ViewStar Series RENOGY 10A | 20A | 30A Pulse Width Modulation Solar Charge Controller Manual 2775 E. Philadelphia St.
Important Safety Instructions Please save these instructions. This manual contains important safety, installation, and operating instructions for the charge controller. The following symbols are used throughout the manual to indicate potentially dangerous conditions or important safety information. WARNING: Indicates a potentially dangerous condition. Use extreme caution when performing this task.
Be careful when working with large lead acid batteries. Wear eye protection and have fresh water available in case there is contact with the battery acid. Carefully read battery manuals before operation. Do NOT let the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals of the battery touch each other. Recycle battery when it is replaced. Over-charging and excessive gas precipitation may damage the battery plates and activate material shedding on them.
Table of Contents General Information ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Optional Components .................................................................................................................................... 6 Identification of Parts ..................................................................................................................................... 7 Installation ......
General Information The PWM 30ACC-ViewStar is an advanced controller for off-grid solar applications. This high performance PWM charging process is optimized for a long battery life and improved system performance. It can be used for 12V or 24V battery bank. The control is embedded with selfdiagnostics and electronic protection functions that prevent damages from installation mistakes or system faults. Key Features Automatic recognition for 12V or 24V battery banks.
Four Charging Stages The ViewStar charge controllers have a 4-stage battery charging algorithm for a rapid, efficient, and safe battery charging. They include: Bulk Charge, Boost Charge, Float Charge, and Equalization. Bulk Charge: This algorithm is used for day to day charging. It uses 100% of available solar power to recharge the battery and is equivalent to constant current.
WARNING: Once equalization is active in the battery charging, it will not exit this stage unless there is adequate charging current from the solar panel. There should be NO load on the batteries when in equalization charging stage. WARNING: Over-charging and excessive gas precipitation may damage the battery plates and activate material shedding on them. Too high of equalizing charge or for too long may cause damage. Please carefully review the specific requirements of the battery used in the system.
Identification of Parts 1 2 4 1 6 4 2 5 5 3 3 6 8 7 7 7 8 Figure 3: 10A/ 20A ViewStar Model Figure 4: 30A ViewStar Model Figure 5: 30A ViewStar Model PV Terminal BATTERY Terminal LOAD Terminal Key Parts 1. Charging LED Indicator—LED indicator showing charge status. 2. Fault LED indicator—LED indicator showing system faults. 3. Local Temperature Sensor—acquires ambient temperature to perform temperature compensation for charging and discharging. 4.
Installation Recommended tools to have before installation: Flathead Screwdriver Multi-Meter WARNING: Connect battery terminal wires to the charge controller FIRST then connect the solar panel(s) to the charge controller. NEVER connect solar panel to charge controller before the battery. WARNING: Do NOT connect any inverters or battery chargers into the load terminal of the charge controller.
Battery 1 2 3 Load (Optional) 1 2 9
Solar Panels 1 2 3 Temperature Sensor (if applicable) 1 10
MT-50 Tracer (If applicable) 1 2 Mounting Recommendations: WARNING: Never install the controller in a sealed enclosure with flooded batteries. Gas can accumulate and there is a risk of explosion. 1. Choose Mounting Location—place the controller on a vertical surface protected from direct sunlight, high temperatures, and water. Make sure there is good ventilation. 2. Check for Clearance—verify that there is sufficient room to run wires, as well as clearance above and below the controller for ventilation.
Operation After connecting the battery to the charge controller, the controller will turn on automatically. The user will be prompted by an initialization screen for a few seconds followed by the Default Screen. Welcome V2.37+V2.65 Use the following buttons to maneuver through the menu: MENU/ Menu / Cursor Left / Cursor up / Number add button /- Cursor down / Number reduce button ENTER/ Enter / Cursor right button Jan01 12:12:12 MENU/ Select selection to display the screen 1.
1. Monitoring Use / /- to maneuver through the screens PV 0.0V 0.0A Indicates the voltage (V) and amperage (A) that the solar panel(s) are delivering to the controller BATT 12.5V 0.0A Indicates the voltage (V) and amperage (A) that the solar panel(s) are delivering to the battery TEMP 20.
2. Device Set Use /- / Device Set Date: 00-00-0000 Time: 00:00:00 to cycle through the screens. Press ENTER/ to select Modify the date and time for the charge controller. Time is displayed in military time (24Hr) and will be reflected in the default screen. Select Save when finished. The user will have to select save parameters after every screen.
Parameter Set Equal Chrg: 14.6V Boost Chrg: 14.4V Float Chrg: 13.8V Parameters for commencing Equalization Charging, Boost Charging, and Float Charging. Parameter Set Boost V. Rect: 13.2 V Under V. Rect: 12.2 V Under V. Warn: 12.0 V Parameters for Boost Voltage Reconnect, Boost Under-Voltage Reconnect, and Boost Under-Voltage warning. Parameter Set Low V. Rect: 12.6V Low V. Disc: 11.1V Discharg Lmt: 10.6V Parameters for controller Low Voltage-Reconnect, Low Voltage-Disconnect, and the Discharge Limit.
