These temperature differences can lead to incorrect temperature compensated charging which can reduce the battery lifetime If large temperature differences or extreme ambient temperature conditions are expectedd use a direct battery temperature sense source like the Smart Battery Sense or a BMV or SmartShunt equipped with a temperature sensor 4 2...

Page 14: ...e the system remains energized Do not use solar panels with optimizers In worst case the use of optimizers will cause irreparable damage to the solar charger Use flexible multi stranded copper cable for the screw connections See chapter Wiring safety precautions 1 For MC4 models several of the solar charger s MC4 pairs may be needed to parallel solar panel strings Be aware that the maximum current...

Page 15: ...Nm If accidentally connected in reverse polarity the PV voltage will drop and the controller will heat up but will not charge the battery In case a MPPT WireBox is used First Secure all electrical cables as indicated in the WireBox installation instructions Then Place the WireBox plastic cover over the solar charger connection area and secure it See below figure for an example of the solar charger...

Page 16: ...VE Direct cable Connect the display to the solar charger via a VE Direct cable MPPT solar charger manual Page 12 Installation ...

Page 17: ...em problems including damage to batteries When in doubt seek advice from an experienced Victron Energy installer dealer or distributor 5 1 1 Settings via the VictronConnect App The VictronConnect App can be used to change all solar charger settings and can be used to update the firmware This manual only covers the VictronConnect solar charger specific items For more general information on the Vict...

Page 18: ... 8 27 6 55 2 16 1 32 2 64 4 8 16 32 64 2 Default setting Gel Victron deep discharge Gel Exide A200 AGM Victron deep discharge Stationary tubular plate OPzS 14 4 28 8 57 6 13 8 27 6 55 2 16 2 32 4 64 8 8 16 32 64 3 AGM spiral cell Stationary tubular plate OPzS Rolls AGM 14 7 29 4 58 8 13 8 27 6 55 2 16 5 33 0 66 0 8 16 32 64 4 PzS tubular plate traction batteries or OPzS batteries 14 9 29 8 59 6 13...

Page 19: ...ED Float LED Blinking frequency 0 1 1 1 Fast 1 0 0 1 Slow 2 0 1 0 Slow 3 0 1 1 Slow 4 1 0 0 Slow 5 1 0 1 Slow 6 1 1 0 Slow 7 1 1 1 Slow 5 1 3 Settings via MPPT Control display The MPPT Control display can be used to configure solar charger settings with the exception of advanced settings such as RX and TX port settings For information how to do this see the MPPT Control display manual The MPPT Con...

Page 20: ...r the solar charger When the unit is powered up the next time it will again perform the initial automatic voltage detection Max charge current This setting sets the maximum battery charge current It is by default set to the solar charger s maximum charge current Use this setting to reduce the charge current for example when a smaller battery bank is used that requires a lower charge current Charge...

Page 21: ...tomatic equalization When enabled the amount of days can be selected when equalization should repeat A manual equalization can be initiated by pressing the START NOW button Use the manual equalize option only during absorption and float charge stages and when there is sufficient sunlight The current and voltage limits are identical to the automatic equalize function The manual equalization stage l...

Page 22: ...ets Navigate to the battery you want to modify It is not possible to modify a factory preset only custom types can be modified or deleted Modify the charge parameters To save the settings press the SAVE CHANGES button at the bottom of the page To delete the battery press the REMOVE PRESET button Battery charge algorithm settings This chapter explains all parameters that are used in Expert mode and...

Page 23: ... battery voltage drops below 13 7V 13 8 minus 0 1 for one minute Equalization voltage This setting set the equalization voltage Equalization current percentage This setting sets the percentage of the maximum charge current setting that will be used to calculate the equalization charge current For example If the maximum charge current setting is set at 50A and the Equalization current percentage se...

Page 24: ...ensated charge graph By default the solar charger uses its internal temperature for battery temperature compensated charging An internal temperature reading is taken in the morning and then again when the solar charger has been idle for at least one hour for example when the charger is not actively charging a battery or supplying a load When the solar charger is part of a VE Smart Network and rece...

