Blue Sky Solar Boost 2000 - Manual (Page 4)

RV Power Products - Solar Boost 2000
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PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Solar Boost 2000™ is a 20 amp fully automatic, very high performance Maximum Power Point Tracking
(MPPT) photovoltaic (PV) charge controller. Through the use of advanced patent pending MPPT technology, Solar
Boost 2000 can increase charge current up to 30% or more. A high accuracy digital display is also provided to monitor
PV charge performance. The controller is fully protected against voltage transients, reverse polarity, and overload
conditions.
Solar Boost 2000 employs series pass Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) charge voltage control. Precise PWM
voltage control is superior to simple on/off type controllers and leads to a more fully charged battery, with longer life and
less maintenance. Solar Boost 2000 also includes an automatic current limit feature which allows you to use the full 20
amp capability without worrying about overload or nuisance fuse blow from excessive current. The PWM control
system uses highly efficient and reliable power MOSFET transistors. The MOSFET’s are turned on and off at high
frequency to precisely control charge voltage and MPPT. An environmentally sealed high current high reliability relay is
used to disconnect the PV array at night to prevent unwanted current drain. A relay is used rather than blocking diodes
for improved power efficiency and MPPT current boost performance. The relay is not stressed by functioning as part of
the voltage control system and continually turning on and off as with other PV controllers. It simply turns on in the
morning and off in the evening, and in this application has a life expectancy in excess of 10
5 operations.
Fully automatic temperature compensation of charge voltage is available as an option to further improve
charge performance and battery life. The available SensorLug™ battery temperature sensor is built for long term
reliability. The sensor element is environmentally sealed and encapsulated into a copper lug which mounts directly to
the battery terminal. Order the SensorLug with 20ft/6.1m of cable as RVPP part number 930-0022-20. Additionally,
Solar Boost 2000 may be fitted with an optional interface to allow operation from an RVPP Battery Manager™ 6210
three stage charge controller. A wall mount box with conduit knockouts is also available as RVPP part number 720-
0011-01.
OPERATION
Charge control and MPPT current boost operations are fully automatic. Charge turns on whenever the PV
array is capable of producing approximately 0.15 amps at @ 14 volts. Note that a minimum battery voltage of 10
volts or greater is required for the system to operate. When the battery is at a low state of charge, Solar Boost 2000
delivers as much charge current as possible to recharge the battery as rapidly as possible. Maximum available
charge current varies with the number and size of PV panels installed, available solar energy, and operation of the
proprietary MPPT current boosting system. Electronic current limit prevents the possibility of overload by limiting
output current to approximately 21 amps regardless of available PV input current or input power. The current limit
feature makes it impossible to overload Solar Boost 2000.
As the battery charges, battery voltage increases. When the battery recovers sufficient charge for battery
voltage to increase to the charge voltage setpoint, which is factory calibrated to approximately 14.0 volts, output
voltage will remain constant at this value. As the battery continues to charge at a constant voltage, charge current
will decrease. If there was no DC load on the system, output current from Solar Boost 2000 would eventually drop to
approximately the battery amp-hour rating divided by 500 when the battery is fully charged, or approximately 0.4
amps for a 220 amp-hour battery. The precision PWM voltage control method provided by Solar Boost 2000
prevents overcharge while maintaining a more fully charged battery.
The highly accurate digital display consumes very little power and is always on and available for use. As
shown in Figure 1, the meter can be selected to display Solar Panel Current, Output Charge Current or Battery
Voltage. Solar Panel Current displays current in amps flowing from the PV array to Solar Boost 2000, whereas
Output Charge Current displays current in amps flowing from Solar Boost 2000 to the battery. When MPPT current
boost is functioning, Output Charge Current will be greater than Solar Panel Current. If operating conditions are
such that PV output power is insufficient for MPPT current boost to function, Output Charge Current may show 0.1
amps less than Solar Panel Current. This is normal as Solar Boost 2000 consumes approximately 0.090 amps to
operate when PV charge is on. When PV charge is off, standby current consumption is quite low at approximately
0.017 amps.