BLUE SKY IPN ProRemote, IPN ProRemote-S Installation And Operation Manual
IPN ProRemote
IPN ProRemote-S
IPN™ network compatible charge controller and battery system monitor/setup
INSTALLATION AND OPERATION MANUAL
THIS MANUAL INCLUDES IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS FOR MODELS:
IPN ProRemote (IPNPRO), IPN ProRemote-S (IPNPRO-S)
SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS
© Blue Sky Energy, Inc. 2017 430-0019 G (EN)
FCC CFR 47 Part 15 Subpart B
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
1) This device may not cause harmful interference,
and 2) This device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may cause
undesired operations.
CONFORMS TO
EN 61326-1:2006
EN 60335-1:2002 + A11:2004 + A1:2004
EN 60335-2-29:2004
CONFORMS TO
UL STD. 1741
CERTIFIED TO
CAN/CSA STD. E335-1/2E
Blue Sky Energy – IPN ProRemote
1 Blue Sky Energy | USA | www.blueskyenergyinc.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS .................................................................................................................. 2
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION ...................................................................................................................................... 2
Part Numbers and Options ................................................................................................................... 2
OPERATION ......................................................................................................................................................... 3
Using The Function Keys ...................................................................................................................... 3
NEXT ............................................................................................................................... 3
BACK ............................................................................................................................... 3
Using BACK & NEXT To Increase Or Decrease Settings ................................................... 3
SELECT ............................................................................................................................ 3
LCD Display and Backlight .................................................................................................................... 4
Charge Status Indicator ........................................................................................................................ 4
Remaining Battery Capacity ................................................................................................................. 4
How Remaining Battery Capacity Works ........................................................................ 4
Charge Efficiency ............................................................................................................ 4
Accuracy ......................................................................................................................... 5
Menus .................................................................................................................................................. 5
Using The Menus and Keys................................................................................................................... 9
Example – Setting Battery Amp-Hours ......................................................................... 9
INSTALLATION ..................................................................................................................................................... 9
Electrostatic Handling Precautions ...................................................................................................... 9
IPN ProRemote Setup .......................................................................................................................... 10
As Shipped Factory Default Settings ............................................................................... 10
Restoring Factory Default Settings ................................................................................. 10
Battery Amp-hour Rating ............................................................................................... 10
Charge Efficiency and Charge Efficiency Mode .............................................................. 10
Self Discharge Rate ......................................................................................................... 10
Float Transition Current ................................................................................................. 11
Current Shunt ....................................................................................................................................... 12
Current Shunt Signal Wiring ........................................................................................... 12
Resetting Current Shunt Zero ......................................................................................... 12
Charge Controller Connection .............................................................................................................. 12
Mounting ............................................................................................................................................. 13
TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE ................................................................................................................................ 13
SPECIFICATIONS .................................................................................................................................................. 15
FIVE YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY .......................................................................................................................... 15
TABLES AND FIGURES
Table 1 Charge Status Indicator .................................................................................................. 4
Table 2 Self Discharge Rate ......................................................................................................... 10
Table 3 Maximum Network/Power Cable Length ....................................................................... 13
Figure 1 Display Panel .................................................................................................................. 3
Figure 2 Top Menu ....................................................................................................................... 5
Figure 3 Advanced Display Menu ................................................................................................. 6
Figure 4 Setup Menu .................................................................................................................... 7
Figure 5 Battery Charge Parameters Menu .................................................................................. 8
Figure 6 Wiring Diagram .............................................................................................................. 11
Figure 7 Network/Power Cable Schematic ................................................................................... 12
Figure 8 Detailed Dimensional Drawing ....................................................................................... 13
Installation and Operation Manual
Blue Sky Energy | USA | www.blueskyenergyinc.com 2
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
This manual contains important instructions for Models IPN ProRemote and IPN ProRemote-S
SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS
1. Refer installation and servicing to qualified service personnel. Incorrect installation or use may result in risk of electric shock or fire. No user
serviceable parts in this unit.
2. To reduce the risk of electric shock, fire or personal injury, the following symbols are placed throughout this manual to indicate dangerous
conditions, or important safety or operational instructions.
WARNING
CAUTION
IMPORTANT
Indicates dangerous conditions or electric
shock potential. Use extreme caution.
Indicates items critical to safe installation or
operation of the unit.