Page 25: ... and Vhigh The always off and the always on modes will respond immediately The other modes have a 2 minute delay before the load output changes This is so that the solar charger does not respond too quickly when for example an inrush current briefly lowers the battery voltage below the threshold The load output settings also controls the streetlight algorithm Both work together to protect the batt...

Page 26: ...ical use case for these options is to get a strong light during high traffic hours right after sunset and lower intensity during the low hours to save the battery Set the second dim level to 0 to switch the light completely off during that second section Switch on till midnight This option turns the light on at sunset and then off again at midnight When the dimming feature is enabled1 two dim leve...

Page 27: ...et this option to 0 to use the built in defaults which are Sunset Vpanel 11 4V Sunrise Vpanel 11 9V The default setting is 0 which uses built in default voltages Use the Delay periods to avoid the system making an accidental switch when clouds pass over the panels The valid range is between 0 and 60 minutes The Delays are disabled by default 0 Gradual dimming speed The gradual dimming option can b...

Page 28: ...has been set to 1h 0m Dim level at end at the end of one hour the brilliance will be reduced to half 50 Also At sunrise the lighting will be adjusted before sunrise Time before sunrise at 1h 0m before sunrise the following adjustment will be made Dim level full brilliance will be restored 100 5 2 4 TX port settings The VE Direct TX port can be used to send a signal to an external device For exampl...

Page 29: ...module a relay or directly to the remote on off connector of the load The PWM signal is 5V 160Hz Note that these functionalities other than the first functionality does not disable the ability of the unit to communicate What happens is that the unit will automatically detect incoming data and while data is being received it will resume normal communication Once the data reception has been complete...

Page 30: ...p to date firmware perform a firmware update 5 4 VE Smart network The VE Smart network allows a variety of products connected to the same network to share data via Bluetooth The VE Smart network is especially designed for smaller systems that do not have a GX device installed When this product is part of a VE Smart network it can receive data or communicate with the following devices All SmartSola...

Page 31: ...VE Smart network Some older devices might not support VE Smart networking for more information see Limitations Setting up the network When setting up the network first set up the Smart Battery Sense or battery monitor and then add one or more solar chargers or AC chargers to the network All solar chargers and AC chargers need to have the same charge settings The easiest way to do this is to use a ...

Page 32: ...ces are actively communication to the same VE Smart network navigate to the settings page of one of the networked devices and click on VE Smart networking A screen will be shown containing which device parameters of this device are shared and all the other devices that are connected to the same network are shown Example of a VE Smart network More information For more information see the VE Smart m...

Page 33: ...ault tail current value is 2A The default settings voltages absorption time multiplier and tail current can be modified with the VictronConnect App There are two exceptions to normal operation When used in an ESS system the solar charger algorithm is disabled and instead it follows the curve as mandated by the inverter charger For CAN bus Lithium batteries like BYD the battery tells the system inc...

Page 34: ...y a voltage limited constant current period The current is by default limited to 8 of the bulk current and can be adjusted between 0 and 100 The bulk current is set by default to the maximum charge current the solar charger is capable of unless a lower charge current has been chosen The maximum equalization duration is set by default to 1 hour and can be configured between 0 minutes and 24 hours T...

Page 35: ...6 6 Maintenance procedure The solar charger does not need regular maintenance MPPT solar charger manual Page 31 Operation ...

Page 36: ...Manual equalisation alternating blinking 2 Automatic equalisation2 Float2 1 The bulk LED will blink briefly every 3 seconds when the system is powered but there is insufficient power to start charging 2 The LED s might blink every 4 seconds indicating that the charger is receiving data from another device this can be a GX device ESS or a VE Smart Network link via Bluetooth Fault mode Bulk LED Abso...

Page 37: ...arger is configured for VE Smart Networking and is receiving battery temperature and or battery voltage data from the VE Smart Network Solar The solar gauge shows the solar output in relation to the maximum output power that the solar charger can generate at the set battery voltage and displays the dynamic real time value of the solar array output power The solar voltage measured at the solar term...

