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Description:

I sometimes hear a buzzing noise during charging. Is something wrong?

No. The buzzing sound is mechanical resonance created by the switching of current through the circuit board and solid-state devices. This is normal and not indicative of a problem.

Description:

Here’s a brief explanation on how to calculate the temperature compensated adjustments our controllers make to their charging voltages based on the ambient temperature changes.

The charging voltages listed in the controller operator’s manual are specified at a 25C standard test condition ambient temperature with a -.030V (@ 12V battery) adjustment per degree C change in temperature above or below the 25C reference. The (-) in front of the .030V indicates that voltage adjustment is inverse to the change in temperature. In other words, if the temperature increases above 25C, the controller decreases it’s charging voltage by -.030V per degree C rise above 25C and vice versa. An accurate measurement of the ambient temperature is required for calculating the the controller’s temperature compensated adjustment.

Example:

An ambient temperature of 35C = +10C increase above the 25C base temp = 10 x -.030V compensated adjustment = temperature compensated -.300V decrease in charging voltage.
Therefore, a 14.4V charging voltage specified in the manual @ 25C would be reduced to 14.1V @ 35C or increased to 14.7V @ 15C.

The compensation rate is doubled to .060V/C for 24Vnominal battery systems and quadrupled to .120V/C for 48V nominal battery systems.

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How do I calculate the effect of temperature compensation on the regulation voltage?

Refer to the accompanying document download, which includes compensation curves for most Morningstar Controllers, or refer to temperature compensation coefficient in the specifications section of the Operator’s Manual.

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Morningstar controllers have been designed to mount vertically. This is the orientation in which the heatsinks are most effective. Mounting the controller horizontally will reduce its passive cooling efficiency, but the risk of overheating will be determined by the ambient temperature and the power level at which the controller will be operating.

All efforts should be made to mount the controller vertically.

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Yes, select Morningstar controllers can accept custom charging setpoints. Using our free MSView software, you can configure many of the setpoints and parameters for charging. Please refer to the controller datasheet and manual for more information

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The Remote Meter (RM-1) cannot be used to change charging parameters. The RM-1 only displays data and provides basic user commands, such as resetting Amp-Hour counters.

For further information, please consult the RM-1 manual.

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Most Morningstar controllers will take up to 5 minutes to realize that the solar input voltage is no longer present before transitioning into the ‘night’ state. The controller performs periodic day/nigh checks (about once every 5 minutes). Depending upon where the controller is in this cycle when the input is removed, it may take anywhere from 0-5min for the controller to turn off its Charging LED and go into the ‘night’ state.

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Our controllers are designed to charge lead-acid batteries which have different charging requirements than NiMh. Please DO NOT use our products with NiMh batteries, it is dangerous to do so.

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For systems with a SunSaver Duo (SSD) and only 1 battery or battery bank, only 1 battery connection is required for proper charging. It is not necessary to wire both Battery 1 and Battery 2 connections to the sole battery bank. The SSD will detect that only 1 battery is connected and provide 100% of charging current to the connected battery.

If a second battery is connected in the future, the battery will automatically be detected and charging current will be split according to the specified charging priority.

Description:

The internal switches of a controller, called MOSFETs or power transistors, switch current on and off to control solar current and load current. Because these components are in the power path, the controller will no longer be able to switch current if they fail.

Power transistors can fail for the following reasons:

• Over-voltage: lightning or other high voltage transients on the PV power cables.
• Over-current: too much PV for the controller or a short in the PV line pulls too much currentout of the battery through the controller.
• Extreme temperatures during charging.
• A premature failure of the component. The transistors are solid state devices that are manufactured in huge volumes with extremely low failure rates. However, no electrical components are 100% defect free and can pass test and then fail after a short period of time.
• Old age

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This Tech Tip discusses the use of today’s 60 cell PV modules with Morningstar’s solar controllers. It explains why 60 cell modules are not well adapted for meeting the nominal array voltage requirements of PWM controllers. It also shows how Morningstar’s MPPT controllers can be used with great success at higher input voltages.

