Campbell Scientific SP65 User Manual

SP65 Solar Panel

Revision: 7/08

Copyright © 1987-2008

Campbell Scientific, Inc.

Warranty and Assistance

The SP65 SOLAR PANEL is warranted by CAMPBELL SCIENTIFIC, INC.
to be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use and
service for twelve (12) months from date of shipment unless specified
otherwise. Batteries have no warranty. CAMPBELL SCIENTIFIC, INC.'s
obligation under this warranty is limited to repairing or replacing (at
CAMPBELL SCIENTIFIC, INC.'s option) defective products. The customer
shall assume all costs of removing, reinstalling, and shipping defective
products to CAMPBELL SCIENTIFIC, INC. CAMPBELL SCIENTIFIC,
INC. will return such products by surface carrier prepaid. This warranty shall
not apply to any CAMPBELL SCIENTIFIC, INC. products which have been
subjected to modification, misuse, neglect, accidents of nature, or shipping
damage. This warranty is in lieu of all other warranties, expressed or implied,
including warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
CAMPBELL SCIENTIFIC, INC. is not liable for special, indirect, incidental,
or consequential damages.

Products may not be returned without prior authorization. The following
contact information is for US and International customers residing in countries
served by Campbell Scientific, Inc. directly. Affiliate companies handle
repairs for customers within their territories. Please visit
www.campbellsci.com to determine which Campbell Scientific company
serves your country. To obtain a Returned Materials Authorization (RMA),
contact CAMPBELL SCIENTIFIC, INC., phone [phone]. After an
applications engineer determines the nature of the problem, an RMA number
will be issued. Please write this number clearly on the outside of the shipping
container. CAMPBELL SCIENTIFIC's shipping address is:

CAMPBELL SCIENTIFIC, INC.

RMA#_____
815 West 1800 North
Logan, Utah 84321-1784

CAMPBELL SCIENTIFIC, INC. does not accept collect calls.

SP65 Table of Contents

PDF viewers note: These page numbers refer to the printed version of this document. Use
the Adobe Acrobat® bookmarks tab for links to specific sections.

1. General .........................................................................1

2. Specifications ..............................................................1

3. Installation....................................................................1

3.1 Mounting ..................................................................................................1

3.2 Orientation................................................................................................2

3.3 Installation of Morningstar SunSaver SS-10-12V Regulator...................4

4. Maintenance.................................................................5

5. Power Considerations.................................................5

5.1 Solar Power and Lead Acid Batteries.......................................................5

5.2 Voltage Regulator.....................................................................................6

Appendix

A. Assembly Instructions for 65 Watt Solar Panel

with Mounting Bracket.........................................A-1

Figures

1. Solar Panel Mounting.................................................................................2

2. Angle Settings on Mounting Bracket .........................................................3

3. Morningstar’s SunSaver SS-10-12V regulator mounted on

an enclosure backplate.............................................................................5

4. Solar Panel Orientation...............................................................................6

A-1. 65 Watt Solar Panel Assembly Instructions...................................... A-1

Tables

1. Solar Panel Tilt Angle ................................................................................3

2. Configurations for Desired Angles.............................................................3

A-1. Mounting Bracket Parts List.............................................................. A-2

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SP65 Solar Panel

1. General

Solar panels are a photovoltaic power source used for charging lead acid batteries.
The SP65 has two leads terminated with spade lugs that connect to the regulator
that is shipped with the SP65. The 15’ cable shipped with the SP65 connects the
regulator to the battery. Do not use the SP65 with the PS100 or CH100.

2. Specifications

Typical peak power (Pp) 65 W
Voltage @ peak power (Vpp)
(voltage from solar panel before
regulator)
Current @ peak power (Ipp) 3.69 A
Guaranteed minimum peak power 60 W
Temperature coefficient of power
Length, cm 111.1
Width, cm 50.2
Depth, cm 5
Weight, kg 7.2

SP65*

17.6 V

-(0.5 ± 0.05)%/°C

NOTE

3. Installation

3.1 Mounting

The above solar panel characteristics assume a 1 kilowatt per
square meter illumination and a solar panel temperature of 25°C.
Individual panels may vary up to 10%. The output panel voltage
increases as the panel temperature decreases.

*An SP65 can be connected to another SP65 to provide 130 W of typical peak
power.

Regulator

Model: Morningstar SunSaver SS-10-12V
Temperature Compensation (mV/°C): -28
Self Consumption: 6 to 10 mA
Operating Temperature: -40° to +85°C

The panel should be mounted facing south if located in the Northern
Hemisphere, or facing north in the Southern Hemisphere. The solar panel
mounts to the mast or leg of a tripod, or any 1 5/8" schedule 40 pipe, see
Figure 1. The panel should be mounted to the pipe using the U-bolts and 5/16

1

SP65 Solar Panel

D

NC (course) nuts provided with the solar panel. The nuts fastening the bracket
to the pipe should be as tight as possible without bending the bracket.

015 PYR A NO M E TE R

MOUNTING ARM

GILL RADIATION SHIEL

DATALOGGER ENCLOSURE

SOLA R PA N EL O N M AS T

3.2 Orientation

SOLA R PA N EL O N LEG

(ALTERNATE POSITION)

FIGURE 1. Solar Panel Mounting

The solar panel should be oriented to receive maximum insolation (incident
solar radiation) over the course of a year. Suggested tilt angles of the solar
panel are given in Table 1.

