Mastervolt Mac Plus 2/12-50 Operating manual

MAC-PLUS
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Mac Plus
DC-DC CHARGER
12/12-50, 12/24-30, 24/12-50, 24/24-30
EN
USER
AND INSTALLATION MANUAL
NL
GEBRUIKERS
- EN INSTALLATIEHANDLEIDING
DE
BEDIENUNGS
- UND
INSTALLATIONSANLEITUNG
FR
MANUEL
UTILISATEURS ET D’INSTALLATION
IT
MANUALE DI USO E MANUTENZIONE
ES
MANUAL DEL USUARIO Y DE INSTALACIÓN
10000013205/02

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MAC-PLUS

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Table of Content
1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 4
2. SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS .............................................................................................. 4
3. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................ 7
4. DIMENSIONS ............................................................................................................. 8
5. FRONT PANEL ............................................................................................................ 9
6. IDENTIFICATION LABEL ............................................................................................ 10
7. INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS................................................................................. 11
8. PLACEMENT AND MOUNTING ................................................................................. 12
9. CONNECTION .......................................................................................................... 12
10. CONFIGURATION..................................................................................................... 15
11. OPERATION ............................................................................................................. 18
12. TROUBLE SHOOTING ............................................................................................... 19
13. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS .................................................................................... 21
14. MASTERBUS ............................................................................................................ 25
15. MASTERBUS: CONTROL AND CONFIGURING OF THE MAC PLUS .............................. 29

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1. Introduction
Most boats, service vans, campers and trucks have service batteries. When a service battery is
charged in a traditional way, there can be quite some problems:
• Charging the service battery takes a lot of time.
• The service battery does not charge completely.
• The service battery damages due to peak voltages.
Modern, fuel efficient engines that are equipped with smart alternators made these problems even
worse, and so the demand for a solution has grown.
The solution: Mac Plus DC-DC chargers. The Mac Plus monitors the service battery and
compensates the cable voltage loss. The proven 3-Step algorithm ensures a quick and safe charge.
Moreover, by stabilizing the charge voltage, Mac Plus protects your service battery and sensitive
equipment and makes sure it’s always fully charged.
2. Safety instructions
READ AND SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS
WARNING
This chapter describes important safety and operating instructions for use of a Mac Plus
in residential, vehicle (RV) and marine applications.
General
1 Before using the Mac Plus, read all instructions and cautionary markings on the Mac Plus, the
batteries, and all appropriate sections of the manual.
2 To reduce the risk of electric shock – Do not expose Mac Plus to rain, snow, spray, moisture,
excessive pollution and condensing circumstances. To reduce risk of fire hazard, do not cover
or obstruct the ventilation openings. Do not install the Mac Plus in a poorly ventilated room, this
may result in overheating.
3 Use of an attachment or spare part not recommended or sold by Mastervolt may result in a risk
of fire, electric shock, or injury to persons.
4 The Mac Plus is designed to be permanently connected to a DC electrical system. Installation
of, and work on the Mac Plus, may be carried out only by a qualified, authorised and trained
technician or electrician, consistent with the locally applicable standards and regulations.
5 Make sure that all wiring is properly installed and in good electrical condition; and that wire size
is large enough for DC ampere rating of the Mac Plus. Check the wiring on a regular base, at

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least once a year. Do not use the Mac Plus when the wiring is undersized or damaged and
replace the wiring immediately.
6 Do not operate Mac Plus if it has received a sharp blow, been dropped, or otherwise damaged
in any way; take it to a qualified service technician.
7 Except for the connection compartment, the Mac Plus may not be opened or disassembled.
There are no serviceable parts inside the cabinet. Take it to a qualified, authorized and trained
service technician when service or repair is required. Incorrect reassembly may result in a risk
of electric shock or fire. Only qualified, electrician installers are authorized to open the
connection compartment.
8 To reduce risk of electric shock, disconnect the Mac Plus from the DC electrical system before
attempting any maintenance or cleaning. Turning off controls will not reduce this risk.
9 The Mac Plus may not be used by children or by those who cannot read and understand the
manual if they are not supervised by a responsible person who can guarantee that the charger
is being used in a safe manner. Keep the charger away from children.
10 Short circuiting or reversing polarity will lead to serious damage to batteries, Mac Plus, wiring
as well as accessories. Fuses cannot prevent damage caused by reversed polarity and the
warranty will be void.
11 In case of fire, you must use the fire extinguisher which is appropriate for electrical equipment.
12 If applied in a marine application in the United States, external connections to the Mac Plus
shall comply with the United States Coast Guard Electrical Regulations
(33CFR183, Sub part I).
Explosive gases
1 WARNING – RISK OF EXPLOSIVE GASES. WORKING IN VICINITY OF A LEAD-ACID
BATTERY IS DANGEROUS. BATTERIES GENERATE EXPLOSIVE GASES DURING
NORMAL BATTERY OPERATION. FOR THIS REASON, IT IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE
THAT EACH TIME BEFORE USING THE MAC PLUS, YOU READ THIS MANUAL AND
FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY.
2 To reduce risk of battery explosion, follow these instructions and those published by battery
manufacturer and manufacturer of any equipment you intend to use in vicinity of the battery.
Review cautionary marking on these products.
3 DANGER: To reduce the risk of explosion – Never use the Mac Plus in situations where there
is danger of gas or dust explosion or area in which ignition-protected equipment is required.

