Morningstar TS-MPPT-60 Settings Help. Target Voltage 1v too high

Kiomon
Kiomon Registered Users Posts: 13
hi all,

I am in the final stages of turning on our solar system in our campervan. We have a lithium battery set-up and a Morningstar TS-60 MPPT controller. Our battery provider says to set the charging voltage to 14.6 and disable float and equalization, we also disabled temperature compensation by disconnecting the sensor.

When we log into live view we see the target voltage is 15.4 volts, but the target voltage to charge the battery to, should be 14.4v. My settings are below. What am I missing? Just noted the temperature compensation variable, since my supplier says to disable temperature compensation., should I set that to zero?

Attachment not found.

Comments

  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Re: Morningstar TS-MPPT-60 Settings Help. Target Voltage 1v too high

    Looks like you have read the settings from a file, and not the controller. Have you been able to program the controller ?
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,

  • Kiomon
    Kiomon Registered Users Posts: 13
    Re: Morningstar TS-MPPT-60 Settings Help. Target Voltage 1v too high

    @Mike. Yup mike, the controller has been successfully programed with those settings, and rebooted. It was just easier at the coffee shop to load from the file. But those are the settings on the controller.
  • Muskoka
    Muskoka Solar Expert Posts: 103 ✭✭
    Re: Morningstar TS-MPPT-60 Settings Help. Target Voltage 1v too high

    Still other issues here. Your HVD (High Voltage Disconnect) is set to 14.14v, and your Absorption voltage is 14.6. Your never going to get to 14.6v with that HVD?

    Glen
  • Kiomon
    Kiomon Registered Users Posts: 13
    Re: Morningstar TS-MPPT-60 Settings Help. Target Voltage 1v too high

    @Glen thanks man. I will make the HVD change. Anything else look off
  • westbranch
    westbranch Solar Expert Posts: 5,183 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Morningstar TS-MPPT-60 Settings Help. Target Voltage 1v too high

    what ever Max Regulation limit is , it is the same as HVD
     
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: Morningstar TS-MPPT-60 Settings Help. Target Voltage 1v too high

    Regarding temperature compensation, most controllers include an internal temp sensor too... So, if they want no compensation, you are correct, you should set the controller to ZERO temp comp.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • Kiomon
    Kiomon Registered Users Posts: 13
    Re: Morningstar TS-MPPT-60 Settings Help. Target Voltage 1v too high

    thanks guys, I have set the max regulation to 14.6 volts and the HVD to 14.4, and I zeroed the temp coefficient as well. But the target voltage for the battery still says 15.4 volts. The battery wants to be charged to 14.4 volts and no higher, so that's why I set the HVD to 14.4. make sense?

    With all of that set, the target voltage on the live view page shows 15.4 still...hmmm... I also sent Morningstar an email
  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    Re: Morningstar TS-MPPT-60 Settings Help. Target Voltage 1v too high

    It is possible the HVD needs to be set above the desired charging Voltage as it is a "safety" to disconnect the PV if something goes wrong. Having it lower may confuse the whole program.
  • Muskoka
    Muskoka Solar Expert Posts: 103 ✭✭
    Re: Morningstar TS-MPPT-60 Settings Help. Target Voltage 1v too high

    On these controllers if there's a RTS (Remote Temperature Sensor) connected it will use that temperature, if not, there's no compensation.
    From the manual:

    "CAUTION:
    The TriStar MPPT will not temperature compensate charging parameters if the RTS is not used."


    The HVD voltage should be greater than your Regulation Voltage. Regulation is the Absorption Voltage, which your never going to reach with the unit shutting down while the HVD voltage is lower than the Regulation Voltage.

    My Regulation (Absorb) voltage is set at 15.2v (at 25 degrees celsius). My battery room can sometimes get as low as 0 degress Celsius or a bit higher. So, when the RTS temperatures at the battery is 0, the Regulation target voltage will now be 15.2v + (.03 (volts per degree celsius above or below 25) x 25 degrees), so 15.2v + .75v gives me a temperature compensated Regulation Target voltage of 15.95v. I can't go any higher, inverter shuts down at just over 16 volts.

    So, your target Regulation voltage of 15.4 volts is telling me that those batteries are 33 degrees celsius lower than whats being measured at the controller. If your Regulation voltage is set to 14.4v, and your Target Regulation voltage is showing 15.4v, that's one full volt above, and at .03 volts per degree difference, that equals, 1 / .03 = 33 degrees celsius. Yet, you say that the RTS is not being used? There is no way to turn off the Temperature Compensation in the software, if the Sensor is connected, it's on, if it's not connected, it's off. Are you absoloutly sure there's no Temperature Sensor?

    I know this doesn't answer anything, but what's going on is really weird. You need to speak to Morningstar.

    Glen
  • Kiomon
    Kiomon Registered Users Posts: 13
    Re: Morningstar TS-MPPT-60 Settings Help. Target Voltage 1v too high

    In contact with morningstar now. The temperature prob is not connected to the controller, positive of it, and the coefficient is set to zero. I thought the HVD was set based on the battery voltage that charging should stop. That's why I set it to 14.4. If I am supposed to set that higher than the absorbption setting of 14.6, wont it charge my battery too high? The battery is full at 14.4, that's why I set it that way.
  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    Re: Morningstar TS-MPPT-60 Settings Help. Target Voltage 1v too high
    Kiomon wrote: »
    In contact with morningstar now. The temperature prob is not connected to the controller, positive of it, and the coefficient is set to zero. I thought the HVD was set based on the battery voltage that charging should stop. That's why I set it to 14.4. If I am supposed to set that higher than the absorbption setting of 14.6, wont it charge my battery too high? The battery is full at 14.4, that's why I set it that way.

    No, the Absorb setting is what controls the Absorb Voltage. The HVD is there in case something causes the Voltage to go high than that; it will disconnect the controller regardless of state and stop it from contributing to the high Voltage problem.

    Inverters are usually what you see HVD (and LVD) on: so that they don't try to operate at a level that would be damaging to them. The principal here is the same, just applied to a charge controller instead.
  • Muskoka
    Muskoka Solar Expert Posts: 103 ✭✭
    Re: Morningstar TS-MPPT-60 Settings Help. Target Voltage 1v too high

    The HVD is the battery voltage threshold at which the Solar Array is disconnected, and charging is halted. It's a safety feature for over voltage to the batteries.

    If you have the HVD voltage "below" the Regulation Voltage, you will never reach "get to" Regulation (Absorption).

    The HVD needs to be a greater voltage than the Regulation voltage. Regulation / Absorption is when the batteries will get bubbling nicely (lead acid). If you didn't have a HVD voltage set, and something went wrong, the voltage could keep rising and do a lot of damage to your system. The HVD is the voltage at which the system shuts down, the panels are disconnected. There's a Reconnect voltage that goes along with the Disconnect voltage. You set them both in MSView.

    Glen

    Edit: Ooops, you got in just before me....
  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Re: Morningstar TS-MPPT-60 Settings Help. Target Voltage 1v too high

    All the setpoints don't show in the screenshot: (HVDR)
    Attachment not found.
    (this is for a 42 cell NiFe bank, don't do this to lead-acid)

    Reading the help screens in MSView can give you some good clues too
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,