Even though we have discontinued this controller,
we still carry parts for repair or warranty work.
If you need your RV-30D or RV-30DE repaired,
please give us a call at 541-726-1091
RV-30DE Charge Controller
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Introduction
The RV-30DE is a standard 30 ampere, 12 Volt DC, series type Pulse Width Modulated charge controller that utilizes power MOS FET technology. This type of controller maintains the exact battery voltage setpoint by frequent on and off switching of the photovoltaic source.
It is literally two charge controllers in one, and as such, the RV-30DE allocates the charge to both the House and Engine batteries simultaneously. The Engine battery charging circuit is limited to 3 amps with the battery voltage set point fixed at 13.4 VDC. The House battery charging circuit can deliver up to the full 30 amp rating of the controller with all of the "Bells and Whistles" listed below.
RV-30DE Features
- Pulse Width Modulation "Taper" Charge Strategy
- Maintains Batteries at the highest state of charge with the least amount of battery water consumption.
- Selectable Battery Voltage Set Point
- Can be set anywhere from 13.2 VDC to 14.6 VDC in 0.2 volt increments.
- Selectable "Auto-Equalize", "Auto-Float", or "Fixed"
- Choose "Auto-Equalize" for Flooded Lead Acid Batteries.
- Choose "Auto-Float" for Sealed Lead-Acid Batteries.
- Choose "Fixed" single set point PWM charging.
- Choose "Auto-Equalize" for Flooded Lead Acid Batteries.
- Battery Temperature Compensation
- Automatically adjusts battery voltage set point with respect to battery temperature to help prevent excess water loss or plate sulfation build up.
- Dual Battery Bank Charging
- Charges both Engine and House battery banks at the same time from the same Solar Panels.
- Liquid Crystal Display
- Gives Digital readout of "House Battery Volts", "Amps Charge", or "Engine Battery Volts" with a 3-position slider switch.
- Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)
- Gives "At-a-Glance" system status: "Charging", "Charged", or "Overtemp".
Operation of the RV-30DE
A) With "Auto-Equalize" Setting Activated - ("Bulk/Equalize/Constant Voltage" Strategy)
As the sun rises and the solar panels reach a voltage that is slightly higher than the House battery voltage, the RV-30DE will deliver all available charging amperage to both the House and Engine batteries and the “Charging” LED will be illuminated. The House battery voltage will rise under this influence until it approaches whatever battery voltage setpoint you have selected. The Engine battery voltage will rise until it reaches 13.4 volts and then taper off the charging amperage going to it. The charging amperage that was being delivered to the Engine battery is then redirected and added to the charging amperage being delivered to the House battery.
At this point, the controller will begin to taper off the charging amperage slightly and check to see if the House battery is really at the battery voltage setpoint. After about 1 or 2 minutes, the controller will go into its Automatic Equalization cycle.
During this Equalization period, (which only happens once a day after the first time the House battery reaches its battery voltage setpoint), the controller allows full charging amperage to continue to be delivered to the House battery for about 30 minutes. This effects a short term “overcharge” during which plate sulfation is driven back into solution and weaker cells are allowed a little extra time to reach full charge.
Depending on how much solar power you have and how many electrical loads you have on, your House battery voltage may climb as high as 0.8 volts above the battery voltage setpoint. The RV30SE will not allow the voltage to go higher than that.
After this 30 minute Equalization period, the “Charged” LED will be illuminated and the controller will enter its Pulse Width Modulation “Taper” cycle and only deliver whatever amperage it takes to maintain the battery voltage setpoint. This will hold the House batteries at their highest state-of-charge with the least amount of water consumption.
As the sunlight fades and evening approaches, the House and Engine battery's voltages will begin to fall from their respective setpoints to a lower point that is closer to their “at rest” voltage.
This cycle will be repeated the following morning.
B) With "Auto-Float" Setting Activated - ("Bulk/Absorption/Float" Charging Strategy)
As the sun rises and the solar panels reach a voltage that is slightly higher than the House battery voltage, the RV-30DE will deliver all available charging amperage to both the House and Engine batteries and the “Charging” LED will be illuminated. The House battery voltage will rise under this influence until it approaches whatever battery voltage setpoint you have selected. The Engine battery voltage will rise until it reaches 13.4 volts and then taper off the charging amperage going to it. The charging amperage that was being delivered to the Engine battery is then redirected and added to the charging amperage being delivered to the House battery.
The controller will then begin to taper the charge to the House battery until it reaches a value equal to about 60% of the charging amperage. About 1 or 2 minutes after the “Charged” LED is illuminated, it will then cut off all charging until the House battery voltage falls to the battery voltage setpoint.
The RV-30DE will then operate in its Pulse Width Modulation “Taper” cycle and only deliver whatever amperage the House batteries need to maintain the battery voltage setpoint.
As the sunlight fades and evening approaches, the House and Engine battery's voltages will begin to fall from their respective setpoints to a lower point that is closer to their “at rest” voltage.
This cycle will be repeated the following morning or any time the House battery voltage falls below the battery voltage setpoint.
C) With the "Fixed" Setting Activated - ("Bulk/Constant Voltage" Strategy)
As the sun rises and the solar panels reach a voltage that is slightly higher than the House battery voltage, the RV-30DE will deliver all available charging amperage to both the House and Engine batteries and the “Charging” LED will be illuminated. The House battery voltage will rise under this influence until it approaches whatever battery voltage setpoint you have selected. The Engine battery voltage will rise until it reaches 13.4 volts and then taper off the charging amperage going to it. The charging amperage that was being delivered to the Engine battery is then redirected and added to the charging amperage being delivered to the House battery.
At this point, the “Charged” LED will be illuminated and the RV-30DE will enter its Pulse Width Modulation “Taper” charge and deliver whatever charging amperage the House battery requires to maintain the selected battery voltage setpoint.
As the sunlight fades and evening approaches, the House and Engine battery's voltages will begin to fall from their respective setpoints to a lower point that is closer to their “at rest” voltage.
This cycle will be repeated the following morning.
The RV-30DE is a fully automatic controller. Basically, after all the settings are made and the controller is installed, the only interaction you will have with it is moving the slider switch to change the display readout. It takes care of everything else automatically!