urbansolar TOLAR RMS-F PV Series User manual

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RMS-F
PV SHELTER SERIES
Transit Shelter Solar-Powered LED Lighting System
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UrbanSolarCorp.com | Installation and Operation Manual | Revised 02/18/2021
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Safety Information
Notice
Thoroughly read these instructions and familiarize yourself with the equipment before installing, operating,
servicing or maintaining it. The following message warns of potential hazards and offers inductions to avoid
them.
This equipment should be installed, operated, serviced, and maintained only by qualified personnel. A
qualified person is one who has skills and knowledge related to the construction and operation of this
equipment and its installation and has received safety training to recognize and avoid the hazards involved.
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UrbanSolarCorp.com | Installation and Operation Manual | Revised 02/18/2021
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Contents
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Safety Information 1
Contents 2
Solar Exposure & System Performance 4
Introduction 5
Primary System Components 6
Exploded View 10
Installation & Assembly 12
Self-Testing 24
Troubleshooting 26
Maintenance 28
Batteries 28
Contact and Re-order Information 28
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Solar Exposure & System Performance
All solar LED lighting systems require adequate sunlight exposure to ensure the energy balance is
maintained. If there is not adequate exposure to direct sunlight, the system may shut down the LEDs to
preserve the batteries. Once the system receives adequate exposure to recharge the batteries to a healthy
state of charge, the system will resume lighting operation.
Urban Solar engineers use solar simulation tools to help determine the size of the systems (solar panel array
size and battery capacity), and the lighting loads that can be supported during all times of the year. The
solar data used in these simulations is from a 22-year accumulation of solar data in the NASA database;
Urban Solar uses the lowest of the 22-year values in the solar simulations.
An assumption must be made that the sites will receive a reasonable amount of unobstructed sun exposure.
In urban environments there can be substantial shading of the solar panels, depending on the specific
installation location, due to trees and buildings. Simulations typically assume that the installation sites will
receive a minimum of 50% of the available sunlight year-round – i.e. that the panels will be shaded up to a
maximum of half the time.
The installation contractor should notify the agency and/or Urban Solar if they suspect a site may not have
adequate solar exposure.
Note: Urban Solar will not guarantee the battery warranty on lighting systems that are installed into locations
with > 50% shading factor without a reduced lighting profile. For poor solar exposure sites, it may still be
possible to deploy a solar lighting system with a  reduced lighting profile  . These sites still need to have
some exposure to direct sunlight, but by reducing the lighting load an energy balance can be maintained
while still providing an adequate level of security lighting. The reduced lighting profile is achieved by
dimming the LEDs and/or reducing the total on-time to provide reasonable lighting during peak operating
hours, and further dimming or turning off the LEDs during off-peak times.
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Introduction
The Urban Solar RMS-F series stand-alone solar powered LED lighting system has been designed
specifically to meet the requirements for lighting the barrel roof type transit shelter. The system has
been engineered to integrate with the shelter’s mechanical design in order to provide an aesthetic look
and a simple installation procedure.
The RMS-F series has been rigorously tested and is a listed system by Underwriters Laboratories
(UL-Listed). There are many sizes/model numbers available depending on the number and size of the
solar panels required. RMS40F and RMS80F are the most common sizes for this application, but
other solar panel configurations are available including “flex” panels. The different models are
identical except for solar array size. The remainder of this manual will refer to the most common size,
the RMS80F with 2 solar panels and 2 batteries, but is applicable to all models.
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Primary System Components
The RMS80F shelter lighting system provides security lighting using state of the art LED luminaires, batteries
and solar panels, integrated with an intelligent programmable energy control module (ECM). Electrical
current generated by the solar panels flows to the ECM which regulates the charging of the battery bank and
modulates power to the LEDs. The ECM is factory programmed to provide variable calendar-based lighting
profiles to match the seasonally available solar insolation and lighting level requirements.
The main system components are described below:
PV Array (solar module) - The PV array typically consists of one or more 40W solar modules mounted to a
metal framework. The solar panel array size is selected to provide enough solar charging for the system to
operate dusk till dawn, at a specific brightness level, year-round at a given geographical location. The
RMS80F has 2 x 40W solar panels.
Batteries - The battery bank is composed of 2 x18 amp-hour 12 Volt packs. The batteries are sealed, lead
acid, rechargeable, and provide a minimum of 5 days autonomy (i.e. from a full charge, the system could
operate for a minimum of 5 days with absolutely no solar charging – for example during heavy snowfall).
LEDs - The LED luminaire contains high power white LEDs. The luminaires are driven well below their
maximum power rating to increase efficiency and extend the already long life.
ECM - The Energy Control Module is the central control of the lighting system. It controls battery charging
and regulates the power to the LED luminaires. The ECM also monitors the system performance to ensure
the batteries will not be damaged by overcharging and will turn off the LEDs if the battery voltage falls below
the low voltage disconnect (LVD) setting. Once the batteries have been sufficiently charged above the LVD,
the ECM will turn the LEDs back on again.
Operating Profile - The RMS80F contains a built-in programmable energy control module (ECM) that is
pre-programmed at the factory to set a calendar based operating profile to maximize the light intensity and
duration based on NASA solar insolation data for the region.
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ECM Connect (optional) – Systems may be equipped with the ECM Connect module which allows remote
programmability and system monitoring via cellular/web interface.
Data Logging / Retrieval - The ECM keeps a daily log of critical operating parameters such as battery
voltage, solar panel and LED Current. This data can be retrieved in the field to assess system performance.
