Solar Suitcase Renogy 60W / 100W Solar Suitcase Manual 2775 E. Philadelphia St.
Important Safety Instructions Please save these instructions. This manual contains important safety, installation, and operating instructions for the charge controller. The following symbols are used throughout the manual to indicate potentially dangerous conditions or important safety information. WARNING: Indicates a potentially dangerous condition. Use extreme caution when performing this task.
Do NOT let the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals of the battery touch each other. Recycle battery when it is replaced. Over-charging and excessive gas precipitation may damage the battery plates and activate material shedding on them. Too high of an equalizing charge or too long of one may cause damage. Please carefully review the specific requirements of the battery used in the system. Equalization is carried out only for non-sealed / vented/ flooded / wet cell lead acid batteries.
Table of Contents General Information ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Optional Components .................................................................................................................................... 6 Identification of Parts ..................................................................................................................................... 7 Installation ......
General Information The Renogy Solar Suitcases combine highly efficient Renogy Solar Panels and a fully adjustable 10 Amp ViewStar Series Charge Controller with an LCD Screen to create an easy-to-use, ‘plug and play’ system. This system is specifically designed for mobile off-grid applications, where space and weight limitations are abundant. The Solar Suitcase models support 12V deep cycle battery varieties such as sealed, lead acid, gel, and flooded.
Four Charging Stages The ViewStar charge controllers have a 4-stage battery charging algorithm for a rapid, efficient, and safe battery charging. They include: Bulk Charge, Boost Charge, Float Charge, and Equalization. Bulk Charge: This algorithm is used for day to day charging. It uses 100% of available solar power to recharge the battery and is equivalent to constant current.
WARNING: Once equalization is active in the battery charging, it will not exit this stage unless there is adequate charging current from the solar panel. There should be NO load on the batteries when in equalization charging stage. WARNING: Over-charging and excessive gas precipitation may damage the battery plates and activate material shedding on them. Too high of equalizing charge or for too long may cause damage. Please carefully review the specific requirements of the battery used in the system.
Identification of Parts 1 2 3 8 4 7 6 5 Key Parts 1. 10A ViewStar Charge Controller 2. Junction Box 3. MC4 Connectors 4. Tilt Stands 5. Battery Alligator Clips 6. In-line fuse (10A) 7. Latch 8. Handle 9.
Installation 1. Unlatch and unfold unit then connect MC4 Connectors 2.
3.
Operation After connecting the battery to the charge controller, the controller will turn on automatically. The user will be prompted by an initialization screen for a few seconds followed by the Default Screen. Welcome V2.37+V2.65 Use the following buttons to maneuver through the menu: MENU/ Menu / Cursor Left / Cursor up / Number add button /- Cursor down / Number reduce button ENTER/ Enter / Cursor right button Jan01 12:12:12 MENU/ Select selection to display screen 1. Monitoring 2.
1. Monitoring Use / /- to maneuver through the screens PV 0.0V 0.0A Indicates the voltage (V) and amperage (A) that the solar panel(s) are delivering to the controller BATT 12.5V 0.0A Indicates the voltage (V) and amperage (A) that the solar panel(s) are delivering to the battery TEMP 20.
2. Device Set Use /- / Device Set Date: 00-00-0000 Time: 00:00:00 to cycle through the screens. Press ENTER/ to select Modify the date and time for the charge controller. Time is displayed in military time (24Hr) and will be reflected in the default screen. Select Save when finished. The user will have to select save parameters after every screen.
Parameter Set Equal Chrg: 14.6V Boost Chrg: 14.4V Float Chrg: 13.8V Parameters for commencing Equalization Charging, Boost Charging, and Float Charging. Parameter Set Boost V. Rect: 13.2 V Under V. Rect: 12.2 V Under V. Warn: 12.0 V Parameters for Boost Voltage Reconnect, Boost Under-Voltage Reconnect, and Boost Under-Voltage warning. Parameter Set Low V. Rect: 12.6V Low V. Disc: 11.1V Discharg Lmt: 10.6V Parameters for controller Low Voltage-Reconnect, Low Voltage-Disconnect, and the Discharge Limit.
In Light On/Off, the user sets parameters to turn the load on or off. Manual Light On/Off Light On+Timer Time The load terminal automatically turns on when the solar voltage goes BELOW the point of NTTV (Night Time Threshold Voltage).The load automatically turns off when the voltage goes ABOVE the point of DTTV (Day Time Threshold Voltage). There is a delay between turning the load on or off and can be programmed to be from 0-99minutes. Light On/Off On: 05.0V Delay: 10m Off: 06.
