net DC TM User’s Guide Includes Mounting and Installation
Warranty Dear OutBack Customer, Thank you for your purchase of OutBack products. We make every effort to assure our power conversion products will give you long and reliable service for your renewable energy system. As with any manufactured device, repairs might be needed due to damage, inappropriate use, or unintentional defect. Please note the following guidelines regarding warranty service of OutBack products: • Any and all warranty repairs must conform to the terms of the warranty.
Disclaimer UNLESS SPECIFICALLY AGREED TO IN WRITING, OUTBACK POWER SYSTEMS: (a) MAKES NO WARRANTY AS TO THE ACCURACY, SUFFICIENCY OR SUITABILITY OF ANY TECHNICAL OR OTHER INFORMATION PROVIDED IN ITS MANUALS OR OTHER DOCUMENTATION. (b) ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR LOSS OR DAMAGE, WHETHER DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL, WHICH MIGHT ARISE OUT OF THE USE OF SUCH INFORMATION. THE USE OF ANY SUCH INFORMATION WILL BE ENTIRELY AT THE USER’S RISK.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Warranty Summary..................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 System Overview ..................................................................................................
Introduction The OutBack Power Systems FLEXnet DC The FLEXNet DC collects, monitors and records time-based battery amp, watt and volt data for display on the OutBack MATE series of products, allowing for more accurate set point adjustments and precise battery recharging. Five LEDs on the FLEXnet DC act as a state-of-charge indicator bar for a quick status display.
SYSTEM OVERVIEW CHARGE CONTROLLER BATTERY - BAT + BAT SHUNT C CHARGE CONTROLLER SHUNT B B BAT (-) C DEVICE C BAT (-) FX BATTERY - B DEVICE A DEVICE TM A BAT (-) net DC FX INVERTER/CHARGER BATTERY - SHUNT A OTHER DC SOURCE OR LOAD Think of the input shunts as breaks or junctions in the DC (-) conductor. The current is conducted as though it were a continuous conductor, but the shunts allow the user to monitor the current, providing information for more accurate battery recharging.
Reading the FLEXnet DC RJ45 jack connects to Port 2 or higher in HUB LEDs* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10-postion wiring block (GREEN) (YELLOW) (YELLOW) (YELLOW) (RED) SOC >90% 80-89% 70-79% 60-69% 50-59% ON OFF • Blinking green LED: Charge parameters met • Solid green LED: SOC** is above 90% • Solid red LED: SOC is greater than 49% but less than 60% • Off red LED: SOC is above 59% • Blinking red LED: SOC is less than 50% *See page 15 **State of Charge 6 1: 2: 3. 4.
The FLEXNet DC package includes: A. FLEXnet DC B. Ten-pin wiring plug for shunt, relay and battery connections C. Six feet of CAT5 cable for HUB connection D. Ten-foot color-coded twisted pair (TP) cable connects to the battery E. Three six-foot, color-coded, twisted pair cables for shunt connections F. Two #6-32 X 3/8” panhead machine screws G.
• Insert the FLEXNet DC inside the DC breaker box and through the back side of the breaker bracket; secure with two #6-32 X 3/8 panhead machine screws (included) torqued at 5 to 8 inch-pounds • Connect all wires to the ten-pin wiring connector. Do not leave any loose wires! • Connect each twisted pair to a shunt.
• Black/White twisted pair connects directly to the battery bank being monitored: White to BAT (-) Black to BAT (+) An appropriate fuse—with a rating of 5 amps or less and greater than 100 volts DC—may be placed in the black conductor BLACK/WHITE TWISTED PAIR Wiring Block Connections Color-coded twisted pair 18 AWG connects the wiring block and shunt(s) or battery. The wiring must be installed with the proper polarity to avoid corrupting the data.
(Installing the FLEXnet DC continued) • Insert the 10-pin connector to the wiring block on the back of the FLEXnet DC. • Install the CAT5 cable into the RJ45 jack in the back of the FLEXNet DC. Connect the other end of the cable to the HUB using Port #2 or higher. FLEXnet DC removed from the breaker bracket for clarity. • Replace the breaker bracket and secure with its four corner fasteners. • With all FLEXnet DC wires connected, reinstall the DC enclosure cover and secure its four Phillips screws.