Description:

Do Morningstar Controllers regulate according to SOC (State of Charge) calculations?

No. Morningstar Controllers regulate according to battery voltage setpoints. Because battery health and other factors affect charging over time, using voltage setpoints is a way to naturally track these changes and affords the user a complete understanding of the controllers operation. SOC calculations and algorithms may not be precise under all conditions and may leave the user with a “fuzzy” understanding of the workings of the unit.

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If no input source (solar) is connected to the charge controller, but there are other charging sources connected to the batteries, charge controller may still show a Green Flashing LED (indicating that the controller is in the absorption charging stage). The Green Flashing LED may appear on the Morningstar controller if the battery voltage is at or above the controller’s Absorption charging voltage setting. Although the controller is not delivering power to the batteries (because there is no input source present), the indication still appears. This is not an indication of controller malfunction.

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MSView contains a built-in Help File (accessible from the Help menu -> Help Topics) which provides detailed information about using the software to connect to Morningstar devices, program custom settings, view and/or log real-time data, and evaluate system performance.

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A higher voltage solar array (e.g. 24V nominal) can only be used with a lower voltage battery bank (e.g. 12V nominal) if the controller used is an MPPT controller.

PWM controllers CANNOT be used to charge a lower-voltage battery bank with a higher-voltage solar array. Please use an MPPT style controller if this is required.

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Yes, on select Morningstar controllers. The MSView PC software will provide logging capability through the serial or Ethernet port. Additionally, a number of commercial dataloggers and PLCs support the Modbus protocol.

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The note below assumes the meter is powered and displaying text on the screen.

If a button(s) for any one of the following display models appears to stop working:

– TS-M / TS-RM
– TS-M-2 / TS-RM-2
– RM-1

there may be several explanations:

1) You have reached the end of a menu, and there are no more screens to display in that direction (e.g. if you go to the bottom of a menu and continue to push the DOWN arrow, nothing will happen)

2) If the backlight is OFF, the first button press will turn the backlight ON, but will not change the meter screen. E.g. if the backlight is OFF and you would like to move LEFT in the display, you must press LEFT twice – the first to turn the backlight ON, the second to move LEFT in the display). In brightly lit rooms or sunny conditions, it may be difficult to detect whether the backlight is ON or OFF.

3) The button contacts have become dirty. To clean the button contacts:

– Disconnect the meter cable from the back of the meter
– Remove the two screws on the back of the meter, holding the meter circuit board to the faceplate
– Wet a Q-tip or small paper towel with a small amount of alcohol
– Clean the 4 contact points on the circuit board and the contact point on each of the buttons

If the meter button(s) still do not function correctly after checking the points above, contact your Morningstar re-seller / dealer for warranty replacement.

Description:

Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) charging may cause interference in sensitive loads in the system during charging. The SunSaver switches current at 300 Hz. PWM switching noise can sometimes be heard in the controller itself, the wiring or wiring connections, or the system loads. AM radios and CB radios are especially prone to PWM interference. Noise in the controller or wiring is caused by mechanical resonance when current is switched through the circuits. There is little that can be done to remedy this issue. However, noise/interference in the system loads can usually be reduced or eliminated by the following:

1) Minimize cable runs between components

2) Twist power pairs(+/-) to reduce radiated noise

3) Good system grounding

4) Add capacitance across load power(at load input, 22000uf or more)

5) Add a line filter. some have had success with car audio filters that eliminate alternator whine. If these measures do not eliminate or reduce interference to acceptable levels, the controller can be modified to reduce the switching frequency. The 3rd generation SunSaver has a wire loop under the faceplate. If this loop is cut, the controller will reduce the switching frequency to ~1 Hz. Refer to the SunSaver Operator’s Manual for more information.

6) Some Morningstar controllers allow for operation in a ‘low-noise’ state. Check your controller documentation for details.

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All Morningstar controllers will automatically prevent reverse discharge of the battery back through the solar array during the night. No external diodes on the input of the controller are required.

