Introduction
Current from solar panels is transferred to batteries using switching function that shorts them together at varying degrees (width modulation of pulses).
General Description
The controller uses short (very short) the principle of transferring power from solar to batteries through a direct connection. As panels voltage is higher, the current is transferred from solar panels to batteries. To control the amount of current, there is an electronic switch that turns on and off depending upon the condition of the batteries. When the battery is boost charged, the controller transfers all the current generated into the battery and when the batteries are full, almost no current is transferred. There are other 2 stages in between when the controllers levels off the current flow to bring the voltage up. It’s a very simple yet effective way to control the charging of the batteries.
The controller also has a load controller built-in. Meaning, DC load with voltage the same as that of system voltage (12V or 24V) can also be connected to the controller. The battery is protected from deep discharges – a situation where the excess current is drawn from the battery – using built-in protections.
Current Sensing And Temp Sensing
Maxima PWM controllers have a smart control algorithm that not only uses battery voltage to understand the battery state of charge (how full or empty the battery is) but also uses the rate at which the current is either put in or drawn from the battery as well as battery temperature. This helps better compute the state of charge of the battery.
Multiple Load Control Modes
From a small home system to more complex street lighting controlling, the load control employees varied modes in which the controller can be programmed to work. Other functions as traffic lights, garden lighting can also be implemented using MAXIMA solar charge controllers.
Graphic LCD Display
The vivid LCD display built-in the controller displays graphical system information that not only gives a good readout of the system but also makes programming the controller simple to undertake.