Rich Solar User Manual

Congratulations

You have made an excellent choice by purchasing this high-quality RICH SOLAR PWM solar controller, which has been manufactured to the highest standards of performance, quality and safety.

RICH SOLAR wants you to be completely satisfied with your purchase, so this solar controller is backed by our own 2-year warranty.

If you require technical support regarding this product, please call 1-800-831-9889 or email support@richsolar.com.

Faulty product claims made within the 2-year time frame will be repaired or replaced free of charge provided you have satisfactory proof of purchase (keep your receipt).

Version and Ratings

There are two standard versions of RICH SOLAR PWM controllers:

• 12V 10A: Rated for 12V solar panel (Max. 25V). Rated maximum output current of 10Amp.
• 12V 20A: Rated for 12V solar panel (Max. 25V). Rated for maximum output current of 20Amp.

WARNING

RISK OF EXPLOSIVE GASES: WORKING IN VICINITY OF A LEAD-ACID BATTERY IS DANGEROUS. EXPLOSIVE GASES DEVELOP DURING NORMAL BATTERY OPERATION. BE CERTAIN THERE IS ENOUGH VENTILATION TO RELEASE THE GASSES.

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT EACH TIME BEFORE USING OR CONNECTING YOUR SOLAR CONTROLLER, YOU READ THIS MANUAL AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY.

• Make sure you connect the red wire to the positive on the battery and the black wire to the negative on the battery.
• Please double check before you connect; connecting to wrong terminals may burn out the controller.
• Confirm that the power wires are tightened to the correct torque to avoid excessive heating from a loose connection.
• Refer to battery specification, be very careful not to short circuit to the battery connections.
• Accidental 'shorting' of the terminals or wiring can result in sparks causing personal injury or a fire hazard. RICH SOLAR recommends that you cover up the panel(s) with some sort of soft cloth so you can block all incoming light during the installation. This will ensure that no damage is caused to the Solar Panel or Battery if the wires are accidentally short circuited.
• Always install a battery fuse on each circuit including the solar controller.

Features and Advantages

• PWM technology, switching control by MOSFET
• Common Positive Grounding connection
• High efficiency and low power consumption
• Battery type setting and battery condition indication
• Smart charging control
• Charging time management
• LED indication for the battery condition and charging statuses
• Digital display charging parameters and battery settings
• Automatically active to Lithium battery against BMS protection
• Thermal protection
• Over voltage protection, Short circuit protection, Reverse polarity protection
• No sparks
• Waterproof
• Solid-duty cables
• Corrosion-resistant terminals and connectors.
• Conformal coating supplied to the inside board against moisture
• Includes a port for external battery temperature sensor (BTS – optional).
• Suitable for most of the rechargeable Lead acid battery, including Flooded (WET), AGM, GEL, Calcium battery and Lithium batteries.
• Designed according to CE standard, EMC, FCC compliance.

Installation

The Solar Controller can be mounted as shown below. The quickest and easiest way to mount the unit is to use the four plastic spacers and self-tapping screws supplied and mount the unit to a flat surface.

Mounting Dimensions:

• Height: 132.6mm (5.22in)
• Width: 115.3mm (4.539in)
• Depth: 33.0mm (1.299in)
• Mounting Hole Spacing (Vertical): 105.5mm (4.154in)
• Mounting Hole Spacing (Horizontal): 68.0mm (2.677in)
• Hole Diameter: 3.7mm (0.146in)

Wiring Connections:

The Solar Controller has 4 terminals which are clearly marked 'Solar' and 'Battery'. There is a (12V) and earth (GND) terminal for each circuit. Refer to the wiring diagram as shown below. Please cover the solar panel before connecting cables.

When the connections are completed, the Solar Controller will start working automatically.