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A green LED blinking on the Remote Meter indicates that the battery is in the absorption state. This may happen under normal operating conditions and is not indicative of a problem.

Description:

If you are having problems communicating with a Morningstar product using a serial connection, try the following:

1. Make sure that the unit is powered with a battery or power supply. The unit cannot communicate without power.

2. Verify that the serial cable is not a Null Modem or cross-over cable.

3. Verify that no other programs or managers are using the same serial port.

4. Check the serial cable for continuity using a multimeter. The cable should have continuity from Pin1<->Pin1, Pin2<->Pin2,… If possible, try another cable.

5. Shut down and restart the PC. Reattempt connection.

6. Try another PC

For products that require the PC MeterBus Serial Adapter (Model: MSC), check the RJ-11 telephone cable. If possible, try another cable. It has been reported that some USB to Serial cables will not work with the MSC because the RS-232 output signal voltages are below the RS-232 electrical specification.

Description:

In boating applications it is common to provide a switched jumper between the house bank and engine starter battery in the event that one of the banks goes dead. Switching the jumper on, connecting the 2 banks, will not damage the SunSaver Duo.

Description:

If the SunSaver Duo LED is flashing Red and has stopped charging, it may be due to an RTS (Remote Temperature Sensor) fault. The RTS terminals on the upper left front of the controller can be susceptible to accumulating dust/moisture/debris. If these terminals gather enough dust/moisture a resistive connection across the terminals can form. To the controller, this resistive connection may seem as though a damaged RTS is connected. If there is no RTS present, the issue can be fixed by:  – removing battery power from the controller  – using a small piece of wire to connect the two RTS terminals together – reapplying battery power with the small wire connected (keep the wire installed until if/when you decide to install an RTS probe into the system).

Newer SunSaver Duo controllers come with a metal jumper pre-installed to help prevent this issue.

Description:

Can I use a power source other than a PV panel to charge my batteries?

We do not recommend using a DC power supply with any of our PWM controllers. While they appear to be similar to PV modules in function, DC power supplies have considerably more output capacitance. Connecting a DC power supply to our PWM controllers may cause excessive heating and premature failure. MPPT controllers can be used for this purpose without issue. In addition, AC powered battery chargers are often the best option for systems requiring AC battery charging.

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Can I wire multiple controllers in parallel off the same PV array to charge different batteries?

Yes. Refer to the document, “Charging Isolated Battery Banks”. This can ONLY be done with PWM controllers. MPPT controllers cannot be used in this configuration.

Description:

When two conductors (a wire and screw terminal for instance) are mated, there is a resistance at that connection. Usually this contact resistance is very low and poses no threat. However, when connections become loose, oxidation builds on the surfaces, or corrosion accumulates, the resistance at the connection can increase to a dangerous level.

When current passes through resistance, power is dissipated in the form of heat. If the value of the resistance goes up, so does the power dissipated (for the same amount of current). When a connection has high resistance, the heat generated at the connection can melt surrounding material such as plastics and actually catch fire.

Resistive connections can occur on any electronic device that carries significant amounts of power. It is important to periodically check the tightness of the connections and inspect for corrosion as suggested in the Maintenance section of the Operator’s Manual. Along with periodically checking the connections, dielectric grease can be applied to the terminals to avoid corrosion build-up on the conductor surfaces. Mobile installations tend to be the most susceptible to developing resisitve connections because motion works cables loose from their terminals, however, resistive connections can occur on stationary installations as well.

Description:

PWM is an acronym for Pulse Width Modulation. When the battery is recharged to regulation voltage, the controller will begin limiting the amount of current into the battery so that the regulation voltage is maintained but not surpassed. The method of regulating the current, referred to as PWM, pulses current into the battery with pulses of a varying width. Wider pulses allow a greater percentage of the input current to flow into the battery, narrower pulses restrict current to a lower percentage. Refer to the accompanying download,  “Why PWM?”, for more technical and detailed information concerning PWM charging.

