Victron energy BlueSolar 150/100, Manual

Page 1: ...MPPT solar charger manual SmartSolar MPPT 150 70 up to 250 100 VE Can 03 2021 ENGLISH ...

Page 2: ... 3 14 WireBox 8 4 Installation 10 4 1 Mounting 10 4 2 Battery 10 4 3 PV array 10 4 4 Grounding 11 4 5 Electrical connections 12 4 6 Install the optional SmartSolar Control display 13 4 7 Connect the MPPT Control display 14 5 Configuration and settings 15 5 1 How to change settings 15 5 1 1 Settings via the VictronConnect App 15 5 1 2 Settings via the rotary switch 15 5 1 3 Settings via the SmartSo...

Page 3: ...8 9 3 6 Insufficient solar 48 9 3 7 Wrong temperature compensation setting 49 9 3 8 Battery charge current too low 49 9 4 Batteries are overcharged 49 9 4 1 Battery voltage setting too high 49 9 4 2 Battery charge voltages too high 50 9 4 3 Battery unable to deal with equalization 50 9 4 4 Battery old or faulty 50 9 5 Solar issues 51 9 5 1 PV reverse current too high 51 9 5 2 PV yield less than ex...

Page 4: ...70 250 85 and 250 100 59 11 Appendix 61 11 1 Dimensions 70A MC4 VE Can 61 11 2 Dimensions 70A Tr VE Can 62 11 3 Dimensions 85A MC4 VE Can and 100A MC4 VE Can 62 11 4 Dimensions 85A Tr VE Can and 100A Tr VE Can 63 11 5 Charger error code overview 64 MPPT solar charger manual ...

Page 5: ...s designed and tested in accordance with international standards The equipment should be used for the designated application only Connections must always be made in the sequence described in the Installation 10 chapter of this manual The installer of the product must provide a means for cable strain relief to prevent the transmission of stress to the connections In addition to this manual the syst...

Page 6: ...The grounding terminal is located in the wiring compartment and is identified by this symbol MPPT solar charger manual Page 2 Safety precautions ...

Page 7: ...m of 70A The table below indicates the maximum PV voltage and maximum battery charge current of the solar chargers that are covered by this manual Solar charger model Maximum PV voltage Maximum battery charge current Suitable battery voltages MPPT 150 70 150V 70A 12 24 36 and 48V MPPT 150 85 150V 85A 12 24 36 and 48V MPPT 150 100 150V 100A 12 24 36 and 48V MPPT 250 70 250V 70A 12 24 36 and 48V MPP...

Page 8: ... to a local MPP which may not be the optimum MPP 3 3 Outstanding conversion efficiency The solar charger has an outstanding conversion efficiency The maximum efficiency exceeds 98 One of the benefits of the high efficiency is that the solar charger does not have a cooling fan and the maximum output current is guaranteed up to an ambient temperature of 40 C 104 F 3 4 Extensive electronic protection...

Page 9: ...ng a VE Direct USB interface The VictronConnect App can connect remotely to the solar charger via a GX device connected to the same local network or via the internet using the VRM portal VictronConnect App connection via LAN or the internet VRM portal using a GX device for example a Cerbo GX 3 6 Display There are a number of display options The VictronConnect App A GX device The VRM Portal GX devi...

Page 10: ...eces are included A connection example is shown in below figure RJ45 cable RJ45 cable VE Can RJ45 terminator VE Can RJ45 terminator Example of two VE Can solar chargers connecting to a single GX device 3 9 Battery charging 3 9 1 Adaptive 3 stage battery charging The solar charger is a 3 stage charger The charge stages are Bulk Absorption Float Bulk During the bulk stage the solar charger delivers ...

Page 11: ...Should a more accurate battery temperate be needed consider using an external battery temperature sensor see chapter External temperature and voltage sensor 7 External temperature and voltage sensor 7 The temperature compensation range is 6 C to 40 C 39 F to 104 F The internal temperature sensor is also used to determine if the solar charger is overheated 3 10 2 External temperature and voltage se...

