GOAL ZERO 96100 10 AMP Charge Controller User Guide

10 AMP
CHARGE CONTROLLER
USER GUIDE

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

The controllers have a waterproof design, suitable for indoor or outdoor use.
Do not disassemble the controller.
Lead-acid, LiFePO4, LTO batteries can be dangerous. Ensure no sparks or flames are present when working near batteries.
Eye protection should always be used. Never short circuit the battery.
Given sufficient light solar panels always generate energy even when they are disconnected.
Accidental ‘shorting’ of the terminals or wiring can result in sparks causing personal injury or a fire hazard. We recommend that you cover up the panel(s) with some sort of soft cloth, so you can block all incoming light during the installation. This will ensure that no damage is caused to the Solar Panel or Battery if the wires are accidentally short-circuited.
Always install a battery fuse on each circuit including the solar controller. Fuse includes Goal Zero cables.
Do not reverse connect the wires to the solar panel or battery

Features

• Advanced MCU control pulse width modulated (PWM) technology, high efficiency.
• The target for LiFePO4, LTO (Lithium Titanium Oxide), Gel, AGM, Conventional lead-acid (WET), and Calcium Batteries.
• Built-in regulator to prevent your battery from being overcharged. Overcharging occurs when the charge voltage is unregulated. This can result in premature battery failure.
• Comes with a regulator to prevent undercharging of your battery – a condition that is very common in solar charging but especially with conventional lead-acid or calcium batteries. The unit provides an automatic Equalization feature for deeply drained Conventional lead-acid batteries or Calcium batteries, as well as provides a cycling automatic  Equalizing feature every 28 days.
• Can be connected to the battery permanently to keep the battery fully charged by using a process called “floating”. This means the controller will stop charging when the battery is full and will automatically start charging the battery as required. This process will also reduce water loss and help prevent the battery from ‘drying out’.
• Protects your battery from discharge at night. Under low light or no light conditions, the solar panel voltage could be less than the battery voltage. The unit contains a  special circuit that prevents current from flowing back from the battery and into the solar panel.
• Colored LEDs to easily indicate the operational status and battery conditions.
• Digital LCD to directly display battery voltage, charging current, charging capacity (Amp hour), battery types, and fault codes.
• Provides external battery temperature sensor (Requires additional wires – not included).
• Multi charging protection against reverse polarity, short circuit, over-temperature, over-voltage, etc.
• Surface Mount, Flush Panel Mount, or Portable solar kits Mount options.
• Conformal-coating circuit boards and plated terminals for inclement weather.

Get To Know Your Gear

The Goal Zero 10A Charger Controller is used to connect Goal Zero Solar Panels directly to external batteries. The Charge controller connects Goal Zero Solar Panels to 12V battery (AGM, LiFePO4, LTO, Gel, Lead Acid, and Calcium Batteries) to charge and monitor the charging of the battery. Perfect for RV’S, motorcycles, snowmobiles, tractors, watercraft, lawnmowers, cars, etc.
Note:

• Will not work with Nomad 5,7,7+, and 10.
• Optional SAE to a Ring terminal and SAE to Alligator Clips sold separately

Get To Know Your Gear

Mounting The Device

The Solar Controller has two mounting options.

1. Surface mount:
   The quickest and easiest way to mount the unit is to use self-tapping screws and mount the unit to a flat surface.

2. Portable panel kit mount:

Mounting Bracket
(Sold Separately on Goalzero.com SKU 98365)

Wiring Connections

To protect the Battery and the Solar Panel, we strongly recommend that you place an in-line fuse on the positive wire on both the “Solar” and “Battery” Circuits. 15A fuse for  10Acontroller (As close to the Battery /Panel as possible). Fuse included with Goal Zero cables.
For the Battery connection, we recommend using Goal Zero Spade to SAE cable (98370)
The Solar Controller has 4 terminals which are clearly marked ‘Solar’ and ‘Battery’.
Refer to the wiring diagram below.
Correct Wire Size:
Please refer to the wire size chart below to determine the minimum size wire needed for each connection. This will also ensure you get the best performance out of your solar
regulator.

1. Using the stranded wires, screw tightly the wires to the “Solar” and “Battery” terminals on the back of the controller and connect to the Solar Panel and Battery.
2. If the cable gauge is too large to fit into the terminals of the controller, please properly peel the part of copper wires prior to installation.

When the connections are completed, the Solar Controller will start working automatically.