Fuse Recommendations:

• 40A fuse for 30A controller
• 50A fuse for 40A controller

Operation - LCD Display

Please check your battery manufacturer's specifications to select the correct battery type. The unit provides 7 battery types for selections: Lithium-ion, LiFePO4, LTO, Gel, AGM, WET (conventional lead acid), and Calcium battery.

Press the BATTERY TYPE button and hold for 3 seconds to go into your battery type selection mode. The battery type you select will be shown on the LCD meter. The default setting is AGM Battery; the controller will automatically memorize your battery type setting.

LiFePO4 battery shown in LCD indicates Lithium Iron Phosphate battery, LFP battery. LTO battery shown in LCD indicates Lithium Titanate Oxide, Li4Ti5012 battery.

Caution: Prolonged connection with incorrect battery type setting may damage your battery.

When the controller powers on, the unit will run self-qualify mode and automatically show below items on LCD before going into charging process:

• 8.8.8: Self-test starts, digital meter segments test
• 8.8.8: Software version test
• 8.8.8 V 8.8.8 A: Rated voltage and current test
• 8.8.8 °C: External battery temperature sensor test (if connected)

After going into charging process, the LCD displays the charging statuses as below: Press VOLT / AMP button in sequence, the LCD will display in turn with Battery Voltage, Charging Current, Charged capacity (Amp-hour) and Battery Temperature (if external temperature sensor connected).

Display in the day-time:

12.8 V ⇒ 2.00 A ⇒ 2.80 AH ⇒ 2.5 °C

Display during the night:

12.8 V ⇒ 2.5 °C

Display when battery fully charged:

Press VOLT / AMP button in sequence, the LCD will display in turn with Battery Voltage, Charging Current. If you do not press the button, the LCD will alternatively display the FUL and VOLT or FUL and AMP every 2 seconds.

12.8 V 8.88 8.88 °C or 2.00 A 8.88 °C

The VOLT / AMP button can be changed at any time during charging process. The LCD can also be treated as an independent voltage meter or thermometer. A voltage less than 11.5V indicates that the battery is discharged and needs re-charging.

Charging Stages

The unit has a 6-stage charging algorithm:

Diagnose* - Soft Charge – Bulk Charge - Absorption charge – Equalizing Charge* - Float Mode

Diagnose *:

Only for Lithium battery type, subjected to the Lithium battery initial voltage then determine if going to Soft start or Bulk charge; if the Lithium battery is protected by BMS, the controller will automatically send the signal periodically to the battery terminals to activate the BMS against protection.

Soft start:

When batteries suffer an over-discharge, the controller will softly ramp the battery voltage up to 10V.

Bulk Charge:

Maximum current charging until batteries rise to Absorption level.

Absorption:

Constant voltage charging and battery is over 85% for lead acid battery. LiFePO4 battery and LTO battery will close fully charging after absorption stage. The absorption voltage level will reach 14.4V for LiFePO4 battery; 14.0V for LTO battery.

Equalization *:

Only for WET battery or Calcium battery type, when the battery is deeply drained below 10V or every 28 days cycle, it will automatically run this stage to bring the internal cells to an equal state and fully complement the loss of capacity. (LiFePO4, LTO, Gel and AGM battery do not run Equalization charge).

Float Charge or Re-Bulk charge:

Battery is fully charged and maintained at a safe level. A fully charged Lead acid battery (GEL, WET and Calcium battery) has a voltage of more than 13.8Volts; if the lead acid battery voltage drops to 12.8V at float mode, it will return to Bulk charge. LiFePO4 and LTO battery have no float mode; if a LiFePO4 battery voltage drops to 13.4V, or LTO battery voltage drops to 13.2V after Absorption stage, they will return to Bulk charge.

LED Indication

Specifications

Electrical Parameters

Charging characteristics

Electrical parts

Physical Parameters

Environmental characteristics

Maintenance

Occasionally, clean the case using a damp cloth and mild cleaning agent. Check the terminals for looseness or rust; if a connecting cable is damaged, replace the cable by a qualified person.