Xantrex Technology C35, C40, C60 owner manual Charge Control Mode, Three-Stage Battery Charging

Introduction

Important: The C-Series controller cannot operate in more than one function at the same time. If several functions are required in a system, a dedicated controller must be used for each function.

Charge Control Mode

In the Charge Control mode, the C-Seriescontrols how the batteries are charged by the DC source (solar, wind, or hydro). It uses a 3-stage charging protocol to maintain battery voltage at bulk and/or float levels.

When charging, the C-Seriescontroller monitors the batteries and depending on how it is wired will regulate the PV current (as a PV Charge Controller) or divert excess energy from PV, hydro, or wind to a DC load (as a Diversion Controller) and allows the battery to charge according to user-defined settings based on the amount of DC power available.

When the C-Seriesoperates in the Charge Control mode, it provides:

•three-stage charging of battery voltage,

•automatic temperature compensation (if the BTS is used), and

•automatic or manual equalization charging.

Three-Stage Battery Charging

The three-stage charging process results in faster charging compared to on-off relay type or constant voltage solid-state regulators. Faster recharging increases the performance of the system by storing more of the PV array’s limited output. The final float voltage setting reduces battery gassing, minimizes watering requirements and ensures complete battery recharging. The C-Serieswill use this protocol in either PV Charge Control mode or in Diversion Control mode. It does not charge the batteries when in Load Control mode. Battery voltage and current vary during the three-stage charging process as follows.

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