FLEXNet DC Measurements The FLEXNet DC can measure and record: Volts for one battery bank* Amps** Fo re ac KiloWatts hc ha kWhrs removed from the batteries nn el kWhrs returned to the batteries Amp hours removed from the batteries Amp hours returned to the batteries Battery bank state-of-charge Lifetime kiloamp hours removed from the batteries*** Days since charge parameters last met Lowest battery state-of-charge reached Minimum battery voltage*** Maximum battery voltage*** Maximum amp charged*** Maximum a
Logged Data* The previous 128 days of data are accessible with the MATE. The data is logged each night at midnight. Be sure the MATE’s clock is set to the correct local time (refer to your MATE manual). * Data Logging User Adjustable Set Points • • • • • • • Battery charge factor (65-100%) [see page 29] Battery bank capacity 0-10000 amp hours Shunt A, B, C—enabled or disabled Absorb volts (0-80.0 volts, the maximum voltage the battery can absorb) Return amps (0-500.
Programming and Using the MATE for FLEXNet DC Operations At initial power up, use the MATE (see pages 17-28) to program: • Battery Bank 20 Hour Capacity (provided by the manufacturer) in amp hours (from 10010,000 amp-hours in ten amp increments) • Battery charge parameters • Return amps: See the manufacturer recommendations or set to 2% of the battery bank amp hour capacity (e.g. a 1000 amp hour battery bank would set the return amps to 20.
FLEXNet DC Modes - Channel A is enabled by default Each input channel is either enabled or disabled. A disabled channel will show zero values only. All enabled channels will run in parallel. An enabled channel monitors and totals all current flowing into or out of the battery bank through its shunt. Any DC loads or sources wired directly to the battery cannot be accounted for by FLEXNet and will result in inaccurate readings. - All unused channels should be set to disabled.
The FLEXnet DC’s LEDs indicate the SOC by their individual ON/OFF states.
Programming the Auxiliary Relay The FLEXNet DC’s unpowered relay is rated 5 amps/30VDC. NOTE: This relay is not fused and requires appropriate sized wiring and over-current protection. Damage due to unprotected relay devices is not covered by the warranty. The relay may be configured in one of two modes: 1. AUTO activates the relay based on user selected battery voltage, percentage of SOC delay times and invert logic settings. 2.
MATE Screens MAIN------------------------------11:30:55A SUM From the MAIN MATE menu, press the soft key to view a summary of the system’s operation. STATUS SETUP ADV E F Battery Charging State of charge 99% DC NOW In Out Bat 12.5V 0.0A 0.5A -0.5A 99% 0.000kW 0.000kW 0.000kW This first summary screen appears for a few seconds to display the battery State of Charge. The screen automatically disappears and a system summary screen appears.
FX Total Inverting AC Loads Buying $ 12.6V 99% 0.000kW 0.000kW 0.000kW DC BAT 12.5V 99% Bat -0.6A 0.000kW Net -4AH 00.7kWH Days Since Full 4.8 From the MAIN menu, press the soft key to view a summary of the system’s operation. This information is a sum of all FlexNet DC data. Press the second soft key to view the next SUM screen The fourth SUM screen shows: • Battery voltage • The current state-of-charge • Battery readings show the instantaneous amp, amp hour, kilowatt, and kilowatt hour figures.
A: B: C: DOWN 0.1A 0.0A 0.0A A: -1AH B: 0AH C: 0AH DOWN UP 0.000 kW 0.000 kW 0.000 kW STATUS 0.100kWH 0.000kWH 0.O00kWH TOP The second METER screen shows the accumulated amp hours and kilowatt hours for each shunt. Press the soft key to view the next METER screen. METER/DC/SHUNT A removed 12AH 0.030kWH DOWN UP TOP This screen shows the number of removed amp hours and watt hours as measured by SHUNT A. Press the soft key to view the SHUNT A charged screen.
METER/DC/SHUNT C removed AH 0kWH DOWN UP TOP Pressing the soft key brings up the SHUNT C charged screen. METER/DC/SHUNT C charged AH 0kWH DOWN UP TOP Pressing the soft key brings up the FN firmware screen. STATUS/FN/METER DC firmware revision 000.00/040 DOWN UP Pressing the soft key leads to the end of the meter menu TOP STATUS/FN/METER end of meter menu UP TOP STATUS STATUS/FN STATS METER SHUNT BATT TOP STATUS/DC/SHUNT A max removed amps 0.
STATUS/DC/SHUNT A max removed kWatts 0.010 DOWN UP RESET TOP Displaying the kilowatts removed provides the user with more precise energy usage information. This figure can be returned to 0 by pressing the soft key. Press the soft key to view the max charged screen. STATUS/DC/SHUNT A max charged amps 39.8 DOWN UP RESET TOP SHUNT A shows a maximum of 39.8 amps charged. Pressing the soft key returns this value to 0. Press the soft key to continue in the STATUS menu.
