phocos ECO-N-T Solar Charge Controller User Manual

phocos ECO-N-T Solar Charge Controller

Introduction

ECO-N-T solar charge controller protects batteries from overcharging and excessive discharging. It protects the solar panel from reverse current from the batteries at night. Please read the instructions carefully and thoroughly before using the product. It comes with a number of outstanding features such as:

• Negative grounding
• Environmental protection: IP68 (case), IP21 (contacts)
• 3 stage charging (main, boost, float)
• Automatic recognition of system voltage 12/24 V
• LED display for state of charge

Regulatory Information
This product is CE-compliant. This product is manufactured in an ISO9001-certified facility. This equipment is suitable for use in Class I, Division 2 groups A, B, C, D or non-hazardous locations only. The hazardous location temperature code is T4. UL listed to UL1741 and CSA C22.2 No. 107.1-16. UL listed to ANSI/ISA 12.12.01-2015 and C22.2 No. 213-15.

Battery Type
Suitable for use with lead acid (GEL, AGM, flooded) batteries. Nominal voltage rating of the battery: 12 or 24 V

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS
This manual contains important instructions for models ECO-N-10-T and ECO-N-20-T that shall be followed during installation and maintenance of the charge controller.
CAUTION – A battery can present a risk of electrical shock, burn from high short-circuit current, fire or explosion from vented gasses. Observe proper precautions.
WARNING – EXPLOSION HAZARD – Do not disconnect while circuit is live unless area is known to be non-hazardous.

• Always ensure batteries are properly ventilated.
• Please do not disassemble or attempt to repair Phocos products. Phocos charge controllers do not contain user-serviceable parts.
• The controller warms up during normal operation.

Overcurrent Protection for Battery
Install a fast-acting fuse with a minimum of 1000A interrupt rating as close as possible to the battery terminal. Select a device rated for 1.5 times the nominal current rating of the controller (see table). An overcurrent protection device must be purchased separately.
CAUTION – Maximum overcurrent protection device rating:

Maintenance and Installation

• When installing or working on the PV system, please disconnect the PV (solar) modules from the charge controller first to prevent any damages to the charge controller!
• Verify that all cable/wire connections are tightly fastened to the connectors/connecting posts in order to avoid any bad or loose connections that could result in excessive heating.
• Install a fuse or breaker near the battery before installing or adjusting the controller!
• Make sure the cables are always connected to the correct terminal.
• The controller does not need any maintenance or service. Remove dust with a dry tissue.
• WARNING: This unit is not provided with a GFDI device. This charge controller must be used with an external GFDI device if required by Article 690 of the National Electric Code for the installation location.

High voltage risks

• Operation of this device may produce a high voltage which could cause severe injuries or death in case of improper installation or operation of the device.
• PV modules can generate high DC voltages!
• An electrical shock can be lethal. In general, any electric shock can be dangerous to your health.

Mounting of the Unit

Since the charge controller must be able to sense the battery temperature, it must be mounted in the same compartment with the battery, as close as possible to the battery. Phocos recommends not to use more than 1m wire length between battery and charge controller. If the controller is mounted in a location far from the battery and cannot accurately sense battery temperature, overcharging or undercharging will occur. This can cause permanent damage to the battery.

• Mount vertically on non-flammable surface with minimum 2 cm distance below and above unit.
• If heat dissipation is limited by the surrounding compartment or high ambient temperatures, unit will limit charge current to reduce temperature.
• The charge controller is not intended to be installed within the wiring compartment of a PV module.
• Intended for indoor use only or installation in a suitable enclosure. Use in a dry environment.
• Strain relief is recommended for the wires to avoid loose connections at the terminals.

Connecting and Grounding

• WARNING: When the photovoltaic (solar) array is exposed to light, it supplies a dc voltage to this equipment.
• Connect wires in order indicated 1 2 3 4 5 6 to avoid installation faults.
• To avoid any voltage on the wires, first connect the wire to the controller, then to the battery, panel or load.
• Recommended minimum wire size: ECO-N-10-T: 3.0mm2 (AWG 12); ECO-N-20-T: 6.0mm2 (AWG 10) Use minimum 75°C stranded copper wire.
• Make sure the wire length between battery and controller is as short as possible.
• Be aware that ECO-N-T is designed for use in negative ground systems. If any grounding is required, always do this on the negative wires.
• The photovoltaic maximum current as defined in the National Electrical Code, clause 690.8 must not exceed the rated charge current of the controller.
• The photovoltaic maximum voltage as defined in the National Electrical Code, clause 690.7 cannot exceed 30VDC (12V system) and 50VDC (24V system).
• Wiring methods in accordance with the National Electrical Code, ANSI/NFPA 70 are to be used. Wiring methods used shall be in accordance with the Canadian Electrical Code, Part I.

![phocos-ECO-N-T-Solar-Charge-Controller-fig-1]](https://manuals.plus/wp- content/uploads/2022/11/phocos-ECO-N-T-Solar-Charge-Controller-fig-1.png)

Operational Description

• ECO-N-T is a series PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) solar charge controller. It uses fast switching to connect and disconnect the solar panel to the battery. This switching regulates the battery voltage and charge current.
• ECO-N-T will attempt to charge the battery up to a target voltage. The target voltage and duration is determined by the charge state (Main, Boost, or Float). Either Main or Boost will be completed first and then Float will occur for the remainder of the day. If solar energy is insufficient, or if too much load energy is drawn from the battery during charging, the battery cannot be fully charged.
• ECO-N-T adjusts the target charge voltage based on ambient temperature. Charge voltage is increased in cold temperatures. Charge voltage is decreased in hot temperatures.
• ECO-N-T provides a power output to supply DC loads with electricity. The voltage of this load output is the battery voltage. Energy for the loads and for the controller’s self-consumption are drawn from the battery.
• To protect the battery from getting deeply discharged, ECO-N-T will disconnect the load output when the battery voltage drops to a low SOC (state of charge). This is known as Low Voltage Disconnect (LVD). When the battery is charged above the reconnect level, load power will turn on.
• To protect connected loads, ECO-N-T will disconnect the load if the battery voltage rises too high.
• ECO-N-T has over-temperature protection. If the internal temperature rises higher than about 75°C (e.g. at high charge currents and high ambient temperatures) the charge current will be decreased to reduce internal heating. If the internal temperature is too high, it will also switch off the load current.

