Te c h n i c a l D o c u m e n t a t i o n SunSaver MPPT Lighting Lighting Control and Configuration v03 Abstract: Version 09 of the SunSaver MPPT firmware introduced a new programmable lighting control feature which can be configured using the Morningstar MSView software. v09 firmware MUST be downloaded from the Morningstar Technical Support site Software Library and installed in order to enable lighting control. The controller does not come from the factory with lighting control.
Firmware Update STEP 1: Download MSLoad and v09 (or newer) Firmware Update A) MSLoad is the utility used to upload new firmware files to Morningstar products. This utility is included in the .zip file containing the v09 update (available in the Tech Support section of the Morningstar website, www.morningstarcorp.com). Download and save the v09 (or newer) update .zip file to your computer. B) Extract the .zip file to your Desktop. The extraction folder should contain three items: i) SSMPPT_Update_v09.
STEP 3: Upload New Firmware to SunSaver MPPT A) Launch the MSLoad utility by double-clicking on the MSLoad.exe file from STEP 1. B) Read the Warnings and click Next>. C) Read the Welcome text and click Next>. D) MSLoad now requests the firmware file you wish to use. Click the Browse button and find the SSMPPT_Update_v09.msc (or newer) file from STEP 1. Hightlight the file and click Open.
After doing so, MSLoad will begin the update. This may take a few minutes to complete; a green checkmark will appear when complete. Click Finish. i) If a red X appears instead of the green checkmark, the update has failed. Return to STEP 2 and repeat the procedure. ii) If still unsuccessful after several tries, please contact your authorized Morningstar Dealer for assistance.
Lighting Control Configuration STEP 1: Download and Install MSView Software IMPORTANT: If you already have the MSView software on your PC, you may skip to STEP 2. IMPORTANT: Much older versions of MSView currently on your PC may need to be uninstalled before installing the most recent MSView version. The install wizard will inform you of this if necessary. A) The MSView software is used to configure the SSMPPT for lighting control.
D) A new set of custom controller settings will appear populated with default values. Click Next> 4 successive times, leaving all default charging settings unchanged for each page. IMPORTANT: This guide only addresses Lighting Control and does not cover adjustment of other custom parameters such as charge settings and load low voltage disconnect settings. For more info on these, please refer to the MSView Help File, found under the Help menu -> Help Topics in MSView.
B) Make sure the Channel 1 tab is active (you are now making changes to Channel 1). Configure Channel 1 to read: At At 0h 0h 0m 0m after after sunset turn lights on sunrise turn lights off Notice the changes to the left and right clock graphs. The left clock graph, which shows each individual Channel configuration separately, has changed to show Channel 1 on from sunset to sunrise.
C) Click on the Channel 2 tab to make Channel 2 active. Configure the action drop down box to read Do Nothing. This will cause Channel 2 in the left graph to go dark, indicating Channel 2 is no longer contributing to the lighting/load control and has been disabled. (This may or may not cause a change to the right graph.) D) Repeat C) above for Channels 3 and 4. (This may or may not cause a change to the right graph.
F) The slider bar can be dragged from left (winter) to right (summer) in order to give a visual representation as to how the lighting/load behavior will change with the seasons. Note: The position of this bar does not affect the load control configuration, it is simply a visualization tool. G) No changes need to be made to the Sunrise/Sunset Threshold percentages. Leave the default values unchanged.
B) Verify that Lighting Enabled reads “enabled”. Verify that Lighting chan 0 timers reads “turn on at sunset, turn off at sunrise”. Note that the 12V/24V settings are the same and that you can stretch the columns to see any text which has been cut-off. C) Do not close the SSMPPT Setup Wizard. STEP 5: Prepare SunSaver MPPT for Programming A) The SSMPPT now needs to be programmed with the new lighting/load control settings.
B) Connect the MSC MeterBus output (RJ-11) to the METER port on the SunSaver MPPT using the RJ-11 cable provided with the MSC adapter. Make sure the cable is pushed in all the way to the METER port until you hear a ‘click’. C) Make sure DIP Switch #4 is in the UP (ON) position. This allows the controller to talk MODBUSTM, the communications protocol used by MSView.
C) The MODBUS Address for this controller is programmed as ‘1’ from the factory. Unless you have programmed a different address during a previous MSView session, the SSMPPT default address will still be ‘1’. Click Next>. D) MSView will now write the new settings to the controller. A blue bar at the top of the window will indicate progress. When programming is complete, click Finish.
Appendix I - Advanced Timing Examples Example #1 Desired Timing: • On from sunset to 3hrs after sunset • On from 3hrs before sunrise to sunrise • Off all other times A) Channel 1 will be responsible for turning the lights on at sunset and keeping them on until 3hrs after sunset. Click Enable Lighting checkbox and make sure the Channel 1 tab is active.
Example #2 Desired Timing: • On from 2hrs before sunset to 2hrs after sunset • On from 3hrs before sunrise to 3hrs after sunrise • Off all other times A) Channel 1 will be responsible for turning the lights on 2hrs before sunset and keeping them on until 2hrs after sunset. Click Enable Lighting checkbox and make sure the Channel 1 tab is active.
F) Now that Channel 1 has been set for 2hrs before sunset to 2hrs after sunset, Channel 2 has been set for 3hrs before sunrise to 3hrs after sunrise, and Channels 3/4 have been disabled, the right graph will show the final lighting control output (the Desired Timing listed above); a direct representation of how the lighting/load will be powered by the controller.
C) Select boolean OR for Channel 2. This will keep each channel independent so that the full configurations of both channels are preserved. D) Channel 3 will be responsible for turning the lights on 2hrs before midnight and keeping them on until 1hr after midnight. Click the Channel 3 tab and configure it to read: At At 2h 1h 0m 0m before after midnight midnight turn lights on turn lights off E) Select boolean OR for Channel 3.
Appendix II - Sunrise/Sunset Thresholds Description: The SunSaver MPPT uses the array voltage (Varray) to determine whether it is daytime or nighttime. It is essential for the controller to know when transitions from day-to-night or night-today occur in order to keep accurate control of the lighting/loads. To do this, the controller looks for when Varray rises above a certain level or falls below a certain level.
conditions during the day, adjust the sunset threshold percentage lower. • During the nighttime: Ambient light from streetlights, headlights, landscape lighting, etc tend to cause ‘mini-sunrises’ (where the array output voltage rises, but not as much during true sunrise). To prevent the controller from detecting a sunrise event during temporary illumination at night, adjust the sunrise threshold percentage higher.
