Phoenix Smart IP43 Charger 230V

Set-up, monitoring and updating of the charger. Option for parallel redundant charging.

New functions can be added once they become available using Apple and Android smartphones, tablets and other devices.

When using Bluetooth functionality, a PIN can be set to prevent unauthorised access to the device. This PIN can be reset to its default value (000000) by holding the MODE button down for 10 seconds. For more information, refer to the VictronConnect Manual.

For a wired connection with a Color Control, Venus GX, PC or other devices.

Can be programmed (e.g. with a smartphone) for activation by an alarm or other events. Note that the relay only works when there is AC available on the AC input terminals, and therefor the relay cannot be used as, for example, a generator start/stop signal.

With an efficiency of up to 94%, these battery chargers generate up to four times less heat than the industry standard. And once the battery is fully charged, power consumption drops to less than 1 Watt, which is five to ten times better than the industry standard.

The optimum charging voltage of a lead acid battery is inversely proportional to the temperature. The Smart Charger measures the ambient temperature at the start of the charging phase and compensates for the temperature while charging. The temperature is measured again when the battery charger is in low-current mode during absorption or storage. Special settings for a cold or warm environment are therefore not required.

Lead acid batteries must be charged in three phases, namely [1] bulk charging, [2] absorption charging and [3] float charging.

Several hours of absorption charging are required to fully charge the battery and to prevent early defects due to sulphation.

However, the relatively high voltage during absorption shortens the battery’s life span as a result of corrosion at the positive plates.

Adaptive battery management limits corrosion by reducing the absorption period if possible, i.e. when charging a battery that is already (almost) fully charged.

Even the lower float charge voltage that follows absorption charging will cause corrosion. It is therefore essential to lower the charging voltage even more if the battery remains connected to the charger for more than 48 hours.

A lead acid battery that is insufficiently charged or is left in an uncharged condition for several days or weeks will deteriorate due to sulphation . If this is noticed in time, the sulphation can sometimes be partially reversed by charging the battery to a higher voltage using a low current.

Notes:

Reconditioning must only be used now and then on flat-plate VRLA (gel and AGM) batteries, as the gases formed during reconditioning dry out the electrolyte.

VRLA batteries with cylindrical cells build up more internal pressure before the gases are formed and therefore lose less water during reconditioning. Some manufacturers of batteries with cylindrical cells therefore recommend reconditioning in case of cyclical application.

Reconditioning can be applied to wet-cell batteries to ‘balance’ the cells and to prevent acid stratification.

Some manufacturers of battery chargers recommend impulse charging to reverse the sulphation. However, most battery experts agree there is no conclusive evidence that impulse charging is better than charging with a low current / high voltage. This is confirmed by our own tests.

Li-ion batteries are not subject to sulphation and do not have to be fully charged on a regular basis.

However, Li-ion batteries are highly sensitive to high or low voltages. This is why Li-ion batteries are often equipped with an integrated system for cell balancing and to protect against low voltages (UVP: Under Voltage Protection).

Important note:

NEVER attempt to charge a lithium-ion battery if the temperature of the battery is below 0°C.²

Low battery temperature cut-off: This will stop charging lithium batteries below 5°C (default). May require VE.Smart networking temperature sensor, e.g. Smart Battery Sense or SmartShunt.

There are three ways to switch on the device:

If an error occurs, the ALARM LED will light up red. The status LEDs indicate the type of error with a blink code. See the following table for the possible error codes.

Error	LOW	BULK	ABS	FLOAT	STORAGE	ALARM
Bulk time protection
Internal Error
Charger over-voltage

	Off
	Blinking
	On

The charger compensates for the voltage drop over the DC cables by gradually increasing the output voltage if the charging current rises.

The fixed voltage offset is 100mV. The voltage offset is scaled with the charge current and added to the output voltage. The voltage offset is based on 2x 1- meter cable, contact resistance and fuse resistance.

Example calculation for the 12/50 (1+1):

The cable resistance R can be calculated with the following formula:

Here R is the resistance in ohms (Ω), ρ is the resistivity of copper (1.786x10^-8 Ωm at 25°C), l is the wire length (in m) and A is the surface area of the wire (in m²).

A widely used distance from charger to battery is 1 metre. In this case the wire length is 2 metres (plus and minus). When using a 6AWG cable (16mm²) the wire resistance is:

Installing a fuse close to the battery is highly recommended. The resistance of a standard 80A fuse is:

Rfuse = 0.720mΩ

The overall resistance of the circuit can then be calculated with the following formula:

Rtotal = Rwire + Rfuse

Therefore:

Rtotal = 2.24mΩ + 0.720mΩ = 2.96mΩ

The required voltage drop compensation over the cable can be calculated with the following formula:

U = I x Rtotal

In which U is the voltage drop in volts (V) and I is the current through the wire in amperes (A).

The voltage drop will then be:

U = 50 x 2.96mΩ = 148mV for the full 50A charging current

The three-output version chargers have an integrated FET battery isolator and therefore feature three isolated outputs.

Although all outputs can supply the full rated output current, the combined output current of all outputs is limited to the full rated output current.

By using the three-output version charger it is possible to charge three separate batteries with only a single charger while keeping the batteries isolated from each other.

The outputs are not regulated individually. One charge algorithm is applied to all outputs.