Description:

Direct from the FAQ at http://www.modbus.org :

MODBUS® Protocol is a messaging structure developed by Modicon in 1979, used to establish master-slave/client-server communication between intelligent devices. It is a de facto standard, truly open and the most widely used network protocol in the industrial manufacturing environment. It is literally implemented by hundreds of vendors on thousands of different devices in order to transfer discrete/analog I/O and register data between control devices. It’s really a lingua franca or common denominator between different manufacturers. One report called it the “de facto standard in multi-vendor integration”.

Description:

All Morningstar PWM type controllers have a PWM switching frequency of ~300Hz.

Some Morningstar PWM controllers have a feature which will reduce the switching frequency to ~1Hz (called on/off charging). This on/off charging virtually eliminates switching noise (both radiated and conducted) and can be used when experiencing noise problems with 300Hz switching operation.

Current models with this on/off charging option are:

– SunSaver Generation 3

– SunSaver Duo

– ProStar PWM

– TriStar PWM

Description:

RS-232 serial cables can be found at just about any computer retail store. In most cases, such as mating the TriStar or SunSaver Duo to a PC, you will require a cable with one male and one female connection. Linking a PC with the controller will require a straight-through serial cable (NOT a NULL Modem cable).

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We supply PC software free of charge (called MSView). It is available for download on our website. Sorry, Apple Mac is not supported.

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Frequently Asked Questions about PWM battery charging are addressed.

Description:

Other charging sources can be used in parallel with the Morningstar charge controller; you do not need to isolate the controller from the battery. For best performance when using other charging sources, ensure the charging source and Morningstar controller are set to charge to the same (or close) voltage. If the supplemental charging source is set to a higher charging voltage than the Morningstar controller, the Morningstar controller may go into a fault state temporarily when the battery voltage rises higher than the controller’s setpoint. The controller will automatically recover from this state when the battery voltage drops to a lower level.

Description:

Yes. There can be as many Morningstar controllers as required in parallel on the same battery bank. For best performance, set each controller to as close a charge setting as possible. Since the controllers will not have direct communication with each other, it is not unusual to see the controllers transition between charging stages at different times. This is generally not a concern.

Description:

MSView is a PC software utility that allows a PC to connect to supported Morningstar products. It provides real-time data display, customizable data logging, historical graph display of logged data, and an easy to use interface with integrated help menus. MSView also features several setup and configuration wizards for the Prostar-MPPT, TriStar, TriStar-MPPT, TriStar-MPPT 600V, SunSaver MPPT, SunSaver Duo, and Relay Driver.
NOTE: The latest firmware updates for all applicable products are also included in this MSView download.SunSaver-MPPTs MUST be updated to firmware version v09 or later to enable lighting control functionality.

Version: 1.6.34.0

• – Includes support for EMC-1 & PSPWM Gen3.
• – Minor scaling fixes for other controllers

Version: 1.6.44.0

• – PSPWM / PSPPT Summary Screen Swap
• – Connection Sharing between Real-Time Data & Setup Wizards

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Provides Windows drivers for:

Windows 10

Windows 8.1

Windows 8

Windows 7

Windows Vista

Windows XP

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The 2014/2015 Morningstar Product Catalog in English

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Short video highlighting Morningstar Corporation’s history and products.

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Morningstar Product Warranty

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The part numbers listed within are in compliance with Directive 2011/65/EC on the restriction of the use of certain
hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS directives). This document also certifies that
the product declaration that has been provided by Morningstar Corporation is accurate.

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Whitepaper on Morningstar’s s high-level of innovation, R&D and engineering excellence.

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Documentation certifying that the Sunsaver Duo conforms to the European testing requirements outlined by:

• EN 61000-6-2:1999 EMC Immunity, Industrial
• EN 55022:1998+A1:2000 +A2:2003 (Class B)
• EN 55024:1998+A1:2001+A2:2003 (Class B)
• ICES-003 Issue 4, Feb 2004 (Class B)
• REACH EC 1907/2006 compliant
• Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive 93/68/EEC
• FCC (Title 47 of CFR), Part 15 Subpart B Class B digital device

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PDF file of the packed Weights and Dims of Morningstar products.