In Light On/Off, the user sets parameters to turn the load on or off. Manual Light On/Off Light On+Timer Time The load terminal automatically turns on when the solar voltage goes BELOW the point of NTTV (Night Time Threshold Voltage).The load automatically turns off when the voltage goes ABOVE the point of DTTV (Day Time Threshold Voltage). There is a delay between turning the load on or off and can be programmed to be from 0-99minutes. Light On/Off On: 05.0V Delay: 10m Off: 06.
6. Test Mode / Use Load: > ON /- to cycle through the screens. Press ENTER/ to select Test the load of the charge controller. Once settings have been set in 4. Load Set, the user is able to test whether the load will turn on upon direction. Test Mode OFF NOTE: Delay must be set to “0” to see immediate results. 7. Password / Use /- to cycle through the screens.
The screen will be followed up by a secondary screen to make sure a factory reset is what the user intends to do. Really to reset? >NO YES 10. Reboot Device Use >NO / /- to cycle through the screens. Press Reboot Device? YES ENTER/ to select This parameter will reboot the charge controller without losing any of the customized settings the user may have set.
System Status Glossary PV: Disconnect BATT: NoCharge/ Normal LOAD: On DEVICE: Normal PV Status Connect Disconnect Measure Err Over Current MOS-I Short MOS-C Short MOS Break BATT Status Equalize Boost Float NoCharge LVD UVW Normal OVD Error OverTemp LOAD Status On Off Overload Short Error MOS Short DEVICE Status Normal OverTemp Meaning PV is Connected PV is Disconnected Measurement Error at the PV terminal PV is Overcurrent (Metal oxide semiconductor) used for PV reverse polarity is short.
System Status Troubleshooting Indicator Status Description Connect The controller recognizes the PV solar panel(s). System is functioning normally. Disconnect Indicator PV Status Measure Err OverCurrent MOS-I Short Indicator The controller does not recognize the solar panel(s). Troubleshoot N/A If it is nighttime, the light will be off. Otherwise double check that the poles are not switched. Troubleshoot Check connections and make sure there is not a short somewhere along the line.
OverTemp OVD Indicator LOAD Status Overload Check battery parameters and make sure they are suitable to be used with the charge controller. Use a multi-meter to check battery voltage to reaffirm the controller’s diagnosis. Troubleshoot Check to make sure the devices connected to the load terminal are within the load specification. If so, then reduce the number of loads and it will reconnect automatically. Short Check the device wiring and connections going into the load.
Fusing Fusing is a recommended in PV systems to provide a safety measure for connections going from panel to controller and controller to battery. Remember to always use the recommended wire gauge size based on the PV system and the controller. NEC Maximum Current for different Copper Wire Sizes AWG 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Max. 10A 15A 20A 30A 55A 75A 95A 130A 170A Current Fuse from Controller to Battery Controller to Battery Fuse = Current Rating of Charge Controller Ex.
Technical Specifications Electrical Parameters Model VS1024BN VS2024BN VS3024BN Nominal system voltage 12V/24V auto recognition Rated battery current 10A 20A 30A Rated load current 10A 20A 30A Max. battery voltage 32V Max. Solar Input 48V Equalize charging voltage Sealed: 14.6V, Flooded: 14.8V, User-defined: 9~17V Gel: 14.2V, Sealed: 14.4V, Flooded: 14.6V, User-defined: 9~17V Boost charging voltage Float charging voltage Gel /Sealed /Flooded: 13.
Charging Parameters NOTE: Under the USER battery setting, the parameters can be adjusted within the boundaries of the max and min values listed below.
NOTE: The following rules MUST be obliged when setting custom parameters.
Low Voltage Reconnect—this parameter allows loads connected to the system will be able to operate (not fully) again. Under-voltage Recover—deals with the loads connected to the system. When batteries are determined to be low due to them approaching low voltage disconnect, then the loads will be shut off to give the batteries time to recover. This parameter sets the controller to shut off the loads until it can reach the low voltage reconnect stage.
Dimensions 10A VS1024BN 27
20A VS2024BN 28
A VS3024BN 29
Wiring Diagrams 100W Wiring Diagram 12V Battery Bank 4 5 3 2 6 2 1 1. Solar Panel 4. Charge Controller (10A/20A/30A), 2. Fuse 5. Tray Cable 3. Adapter Kit 6.
200W Wiring Diagram—Series 12V Battery Bank 4 2 3 5 6 2 1 1. Solar Panels 4. Charge Controller (20A/30A), 2. Fuse 5. Tray Cable 3. Adapter Kit 6.
200W Wiring Diagram—Parallel 12V Battery Bank 5 3 4 6 7 3 2 1 1. Solar Panels 2. MC4 Branch Connectors 3. Fuse 4. Adapter Kit 5. Charge Controller (20A/30A) 6. Tray Cable 7.
300W Wiring Diagram—Parallel 12V Battery Bank 5 4 3 6 7 3 2 2 1 1. Solar Panels 2. MC4 Branch Connectors 5. Charge Controller (30A) 6. Tray Cable 3. Fuse 4. Adapter Kit 7.
400W Wiring Diagram—Parallel 12V Battery Bank 5 3 4 6 7 3 2 2 2 1 1. Solar Panels 2. MC4 Branch Connector 5. Charge Controller (30A), 6. Tray Cable 3. Fuse 4. Adapter Kit 7.