Page 12: ... switch relay or other external device like a battery BMS When the voltage on the L terminal is pulled to battery minus 3 5V via a switch relay or other external device like a battery BMS A virtual remote on off terminal can be created by using the VE Direct non inverting remote on off cable The functionality can be programmed using the VictronConnect App RX port function settings 3 13 Programmabl...

Page 13: ... MPPT WireBox Tr Example of a solar charger with MPPT WireBox MPPT solar charger manual Page 9 Features ...

Page 14: ...hese temperature differences can lead to incorrect temperature compensated charging which can reduce the battery lifetime If large temperature differences or extreme ambient temperature conditions are expectedd use a direct battery temperature sense source like the Smart Battery Sense or a BMV or SmartShunt equipped with a temperature sensor 4 2 Battery The battery supply must be protected by a fu...

Page 15: ...5x 24 panel in series Provide means to disconnect all current carrying conductors of a photo voltaic power source from all other conductors in a building or other structure Be aware that at low temperatures and depending on local conditions and cell specifications the open circuit voltage of a solar array may exceed the array s rated maximum open circuit voltage In that case the number of cells in...

Page 16: ...battery terminals and connected circuits may be un grounded and hazardous 4 5 Electrical connections Make all electrical connections in the following order Confirm correct battery polarity then connect the battery this will allow the solar charger to recognize the system voltage Torque moment 2 4Nm Connect the remote on off terminal if applicable Connect the programmable relay terminal if applicab...

Page 17: ... cover The display terminal is now exposed 3 Remove the two plastic plugs on either side of the display plug 4 Remove the paper backing of the double sided tape on the back of the display 5 Insert the display into the plug and make sure it has been inserted all the way in 6 Screw the display down by using the two screws that were used for the plastic cover How and where to connect the SmartSolar C...

Page 18: ...Control display Connect the optional MPPT Control display to the VE Direct port of the solar charger using a VE Direct cable Note that it is not possible to extend the VE Direct cable the maximum length can not exceed 10 meter For more information see the MPPT Control display manual VE Direct cable Connect the display to the solar charger via a VE Direct cable MPPT solar charger manual Page 14 Ins...

Page 19: ... the effect of changing these settings can be Incorrect settings may cause system problems including damage to batteries When in doubt seek advice from an experienced Victron Energy installer dealer or distributor 5 1 1 Settings via the VictronConnect App The VictronConnect App can be used to change all solar charger settings and can be used to update the firmware This manual only covers the Victr...

Page 20: ...ge Stationary tubular plate OPzS 14 3 28 6 57 2 13 8 27 6 55 2 16 1 32 2 64 4 8 16 32 64 2 Default setting Gel Victron deep discharge Gel Exide A200 AGM Victron deep discharge Stationary tubular plate OPzS 14 4 28 8 57 6 13 8 27 6 55 2 16 2 32 4 64 8 8 16 32 64 3 AGM spiral cell Stationary tubular plate OPzS Rolls AGM 14 7 29 4 58 8 13 8 27 6 55 2 16 5 33 0 66 0 8 16 32 64 4 PzS tubular plate trac...

Page 21: ...1 1 1 Fast 1 0 0 1 Slow 2 0 1 0 Slow 3 0 1 1 Slow 4 1 0 0 Slow 5 1 0 1 Slow 6 1 1 0 Slow 7 1 1 1 Slow 5 1 3 Settings via the SmartSolar Control display The SmartSolar Control display can be used to configure solar charger settings For information how to do this see the SmartSolar Control display manual The SmartSolar display 5 1 4 Settings via MPPT Control display The MPPT Control display can be u...

Page 22: ...matic voltage detection active for example before shipping the unit to an end user do the following Update the firmware Once the firmware update is complete go to the settings page on VictronConnect On the settings page click on the three vertical dots in the upper right corner and select Reset to defaults from the drop down menu Un power the solar charger When the unit is powered up the next time...

Page 23: ...nt interval stop mode and duration For the meaning of these parameters see chapter Battery charge algorithm settings 20 Equalization Equalization can cause damage to the battery if the battery is not suitable for an equalization charge Always check with the battery manufacturer prior to enabling equalization This setting can be used to disable or enable automatic equalization When enabled the amou...

