Model C40 Shown |
- Three Stage Charge Controller
- Pulse Width Modulation
- Field adjustable
set-points
- Solid state microprocessor control
- Electronically protected
against short circuit
- High efficiency (no diode)
- Auto-resetting
over-current protection
- Two stage lightning & surge suppression
- Equalize mode
- Adjustable low voltage disconnect w/ auto reconnect
- Optional temperature sensor
- Optional LCD digital display can be mounted remotely
- Add on a diversion load for wind or hydro or both.
|
| Model
C60 |
$199.00 |
| Model
C40 |
$159.00 |
| DVM/C40 Digital Meter mounts on C40 |
$90.00 |
| C40R/50 Remote LCD display for C40 |
$100.00 |
| C12 |
$110.00 |
| Battery Temp. Sensor
w/15 foot cable |
$29.00 |
| Battery Temp. Sensor
w/35 foot cable |
$32.00 |
To order, please send
an e-mail to jean@nwes.com with the
model number. We will send a personal confirmation ASAP.
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DO
YOU NEED A CHARGE CONTROLLER?...YES!
|
The primary job of the Solar charge control is to prevent battery overcharge. If your solar array were connected directly to the battery without a controller, battery life would be severely reduced. When charging lead acid batteries the first 70 - 80 % of capacity is easily accepted and does not require a controller, but as the battery approaches a full state of charge the current must be controlled. This is where the three or four stage controller comes in.
The first stage, called
BULK, lets 100% of the available power into the battery when the voltage is low. As the battery
voltage climbs upward to the bulk voltage set point the controller goes into the second stage.
The second stage, called
ABSORPTION, starts to taper the current by switching the array on and off at a very fast rate. This ultra fast switching is called Pulse Width Modulation. After the battery has been at the absorption mode for a set time limit the controller goes into the third stage of the controlling process.
The third stage is called
FLOAT. When in the float mode the controller turns the array off more than on to keep the battery at a full state of charge without overcharging or causing the battery to use an excessive amount of water.
The fourth stage, called
EQUALIZE, performs a controlled overcharge. It allows the battery voltage to rise to a user selected voltage which is usually 1 - 1.5 volts higher than the bulk voltage. When the battery reaches this higher voltage the controller will hold the set voltage for a user selected amount of time. Many of today's controllers will perform this automatically once a month.
First determine which voltage your system will operate at. The most common are 12, 24, or 48 volts DC. Then calculate the maximum current producing capability of the solar array. It is good practice to oversize the controller by
at least 25% due to light reflection and an occurrence called "the edge of cloud effect." If you plan to add more modules at a later date it might be to your advantage to select a controller that will handle future expansion.
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Key Features
to Look for in a Charge Controller:
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- Three stage charge algorithm
- Pulse width modulation
- User selectable battery voltages
- Reverse current protection
- Over-current protection
- Temperature compensation
  
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