1. Safety precautions
1.1. General safety precautions
Important
Read this manual carefully. It contains important instructions that need to be followed during installation, operation and maintenance.
Save these instructions for future reference on operation and maintenance.
Warning
Danger of battery explosion from sparking.
Danger of electric shock.
Install the product in a heatproof environment. Ensure therefore that there are no chemicals, plastic parts, curtains or other textiles, etc. in the immediate vicinity of the equipment.
The product is not allowed to be mounted in a user accessible area.
Ensure that the equipment is used under the correct operating conditions. Never operate it in a wet environment.
Never use the product at sites where gas or dust explosions could occur.
Ensure that there is always sufficient free space around the product for ventilation.
Refer to the specifications provided by the manufacturer of the battery to ensure that the battery is suitable for use with this product. The battery manufacturer's safety instructions should always be observed.
Protect the solar modules from incident light during installation, e.g. cover them.
Never touch uninsulated cable ends.
Use only insulated tools.
This product is designed and tested in accordance with international standards. The equipment should be used for the designated application only.
Connections must always be made in the sequence described in the Installation chapter of this manual.
The installer of the product must provide a means for cable strain relief to prevent the transmission of stress to the connections.
In addition to this manual, the system operation or service manual must include a battery maintenance manual applicable to the type of batteries used.
1.2. Wiring safety precautions
Caution
Use flexible multi-stranded copper cable for the battery and PV connections.
The diameter of the individual strand of the cable used should not exceed 0.4mm (0.016 inch) or have a surface area exceeding 0.125mm² (AWG26).
The maximum operating temperature is 90°C (194°F).
A 25mm² cable, for example, should have at least 196 strands (class 5 or higher stranding according to VDE 0295, IEC 60228 and BS6360). An AWG2 gauge cable should have at least 259/26 stranding (259 strands of AWG26). Example of suitable cable: class 5 “Tri-rated” cable (it has three approvals: American (UL), Canadian (CSA) and British (BS)).
In case of thicker strands the contact area will be too small and the resulting high contact resistance will cause severe overheating, eventually resulting in fire. See below figure for examples of what cable to use and not to use.
Notice
For the 20A model only:
The grounding terminal is located on the side of the housing and is identified by this symbol: .
1.3. Symbols used on the enclosure
The following symbols are used on the solar charger enclosure:
Symbol | Name | Meaning |
---|---|---|
Danger of electric shock warning | Do not touch the electric connections, there is danger of electrical shock. | |
Hot surface warning | Do not touch the surface of the appliance, while it is running, it will get hot. | |
Read the manual instruction | Read the product manual before installation and use. | |
Ingress protection value | IP43 - The electronic components are protected from tools and small wires greater than 1 millimetre and protected from water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical. | |
Double insulation symbol | The appliance is double insulated and does not require a safety connection to electrical earth (ground). |
1.4. FCC and Industry Canada Compliance
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules and to RSS of Industry Canada. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
This device may not cause harmful interference, and
This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
Le présent appareil est conforme aux CNR d'Industrie Canada applicables aux appareils radio exempts de licence. L'exploitation est autorisée aux deux conditions suivantes : (1) l’appareil ne doit pas produire de brouillage, et (2) l’utilisateur de l’appareil doit accepter tout brouillage radioélectrique subi, même si le brouillage est susceptible d’en compromettre le fonctionnement.
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
Note: 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 Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de Classe B est conforme à la norme Canadienne ICES-003.