Page 24: ...his can be done either in normal mode or in expert mode The battery preset is now set to user defined Select in the Battery preset menu Create preset Give the preset battery a name To load a custom battery type Select in the Battery preset menu Select preset The menu lists all factory preset and custom battery types that were previously added if any Select the battery type of your choice To modify...

Page 25: ...e when programming a custom charge profile Enter the maximum time in hours and minutes hh mm the solar charger is allowed to spend in the absorption stage The maximum time that can be set is 12 hours and 59 minutes Float voltage This setting sets the float voltage Re bulk voltage offset Sets the re bulk voltage offset This offset voltage is used to determine when the float stage stops and the bulk...

Page 26: ...setting it to zero Temperature compensation This setting sets the temperature compensation coefficient that is needed for temperature compensated charging Many battery types require a lower charge voltage in warm operating conditions and a higher charge voltage in cold operating conditions The configured coefficient is in mV per degree Celsius for the whole battery bank not per cell The base tempe...

Page 27: ...28 The available operation modes are Always off The load output is always OFF BatteryLife algorithm This is a self adapting algorithm to maximize life of the battery For more information see chapter Conventional algorithm 1 12V system OFF when Vbatt 11 1V ON when Vbatt 13 1V 24V system OFF when Vbatt 22 2V ON when Vbatt 26 2V 48V system OFF when Vbatt 44 4V ON when Vbatt 52 4V Conventional algorit...

Page 28: ... cause the relay to switch under different conditions Some of these conditions are pre determined and some are customizable In addition to the relay mode a relay minimum closed time can be set The programmable relay offers three connections NO Normally Open C Common NC Normally Closed Relay State Connection between Switched ON C and NO Switched OFF C and NC Relay C NC NO Internal operation of the ...

Page 29: ...r Defrost option Temp 20 C This option switches the relay ON when the Charger temperature falls below 20 degrees Centigrade Battery voltage high This option switches the relay ON when the battery voltage is too high Battery voltage High settings Battery high voltage relay The default setting for this is 16 50V 12V battery assumed Clear battery high voltage relay The default setting for this is 16 ...

Page 30: ...ntered one for the on period and a second for the off period A typical use case for these options is to get a strong light during high traffic hours right after sunset and lower intensity during the low hours to save the battery Set the second dim level to 0 to switch the light completely off during that second section Switch on till midnight This option turns the light on at sunset and then off a...

Page 31: ... the sunset detection level The lowest detectable voltage is 11 4V Set this option to 0 to use the built in defaults which are Sunset Vpanel 11 4V Sunrise Vpanel 11 9V The default setting is 0 which uses built in default voltages Use the Delay periods to avoid the system making an accidental switch when clouds pass over the panels The valid range is between 0 and 60 minutes The Delays are disabled...

Page 32: ...ghtness 100 Keep lights on during the duration has been set to 1h 0m Dim level at end at the end of one hour the brilliance will be reduced to half 50 Also At sunrise the lighting will be adjusted before sunrise Time before sunrise at 1h 0m before sunrise the following adjustment will be made Dim level full brilliance will be restored 100 5 2 5 TX port settings The VE Direct TX port can be used to...

Page 33: ...module a relay or directly to the remote on off connector of the load The PWM signal is 5V 160Hz Note that these functionalities other than the first functionality does not disable the ability of the unit to communicate What happens is that the unit will automatically detect incoming data and while data is being received it will resume normal communication Once the data reception has been complete...

Page 34: ... have the most up to date firmware perform a firmware update 5 4 VE Smart network The VE Smart network allows a variety of products connected to the same network to share data via Bluetooth The VE Smart network is especially designed for smaller systems that do not have a GX device installed When this product is part of a VE Smart network it can receive data or communicate with the following devic...

Page 35: ... Some older devices might not support VE Smart networking for more information see Limitations Setting up the network When setting up the network first set up the Smart Battery Sense or battery monitor and then add one or more solar chargers or AC chargers to the network All solar chargers and AC chargers need to have the same charge settings The easiest way to do this is to use a preset battery t...