Follow these instructions closely for
proper operation of the unit
3. PERSONAL PRECAUTIONS
a) Working in the vicinity of lead-acid batteries is dangerous. Batteries produce explosive gasses during normal operation.
b) To reduce risk of battery explosion, follow these instructions and those published by battery manufacturer and manufacturer of any equipment
you intend to use in vicinity of battery.
c) Someone should be within range of your voice or close enough to come to your aid when you work near a lead-acid battery.
d) Have plenty of fresh water and soap nearby in case battery acid contacts skin, clothing or eyes.
e) Wear complete eye protection and clothing protection. Avoid touching eyes while working near battery.
f) If battery acid contacts skin or clothing, wash immediately with soap and water. If acid enters eye, immediately flood eye with running cold
water for at least 10 minutes and get medical attention immediately.
g) NEVER SMOKE or allow a spark or flame in vicinity of battery.
h) Be extra cautious to reduce risk of dropping metal tool onto battery. It might spark or short circuit battery or other electrical part that may cause
explosion.
i) Remove personal metal items such as rings, bracelets and watches when working with a lead-acid battery. A lead-acid battery can produce a
short circuit current high enough to weld a ring or the like to metal, causing a severe burn.
j) Remove all sources of power, photovoltaic and battery before servicing or installing.
4. DISPLAY LOCATION & INSTALLATION
a) This unit employs components that tend to produce arcs or sparks. NEVER install in battery compartment or in the presence of explosive gases.
b) This unit must be installed and wired in accordance with National Electrical Code, ANSI/NFPA 70.
c) Unit is not water tight. Do not expose to rain, snow or excessive moisture.
d) Insure all terminating connections are clean and tight.
e) This unit is designed to be used with Integrated Power Net™ (IPN™) compatible charge controllers. Do not plug into anything other than an IPN
compatible communications port.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
The full featured IPN ProRemote incorporates a multi-line backlit LCD display and three function keys to provide enhanced setup and monitoring
of Blue Sky Energy’s Integrated Power Net™ (IPN™) compatible charge controllers. The IPN ProRemote provides the ability to access additional charge
controller setup parameters and adjust setup parameters to wider ranges than with the accompanying charge controller alone. Both the individual status
and combined total of up to 8 charge controllers can be monitored. The IPN ProRemote also provides complete battery system monitoring. It displays
net battery current and battery amp-hours from full by measuring the charge and discharge current from all charging sources and loads. Some of the
many displays include; battery voltage and current, PV voltage and current, PV charge amp-hours, and a highly accurate “fuel gage” type battery capacity
indicator.
PART NUMBERS AND OPTIONS
• IPN ProRemote ........................ IPN ProRemote, full featured IPN charge control and battery system monitor w/25 foot’ cable
• IPN ProRemote-S ..................... IPN ProRemote with required 500A/50mV current shunt
• CS-500 ...................................... 500V/50m millivolt current shunt
Blue Sky Energy – IPN ProRemote
3 Blue Sky Energy | USA | www.blueskyenergyinc.com
DISPLAY PANEL
FIGURE 1
OPERATION
All IPN ProRemote operations and displays are controlled with the three function keys, BACK, NEXT and SELECT. Information typically of interest to the
casual user such as battery voltage, net battery current and remaining battery capacity are available in the Top menu. More technically inclined
users may want to see additional information in the Advanced Display menu, whereas installers may need to access the Setup or Battery Charge
Parameters menus. See Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 for a complete description of each display screen.
USING THE FUNCTION KEYS
NEXT
The NEXT key is used primarily to scroll through menus. Each press of NEXT advances the display to the next screen in that menu. One more press
once you reach the bottom of a menu returns you to the top of that menu.
BACK
The BACK key is used primarily to back out of functions, setting screens, or advanced menus, similar to the “escape” key on a computer. Each press
of BACK backs you out of an advanced menu, function or setting screen without performing the function or changing the setting. Pressing in the
BACK Top menu toggles between the two most commonly used screens, Battery Volt/Amp and Remaining Battery Capacity.
Using BACK & NEXT to Increase Or Decrease Settings
All settings are changed in a parameter setting screen where the word “SETTING” flashes in the display. Pressing NEXT while in a parameter setting
screen causes the parameter to go to the next value or increases a numeric setting.
Pressing BACK while holding NEXT pressed in a parameter setting screen decreases numeric settings. If BACK is pressed without holding NEXT
pressed, BACK will perform it’s normal function and exit the parameter setting screen. To decrease a setting, press and hold NEXT, then additionally
press and hold BACK. The number or setting will decrease while BACK and NEXT are pressed. When the you have passed the desired setting going
down, release BACK first and then release NEXT. Then use NEXT to increase the setting to the desired value.
SELECT
The SELECT key takes action based on the indicator in the lower right of the display, which may show SEL►, SET►, or CLR► (i.e., Select, Set or
Clear). To minimize the possibility of taking unintended action, SELECT does not act immediately. You must press and hold the SELECT for 4 seconds
before the action is taken.
• SEL► is used to select a next level menu, or enter a parameter setting screen.
• SET► is shown in parameter setting screens where the word “SETTING” flashes in the display. Once the parameter is raised or lowered to
the desired value in a parameter setting screen, pressing SET► stores the new value into memory and returns to the previous screen.
SET► is also shown in the Restore Default Settings and Reset Current Shunt Zero screens where SET► directly executes these functions
following the normal 4 second delay.
