Campbell CH201 Product Manual
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Campbell CH201 Product Manual

12v charging regulator
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06/2020
Copyright ©
2020
Campbell Scientific
CSL I.D - 1352

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Summary of Contents for Campbell CH201

  • Page 1 06/2020 Copyright © 2020 Campbell Scientific CSL I.D - 1352...
  • Page 3 Quotations for repairs can be given on request. It is the policy of Campbell Scientific to protect the health of its employees and provide a safe working environment, in support of this policy a “Declaration of Hazardous Material and Decontamination”...
  • Page 5 PLEASE READ FIRST About this manual Please note that this manual was originally produced by Campbell Scientific Inc. primarily for the North American market. Some spellings, weights and measures may reflect this origin. Some useful conversion factors: Area: 1 in...
  • Page 7 • Periodically (at least yearly) check electrical ground connections. WHILE EVERY ATTEMPT IS MADE TO EMBODY THE HIGHEST DEGREE OF SAFETY IN ALL CAMPBELL SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTS, THE CUSTOMER ASSUMES ALL RISK FROM ANY INJURY RESULTING FROM IMPROPER INSTALLATION, USE, OR MAINTENANCE OF TRIPODS, TOWERS, OR ATTACHMENTS TO TRIPODS AND TOWERS...

  • Page 9: Table Of Contents

    6.2 Connect to battery 6.3 Connect to data logger 6.4 (Optional) Connect to data logger for SDI-12 or RS-232 communications 6.5 Turn on power source 6.6 Turn on CH201 6.7 (Optional) Configure using Device Configuration Utility 6.7.1 Battery families and capacity 7. Operation 7.1 Charging algorithm...
  • Page 10 Appendix A. Downloading an operating system Table of Contents - ii...

  • Page 11: Introduction

    A maximum power point tracking algorithm is incorporated for solar inputs to maximize available solar charging resources. The CH201 is a series regulator, which has the regulator placed, in series, between the charging source and the load. As batteries become closer to fully charged, series regulators reduce the current drawn from the charging source.
  • Page 12 CH201 case. The CH201 internal temperature measurement only accurately represents battery temperature for charge voltage compensation if the battery is next to the CH201. To overcome temperature differences, use the CH201 serial interface to input an independently measured battery temperature for improved charging temperature compensation.

  • Page 13: Initial Inspection

    Every few months, recharge stored batteries to prevent irreversible sulfation due to prolonged time in a discharged state. 3. Initial inspection Upon receipt of the CH201, inspect the packaging and contents for damage. File damage claims with the shipping company. 4. Overview FIGURE 4-1 (p.
  • Page 14 Connect the positive wires to the DC In terminals, and connect the negative wires to the G terminals. Reversed polarity inputs, however, will NOT damage the CH201. The DC In input terminals have an input current limit of approximately 10 amps, making the CH201 well suited for 170 watt or smaller solar panels.

  • Page 15: Communications Interface

    Table 7-4 (p. 25) and Table 7-6 (p. 27)). The CH201 has two LED indicators, the CHG (charge) LED and the CK BAT (check battery) LED. Table 7-7 (p. 30) and Table 7-8 (p. 30) list the conditions and associated colours for the CHG and CK BAT LEDs.

  • Page 16: Specifications

    SDI-12 addresses; RS-232 devices are limited to one device per terminal. The advantage of RS-232 is its speed can be faster than SDI-12. All CH201 serial communications use three COM terminals, TX, RX, and G. The CH201 will detect the mode of communications and will reconfigure itself accordingly.
  • Page 17 –40 to 71 Concorde Sun Xtender Battery specifications are from the manufacturer. The CH201 contains charging algorithms that optimize battery charging over the range of –40 to 60 °C. Battery usage outside of manufacturer specifications could have unknown effects on the life of the battery.

  • Page 18: Installation

    Campbell Scientific offers a variety of solar panels and AC-to-DC transformers to meet the power requirements of a system installation. 10 A is the highest input current that the CH201 can fully use. Although a solar panel or transformer with a higher output current won't damage the CH201, its power will not be fully used.
  • Page 19 (p. 9) for a typical enclosure installation using a CH201. NOTE: By default, the CH201 module is programmed with a battery capacity of zero amp-hours (Ah). This sets the charger to charge at a lower current rate. A battery capacity must be configured into the CH201 to enable the more aggressive two-step constant voltage charging scheme.

  • Page 20: Connect To Power Source

    Unlike the CH200, the CH201 has two DC inputs instead of one AC and one DC input. A solar panel or AC-to-DC converter can connect to either input terminal. If both CH201 inputs are connected to power sources, the power source with the highest voltage will supply power to the CH201.