6. Test Mode / Use Load: > ON /- to cycle through the screens. Press ENTER/ to select Test the load of the charge controller. Once settings have been set in 4. Load Set, the user is able to test whether the load will turn on upon direction. Test Mode OFF NOTE: Delay must be set to “0” to see immediate results. 7. Password / Use /- to cycle through the screens.
The screen will be followed up by a secondary screen to make sure a factory reset is what the user intends to do. Really to reset? >NO YES 10. Reboot Device Use >NO / /- to cycle through the screens. Press Reboot Device? YES ENTER/ to select This parameter will reboot the charge controller without losing any of the customized settings the user may have set.
System Status Glossary PV: Disconnect BATT: NoCharge/ Normal LOAD: On DEVICE: Normal PV Status Connect Disconnect Measure Err Over Current MOS-I Short MOS-C Short MOS Break BATT Status Equalize Boost Float NoCharge LVD UVW Normal OVD Error OverTemp LOAD Status On Off Overload Short Error MOS Short DEVICE Status Normal OverTemp Meaning PV is Connected PV is Disconnected Measurement Error at the PV terminal PV is Overcurrent (Metal oxide semiconductor) used for PV reverse polarity is short.
Charge Controller Troubleshooting Indicator Indicator Status Description Troubleshoot Connect The controller recognizes the PV solar panel(s). System is functioning normally. N/A Disconnect The controller does not recognize the solar panel(s). PV Status Measure Err OverCurrent MOS-I Short MOS-C Short Indicator If it is nighttime, the light will be off. Otherwise double check that the poles are not switched.
OVD Indicator LOAD Status Troubleshoot Overload Check to make sure the devices connected to the load terminal are within the load specification. If so, then reduce the number of loads and it will reconnect automatically. Short Indicator Check battery parameters and make sure they are suitable to be used with the charge controller. Use a multi-meter to check battery voltage to reaffirm the controller’s diagnosis. Check the device wiring and connections going into the load.
Frequently Asked Questions Q. What type of batteries can be used with this kit? A. Any sealed lead acid, gel, or flooded 12V battery (typically used in caravans, motorhomes, boats etc.) is appropriate for use with this kit. Q. Can this kit charge a 24V battery? A. No, because this kit is designed to charge a 12V battery. Technically, it’s possible to change solar panel connections to enable the kit to work in 24V mode; however, a qualified, knowledgeable individual should only do this.
Technical Specifications Charge Controller Electrical Parameters Model VS1024BN VS2024BN VS3024BN Nominal system voltage 12V/24V auto recognition Rated battery current 10A 20A 30A Rated load current 10A 20A 30A Max. battery voltage 32V Max. Solar Input 48V Equalize charging voltage Sealed: 14.6V, Flooded: 14.8V, User-defined: 9~17V Gel: 14.2V, Sealed: 14.4V, Flooded: 14.6V, User-defined: 9~17V Boost charging voltage Float charging voltage Gel /Sealed /Flooded: 13.
Charge Controller Charging Parameters NOTE: Under the USER battery setting, the parameters can be adjusted within the boundaries of the max and min values listed below.
NOTE: The following rules MUST be obliged when setting custom parameters.
Low Voltage Reconnect—this parameter allows loads connected to the system will be able to operate (not fully) again. Under-voltage Recover—deals with the loads connected to the system. When batteries are determined to be low due to them approaching low voltage disconnect, then the loads will be shut off to give the batteries time to recover. This parameter sets the controller to shut off the loads until it can reach the low voltage reconnect stage.
Solar Panel Parameters Description Maximum Power Open Circuit Voltage (Voc) Short Circuit Current (Isc) Maximum Power Voltage (Vmp) Maximum Power Current (Imp) Cell Type Operating Temperature Folded Size Net Weight 60W Parameters 60 W 21.6 V 3.62 A 18.0 V 3.34 A Monocrystalline −40°F to +185°F 13.6 x 25.4 x 2.8 in 19.85 lbs 100 W Parameters 100 W 21.6 V 6.17 A 18.0 V 5.71 V Monocrystalline −40°F to +185°F 19.9 x 27.2 x 2.4 in 27.
60W Suitcase 100W Suitcase 16
Updated: July 28, 2015 17
