5.5.1.3 Battery charge current limitation (default setting 75%)
For maximum battery life, a charge current of 10% to 20% of the capacity in Ah should be applied.
Example: optimal charge current of a 24V/500Ah battery bank: 50A to 100A.
The temperature sensor supplied automatically adjusts the charge voltage to the battery temperature.
If faster charging – and a subsequent higher current – is required:
- The temperature sensor supplied should always be fitted, since fast charging can lead to a considerable temperature rise of the battery
bank. The charge voltage will be adapted to the higher temperature (i.e. lowered) by means of the temperature sensor.
- The bulk charge time will sometimes be so short that a fixed absorption time would be more satisfactory ('fixed' absorption time, see
ds5, step 2).
Procedure
The battery charge current can be set in four steps, using DIP switches ds4 and ds3 (default setting: 75%).
ds4 ds3
off
off = 25%
off
on = 50%
on
off = 75%
on
on = 100%
5.5.1.4 Stand-alone, parallel and 3-phase operation
Using DIP switches ds2 and ds1, three system configurations can be selected.
NOTE:
- When configuring a parallel or 3-phase system, all related devices should be interconnected using RJ45 UTP cables (see appendix C,
D). All devices must be turned on. They will subsequently return an error code (see Section 7), since they have been integrated into a
system and still are configured as 'stand-alone'. This error message can safely be ignored.
- Storing settings (by pressing the 'Up' button (step 1) – and later on the 'Down' button (step 2) – for 2 seconds) should be done on one
device only. This device is the 'master' in a parallel system or the 'leader' (L1) in a 3-phase system.
In a parallel system, the step-1 setting of DIP switches ds8 to ds3 need to be done on the master only. The slaves will follow the master
with regard to these settings (hence the master/slave relationship).
In a 3-phase system, a number of settings are required for the other devices, i.e. the followers (for phases L2 and L3).
(The followers, therefore, do not follow the leader for all settings, hence the leader/follower terminology).
- A change in the setting 'stand-alone / parallel / 3-phase' is only activated after the setting has been stored (by pressing the 'UP' button
for 2 seconds) and after all devices have been turned off and then on again. In order to start up a VE.Bus system correctly, all devices
should therefore be turned off after the settings have been stored. They can then be turned on in any order. The system will not start
until all devices have been turned on.
- Note that only identical devices can be integrated in one system. Any attempt to use different models in one system will fail. Such
devices may possibly function correctly again only after individual reconfiguration for 'stand-alone' operation.
The combination ds2=on and ds1=on is not used.
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