Page 36: ...ces are actively communication to the same VE Smart network navigate to the settings page of one of the networked devices and click on VE Smart networking A screen will be shown containing which device parameters of this device are shared and all the other devices that are connected to the same network are shown Example of a VE Smart network More information For more information see the VE Smart m...

Page 37: ...The default tail current value is 2A The default settings voltages absorption time multiplier and tail current can be modified with the VictronConnect App There are two exceptions to normal operation When used in an ESS system the solar charger algorithm is disabled and instead it follows the curve as mandated by the inverter charger For CAN bus Lithium batteries like BYD the battery tells the sys...

Page 38: ...owed by a voltage limited constant current period The current is by default limited to 8 of the bulk current and can be adjusted between 0 and 100 The bulk current is set by default to the maximum charge current the solar charger is capable of unless a lower charge current has been chosen The maximum equalization duration is set by default to 1 hour and can be configured between 0 minutes and 24 h...

Page 39: ...6 6 Maintenance procedure The solar charger does not need regular maintenance MPPT solar charger manual Page 35 Operation ...

Page 40: ...Manual equalisation alternating blinking 2 Automatic equalisation2 Float2 1 The bulk LED will blink briefly every 3 seconds when the system is powered but there is insufficient power to start charging 2 The LED s might blink every 4 seconds indicating that the charger is receiving data from another device this can be a GX device ESS or a VE Smart Network link via Bluetooth Fault mode Bulk LED Abso...

Page 41: ...hat the solar charger is configured for VE Smart Networking and is receiving battery temperature and or battery voltage data from the VE Smart Network Solar The solar gauge shows the solar output in relation to the maximum output power that the solar charger can generate at the set battery voltage and displays the dynamic real time value of the solar array output power The solar voltage measured a...

Page 42: ...the 30 days To switch between portrait or landscape screen presentation click the fragmented square icon or at the top left of the screen The daily log shows Solar yield The energy Wh converted for that day Solar Pmax The maximum power W recorded during the day Solar Vmax The highest voltage V from the PV array during the day Battery max and min The first figure shows the maximum battery voltage V...

Page 43: ... errors navigate to the History tab and look at the bottom of each day column If there is an error an orange dot will indicate an error Active Error and Historical error 7 4 Monitoring via a GX device and VRM If the solar charger is connected to a GX device all its data can be accessed via the GX device The GX device will also notify in case of solar charger alarms or faults For more information s...

Page 44: ...r or unreasonable use or misuse neglect exposure to excess moisture fire improper packing lightning power surges or other acts of nature This limited warranty does not cover damage deterioration or malfunction resulting from repairs attempted by anyone unauthorized by Victron Energy to make such repairs Non compliance with the instructions in this manual will render the warranty void Victron Energ...

Page 45: ...y Inspect the battery terminals and the PV terminals If there are burn marks on the terminals or if the cables or connectors are molten refer to paragraph PV cable connection burned or melted In most cases this damage is not covered by warranty Check if there are burn or melting marks on the housing or if there is a burn smell all very unlikely If this is the case lodge a support request with your...

Page 46: ...link with the text why is the charger off If the link is clicked an explanation will appear as to why the charger is off VictronConnect link to why is the charger off 9 2 1 Reverse battery polarity Reverse polarity is when the positive and the negative battery cable have been accidentally swapped The battery negative has been connected to the positive solar charger terminal and the battery positiv...

Page 47: ...bserve that the solar cycle is briefly progressing trough these charge stages at the beginning of the daily charge cycle Bulk stage 0 80 SoC Absorption stage 80 100 SoC Float or storage stage 100 SoC Be aware that it can also be possible that the solar charger thinks the battery is full while in reality the battery is not full This can occur when the charge voltages have been set too low causing t...

Page 48: ...e solar charger terminals using a multi meter instead V V 3 Compare both voltages the PV voltage needs to be 5V higher than the battery voltage for charging to commence Causes of zero or low PV voltage Not enough solar irradiance into the solar panels Night Cloud cover or bad weather Shading see this shading blog story for more information Dirty panels Seasonal differences Wrong orientation and or...