After determining the tilt angle, loosen the 5/16" nuts on each side of the solar
panel, adjust the panel, and tighten the two nuts to secure the position. See
Figure 2.

2

SP65 Solar Panel

TABLE 1. Solar Panel Tilt Angle*

Site Latitude (N or S) Tilt Angle

0 − 10° 10°
11 − 20° Latitude +5°
21 − 45 Latitude +10°
46 − 65 Latitude +15°
> 65 80°

* From "Design Aids for Small PV Power Systems", Solorex Corp.

FIGURE 2. Angle Settings on Mounting Bracket

TABLE 2. Configurations for Desired Angles

Hole Locations Angle

Holes P and A Aligned with Holes 1 and Y 90
Holes P and A Aligned with Holes 1 and Z 80
Holes P and B Aligned with Holes 1 and Y 70
Holes P and B Aligned with Holes 1 and Z 60
Holes P and C Aligned with Holes 1 and Y 50
Holes P and C Aligned with Holes 1 and Z 40
Holes P and C Aligned with Holes 2 and Y 30
Holes P and C Aligned with Holes 2 and Z 20

3

SP65 Solar Panel

3.3 Installation of Morningstar SunSaver SS-10-12V Regulator

NOTE

For safety reasons, completely cover the solar panel to limit
output current and voltage. If nothing is available to cover the
panel, be careful not to short solar panel (+) and (-) leads
together.

1. Using the supplied mounting hardware, install the Morningstar SunSaver
SS-10-12V regulator to the mounting plate of an environmental enclosure
(see Figure 3).

2. Using the supplied red and black power cables, secure the black wire to
terminal lug#1 marked battery (-) on the regulator. Connect the pigtailed
end of the cable to the negative battery terminal. Secure the red wire to
terminal lug #2 marked battery (+) on the regulator. Connect the pigtailed
end of the cable to the battery’s positive terminal. With the battery
connected and no solar panel input, the green charging LED SHOULD
NOT be on.

3. Connect the black (-) wire from the SP65 power cable to terminal lug #3
marked solar (-) on the regulator. Connect the red (+) wire from the SP65
power cable to terminal lug #4 marked solar (+) on the SunSaver
regulator. If using a sealed rechargeable battery such as our BP24, then
verify that the metal jumper is installed to configure the regulator to
recharge sealed rechargeable batteries (see Figure 3). If using a flooded
battery (e.g., car or marine deep cycle), then remove the jumper. Also
note that no connections are made on the load terminals of the regulator
for this application (see Figure 3).

4. If charge current is available from the solar panel, the green charge LED
WILL LIGHT UP. This will verify proper operation and wiring of the
regulator.

4

SP65 Solar Panel

FIGURE 3. Morningstar’s SunSaver SS-10-12V regulator mounted on

an enclosure backplate.

4. Maintenance

An occasional cleaning of the glass improves the solar panel's efficiency.

If a problem with the solar panel is suspected, the panel may be checked by
measuring the voltage output. Check the voltage with a voltmeter connected
between the two leads of the solar panel. There must be solar radiation
incident on the panel and there must be a load connected to the solar panel.
The load can be the datalogger, other equipment, or a 75 ohm resistor capable
of dissipating solar panel power between the two leads. No voltage output
implies a bad solar panel, regulator, or cable. The magnitude of the voltage
output depends on the incident solar radiation.

5. Power Considerations

5.1 Solar Power and Lead Acid Batteries

The solar panel converts light energy to electricity, or specifically direct
current. The direct current produced is used as a charging source for lead acid
batteries.

The solar panel operates in both direct and diffuse light (cloudy days), but not
at night.

5

SP65 Solar Panel

FIGURE 4. Solar Panel Orientation

The minimum battery size and solar panel output required depends on 1) the
average current drain of the system, 2) the maximum time the battery must supply
power to the system without being charged, and 3) the location of the site. When
some batteries are discharged below a specified voltage, the battery becomes
damaged and cannot be recharged.

The battery supplies power directly to the operating system, the solar panel
supplies power to recharge the battery. Therefore, on the average, the solar panel
must provide at least as much power to the battery as is being used by the system.

The battery must have enough capacity to power the system during times of no
charging (night) or low charging (stormy winter days).

5.2 Voltage Regulator

The regulator has two basic functions: 1) blocks any current flow from the battery
to the solar panel, and 2) limits the source current to the battery.

The SP65 is shipped with Morningstar’s SunSaver SS-10-12V regulator. The
regulator connects to the battery via the 15’ cable shipped with the SP65. The
regulator and battery should be housed in an environmental enclosure. Mounting
brackets are included with the regulator for attachment to an enclosure backplate.

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Appendix A. Assembly Instructions for 65 Watt Solar Panel with Mounting Bracket

FIGURE A-1. 65 Watt Solar Panel Assembly Instructions

A-1

Appendix A. Assembly Instructions for 65 Watt Solar Panel with Mounting Bracket

TABLE A-1. Mounting Bracket Parts List

Item # Description Qty

1 65 W Solar Panel 1
2 Right Arm Bracket 1
3 Left Arm Bracket 1
4 Mount 1
5 Spacer 4
6 Flat Washer 24
7 5/16-18 Nut 8
8 Lock Washer 20
9 5/16-18 x 1.50 U-Bolt w/nuts 4
10 5/16-18 x .750 Hex Bolt 8
11 5/16-18 x 2.0 U-Bolt w/nuts 2

A-2

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UNITED STATES
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