Page 38: ...ed for that day Solar Pmax The maximum power W recorded during the day Solar Vmax The highest voltage V from the PV array during the day Battery max and min The first figure shows the maximum battery voltage Vmax for the day The figure below is the minimum battery voltage Vmin for the day Errors This shows the daily number of errors if any To get more information about the error s click the orange...

Page 39: ...ror 7 4 Monitoring via a GX device and VRM If the solar charger is connected to a GX device all its data can be accessed via the GX device The GX device will also notify in case of solar charger alarms or faults For more information see the GX device manual GX device showing alarm notification and historic errors If the GX device is connected to Victron Remote Monitoring VRM portal the solar charg...

Page 40: ...r or unreasonable use or misuse neglect exposure to excess moisture fire improper packing lightning power surges or other acts of nature This limited warranty does not cover damage deterioration or malfunction resulting from repairs attempted by anyone unauthorized by Victron Energy to make such repairs Non compliance with the instructions in this manual will render the warranty void Victron Energ...

Page 41: ...y Inspect the battery terminals and the PV terminals If there are burn marks on the terminals or if the cables or connectors are molten refer to paragraph PV cable connection burned or melted In most cases this damage is not covered by warranty Check if there are burn or melting marks on the housing or if there is a burn smell all very unlikely If this is the case lodge a support request with your...

Page 42: ...link with the text why is the charger off If the link is clicked an explanation will appear as to why the charger is off VictronConnect link to why is the charger off 9 2 1 Reverse battery polarity Reverse polarity is when the positive and the negative battery cable have been accidentally swapped The battery negative has been connected to the positive solar charger terminal and the battery positiv...

Page 43: ... is check the battery monitor if present or alternatively check what charge stage the controller is in Also observe that the solar cycle is briefly progressing trough these charge stages at the beginning of the daily charge cycle Bulk stage 0 80 SoC Absorption stage 80 100 SoC Float or storage stage 100 SoC Be aware that it can also be possible that the solar charger thinks the battery is full whi...

Page 44: ...olarity 9 2 6 Battery voltage setting too low The battery will not be charged if the battery voltage setting in the VictronConnect App is set at a voltage lower than the actual system voltage Check that the battery voltage is set properly in the settings of the solar charger The battery voltage setting has to match that of the voltage of the battery To access the battery voltage setting navigate t...

Page 45: ...ller is not receiving the battery supply there is no voltage at the battery terminals of the solar charger Possible causes can be Loose or missing battery cables Loose cable connections or badly crimped cable terminals A blown or missing fuse in the battery supply cable Open or faulty circuit breaker in the battery supply cable Missing or incorrectly wired battery cables Battery voltage check 1 Us...

Page 46: ...V array can output more than its rated Voc As a rule of thumb keep a 10 safety margin An overvoltage event can damage the solar charger depending on how much the maximum PV voltage was exceeded This damage is not covered by warranty 9 3 Batteries are undercharged This chapter deals with possible reasons why the solar charger is not sufficiently charging the batteries and the steps you can take to ...

Page 47: ...ect voltage but the batteries will receive a lower voltage Battery charging will take longer and this can potentially lead to undercharged batteries A VE Smart network can help in case of a cable voltage drop A Smart Battery Sense or battery monitor measures the battery terminal voltage and sends this via the VE Smart network to the solar charger If the battery voltage is less than the solar charg...

Page 48: ... a window in the sun and the batteries are located on a cold concrete floor in the shade Always make sure that the ambient conditions are equal for both the solar charger and the battery 9 3 6 Insufficient solar Check if the solar charger reaches the float charge stage each day To investigate look at the history tab in the VictronConnect App The histogram displays how long the batteries have been ...

Page 49: ...system voltage the battery will be overcharged The solar charger automatically detects the battery voltage on first install and after the self detection is disabled This can become a problem if a solar charger that came out of a 24V system is now used in an 12V system In that scenario it will not detect that the system has changed and will keep charging with 24V battery charge voltages while the c...

Page 50: ... how deep the battery has been discharge on average A battery will last for less cycles if deeply discharged compared to more cycles if discharged less deep 3 Refer to the battery data sheet to find out how many cycles at what average discharge the battery is capable of Compare this with the battery history and determine if the battery is near the end of its service live To check if the battery ha...

