Victron energy SmartSolar MPPT 150/85 Series User manual

Manual
EN
SmartSolar charge controllers
MPPT 150/85-Tr MPPT 150/85-MC4
MPPT 150/100-Tr MPPT 150/100-MC4

1
EN
1. General Description
Bluetooth Smart built-in: dongle not needed
The wireless solution to set-up, monitor and update the controller using
Apple and Android smartphones, tablets or other devices.
VE.Direct port
For a wired data connection to a Color Control, PC or other devices.
Remote on-off input
On/off control by a VE.Bus BMS when charging Li-ion batteries.
Programmable relay
Can be programmed (a.o. with a smartphone) to trip on an alarm, or other
events.
Optional: pluggable LCD display
Simply remove the rubber seal that protects the plug on the front of the
controller and plug-in the display.
Ultra-fast Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT)
Especially in case of a clouded sky, when light intensity is changing
continuously, an ultra fast MPPT controller will improve energy harvest by
up to 30% compared to PWM charge controllers and by up to 10%
compared to slower MPPT controllers.
Advanced Maximum Power Point Detection in case of partial shading
conditions
If partial shading occurs, two or more maximum power points may be
present on the power-voltage curve.
Conventional MPPTs tend to lock to a local MPP, which may not be the
optimum MPP.
The innovative BlueSolar algorithm will always maximize energy harvest by
locking to the optimum MPP.
Outstanding conversion efficiency
No cooling fan. Maximum efficiency exceeds 98%. Full output current up to
40°C (104°F).
Flexible charge algorithm
Eight preprogrammed algorithms, selectable with a rotary switch.
Extensive electronic protection
Over-temperature protection and power derating when temperature is high.
PV reverse polarity protection.
Internal temperature sensor
Compensates absorption and float charge voltages for temperature.

2
Automatic battery voltage recognition
The controllers will automatically adjust to a 12V, 24V or a 48V system. A
computer or a smartphone is required to set the controller to 36V.
Adaptive three step charging
The BlueSolar MPPT Charge Controller is configured for a three step
charging process: Bulk – Absorption – Float.
A regular equalization charge can also be programmed: see section 3.8 of
this manual.
Bulk stage
During this stage the controller delivers as much charge current as possible
to rapidly recharge the batteries.
Absorption stage
When the battery voltage reaches the absorption voltage setting, the
controller switches to constant voltage mode.
When only shallow discharges occur the absorption time is kept short in
order to prevent overcharging of the battery. After a deep discharge the
absorption time is automatically increased to make sure that the battery is
completely recharged. Additionally, the absorption period is also ended when
the charge current decreases to less than 2A.
Float stage
During this stage, float voltage is applied to the battery to maintain it in a fully
charged state.
Connectivity
See section 3.3 of this manual.

3
EN
2. Safety instructions
● Please read this manual carefully before the product is
installed and put into use.
● This product is designed and tested in accordance with
international standards. The equipment should be used for the
designated application only.
● Install the product in a heatproof environment. Ensure
therefore that there are no chemicals, plastic parts, curtains or
other textiles, etc. in the immediate vicinity of the equipment.
● Ensure that the equipment is used under the correct operating
conditions. Never operate it in a wet environment.
● Never use the product at sites where gas or dust explosions
could occur.
● Ensure that there is always sufficient free space around the
product for ventilation.
● Refer to the specifications provided by the manufacturer of the
battery to ensure that the battery is suitable for use with this
product. The battery manufacturer's safety instructions should
always be observed.
● Protect the solar modules from incident light during installation,
e.g. cover them.
● Never touch uninsulated cable ends.
● Use only insulated tools.
● Connections must always be made in the sequence described
in section 3.5.
● The installer of the product must provide a means for cable
strain relief to prevent the transmission of stress to the
connections.
● In addition to this manual, the system operation or service
manual must include a battery maintenance manual applicable to
the type of batteries used.
● Use flexible multistranded copper cable for the battery and PV
connections.
The maximum diameter of the individual strands is
0,4mm/0,125mm² (0.016 inch/AWG26).
A 25mm² cable, for example, should have at least 196 strands (class 5 or
higher stranding according to VDE 0295, IEC 60228 and BS6360). Also
known as H07V-K cable.
An AWG2 gauge cable should have at least 259/26 stranding (259 strands of
AWG26).
Danger of explosion from sparking
Danger of electric shock