STATUS/DC/BATT days since charge parameters met 5.9 DOWN UP TOP STATUS/DC/BATT battery min today 12.4 vdc DOWN UP RESET STATUS/DC/BATT battery max today 12.7 vdc DOWN UP RESET STATUS/DC/BATT temp comp’d batt setpoint 14.
STATUS/DC/BATT lifetime kAH removed 5 DOWN UP RESET TOP STATUS/DC/BATT---------------end of battery status menu UP TOP STATUS lifetime kAH removed shows the total kilowatt amp hours removed from the battery. This is essentially an “odometer” for battery usage. Press the soft key to continue. Press the first two soft keys to return to the MAIN menu.
ADV/DC/PAGE 1---------------choose category ADV BAT SHUNT PG2 ADV/DC/BAT------------------battery capacity amp hours TOP INC DEC ADV Use the battery capacity screen to set the battery bank capacity using either the or soft key. When finished, press the soft key. ADV/DC/PAGE 1---------------choose category Press the soft key.
ADV/DC/PAGE 2---------------choose category Press the soft key. PG1 CHARGE AUX PG3 ADV/DC/CHARGE-------------return amps DOWN INC DEC TOP ADV/DC/CHARGE--------------battery charge DOWN INC DEC TOP Set the end of charge voltage using the or soft keys. Next, press the soft key.
ADV/DC/PAGE 1---------------choose category ADV BAT Press the soft key. SHUNT PG2 ADV/DC/PAGE 2----------------choose category: PG1 CHARGE AUX PG3 ADV/DC/AUX CONTROL-------currently: Auto On DOWN OFF AUTO ON ADV/DC/AUX HIGH VOLT-----high volts vdc DOWN INC DEC TOP ADV/DC/AUX LOW VOLT-----low volts vdc DOWN INC DEC TOP ADV/DC/AUX SOC HIGH-------SOC high % DOWN INC 26 DEC TOP Press the soft key.
ADV/DC/AUX SOC LOW-------SOC low % DOWN INC DEC TOP ADV/DC/AUX/HI DELAY HIGHhigh setpoint delay minutes DOWN INC DEC TOP Change the high setpoint delay minutes using the and soft keys. Press the soft key to continue. ADV/DC/AUX/LO DELAY HIGHlow setpoint delay minutes DOWN INC DEC TOP Set the low setpoint delay minutes using the and soft keys. Press the soft key to continue.
ADV/DC/PAGE 2----------------choose category: PG1 CHARGE AUX PG3 ADV/DC/AUX/PAGE 3---------choose category: PG2 RESET Press the soft key. Pressing the soft key resets the FLEXnet DC to its factory default settings. CLR MAIN Pressing the soft key clears the data log memory.
Technical Notes Battery Charge Factor (BCF) Some energy is lost both when recharging and discharging a battery. The FLEXnet DC compensates for these losses by discounting the amp-hours charging the battery, meaning it doesn’t count every hour used for recharging as actually recharging. Some of them are lost due to heat and gassing. The FLEXnet DC’s default BCF is 94, which means for every 100 amp hours of charge to the battery, only 94 are shown in the amp hour display for a BCF of 94%.
2-Year Limited Warranty FLEXnet Products OutBack Power Systems, Inc. (“OutBack”) provides a two year (2) limited warranty (“Warranty”) against defects in materials and workmanship for its FLEXnet products (“Products”) if installed in fixed location applications. For this Warranty to be valid, the Product purchaser must complete and submit the applicable Product registration card within ninety (90) days of the eligible Product’s first retail sale.
To request warranty service, you must contact OutBack Technical Services at (360) 435-6030 or support@outbackpower.com within the effective warranty period. If warranty service is required, OutBack will issue a Return Material Authorization (RMA) number. A request for an RMA number requires all of the following information: 1. Proof-of-purchase in the form of a copy of the original Product purchase invoice or receipt confirming the Product model number and serial number; 2.
net DC TM Limited Warranty Registration Complete this form to request a Limited Warranty and return it to: Outback Power Systems Inc. 19009 62nd Ave. NE Arlington, WA 98223 Note: A Limited Warranty Certificate will only be issued if this Registration Card is received by OutBack within 90 days of the date of the first retail sale of the eligible Product.
Corporate Office 19009 62nd Avenue NE Arlington, WA USA Phone: (+1) 360.435.6030 European Sales Office C/ Castelló, 17 08830 - Sant Boi de Llobregat BARCELONA, España Phone: (+34) 93.654.9568 www.outbackpower.