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Warnings regarding the use of batteries
1 Someone should be within range of your voice or close enough to come to your aid when you
work near a battery.
2 Have plenty of fresh water and soap nearby in case battery acid contacts skin, clothing, or
eyes.
3 Wear complete eye protection and clothing protection. Avoid touching eyes while working near
battery.
4 If battery acid contacts skin or clothing, wash immediately with soap and water. If acid enters
eye, immediately flood eye with running cold water for at least 10 minutes and get medical
attention immediately.
5 NEVER smoke or allow a spark or flame in vicinity of battery or engine.
6 Do not short circuit batteries, as this may result in explosion and fire hazard! Be extra cautious
to reduce risk of dropping a metal tool onto battery. It might spark or short-circuit battery or
other electrical part that may cause explosion.
7 Remove personal metal items such as rings, bracelets, necklaces, and watches when working
with a battery. A battery can produce a short-circuit current high enough to weld a ring or the
like to metal, causing a severe burn.
8 Only use Mac Plus for charging a LEAD-ACID or Mastervolt Li-Ion batteries and the supply of
users attached to these batteries, in permanent systems. Do not use Mac Plus for charging dry-
cell batteries that are commonly used with home appliances. These batteries may burst and
cause injury to persons and damage to property.
9 NEVER charge a frozen battery.
10 Excessive battery discharge and/or high charging voltages can cause serious damage to
batteries. Do not exceed the recommended limits of discharge level of your batteries.
11 If it is necessary to remove a battery, always remove grounded terminal from battery first. Make
sure all accessories are off, so as not to cause an arc.
12 Be sure that the area around battery is well ventilated while battery is being charged. Refer to
the recommendations of the battery manufacturer.
13 Batteries are heavy! It may become a projectile if it is involved in an accident! Ensure adequate
and sure mounting and always use suitable handling equipment for transportation.

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Warning regarding life support applications
Do not use the Mac Plus for applications in any medical equipment intended for use as a
component of a life support system. For this type of use a specific written agreement between the
customer and Mastervolt is required.
Guarantee specifications
The correct functioning of this product is subject to warranty. The period and conditions of this
warranty are laid down in Mastervolt Warranty Terms and Conditions and can be downloaded from
www.mastervolt.com/support.
For making an appeal on warranty you can contact your supplier directly, stating your complaint,
application, date of purchase and part number / serial number.
3. Product description
The Mac Plus charger converts a DC (battery) voltage to a regulated DC voltage. It can be used as:
1 a 3-Step + battery charger or;
2 a stabilized DC power supply.
The Mac Plus can only be used in installations with a negative ground.
For different system voltages the following models are available.
Overview of the Mac Plus models
Model Input Output Article number
12/12-50 12 V 12 V; 50 A 81205100
12/24-30 12 V 24 V; 30 A 81205300
24/12-50 24 V 12 V; 50 A 81205200
24/24-30 24 V 24 V; 30 A 81205400

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4. Dimensions
146 mm
198 mm
255 mm
66 mm
165 mm

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5. Front panel
Front panel
1 Status LED
2 + Output
3 Ground
4 + Input
5 MasterBus (2x)
6 DIP switch
7 Accessories connector
Pin 1 : + battery voltage sense input
Pin 2 : - battery voltage sense input
Pin 3 : not used
Pin 4 : remote switch input
Pin 5-6 : battery temperature sensor input
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

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6. Identification label
Identification label