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Power Module – Cover On
Figure 1.
Power Module and Solar Panels
Figure 2.
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ECM with Solar, LED and Battery Connections
Figure 3.
Exploded View 
Figure 4.
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Figure 5.
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Installation & Assembly
Important: Failure to follow these procedures may result in system damage and failure. The order of
operations when connecting LEDs, Batteries, and Solar Panels is critical. The sequence for electrical
connections is as follows:
>Connect LED harnesses to the ECM and install LED fuse.
>Connect main battery harnesses to the ECM and install battery fuse.
>Connect main battery harnesses to the ECM and install battery fuse.
>Connect Solar Panels to the ECM and install solar fuse.
The reverse order should be followed if it becomes necessary to troubleshoot the system or replace
any components. Always disconnect solar first!
Note: Do not attempt to connect the LEDs or cut/splice the LED wires with solar and/or battery power
connected or permanent damage to the ECM may occur. Always disconnect the solar fuse and
remove main battery fuse before connecting, cutting, or splicing LED harnesses.
Typically, the RMS80F series is shipped with 2x12V, 18Ahr batteries installed and pre-wired to the
control module.
If batteries are already installed and wired, then skip to step 6. 
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If batteries have not been pre-installed:
1. Position the batteries in to the power module and complete the battery wiring as detailed in the
wiring diagram below.
Be cautious when handling the battery pack. It is capable of generating hazardous short-circuit
currents. Remove all jewelry (bracelets, metal-strap watches, rings) before attempting to handle or
disassemble the battery pack. Contact Urban Solar if further instruction is required.
Note: Use extreme caution when installing battery harnesses. Always wear insulating gloves when
connecting batteries. Avoid contact of free positive ring terminals with negative terminals of battery or
any part of the chassis.
Figure 6. Batteries Wired in Parallel
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Figure 7. Solar Panels Wired in Parallel
2. Battery wiring – Batteries are wired in parallel. Use the black jumper cables to connect all of the
negative (-) terminals together and use the red jumper cables to connect all the positive (+)
terminals together.
3. Attach the black main negative battery power cable coming from the ECM to one of the negative
battery terminals.
4. Remove the inline fuse and attach the red fused main positive battery power cable coming from
the ECM to the positive battery terminal on the other end of the battery bank as shown.
5. Place batteries into the chassis as shown and install battery straps. Use wire ties to tidy up wiring
and tuck neatly out of the way. Generously coat all battery terminals with the battery terminal
protective spray provided in the installation kit.
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6. Install power module chassis to the ceiling of the shelter. The power module chassis should be
positioned so that it can be secured to the shelter roof ribs near each end – i.e. centered on two
roof ribs. Typically, the module will be positioned at the center of the shelter. Using appropriate
hardware, mount the power module chassis to the ceiling and ensure it is secured with a minimum
of four (4) TEK screws fastened directly through the roof ribs. If necessary, pilot holes can be
drilled in the power module base and roof ribs – use a 3/16” drill bit for the pilot holes. ¼”x1” TEK
screws are provided in the installation kit.
Figure 8.
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Figure 9.
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7. Install solar panel(s) on rails using the hardware and rails provided.
Figure 10.
8. Install solar panels on shelter roof.
Drill a ½” hole through the shelter roof to route solar panel wires into the power module chassis in
ceiling. It is recommended that the wire feed-through is sealed using the water tight cord grip
supplied in the install kit to prevent water leaking into the shelter.
Place the solar panel assembly on the shelter roof centered directly above the power module,
route the solar panel wires through the cord grip and into the power module.
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Note: Do not short the solar panel positive leads to the negative leads or to any part of the metal work on
the chassis or shelter. Use electrical tape to insulate leads when routing solar panel wiring.
Figure 11.
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Figure 12.
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9. Connect solar panel wires to ECM.
Remove the inline fuse from the (white) positive solar harness lead from the ECM. Connect both
positive solar panel leads (red) to the positive (white) lead from the ECM as shown. Connect both
negative solar panel leads (black) to the negative (black) lead from the ECM. Crimp-on quick
connect terminals are provided or use wire nuts (and electrical tape) to make connections.
Note: When there are two or more solar panels, the panels are wired in parallel.
Figure 13.
10. Coil up any excess wiring and use wire wraps or zip ties to neaten up and tuck away all wiring.
Make sure no wires will be pinched when the module lid is installed.
11. Raise the power module cover up into position and make the connection for the luminaire to the
control module as shown in the wiring schematic – note there are two connectors on the LED
fixture – it does not matter which one is used for connecting the harness. Insert the LED fuse into
the in-line fuse holder on the LED harness.
12. While holding the lid up (or resting the lid on top of the ladder), insert the battery harness fuse into
the battery harness fuse holder. The lights will flash briefly and then after a few seconds turn on at
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a low intensity level. If the lights do not turn on at this time, there is a problem with the wiring.
Check all connections are correct - refer to the wiring schematic.
13. Insert the solar harness fuse into the solar harness fuse holder. After approximately 5 to 20
seconds, the lights will turn off once the system recognizes that the solar panel is producing
charge current. If the lights do not turn off, there is a problem with the solar panel wiring. Check
the polarity and security of all wire connections – refer to the wiring schematic.
14. Perform the optional self-test (see next page for instructions).
15. Secure the power module cover to the chassis using the security hardware provided. Make sure
no wires are pinched when raising the cover into place. The installation is now complete. The
lights will turn on automatically at dusk.
Figure 14.
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