• CLR► is used to clear values in stored data screens such as Min or Max Battery Voltage, Total Charge Amp-hours, etc. It will also appear in
the Equalize Enabled screen and will manually cancel the present equalize cycle.
Installation and Operation Manual
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LCD DISPLAY AND BACKLIGHT
The Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) may be backlit for improved readability. Switching backlight ON increases IPN ProRemote power consumption from
roughly 0.25W to 1.0W. Backlight can be set for ON, OFF or AUTO from the Advanced Setup menu. The default setting of AUTO will cause backlight
to remain ON for one minute following the last key press. When backlight has turned OFF in AUTO, the first press of any key turns backlight ON only
without performing that key’s normal function. The keys perform their normal function once backlight is ON.
CHARGE STATUS INDICATOR
An LED charge status indicator is provided on the face of the unit. The charge status indicator will be OFF when the charge controller is not charging, and
will be ON solid or blinking when the battery is being charged.
CHARGE STATUS INDICATOR
CHARGE STATUS INDICATOR
CHARGE MODE
OFF
CHARGE OFF
CONTINUOUSLY ON
BULK
BLINKING • 1 SEC ON / 1 SEC OFF
ABSORPTION
BLINKING • 0.2 SEC ON / 1 SEC OFF
FLOAT
RAPID BLINKING • 0.2 SEC ON / 0.2 SEC OFF
EQUALIZE
TABLE 1
REMAINING BATTERY CAPACITY
The IPN ProRemote provides a high accuracy indication of remaining battery capacity based on amp-hour counting. The resulting remaining battery
capacity computation is displayed as both Percent Remaining and as a Bar Graph. Note that the amp-hours from full counter and the associated
remaining battery capacity indication will show dashes ( – – – ) until the accompanying charge controller fully charges the battery which is required
to initialize amp-hour counting.
How Remaining Battery Capacity Works
A battery stores electrical charge in units referred to as “amp-hours” (AH). An amp-hour is the product of current (in amps) times time (in hours). 10
amp-hours could be consumed by a 10 amp load operating for 1 hour, a 0.2 amp load for 50 hours, or 100A load for 1/10 hour. The IPN ProRemote
uses net battery current as displayed in the Top Menu Battery Volt/Amp screen to compute amp-hours which is displayed in the Top Menu Battery
Amp-Hrs From Full screen. As the battery is charged (positive current) or discharged (negative current) the IPN ProRemote keeps a running total of
how many battery amp-hours have been removed or restored. Discharge amp-hours are applied directly to the amp-hours from full counter causing
amp-hours from full to increase. Charge amp-hours cause the amp-hours from full counter to decrease, but are reduced by the Charge Efficiency Factor
to account for the fact that batteries are not 100% efficient at receiving charge. Additionally, batteries loose charge on their own due to self discharge
which is periodically computed and added to the amp-hours from full counter. Self discharge changes with battery temperature and will be corrected for
temperature if the accompanying charge controller includes a battery temperature sensor.
Counting amp-hours into and out of the battery and using charge efficiency and self discharge rate arrives at the amp-hours from full value displayed in
the Top Menu Battery Amp-Hrs From Full screen. This value is used with the battery’s published “20hr rate” amp-hour rating to compute remaining
battery capacity. If the battery was 220 amp-hours and the amp-hours from full counter value was at –110 amp-hours, remaining battery capacity
would show 50%. The battery amp-hour rating is specified at 25C, but actual battery capacity changes with temperature. If the accompanying charge
controller includes a battery temperature sensor, the IPN ProRemote will correct available battery amp-hours based on battery temperature. Cooler
batteries have reduced capacity, and if the battery was at 0C, then actual battery capacity is reduced to 79% of 220 amp-hours and remaining capacity
would show 37%.
Charge Efficiency
Charge efficiency refers to how many amp-hours are absorbed by the battery compared to how many charge amp-hours are delivered. A charge
efficiency factor of 94% means that for each 100 amp-hours of charge delivered, the battery increases charge by 94 amp-hours. Charge efficiency is
typically very high when the battery is highly discharged, and becomes lower when the battery is near full charge.
The Charge Efficiency factor can be set to a Fixed number or can be set to automatically update based on past battery behavior. Most systems will
benefit from the Auto Adjust setting which is the factory default. In Auto Adjust, the IPN ProRemote will compute actual charge efficiency if the
battery was discharged at least 10%, and the accompanying charge controller is what brought the battery back to full charge. The Charge Efficiency
factor update rate is filtered so that it takes approximately 5 charge/discharge cycles to completely update the Charge Efficiency factor.
Accuracy
Remaining Battery Capacity will tend to be better if;
• The charge controller delivers at least 3 amps per 100 amp-hours of battery capacity.
• The charge controller is what normally brings the battery back to full charge.
• The battery is fully charged by the charge controller often to minimize error build up resulting from the non-ideal characteristics of
batteries. The more the battery is cycled without becoming fully charged, the greater the error buildup.
• Charge Efficiency Mode is set to AUTO ADJUST.
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