4
In case of thicker strands the contact area will be too small and the
resulting high contact resistance will cause severe overheating,
eventually resulting in fire.
3. Installation
3.1 General
● Mount vertically on a non-flammable surface, with the power
terminals facing downwards.
● Mount close to the battery, but never directly above the battery
(in order to prevent damage due to gassing of the battery).
● Grounding: the heatsink of the controller should be connected
to the grounding point.
Tr models: use flexible multistranded copper cable for the battery and PV
connections: see safety instructions.
MC4 models: several splitter pairs will be needed to parallel the strings of
solar panels.
3.2 PV configuration
● The controllers will operate only if the PV voltage exceeds
battery voltage (Vbat).
● PV voltage must exceed Vbat + 5V for the controller to start.
Thereafter minimum PV voltage is Vbat + 1V.
● Maximum open circuit PV voltage: 150V.
The controllers can be used with any PV configuration that satisfies the three
above mentioned conditions.
For example:
24V battery and mono- or polycristalline panels
● Minimum number of cells in series: 72 (2x 12V panel in series
or one 24V panel).
● Recommended number of cells for highest controller
efficiency: 144 cells (4x 12V panel or 2x 24V panel in series).
● Maximum: 216 cells (6x 12V or 3x 24V panel in series).
48V battery and mono- or polycristalline panels
● Minimum number of cells in series: 144
(4x 12V panel or 2x 24V panel in series).
● Maximum: 216 cells.
Remark: at low temperature the open circuit voltage of a 216 cell solar array
may exceed 150V, depending on local conditions and cell specifications. In
that case the number of cells in series must be reduced.

5
EN
3.3 Cable connection sequence (see figure 1)
First: connect the battery.
Second: connect the solar array (when connected with reverse polarity,
the controller will heat up but will not charge the battery).
3.4 More about automatic battery voltage recognition
The system voltage is stored in non volatile memory.
In case of a 24V or 48V battery, a reset (to 12V) occurs only when the
output voltage decreases to less than 2V and the voltage on the PV input
exceeds 7V. This may occur when the battery has been disconnected
before PV voltage starts to rise in the early morning. When the (24V or
48V) battery is reconnected later during the day, the system voltage is
restored to 24V resp. 48V after 10 seconds if the battery voltage exceeds
17,5V resp. 35V.
Automatic voltage recognition can be switched off and a fixed 12/24/36 or
48V system voltage can be set with a computer, a smartphone or a
pluggable LCD display.
The controller can be reset by short circuiting the output and applying a
voltage exceeding 7V on the input (for example with a small power supply,
or a solar panel) during a few seconds. After a reset, the controller will
automatically adjust itself to a 12V system, a 24V system (when
connecting a 24V battery with at least 17,5V) or a 48V system (when
connecting a 48V battery with at least 35V). A computer, a smart phone or
a pluggable LCD display is required to set the MPPT to 36V.
3.5 Battery charging information
The charge controller starts a new charge cycle every morning, when the
sun starts shining.
The maximum duration of the absorption period is determined by the
battery voltage measured just before the solar charger starts up in the
morning:
Battery voltage Vb (@start-up)
Maximum absorption time
Vb < 23,8V 6h
23,8V < Vb < 24,4V
4h
24,4V < Vb < 25,2V
2h
Vb > 25,2V
1h
(divide voltages by 2 for a 12V system and multiply by two in case of a 48V
system)
If the absorption period is interrupted due to a cloud or due to a power
hungry load, the absorption process will resume when absorption voltage is
reached again later on the day, until the absorption period has been
completed.

6
The absorption period also ends when the output current of the solar charger
drops to less than 2Amps, not because of low solar array output but because
the battery is fully charged (tail current cut off).
This algorithm prevents over charge of the battery due to daily absorption
charging when the system operates without load or with a small load.
3.6 Configuration of the controller with the rotary switch
Fully programmable charge algorithm (see the software page on our
website) and eight preprogrammed charge algorithms, selectable with a
rotary switch:
Pos
Suggested battery type
Absorption
V Float V
Equalize
V
@%Inom
dV/dT
mV/°C
0 Gel Victron long life (OPzV)
Gel exide A600 (OPzV)
Gel MK
28,2 27,6
31,8
@8% -32
1
Gel Victron deep discharge
Gel Exide A200
AGM Victron deep discharge
Stationary tubular plate (OPzS)
Rolls Marine (flooded)
Rolls Solar (flooded)
28,6 27,6 32,2
@8% -32
2
Default setting
Gel Victron deep discharge
Gel Exide A200
AGM Victron deep discharge
Stationary tubular plate (OPzS)
Rolls Marine (flooded)
Rolls Solar (flooded)
28,8 27,6 32,4
@8% -32
3 AGM spiral cell
Stationary tubular plate (OPzS)
Rolls AGM
29,4 27,6
33,0
@8% -32
4
PzS tubular plate traction batteries
or OPzS batteries
29,8
27,6
33,4
@25%
-32
5
PzS tubular plate traction batteries
or OPzS batteries
30,2
27,6
33,8
@25%
-32
6
PzS tubular plate traction batteries
or OPzS batteries
30,6
27,6
34,2
@25%
-32
7
Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePo
4
)
batteries
28,4 27,0 n.a. 0
Note: divide all values by two in case of a 12V system and multiply by two in
case of a 48V system.

