800.261.3602
Revised 07/18
Installation Instructions
1.
Complete the installation of the solar panels. Follow the solar panel manufacturer’s
instructions for solar panel mounting and wiring to a weather proof multi panel junction box.
Cover panels with an opaque material (several layers of a thick blanket) until wiring is
complete.
2.
Prepare the site for mounting the controller. Use the cut-out template found in Appendix C
to mark the outline of the 4.15" x 3.5"opening for flush mounting of the controller.
3.
Select wire type and gauge. (See Appendix B) It is recommended that stranded copper UV
resistance wire be used. Wire fatigue and the possibility of a loose connection are greatly
reduced by using stranded wire over solid wire. The wire gauge must be able to sustain the
rated current (3.5 Amps) as well as minimizing voltage drop. Keeping the distance between
PV junction box, the charge controller and batteries, as short as possible, this will minimize
the voltage drop.
Suggested minimum wire gauge and fuse size:
300 Watts of Solar Panels # 10 Gauge Wire 25 Amp Fuse
450 Watts of Solar Panels # 8 Gauge Wire 35 Amp Fuse
600 Watts of Solar Panels # 6 Gauge Wire 40 Amp Fuse
(25ft. Maximum Cable Length from solar panels to battery bank.)
4.
If possible use red and black cables or mark both ends of each cable with colored tape to
indicate which cable is positive and negative, to avoid possibly hooking the cables up
backwards and damaging the controller.
5.
Run the wires from the solar panels and the batteries to the location of where the SunExplorer
III controller will be mounted. If a battery temperature sensor is to be used, run it with the
set of cable coming from the battery compartment. It is also required that an in-line fuse be
installed at the battery location to protect both batteries and controller (for ease of
accessibility, see Appendix A). If a wire ever came loose and caused a short, you do not need
continuous arcing to cause a fire. Do not connect the wires to battery at this time.
6.
The SunExplorer III has four terminals marked as follows: BAT(+), PV(+), BAT(-) , and PV(-).
Strip the insulation back 3/8" (9.5mm), insert each wire into the correct terminal, tighten
enough to hold the wire, reverify polarity, and then tighten each connection to 16 inch pounds
(1.8N.m).
7.
Do not connect temperature sensor to the controller at this time. At battery location,
remove fuse from the fuse holder or open the resettable breaker, then finish connecting the
in-line fuse to the controller’s b wire, and connect the other end to the b (pos)
terminal. Connect the controller’s battery neg (-) wire to the battery neg (-) terminal.
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