Hi guys,
I've got my 8' Hugh Piggott design mill up and running hooked up to my PLC control cabinet. I've got analog capability and am measuring voltage, stator current and DC current successfully. I'm charging a 190 AH 24V agm Battery bank. It's all presented to me on a 10" color touch screen in my living room.
I noticed a bit of overcharging on these batteries the other day and decided to look into charge controllers. What I came up with is that I should buy a xantrex C60 (maybe a bit big but good for future expansion) because it would use PWM to charge my batteries and then float them while diverting excess power to my dump load. Not wanting to spend another 100 bucks on a DC water heating element, I looked for solutions. I came up with a Homepower article (Wrench Realities, Homepower#72, Aug '99) that said to use a C30 in the L mode or the load control mode and have the L+ and L- terminals turn on a solid state relay. This relay would then switch on AC from my inverter to fire my electric water heater with existing elements! Perfect.
But, now after reading the user's manual for the C60, I see that if it is in the load control mode, it can't also charge the batteries.
If I use the C60 in the diversion mode(to properly charge my batteries which is why I bought it) and the voltage of my mill goes too high, does it give a variable load (using PWM) to a DC element or does it simply turn the dump load on and off to control the voltage?
If it is on and off then I can do that with a contactor controlled by the PLC but this may make the mill slow down suddenly causing the volts to go down turning the dump load back off again. Chattering action.
I'm just not sure how the C60 could use PWM to charge the bank if wired after the battery bank and not in between the mill and the bank. Or does it only use PWM in the PV charge controller wiring scheme?
Longwinded, I know, but I'd rather give too much than not enough info.
Confused.
Thanks, Mike.