Freedom Lite Marine Installation Manual Revision 1
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Runs longer than 5m should be assessed, and larger cables considered for extending the
Freedom Lite cables, to minimise voltage drop. Double Insulation welding cable is
recommended.
On Installations where there are too many inverters and/or charge controllers to connect to
the DC bus directly from the battery using the inverter terminals as a junction point a DC
connector box is required.
5.2
Control Cables – Overview
For controlling external devices you will need to connect the control wiring that allows the
Battery Management System inside the Freedom Lite to control and interface with these
devices.
The connection of the cables and the method of control depends on the model of inverter,
alternator, or charge controller. There are three main control options for the connected
equipment, namely:
1.
hard wired potential free contacts that are connected to auxiliary inputs or remote
on/off switches on the inverter, alternator regulator or charge controller,
2.
analogue 0-5V signal,
3.
or CAN Bus.
The primary control option is CAN Bus, which requires an ethernet cable to be plugged into
one of the RJ45 plugs on the battery. The RJ45 connection is standard supply on the
Freedom Lite Marine.
The second control connection method is an
optional
analogue signal and relay control
cable. The cable is not supplied as standard because most modern applications use CAN Bus
control, but it can be ordered as an option from Freedom Won where CAN Bus interfacing is
not available on all connected equipment. All control methods can be used simultaneously.
The Lite does not contain internal relays for method 1 above, so external relays are
required, which are controlled by the relay coil driver wires from the optional control cable.
The relay used must be rated for the voltage of the battery i.e. 12V, 24V or 48V.
Relays controlled by the battery relay driver signals may also be used to control larger
contactors. Note that it is not feasible to control overcharge by disconnecting the DC
connection from an alternator, as disconnecting the DC power cable from an alternator
while it is running will result in regulator and/or alternator damage. To enable battery
control over the alternator output it is necessary to use a regulator alternator combination
that provides a remote enable/disable ignition input or a CAN Bus controlled regulator.
The optional control cable contains 12 wires, each of a different colour, of which eight are
used. Table 4.1 below provides the colour coding for the Freedom Won supplied cable.
Further explanation of the functions is laid out in Table 4.1