Operation – LCD Display

Please check your battery manufacturer’s specifications to select the correct battery type. The unit provides 6 battery types for selections: LiFePO4, LTO, Gel, AGM, WET  (conventional lead-acid), and Calcium.

Press the BATTERY TYPE button and hold for 3 seconds to go into your battery type selection mode, the battery types you select will be shown on the LCD meter, the default setting is AGM Battery; the controller will automatically memorize your battery typesetting.
Caution: Incorrect battery type setting may damage your battery.
When the controller powers on, the unit will run self-qualify mode and automatically show below items on LCD before going into the charging process.

After going into the charging process, the LCD displays the charging statutes as below: Press VOLT / AMP button in sequence, the LCD will display in turn with Battery Voltage,  Charging Current, Charged Capacity (Amp-hour), and Battery Temperature (if external temperature sensor connected).

Charging Stages

You also can visually monitor your battery charging condition via an LCD bar on the top of the LCD meter, if the battery is in the charging process, the LCD bar will be flashing; if the battery is fully charged, the LCD bar will turn on.
The VOLT / AMP button can be changed at any time during the charging process.
The LCD also can be treated as an independent voltage meter or thermometer. A voltage less than 11.5V Volts indicates that the battery is discharged and needs re-charging.
CHARGING STAGES
The unit has a 5-stage charging algorithm.
Soft Charge (Level 1) –Bulk Charge (Level 2)-Absorption charge (Level 3) – Equalizing Charge*
(Level 4) – Float Mode (Level 5)

Soft Charge- When batteries suffer an over-discharge, the controller will softly ramp the battery voltage up to 10V.
Bulk Charge- Maximum current charging until batteries rise to the Absorption level

Absorption Charge- Constant voltage charge and battery is over 90%.
*Equalization Charge-** Only for WET battery or Calcium battery type, when the battery is deeply drained below 10V, it will automatically run this stage to bring the internal cells to an equal state and fully complement the loss of capacity. (LiFePO4, LTO, Gel and AGM battery do not run Equalization charge)
Float Charge- The battery is fully charged and maintained at a safe level. A fully charged Lead-acid battery (GEL, AGM, WET battery) has a voltage of more than 13.6 Volts; A fully charged LiFePO4 or LTO battery has a voltage level of 13.4V.

Operation – LED Indication

Abnormal Operation – LED Indication

Maintenance

The controller is maintenance-free. If the connection wire is damaged or loose, please replace the new wires or tighten the screws. The case should be cleaned occasionally with a dry cloth.

Minimum
Charging characteristics
Start Voltage at 25°C| 3-10V
Charge Voltage at 25°C| LTO battery-14.0V
Gel battery-14.1V
LiFePO4 battery-14.4V
AGM battery-14.4V
WET battery-14.7V
Calcium battery-14.9V
Equalizing voltage at 25°C| WET or Calcium battery-15.5V
Float voltage at 25°C| Gel, AGM, WET, Calcium batteries – 13.6V LTO and LiFePO4 – 13.4V
Battery temperature compensation coefficient| -24 mV/°C
Protection
Against reverse polarity or short circuit|
No reverse current from the battery to solar at night|
Over-temperature protection during charging| 65°C
Electrical parts
Input-output terminal| M4 terminals
Temp-sensor port (Press and Release type)| DA 250-350 2P
Physical Parameters
Controller housing material| Plastic, Standard ABS
Power terminal maximum stranded wire size| #12 AWG stranded- 3 mm2
IP grade| IP65
Environmental characteristics
Size (LWH)| 6.10 x 3.9 x 1.02 in (15.5 x 9.91 x 2.6 cm)
Weight| 9.7oz (272g)
Operating temperature| -25 to 50 °C /- 13 to 122 °F
Storage temperature| -40 to 85°C / – 40 to 185 °F
Operating Humidity range| 100% no condensation
Approvals| IC, FCC, CE-EMC, CE-LVD

GOAL ZERO HEADQUARTERS
675 West 14600 South
Bluffdale, UT 84065
Designed in the U.S.A.
Made in China
1-888-794-6250
Goal Zero Switch and Nomad are trademarks of Goal Zero LLC.
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the  user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

GOALZERO.COM
CA031215 CL083121V1

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| GOAL ZERO 96100 10 AMP Charge Controller [pdf] User Guide
96100, 10 AMP Charge Controller
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