7
EN
A binary LED code helps determining the position of the rotary switch.
After changing the position of the rotary switch, the LEDs will blink during 4
seconds as follows:
Thereafter, normal indication resumes, as described in the LEDs section.
3.7 Configuration of the controller with VictronConnect
Use VictronConnect to configure and monitor the charge controller.
VictronConnect is available for Android, iOS, Windows and Mac OS X.
VictronConnect is also available for download from the website
https://www.victronenergy.com/support-and-downloads/software
3.8 Automatic equalization
Automatic equalization is default set to ‘OFF’. By using the configuration
tool VictronConnect or the pluggable LCD display this setting can be
configured with a number between 1 (every day) and 250 (once every 250
days). When automatic equalization is active, the absorption charge will be
followed by a voltage limited constant current period (see table in section
3.5). The current is limited to 8% of the bulk current for all VRLA (Gel or
AGM) batteries and some flooded batteries, and to 25% of the bulk current
for all tubular plate batteries and the user defined battery type. The bulk
current is the rated charger current unless a lower maximum current setting
has been chosen.
In case of all VRLA batteries and some flooded batteries (algorithm number
0, 1, 2 or 3) automatic equalization ends when the voltage limit maxV has
been reached, or after t = (absorption time)/8, whichever comes first.
For all tubular plate batteries and the user defined battery type automatic
equalization ends after t = (absorption time)/2.
Switch
position
LED
Float
LED
Abs
LED
Bulk
Blink
frequency
0
1
1
1
Fast
1
0
0
1
Slow
2
0
1
0
Slow
3
0
1
1
Slow
4
1
0
0
Slow
5
1
0
1
Slow
6
1
1
0
Slow
7
1
1
1
Slow

8
When automatic equalisation is not completely finished within one day, it will
not resume the next day, the next equalisation session will take place as
determined by the day interval.
3.9 LEDs
LED indication:
permanent on
blinking
off
Regular operation
LEDs
Bulk
Absorption
Float
Not charging (*1)



Bulk



Absorption



Automatic equalisation



Float



Note (*1): The bulk LED will blink briefly every 3 seconds when the system is
powered but there is insufficient power to start charging.
Fault situations
LEDs
Bulk
Absorption
Float
Charger temperature too high



Charger over-current



Charger or panel over-voltage



Internal error (*3)



Note (*3): E.g. calibration and/or settings data lost, current sensor issue.
3.10 Connectivity
Bluetooth Smart (built-in): connect to a smartphone or tablet running iOS or
Android, see section 3.6 for the required software.
VE.Direct to USB cable (ASS030530000): connect to a PC a smartphone
with Android and USB On-The-Go support (requires additional USB OTG
cable), see section 3.6 for the required software.
VE.Direct to VE.Direct cable: connect to a MPPT Control or a Color Control
panel (BPP000300100R).
MPPT Control
Color Control

9
EN
3.11 Pluggable LCD display - Live data
Remove the rubber seal that protects the plug on the front of the controller
and plug-in the display module. The display is hot-swappable; this means
that the charger may be operational while the display is plugged in.
The following information will be displayed if the "-" button is pressed (in
order of appearance):
Displayed info
Icons
Segments
Units
Battery charge current (1)
 .
A
Battery voltage (1)
 .
V
Battery charge power

.

W
Battery temperature (2)

.

,

,

°C/°F
Charger temperature (2)
.,,
°C/°F
Panel current
.
A
Panel voltage
.
V
Panel power
.
W
Warning message
(3)  
Error message (3)  
HUB-1 operation (3) 
BMS operation (3) 
Notes:
1) The system voltage is shown in the first two segments.
2) A valid temperature is shown, --- = no sensor information or Err = invalid
sensor data.
3) These items are only visible when relevant.
Pressing the "-" button or the "+"button for 4 seconds activates the auto-
scroll-mode. Now all LCD-screens will pop-up one by one with short
intervals. The auto-scroll-mode can be stopped by pressing the "-" or the
"+" button shortly.
3.12 Pluggable LCD display - History data
The charge controller tracks several parameters regarding the energy
harvest. Enter history data by pressing the SELECT button when in
monitor mode, a scrolling text will be visible. Press + or – to browse the
various parameters as shown in the table below, press SELECT to stop
scrolling and show the corresponding value. Press + or – to browse the
various values. For the daily items it is possible to scroll back to 30 days
ago (data becomes available over time), a brief popup shows the day
number. Press SELECT to leave the historical menu and go back to the
monitor mode, alternatively press SETUP to return to the scrolling text.
Scrolling text
Icons (1)
Segments
Units
Displayed info
  
.

kWh
Total yield
 
 
Total error 0 (most recent)
 
Total error 1 (shown when available)
 
Total error 2 (shown when available)
 
Total error 3 (shown when available)
    
.

V
Total panel voltage maximum
  
 .
V
Total battery voltage maximum

 .
Day kWh
Daily yield
  
 .
Day V
Daily battery voltage maximum