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7. Installation instructions
Installation steps:
1 Place and mount the Mac Plus
2 Connect the Mac Plus
3 Configure the Mac Plus
These three steps are described in this chapter.
WARNING!
Read the entire manual before installing the Mac Plus. Keep the manual at a safe location
for future reference.
• Install the Mac Plus in a well-ventilated room protected against rain, snow, spray, vapour, bilge,
moisture and dust.
• Operating temperature range: -20 up to +60 ºC, >40 ºC derating power
• Never use the Mac Plus at a location where there is danger of gas or dust explosions.
• Mount the Mac Plus in such a way that obstruction of the airflow through the heatsink is
prevented. No objects must be located within a distance of 10 cm / 4 inch around the Mac Plus.
• Do not install the Mac Plus in the same compartment as the batteries. Do not mount the Mac
Plus straight above the batteries because of possible corrosive sulphur fumes.
• Be sure that the output of the supplying source is switched off during installation. Also be sure
that no consumers are connected to the batteries during installation, to prevent hazardous
situations.
• Use cables with an appropriate size, see the table below.
Recommended wire sizes DC input/output
Model
Minimum wire size Input
Minimum wire size Output
12/12-50 16 mm216 mm2
12/24-30 16 mm210 mm2
24/12-50 10 mm216 mm2
24/24-30 10 mm210 mm2
Min. 3 Nm – max. 5 Nm

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8. Placement and mounting
Mount the Mac Plus with four screws to a solid flat surface.
9. Connection
• Mac Plus as a battery charger, see installation drawing A.
• Mac Plus as a stabilized DC power supply, see installation drawing B.

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Installation drawing A
Installation drawing B

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Remote switch input
The remote switch input can be used to enable and disable the battery charger. In a vehicle
application is it recommended to connect the engine run signal. Depending on the vehicle the
engine run signal can be provided in different ways. For details contact your vehicle distributor.
The remote input can accept two different enable levels:
• active low, connect to ground (between 0 and 0.5 V)
• active high, connect to + battery voltage (between 3 and 32 V)
The remote switch input configuration can be done by DIP switch (see chapter 10) or by MasterBus
(see chapter 14 and 15).
Battery temperature sensor (included)
By installing the Mastervolt temperature sensor, the charge voltages are automatically adapted for
deviating temperatures.
Figure 1. Temperature compensated charging
When the battery temperature is low, the charge voltage increases. In case the battery temperature
is high, the charge voltage is decreased. Over charge and gassing are prevented this way. This will
extend the life of your battery.
Voltage drop compensation
The Mac Plus is able to compensate the voltage drop occurring over the output cables. For this
purpose the MAC PLUS is equipped with terminals for voltage sense wires. Use 0,75 mm2,
preferably red and black wire and protect these with a 2 A fuses slow blow. Pay good attention to
the polarity of the wires.
In order to accurately measure the battery voltage, connect the voltage sense wires as close to the
battery poles as possible. The positieve and negative voltage sense wires must be connected.
Cable losses will be compensated up to a maximum of 2.5 V.

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10. Configuration
The Mac Plus settings can be adjusted in two ways:
• By means of DIP switches;
• Via the MasterBus network (by means of a remote control panel or an interface connected to a
PC with MasterAdjust software); see chapter 14 and 15.
Once a DIP switch has been set to On, the related setting cannot be configured via MasterBus.
CAUTION!
Incorrect settings of the Mac Plus can cause serious damage to your batteries and/or the connected
load! Adjustments of settings may be undertaken by authorised personnel only!
For an overview of the various DIP switch settings, please see the following three tables.
MasterBus communication
No MasterBus communication in sleep mode
(Low no-load consumption 2 mA)
Always MasterBus communication
(No-load consumption < 10 mA)
Charger on conditions
Typical use
MasterBus settings
apply. See chapter
14 and 15.
Default factory
setting:
Remote switch input
‘active high’ and input
voltage greater than
enable voltage
setpoint (12.50 V* /
25.00 V**)
Default factory
setting:
Recommended
setting for vehicle
with proper engine
run signal

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Always on
(Remote switch input
not used)
When the battery
charger must be
always active
Remote switch input
‘active low’
Enable the battery
charger by external
operating signal
Remote switch input
‘active high’
Enable the battery
charger by external
operating signal
Remote switch input
‘active low’
and
input voltage greater
than enable voltage
setpoint (12.50 V* /
25.00 V**)
Recommended
setting for vehicle
with proper engine
run signal
Remote switch input
‘active high’
and
input voltage greater
than enable voltage
setpoint (12.50 V* /
25.00 V**)
Recommended
setting for vehicle
with proper engine
run signal
Input voltage greater
than enable voltage
setpoint (13.50 V* /
27.00 V**)
(Remote switch input
not used)
Higher enable
voltage setpoint.
Setting for vehicle
without engine run
signal
Any other DIP switch combination
MasterBus settings
apply. See chapter
14 and 15.
* 12/12-50 and 12/24-30, **24/12-50 and 24/24-30