Page 51: ... reasons why the solar charger is not reaching its full rated output Some of these reasons have already been explained in the the chapter The batteries take too long to charge are undercharged or charge current less than expected Some additional reasons are explained in this paragraph PV array too small If the PV array power rating is less than the solar charger nominal power rating the solar char...

Page 52: ...solar charger Only use solar panels that are the same brand type and model 9 5 6 PV connections burned or melted Burned or melted PV cables or connections are generally not covered under warranty In most case this is due to any of the following reasons Solar cable Cables with rigid core wire or rigid strands used Cables where the core wire has been soldered Cable too thin remember that the current...

Page 53: ...ow up check that TX port function in VictronConnect is set to Normal communication VE Direct TX port issues Check the TX port function setting in VictronConnect Does the set function match the application it is being used in To test if the TX port is operational check its functionality using a TX digital output cable VE Direct RX Port issues Check the RX port function setting in VictronConnect Doe...

Page 54: ...the unit is a non Smart controller VictronConnect can communicate via the unit s VE Direct port Or if the unit is connected to a GX device VictronConnect can communicate via VRM For more information see paragraph The different ways to connect with VictronConnect 9 7 Settings or firmware issues 9 7 1 Incorrect settings Incorrect settings can cause strange solar charger behaviour Check if all settin...

Page 55: ...the solar charger but it is not guaranteed that the solar charger is able to run all types of loads Some type of loads might run others might not Especially at low load power the solar charger is too slow to keep the voltage constant As such we do not provide support in these kind of situations 9 8 2 Unable to operate as a DC to DC charger It is not recommended to use the solar charger as a DC DC ...

Page 56: ...t up to 40 C Humidity 95 non condensing Maximum altitude 5000m full rated output up to 2000m Environmental condition Indoor type 1 unconditioned Pollution degree PD3 Data communication VE Direct port 4 ENCLOSURE Colour Blue RAL 5012 Power terminals 16 mm AWG6 Protection category IP43 electronic components IP22 connection area Weight 1 3 kg Dimensions h x w x d 130 x 186 x 70 mm STANDARDS Safety EN...

Page 57: ...131 71 5 R4 8 DETAIL A 4x SCALE 1 1 Dimensions in mm SCC020030200 BlueSolar MPPT 100 30 SCC110030210 SmartSolar MPPT 100 30 Dimension Drawing SmartSolar charge controller D E F C 1 2 3 4 B A 3 2 1 5 C D 4 6 7 8 A B 8 7 6 5 F E MPPT solar charger manual Page 53 Appendix ...

Page 58: ...PPT 150 35 SCC020050200 BlueSolar MPPT 100 50 SCC110050210 SmartSolar MPPT 100 50 SCC115035210 SmartSolar MPPT 150 35 SCC115045212 SmartSolar MPPT 150 45 SCC115045222 BlueSolar MPPT 150 45 Dimension Drawing SmartSolar charge controller D E F C 1 2 3 4 B A 3 2 1 5 C D 4 6 7 8 A B 8 7 6 5 F E MPPT solar charger manual Page 54 Appendix ...

Page 59: ... overheated despite reduced output current This error will auto reset after charger has cooled down Check the ambient temperature and check for obstructions near the heat sink Error 18 Controller over current This error will auto reset If the error does not auto reset disconnect the charger from all power sources wait 3 minutes and power up again If the error persists the charger is probably fault...

Page 60: ...e trip level for the PV Short protection can be increased by raising the Equalization voltage set point note equalization does not have to be enabled in this case The battery is disconnected using a Lithium charge relay connected to the allow to charge output of a BMS Consider wiring this signal to the Remote terminal of the charger instead This shuts down the charger gracefully without creating a...

Page 61: ...ormation is being received from two interfaces that have the same priority level as VE Can and VE Direct the charger does not know how to prioritize those causing error 68 to be triggered Error 114 CPU temperature too high This error will reset after the CPU has cooled down If the error persists check the ambient temperature and check for obstructions near the air inlet and outlet holes of the cha...

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