SETTINGS the internal pots are set up reference voltages for the new software control system, and not external voltage adjustment pots (as in the older, non digital models were).
A word of warning, the most likely fault (assuming the Regulator is correctly connected) will be the high alternator voltage trip warning (all lights flashing), This is a unique safety device to prevent you setting fire to your boat. The trip consists of two sensors; one is sensing the battery voltage and will trip if the batteries exceed 15.5 volts (this will only happen if the standard voltage regulator on the alternator is defective, or the Advanced Regulator is defective). The other sensor is connected to the alternators D+ (the brown wire), this trips the Regulator if the voltage exceeds 17.5 volts at the alternator (all L.E.D's will flash together) the reasons for this tripping are usually poor cable connections, long cable runs or too thin a cable to carry the current now being produced or simply a failure in the connection between the alternator and the batteries) or the most common cause is a inline amp metre. Please be aware of cable runs with amp metres in the system. A good question to ask yourself is what is the cable length between the alternator and the batteries, you may think about 4 ft, but on further investigation you could find that the alternator output goes up to a dash mounted amp metre, then back down to the engine room and then through a diode to the batteries, total length about 15 feet. This is totally unacceptable and will require doubling up the cable thickness or replacing the amp meter with a shunt type or induction type (see the Sterling Power Management Panel)
In order to find the fault, switch the engine on and increase the engine revs to just below where the high voltage trip is going on. Test the battery voltage (must not ever be above 14.5 volts gel, or 15 volts normal), now we must measure the voltage drops in the cable between the positive terminal on the largest battery bank and the alternator itself. Place the negative probe of your volt metre on the positive terminal of the batteries and measure the voltage between the posivtive of the batteries and the posivtive of the alternator. Under normal circumstances there should be a
In order to accurately monitor what is going on in your system I suggest you look at the Sterling Power Management Panel / Amp Hour Counter because without this, you have no way of knowing what is going on your system and will be unable to diagnose any other faults on the electrical system.
Battery Maintenance.
Up until now you may never have maintained your batteries but with the regulator on the high charge rate you would expect to use much more water out of your batteries. It is therefore very important to regularly inspect and refill your batteries water level. For fast, high charging use only conventional lead acid batteries, do not use gel, or sealed batteries unless the maintenance free aspect is a priority and performance is not. The term 'maintenance free' may be on the side of your lead acid battery but this is not true in marine work cycle mode. Please ignore any reference to maintenance free on any open lead acid battery; this is for automotive cycles only. Remember
fast charging cost water, check your batteries water level regularly.
Temperature sensing: see fig 3 a= alt temp sensor, c = bat temp sensor
Connect the temperature sensor to a domestic battery terminal and to the 2 x terminals inside the Regulator (see internal drawing) and extend the cables as required. There is no polarity to these cables so connect any way round. Ensure the sensor is not crushed or nipped, in the event or the sensor becoming broken then the unit will revert to a standard 20 deg setting, however, if the wire is nipped and a 12 volt feed is fed up the wires this will destroy the unit . CONNECT TO THE NEG TERMINAL OF THE BATTERY ONLY NOT THE POS
The new Advanced Regulator has in built temperature compensation based on the graphs supplied by the battery manufactures. There are three graph types programmed into the software and are automatically selected with the battery type choice. There is also an alarm/shut down function in the event of catastrophic failure of the batteries or the Advanced Regulator, it may be left off if not required or fitted. This device will reduce the charge voltage as the battery temperature increases and switches off the Regulator and gives an L.E.D. alarm in the event of the batteries over heating. This function is good in the following conditions A) defective battery, all other trips are catered for electrically, remember this will only trip the Sterling Advanced Regulator, your standard regulator could continue to boil the batteries in the event of a bad battery fault or a standard regulator fault. The Sterling can only look after problems relating to the Sterling system B) defective Regulator: in the event of a defective Sterling Regulator or standard regulator the batteries will start to over heat, the Regulator will pick this up and shut down the Sterling Regulator only, it cannot shut down the standard regulator in the event of it failing closed, however the alarm function will be on.
False readings: the temperature sensor is designed to fit on the battery terminal post to pick up the electrolytic temperature inside the battery case. In the event of the post having bad connections of very high current flow, the
