5.5.1.3 Charge current limitation (default setting 75%)
For maximum battery life, a charge current of 10% to 20% of the capacity in Ah should be applied.
Example: optimal charge current of a 24V/500Ah battery bank: 50A to 100A.
The temperature sensor supplied automatically adjusts the charging voltage to the battery temperature.
If faster charging – and a subsequent higher current – is required:
- the temperature sensor supplied should be fitted to the battery, since fast charging can lead to a considerable temperature
rise of the battery bank. The charging voltage is adapted to the higher temperature (i.e. lowered) by means of the temperature
sensor.
- the bulk charging time will sometimes be so short that a fixed absorption time would be more satisfactory ('fixed' absorption
time, see ds5, step 2).
Procedure
The battery charging current can be set in four steps, using DIP switches ds4 and ds3 (default setting: 75%).
ds4 ds3
off
off = 25%
off
on = 50%
on
off = 75%
on
on = 100%
Note: when WeakAC is on, the maximum charge current is reduced from 100% to approximately 80%.
5.5.1.4 Stand-alone, parallel and 3-phase operation
Using DIP switches ds2 and ds1, three system configurations can be selected.
NOTE:
All units in a parallel or three phase system must be connected to the same battery. The DC and the AC
cabling of all units must be of the same length and cross section.
When configuring a parallel or 3-phase system, all related devices should be interconnected using RJ45 UTP cables
(see appendix C, D). All devices must be turned on. They will subsequently return an error code (see Section 7),
since they have been integrated into a system and still are configured as 'stand-alone'. This error message can safely
be ignored.
Storing settings (by pressing the 'Up' button (step 1) – and later on the 'Down' button (step 2) – for 2 seconds) should
be done on one device only. This device is the 'master' in a parallel system or the 'leader' (L1) in a 3-phase system.
In a parallel system, the step-1 setting of DIP switches ds8 to ds3 need to be done on the master only. The slaves
will follow the master with regard to these settings (hence the master/slave relationship).
In a 3-phase system, a number of settings are required for the other devices, i.e. the followers (for phases L2 and
L3).
(The followers, therefore, do not follow the leader for all settings, hence the leader/follower terminology).
A change in the setting 'stand-alone / parallel / 3-phase' is only activated after the setting has been stored (by
pressing the 'UP' button for 2 seconds) and after all devices have been turned off and then on again. In order to start
up a VE.Bus system correctly, all devices should therefore be turned off after the settings have been stored, They
can then be turned on in any order. The system will not start until all devices have been turned on.
Note that only identical devices can be integrated in one system. Any attempt to use different models in one system
will fail. Such devices may possibly function correctly again only after individual reconfiguration for 'stand-alone'
operation.
The combination ds2=on and ds1=on is not used.
17