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Battery*
MasterBus settings apply.
See chapter 14 and 15.
Default factory setting: Flooded battery
Flooded battery
Bulk/Abs/Float: 14.25/14.25/13.25 V**
28.50/28.50/26.50 V***
Gel
Bulk/Abs/Float: 14.25/14.25/13.80 V**
28.50/28.50/27.60 V***
AGM
Bulk/Abs/Float: 14.25/14.25/13.80 V**
28.50/28.50/27.60 V***
Spiral
Bulk/Abs/Float: 14.25/14.25/13.80 V**
28.50/28.50/27.60 V***
Traction
Bulk/Abs/Float: 14.55/14.55/13.25 V**
29.10/29.10/26.50 V***
NiCad
Bulk/Abs/Float: 14.50/14.50/14.50 V**
29.00/29.00/29.00 V***
Constant output voltage 13,25 V*/26,50 V***
* For Li-Ion see MasterBus settings, chapter 14 and 15
** 12/12-50 and 24/12-50
***12/24-30 and 24/24-30

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Figure 2. Typical charge characteristic (at 25°C / 77°F). For a 24 V battery charger, multiply the voltages by two.
11. Operation
Battery charger operation modes
Mode Explanation
Charging
The Mac Plus is in charging mode if it meets the switch-on
conditions (see dipswich/ MasterBus settings)
Standby
The Mac Plus goes to standby when is does not meet the
switch-on conditions (see dipswich/ MasterBus settings)
Or
Switched off by the on / off button in the MasterBus menu or by
a MasterBus event
Sleep (low no-load power
consumption)
The Mac Plus goes to sleep mode when the sleep delay has
passed to reduce the no-load power consumption
Every 5 sonds, the Mac Plus scans if the configured battery
charger meets de switch-on confitions
Alarm
Possible error, connect MasterBus and analyse the situation

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LED indicator
Use the following table to understand the meaning of the LED signals.
LED color LED indication Meaning What to do?
Green
Solid
Charging
Normal operation
Green
Slow blinking Software
update Normal operation
Blue
Solid
Standby
Normal operation
Red-Blue
Fast blinking
Sleep
Normal operation
Red
Solid
Slow blinking
Possible
error
Connect MasterBus and analyse
the situation
12. Trouble shooting
Malfunction
Possible cause
What to do
No output voltage
and/or current
No input voltage
Check wiring
Input voltage too low
Check input voltage, check configuration
No enable signal on the
remote switch input
Check remote switch input
The primary (input)
battery is discharged too
far
Charge input battery
LED is red
Check chapter 11 for an overview of fault indications of the LED’s.
Output voltage too
low, charger supplies
maximum current
Load connected to the
batteries is larger than
battery charger can
supply.
Reduce load taken from the batteries.
Batteries not 100%
charged
Measure battery voltage. After some time
this will be higher.
Wrong setting of the
charge voltage
Check settings
Charge current too
low
Batteries almost fully
charged
Nothing, this is normal when the battery is
almost fully charged.

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Malfunction Possible cause What to do
High ambient
temperature Nothing; if ambient temperature is more
than the setting limit, the charge current is
automatically reduced.
Batteries not fully
charged
Charge current too low
See “Charge current too low” in this table.
Current to load is too
high
Reduce load taken from the batteries.
Charge time too short
Use a battery charger with higher capacity.
Battery temperature too
low
Use the battery temperature sensor.
Defective or old battery
Check battery and replace if necessary.
Wrong setting of the
charge voltage
Check settings
Batteries are
discharged too fast Battery capacity reduced due to wastage or
sulphation, stagnation
Charge and recharge a few times, this
might help.
Check battery and replace if necessary.
Batteries are too
warm, gassing
Defective battery (short
circuit in cell)
Check battery and replace if necessary.
Battery temperature too
high
Use the battery temperature sensor.
Charge voltage too high
Check settings
Slow or no
MasterBus
communication.
Error in the MasterBus
wiring.
Check the MasterBus cables.
No terminating device
placed at the ends of the
network.
MasterBus needs a terminating device on
both ends of the network. Check if
connected.
MasterBus network is
configured as a ring
network.
Ring networks are not allowed. Check the
connections of the network.