Xantrex Technology C35, C40, C60 owner manual Battery Sizing, NiCad and NiFe Batteries

Batteries

NiCad and NiFe Batteries

The Xantrex C-Series is compatible with NiCad (nickel-cadmium) NiFe (nickel-iron) and alkaline-type batteries, which must be charged to a higher voltage level to achieve a full charge.

To use the C-Series with NiCad batteries, clip the wire on the resistor labeled “R46” in the middle of the C-Series circuit board by cutting it. See “Setting Voltage Parameters for Alkaline Batteries” on page 26 for instructions on how to clip this wire.

Avoid damage to neighboring components.

Important: In all applications the BULK voltage setting should be adjusted to a level below the maximum operating voltage of the DC loads. This may be as low as 15 volts for some types of electronic loads. Undercharging may occur in this instance, but DC equipment will be protected. Check with the manufacturers of the DC equipment being powered for its maximum DC input voltage tolerance. If equalization is expected to occur, then the DC equipment being used must tolerate the voltages which will occur during the equalization process.

Battery Sizing

Batteries are the fuel tank of the system. The larger the batteries, the longer the system can operate before recharging is necessary. An undersized battery bank results in short battery life and disappointing system performance.

To determine the proper battery bank size, compute the number of amp-hours that will be used between charging cycles. Once the required amp hours are known, size the batteries at approximately twice this amount. Doubling the expected amp-hour usage ensures that the batteries will not be overly discharged and will extend battery life.

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