Page 49: ...via a VE Direct non inverting remote on off cable This cable is connected to the VE Direct port The BMS can turn the charger of via this cable If the charge settings are correctly set and if all battery cells are balanced the BMS should never disallow charging The BMS will disallow charging when the cell voltage of one or more battery cells is too high or when the low temperature cut off is enable...

Page 50: ...ller The solar charger stops charging if the PV voltage exceeds the maximum rated PV voltage At the same time it will display an overvoltage error 33 and will fast blink its absorption and float LED Charging will not recommence until the PV voltage has dropped 5V below the rated maximum voltage When investigating a high voltage issue also look at the history of the VictronConnect App solar charger...

Page 51: ...te of charge of the battery is unknown and the current is reducing while the sun is still shining it can mistakenly be interpreted as the solar charger being faulty Th first current reduction takes place at the end of the absorption stage when the battery is approximately 80 charged The current will continue to reduce during the float stage when the battery is approximately 80 and 100 charged The ...

Page 52: ... the solar array It will temperature compensate the charge voltage according to this temperature measurement Once the solar charger goes into the float stage it will measure the ambient temperature again and will use that measurement to adjust the voltages again If there are large ambient temperature difference between solar charger and battery the battery will be charged at the wrong voltages An ...

Page 53: ...parks or have open flames in the same room as where the batteries are located Overcharging batteries will cause battery damage and can be caused by Incorrect charge voltage settings Battery voltage setting too high Applying equalization while the battery is not suitable for equalization High current and undersized batteries Battery faults Too high current while the battery is not accepting charge ...

Page 54: ...the whole battery bank It is not recommended to mix batteries of different ages in one battery bank It is hard to tell what has exactly happened to a battery during its lifetime The solar charger will keep 30 day of battery voltage history If the system also contains a battery monitor or if the system is connected to VRM the battery voltages and the cycle history of the battery can be accessed Thi...

Page 55: ...he array power To find the potential solar yield per day for a specific PV array size in a specific geographical location use the MPPT sizing calculator on the solar charge controller product page These are some of the reasons why the array is generating less power than expected Low sun angle seasonal differences or morning evening Cloud cover or bad weather Shading from trees or buildings Dirty p...

Page 56: ...l vary depending on the voltage of the battery For example A 75 15 solar charger has an output current rating of 15A This is the current that is going into the battery This means that if the solar charger is connected to a 12V battery you will get less power into your battery than with a 24V battery For a 12V battery this is 15A x 12V 180W For a 24V battery this is 15A x 24V 360W So although a 360...

Page 57: ... potential as the minus of the battery output 9 6 Communication issues This chapter describes issues that might arise when the solar charger is connected to the VictronConnect App other Victron devices or third party devices 9 6 1 VictronConnect issues For a full troubleshooting guide on the VictronConnect App see the VictronConnect manual 9 6 2 VE Direct port communication issues These are not co...

Page 58: ...se note that it is highly unlikely that the Bluetooth interface is faulty The problem is most likely caused by something else Use this chapter to quickly rule out some of the common causes of Bluetooth issues For a full troubleshooting guide see the VictronConnect manual Check if the solar charger is equipped with Bluetooth Only SmartSolar models have built in Bluetooth the BlueSolar models do not...

Page 59: ...t is connected to a GX device VictronConnect can communicate via VRM For more information see paragraph The different ways to connect with VictronConnect 9 7 Settings or firmware issues 9 7 1 Incorrect settings Incorrect settings can cause strange solar charger behaviour Check if all settings are correct If in doubt it could be an option to reset all settings to default using the VictronConnect Ap...

Page 60: ...de support in these kind of situations 9 8 2 Unable to operate as a DC to DC charger It is not recommended to use the solar charger as a DC DC charger for example to charge a 12 Volt battery from a 24V battery bank Connecting a battery to the PV terminals can under certain operational conditions cause damage to the solar charger This damage is not covered by warranty 9 8 3 Relay issues The alarm r...

