Bulk Charge Stage
In bulk charge stage, the battery is not at 100% state of charge and battery voltage has
not yet charged to the absorption voltage set-point. The controller will deliver 100% of
available solar power to recharge the battery. The green LED will blink once 0.5 second
during bulk charging.
Absorption Stage
When the battery has recharged to the absorption voltage set-point, constant-voltage
regulation is used to maintain battery voltage at the absorption set-point, this prevents
heating and excessive battery gassing. The battery is allowed to come to full state of
charge at the absorption voltage set-point. The green/blue LED will blink once per two
second during absorption charging.
Float Stage
After the battery is fully charged in the absorption stage, The controller reduces the
battery voltage to the Float voltage set-point, When the battery is fully recharged, there
will be no chemical reactions and all the charging current is turned into heat and
gassing. The float stage provides a very low rate of maintenance charging while
reducing the heating and gassing of a fully charged battery. The purpose of the float
stage is to protect the battery from long-term over-charge. The green/blue LED will
keep green during float charging.
Equalize Stage
Equalize charging will charge in a higher voltage to kick start battery activity,
usually this cycle lasts 30 minutes depending on battery type.
WARNING: Risk of Explosion
Equalizing vented batteries produces explosive gases. The battery bank must be
properly ventilated.
CAUTION: Equipment Damage
Equalization increases the battery voltage to levels that may damage sensitive DC
loads. Verify all system loads are rated for the temperature compensated Equalize
voltage before beginning an Equalization charge. Excessive overcharging and gassing
too vigorously can damage the battery plates and cause shedding of active material
from the plates. An equalization that is too high or for too long can be damaging.
Review the requirements for the particular battery being used in your system.
Temperature Compensation
All charging setting are based on 25°C (77°F). If the battery temperature varies by 5°C,
the charging setting will change by 0.15 volts from a 12V battery. This is a substantial
change in the charging of the battery, and the use of the battery sensor is
recommended to adjust charging to the actual battery temperature.
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