3. Installation
WARNING: DC (PV) INPUT NOT ISOLATED FROM BATTERY
CIRCUIT.
CAUTION: FOR PROPER TEMPERATURE COMPENSATION
THE AMBIENT CONDITION FOR CHARGER AND BATTERY MUST
BE WITHIN 5°C, or the optional Smart Battery Sense dongle must
be used.
3.1. General
● Mount vertically on a non-flammable substrate, with the power terminals facing
downwards. Observe a minimum clearance of 10 cm under and above the product for
optimal cooling.
● Mount close to the battery, but never directly above the battery (in order to prevent
damage due to gassing of the battery).
● Improper internal temperature compensation (e.g. ambient condition battery and
charger not within 5°C) can lead to reduced battery lifetime.
We recommend installing the Smart Battery Sense option if larger temperature
differences or extreme ambient temperature conditions are expected.
● Battery installation must be done in accordance with the storage battery rules of the
Canadian Electrical Code, Part I.
● The battery and PV connections must guarded against inadvertent contact (e.g. install
in an enclosure or install the optional WireBox).
3.2 Grounding
● Battery grounding: the charger can be installed in a positive or negative grounded
system.
Note: apply a single ground connection (preferably close to the battery) to prevent
malfunctioning of the system.
● Chassis grounding: A separate earth path for the chassis ground is permitted because it is
isolated from the positive and negative terminal.
● The USA National Electrical Code (NEC) requires the use of an external ground fault
protection device (GFPD). These MPPT chargers do not have internal ground fault
protection. The system electrical negative should be bonded through a GFPD to earth
ground at one (and only one) location.
● The charger must not be connected with grounded PV arrays (one ground connection
only)
● The plus and minus of the PV array should not be grounded. Ground the frame of the PV
panels to reduce the impact of lightning.
WARNING: WHEN A GROUND FAULT IS INDICATED, BATTERY TERMINALS AND
CONNECTED CIRCUITS MAY BE UNGROUNDED AND HAZARDOUS.
3.3. PV configuration (also see the MPPT Excel sheet on our website)
● Provide a means to disconnect all current-carrying conductors of a photovoltaic power
source from all other conductors in a building or other structure.
● A switch, circuit breaker, or other device, either ac or dc, shall not be installed in a
grounded conductor if operation of that switch, circuit breaker, or other device leaves the
grounded conductor in an ungrounded state while the system remains energyzed.
●
The controller will operate only if the PV voltage exceeds battery voltage (Vbat).
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