Page 61: ...eight pre programmed algorithms or user defined algorithm Temperature compensation 16mV C 32 mV C 48 mV C 64 mV C Protection PV reverse polarity Output short circuit Over temperature Operating temperature 30 C to 60 C full rated output up to 40 C Humidity 95 non condensing Maximum altitude 5000m full rated output up to 2000m Environmental condition Indoor unconditioned Pollution degree PD3 Data co...

Page 62: ...imum PV voltage is Vbat 1V 2 A higher short circuit current may damage the solar charger in case of reverse polarity connection of the PV array 3 Maximum current per MC4 connector is 30A 4 Equalization is by default disabled 5 For more information on data communication see the data communication paper in the Technical information section on our website 6 MC4 models several splitter pairs may be ne...

Page 63: ...lgorithms or user defined algorithm Temperature compensation 16mV C 32 mV C 48 mV C 64 mV C Protection PV reverse polarity Output short circuit Over temperature Operating temperature 30 C to 60 C full rated output up to 40 C Humidity 95 non condensing Maximum altitude 5000m full rated output up to 2000m Environmental condition Indoor unconditioned Pollution degree PD3 Data communication VE Can por...

Page 64: ...voltage is Vbat 1V 2 A higher short circuit current may damage the solar charger in case of reverse polarity connection of the PV array 3 Maximum current per MC4 connector is 30A 4 Equalization is by default disabled 5 For more information on data communication see the data communication paper in the Technical information section on our website 6 MC4 models several splitter pairs may be needed to ...

Page 65: ...ALE 1 1 6 11 R3 DETAIL A SCALE 1 1 Rev01 SCC115070511 SmartSolar MPPT 150 70 MC4 VE Can SCC125070521 SmartSolar MPPT 250 70 MC4 VE Can Dimensions in mm Dimension Drawing SmartSolar charge controller L D E F C 1 2 3 4 B A 3 2 1 5 C D 4 6 7 8 A B 8 7 6 5 F E MPPT solar charger manual Page 61 Appendix ...

Page 66: ...A 3 2 1 5 C D 4 6 7 8 A B 8 7 6 5 F E 11 3 Dimensions 85A MC4 VE Can and 100A MC4 VE Can 295 273 144 30 5 267 5 A B 204 246 101 9 R8 R4 8 DETAIL A SCALE 1 1 7 5 13 75 R3 75 DETAIL B SCALE 1 1 Rev00 Dimension Drawing SmartSolar charge controller SCC115085510 SmartSolar MPPT 150 85 MC4 VE Can SCC115085511 SmartSolar MPPT 150 85 MC4 VE Can SCC115110510 SmartSolar MPPT 150 100 MC4 VE Can SCC115110511 ...

Page 67: ...imension Drawing SmartSolar charge controller XL SCC115085410 SmartSolar MPPT 150 85 Tr VE Can SCC115110410 SmartSolar MPPT 150 100 Tr VE Can SCC125085410 SmartSolar MPPT 250 85 Tr VE Can SCC125110410 SmartSolar MPPT 250 100 Tr VE Can Dimensions in mm D E F C 1 2 3 4 B A 3 2 1 5 C D 4 6 7 8 A B 8 7 6 5 F E MPPT solar charger manual Page 63 Appendix ...

Page 68: ... overheated despite reduced output current This error will auto reset after charger has cooled down Check the ambient temperature and check for obstructions near the heat sink Error 18 Controller over current This error will auto reset If the error does not auto reset disconnect the charger from all power sources wait 3 minutes and power up again If the error persists the charger is probably fault...

Page 69: ...e trip level for the PV Short protection can be increased by raising the Equalization voltage set point note equalization does not have to be enabled in this case The battery is disconnected using a Lithium charge relay connected to the allow to charge output of a BMS Consider wiring this signal to the Remote terminal of the charger instead This shuts down the charger gracefully without creating a...

Page 70: ...ormation is being received from two interfaces that have the same priority level as VE Can and VE Direct the charger does not know how to prioritize those causing error 68 to be triggered Error 114 CPU temperature too high This error will reset after the CPU has cooled down If the error persists check the ambient temperature and check for obstructions near the air inlet and outlet holes of the cha...