SMP100 Manual
7
Float Stage
The Float stage is a maintenance charge at a preset constant voltage. It can be maintained
indenitely to ensure the batteries maintain the maximum state of charge by allowing the
current to vary.
Charge Timer
The charge timer starts once battery voltage goes above the oat voltage by a certain amount.
The timer will run for a pre-determined amount of time based on the battery specications
provided by the manufacturer, but is adjustable in the PowerWizard software. When the timer
expires, the charger will switch into oat mode. A new timer will start and the charger will not
return to bulk or absorption mode for a predetermined amount of time to allow the battery to
recover.
Battery Maintenance
Maintain the batteries in your battery storage system according to the battery manufacturer’s
recommendations. In particular, monitor the water level in the batteries as described on the
previous page.
Battery Temperature Sensor
A Battery Temperature Sensor (BTS) is included with the SolarMax charge controller. Battery
temperature affects the ideal charging voltage, the cooler the battery temperature the higher
the ideal charging voltage. SolarMax, with a properly installed BTS, will protect the batteries
from overcharging by adjusting the charging voltage to match the battery temperature. One
of the setup values in PowerWizard is the Battery Temperature Coefcient. This value should
be supplied by the battery manufacturer and used during setup. There is no need to use a
minus sign when entering the coefcient. The coefcient is the value recommended by the
manufacturer times the number of batteries in series. NEED CARRIAGE RETURN HERE
The BTS should be rmly attached to a battery in a central part of the pack by double sided
tape, either on the side or on the top of the battery.