If the GP-PWM-30-UL experiences a battery over voltage (>15.5 VDC) on battery bank 1, the controller will stop operating, and the display will begin to flash with all icons. The controller will resume operating when the voltage drops to a normal level <15.5 VDC.
Icons Displayed: All symbols
The controller does not display over voltage on battery 2.
GP-PWM-30 is flashing:
Explanation:
This behavior is usually the controller dealing with a very high current or voltage rate (Above 15.5 volts). Even though the controller can handle up to 30A, if the battery capacity is too small for the solar panel input current. The voltage shoots up too high, too quickly, tripping the high voltage flashing.
Possible causes:
- It could start up all of a sudden because of increased sun conditions or a change in your battery bank.
- It also could occur from a mismatched solar system. Too much solar for too small of a battery bank. We recommend a minimum of 100-amp hours of batteries per 200 watts of solar. It's always better to have a bit more whenever possible (battery capacity). If the battery bank is full, it also may increase the possibility of it occurring.
- Another possibility is a lithium battery opening its charge switch prematurely. BMS’s on lithium batteries are different from battery to battery. Some are known to open this switch too soon, well below their advertised voltage inputs.
- The other possibility is an unregulated converter or alternator in the system that is putting current to the batteries at the same time or spiking battery voltage. Isolate each charging source in this case to determine which source is causing the problem.
Troubleshooting steps
Basic steps:
- Cover one or part of a panel to see if this stops the flashing from occurring.
- Try running a load in the coach and see if the draw of the load stops the flashing from occurring. If the problem was “fixed,” then it may be because the user started using loads which divert some of the input current, because the panels became dusty or shaded, or because there was less sunlight. Ideally, the user should increase their battery bank capacity.
Try a reset on the controller. It can be reset in two ways:
- First try a soft reset. This is done by holding down all 4 buttons on the front of the controller for 15 seconds. If this does not work or you do not have a 4-button controller, a hard reset is required. Remove all 4 wires from the back of the controller for 20-30 minutes, then reconnect the wires. Determine if this clears the error state.
- If the problem occurs with Lithium batteries, try the sealed charge profile. Lithium batterie have a built in BMS. This BMS can open or close a charge switch in the battery and not allow charge to the battery. If the battery cannot get to the battery, the controller will spike the voltage and cause the controller to go into a high voltage error. (flashing). Reducing charge current to the controller by changing to the sealed profile of replacing the controller with one with a user profile on the controller that can change voltages to the battery may be the only way to solve this. Decreasing solar size and increasing battery bank size will also help.