Display and Warning Functions

Charge Display

• Controller connected to battery, night detected (Green LED on)
• Controller connected to battery, day detected (Green LED flashes)
• No battery connected (Green LED off)

Battery State of Charge (SOC) Display

• OK, Battery voltage >12/24V (Yellow LED off)
• Low, 12/24 V > Battery voltage > 11.5/22 V (Yellow LED on)
• Very low, 11.5/23 V > Battery voltage > 11/22 V (Yellow LED flashes)

If the battery voltage drops < 11/22V, the yellow LED will turn off and the red LED will turn on to indicate low voltage disconnect.

Load Status Display

• Normal operation (Red LED off)
• Low or high voltage disconnect (Red LED on)
• Overload or short circuit of load (Red LED flashes)

Safety Features

and switches o f the load if the internal temperature reaches a high level.

1. Upanel – Ubattery is limited to 60 V. The controller should not remain in this condition for a long time.

2. Controller can protect itself, but loads might be damaged.

3. Short circuit: >3x – 20x nominal current.

4. Battery must be protected by a fuse or it can be permanently damaged by a short circuit.

5. 200% nominal current: disconnect with 3s delay,
   150% nominal current: disconnect with 10s delay,
   110% nominal current: disconnect with 120s delay.

6. Reverse current through solar panel is blocked by a serial MOSFET. This function is tested and activated approx. once in 1min +/-5s.

7. The solar panel voltage should not exceed this limit for a long time as voltage protection is done by a varistor.

8. Limited electronic protection; must be additionally protected by an external fast acting fuse against short circuit to prevent damage from charge controller; nominal fuse rating shall be 1.5 times the maximum charge current.
   WARNING: The combination of different error conditions may cause damage to the controller. Always remove an error before you continue connecting the controller.

Low Voltage Disconnect Function

There are 2 modes of LVD. State of Charge (SOC) controlled LVD takes into account battery voltage and load current. Voltage controlled LVD takes into account battery voltage only.
NOTE: The two voltage levels before/after the slash are valid for 12 V and 24 V systems respectively.
State of charge (SOC) controlled disconnect options:

• 11.00/22.00 V to 11.70/23.40 V (SOC1)
• 11.12/22.24 V to 11.76/23.52 V (SOC2)
• 11.25/22.50 V to 11.83/23.63 V (SOC3)
• 11.38/22.72 V to 11.89/23.78 V (SOC4)
• 11.51/23.02 V to 11.96/23.92 V (SOC5)
• 11.64/23.28 V to 12.02/24.04 V (SOC6)
  Voltage controlled (LVD): Disconnect at a fixed voltage between 11.0/22.0 V and 11.9/23.8 V (Steps of 0.1/0.2 V).

Note: Battery voltage must be below setting for longer than 2 minutes and up to 30 minutes for LVD to take effect.

Technical Data

Note: The two voltage levels before/after the slash are valid for 12 V and 24 V systems respectively.
Note: Voltage and current specifications are direct current (DC) type.

Activation voltage<12.3/24.6V

Charging Voltage Range| 9.0to15.0V/18.0to30.0V
De e p Discharge Protection| 1.0/ 2.0V
Reco n ectlevel| 12.8/25.6V
---|---
Overvoltageprotection| 15.5/31.0V
Undervoltageprotection| 10.5/21.0V
Maximumsolarvoltage| 30/50Vdc
Max. ba t ery voltage| 40V
Temperature compensation (Charge voltage)| −24mV/K(12Vsystem)

−48mV/K(24Vsystem)

Loadoutputvoltagerange| 1.0to15.5/ 2.0to31.0V 
Self-consumption| 4mA
Grounding| Negative grounding
Ambien t emperaturerange| −40to+60°C
Max. altitude| 4, 0 mabovesealevel
Battery type| lead acid(GEL,AGM,fl o ded)
Max.wires| 10mm2(8AWG)
Dimensions(WxHxD)| 1 0 x61x20mm/4×2.4×0.80in
Weight| 0.16kg/0.35lbs
Type of protection| IP68(case),IP21(terminals)
Warranty| 5years

** : At an ambient temperature above 50°C with all currents applied, the charge controller will automatically reduce the charge current to limit the internal temperature.
*** : Load voltage will closely match battery voltage when on.

Liability Exclusion

The manufacturer shall not be liable for damages, especially on the battery, caused by use other than as intended or as mentioned in this manual or if the recommendations of the battery manufacturer are neglected. The manufacturer shall not be liable if there has been service or repair carried out by any unauthorized person, unusual use, wrong installation, or bad system design.
Specifications are subject to change without notice.
Version: 2019-06-24
Made in China
Phocos AG
Magirus-Deutz-Str. 12 89077 Ulm, Germany Phone: +49 731 9380688-0 Fax: +49 731 9380688-50 www.phocos.com
info@phocos.com

References

• Solar Equipment and Power Charge Controllers | Phocos

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