12/24/48 Volt 440 Amp HVA Charge Controller
Instructions and Troubleshooting
Our 440 Amp HVA Charge Controller for use with Wind Turbines, Solar Panels, and/or Hydro Systems is easily one of our most versatile, powerful controllers in our line of equipment. In our latest YouTube video, Wyatt gives instructions on how to change the different settings and some general troubleshooting tips.
Some of the features of the HVA include:
- Diversion-Charge Load Controller
- 440 Amp 12, 24 or 48 volts
- High contrast LED dual volt/amp meters with on/off switch
- Built in D/C Breakers
- Factory wired for both wind and solar
- 10,000 Watts! 8 x 12 Hoffman Box
- Reverse polarity protected
Wyatt shows how to change the controller voltage, extended divert mode, and dump point voltage and what isn’t user changeable!
HVA Charge Controller Instructions and Troubleshooting:
- The controller typically ships with the voltage jumper pin set in the 24 volt position, but can easily be changed to 12, 24, 48 volt or extended divert mode by removing and replacing the pin in the appropriate position.
- The trip point (dump point voltage) is changed by turning the screw head with a small screwdriver and light pressure.
- Turning the screw counterclockwise will raise the dump point voltage higher
- Turning the screw clockwise will lower the dump point voltage
- Extended divert mode (EDM) can typically be left unset until you are more familiar or comfortable with your system. EDM basically holds the charge controller in a diversion and disconnect mode for a longer period of time.
- The left breaker is for the diversion load while the breaker on the right is for the wind turbine.
- Manually trip the breaker by pressing the red button on the breaker.
- Reset the breaker by gently pushing the red arm back up into place until you hear it click.
- If the amp and volt meters are set to on and are not displaying:
- Check the glass fuse in the upper left inside the circuit board, as it may be blown.
- If the fuse is in good condition but the meter is not displaying at all or is not displaying correctly, turn the unit power to off and remove the back cover of the meter. Check to see if the long black chip has fallen loose from its pin and replace it if that is the case. Firmly replace the back cover of the meter.
- The fuse is 250 volt 2.5 amps
- Always have the charge controller hooked up to the batteries and do not connect wind or solar without having the controller connected to the battery bank.
- If you do not, and the wind turbine or solar panels produce too high a voltage, it will either take out the fuse, or, if the fuse cannot handle the surge in time, it can do serious damage to the circuit board itself.
- If you have a disconnect between the charge controller and the batteries, always disconnect your wind and solar before disconnecting the controller from the batteries.
If you are interested in our HVA Charge Controller, find it on our website by clicking here.
Missouri Wind and Solar Giveaway #10
Many of you are planning your spring wind turbine or solar panel projects and we want to help! Jeff and Missouri Wind and Solar are giving away three items in the latest giveaway that will make a great addition to any setup. The best part – it’s easy to enter, there’s no purchase necessary, and we’ll ship anywhere! Make sure you watch the video below for complete details on how to enter. Good luck!
The YouTube Giveaway contest begins March 4, 2015 and will run until April 4, 2015.
Prizes:
1st Place: 24 Volt 1000 Watt 5 Blade Furling Wind Turbine
2nd Place: 60 LED AC/DC Rechargeable Work Light
3rd Place: 150 Amp Watt Meter Power Analyzer
Watch the video below for more info on the prizes
How to Enter the Contest:
- Subscribe to the Missouri Wind and Solar YouTube Channel
- Add the Giveaway #10 video to your favorites
- Leave up to 4 comments on this video including the words “wind turbines” or “solar panels”
Winners will be selected at random and will be required to submit a video of the unboxing of the prize. Winner videos will be added to our Winners Playlist.
Posted in Giveaways & Contests Uncategorized Video Wind Turbines by .
Wind Turbine Generator Blade Types
With the residential, small scale wind turbine industry growing rapidly over the last decade, many new wind turbine blade sizes, materials, and designs have emerged onto the market. The options may leave you scratching your head so, with the release of our newest wind turbine blade, the Raptor Generation 5™, we thought we’d answer some questions you may have.
Things to Consider:
Blade Material:
- Carbon Fiber Composite: extreme durability, rarely suffers from breakage. Our Raptor G4, Raptor Series Black, and Raptor Generation 5 wind turbine blades are all a carbon fiber composite.
- Aluminum, aircraft grade: heavy weight, typically laser cut for precision. Our Falcon Wind Turbine Blades are made from aircraft aluminum.
- Plastic: breaks easily, suffers from photodegradation (gradual breakdown from UV rays), sharp and potentially hazardous if breakage occurs
- PVC: brittle in cold weather, breaks easily, extremely dangerous is breakage occurs (we highly recommend you steer clear of these entirely)
- Wood: commonly used with axial flux wind turbines, laminated and pressed under 20 tons of pressure using the same process for manufacturing wooden aircraft blades
Factors Affecting Startup and Torque:
- Width: A wider base provides more surface area for start-up.
- Weight: Heavier blades require more wind for start up but will provide more torque once they are rotating. Lighter blades will start up in lower wind speeds but will also quit spinning more readily when the wind dies down.
- Length: Length also plays into surface area and weight in similar ways as blade width and weight.
Takeaway: small blades require high wind speeds to start spinning, that’s why they’re commonly used as sailboat wind turbines. Larger blades require less wind for start up and provide more torque to keep the turbine spinning under a load.
Number of Blades:
- More blades have more surface area, more weight & torque to keep the rotor spinning when the wind dies down.
- Smaller blade sets will allow the rotor to spin faster (higher RPMs, less torque). Once under a load, when the batteries are charging, the blades will actually slow down.
Small 3 blade turbines may take wind speeds of 12 mph* to turn the blades whereas our 7 blade Freedom wind turbines have start up speeds of 7 mph*.
(*Based on tower height and wind turbine placement)
Odd versus even number of blades:
On even blade sets: when the bottom blade passes the wind turbine mounting pole it creates a disturbance in the blade directly across from it, causing the blades to vibrate and shake. It’s nearly impossible to get these blades to balance. Balance is important to minimize vibration in the turbine.
Odd blades: the bottom and top blades don’t align and create a disparity that causes the turbine act as a flywheel to keep the turbine spinning.
I highly recommend watching our Wind Turbines for the Beginner How To Part One for more in depth explanations from Jeff on blade basics.
Watch all our videos on our Missouri Wind and Solar YouTube Channel
Posted in Basic Information Question and Answer Uncategorized Video Wind Turbines by .