  • Page 21: Dc Power

    Inset the connector into the CH201 BAT port. 6.3 Connect to data logger The CH201 comes with a 1-foot black wire attached to a G terminal block and a 1-foot red wire attached to a 12V terminal block. The data logger includes a voltage input terminal connector.

  • Page 22: Optional) Connect To Data Logger For Sdi-12 Or Rs-232 Communications

    4 to 5 seconds, which indicates correct incoming connections and adequate charging voltage. 6.6 Turn on CH201 Toggle the switch on the CH201 supply to On. Check the voltage of the attached devices by using a volt meter. 6.7 (Optional) Configure using Device...

  • Page 23: Figure

    1. Select CH201 in the Device Type list on the left of the Device Configuration Utility window. 2. Connect to the computer using an A200 device (see FIGURE 6-3 (p. 13)). Table 7-5 (p. 26) and the bottom of the CH201 Device Configuration screen show wiring to an A200.
  • Page 24 4. Power the CH201 from the A200, battery, or DC power source on the DC In 1 or DC In 2 terminals. 5. Click Connect to access the Settings Editor. The Settings Editor displays real-time values (updated every second) and allows some settings to be changed.

  • Page 25: Battery Families And Capacity

    (Campbell Scientific models BP7, BP12, and BP24), EnerSys/Cyclon Series, Concorde Sun Xtender (BP84), or it can use custom algorithms entered by the user. The CH201 uses a second order polynomial to make the correct battery charging adjustments for known battery families and charging cycles.
  • Page 26 (p. 17) shows the default settings for each battery family. The settings are based on the following equation: (T) = C (T-25°C) + C (T-25°C) charge Where: T = Battery temperature in ° C. = 0 for linear charge voltage vs. temperature relation. CH201 12V Charging Regulator 16...
  • Page 27 Consider changing the Custom Battery default settings. See your battery manufacturer specifications for correct charging information. The CH201 is designed to charge lead-acid batteries only. Lead-acid batteries come in three styles. The first two styles are valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) batteries. VRLA batteries are considered maintenance free because they do not require the addition of water to the cells.
  • Page 28 FIGURE 6-5. Device Configuration Utility Advanced Settings tab When using a charger with current limiting feature, use the Device Configuration Utility to change the current limit in the CH201 to be slightly lower so that it doesn't trip the current limit feature of the charge source (see FIGURE 6-5 (p.

  • Page 29: Operation

    7.3.2 RS-232 communications 7.4 LED indicators 7.1 Charging algorithm The CH201 uses a two-step constant voltage charging algorithm, which is the preferred method for rapidly charging VRLA batteries from a solar panel. If the CH201 is powered solely from a continuous power supply, bypass the two-step charging and use continuous, unaggressive charging by using the battery capacity setting of zero (default value).

  • Page 30: Maximum Power Point Tracking

    The noisy charging current and voltage observed in FIGURE 7-1 (p. 20) during the initial current limited charging stage is due to the MPPT algorithm of the CH201 searching for the maximum power point of the associated solar panel. CH201 12V Charging Regulator 20...

  • Page 31: Communications

    FIGURE 7-2. 70 W solar panel I – V and power characteristics 7.3 Communications SDI-12 or RS-232 communications can be used to monitor the status of the battery, charging source, and charging regulator. Table 7-1 (p. 22) lists the measurements available for both communications modes. CH201 12V Charging Regulator 21...
  • Page 32 The information from the regulator can also be used to calculate power usage by the battery and the system. Measuring and storing power usage is useful to determine system power requirements (power budget) and to help identify devices using too much power. A CH201 12V Charging Regulator 22...

  • Page 33: Sdi-12 Communications

    SDI-12 Sensors | Transparent Mode SDI-12 Sensors | Watch or Sniffer Mode videos. To communicate with the CH201 using SDI-12, connect the CH201 to the data logger as shown in Table 7-2 (p. 23). Table 7-2: Wiring for SDI-12 communications...

  • Page 34: Sdi-12 Commands

    U terminal. Each must have a unique SDI-12 address. Valid addresses are 0 through 9, a through z, and A through Z. The CH201 has a default SDI-12 address of 0. The SDI-12 address can be changed by using Device Configuration Utility or an SDI-12 command (aAb!).

  • Page 35: Crbasic Programming

    Downloadable SDI-12 example programs are available at www.campbellsci.eu/downloads/ch201-program-examples. 7.3.2 RS-232 communications The CH201 can use RS-232 to communicate directly with a Campbell Scientific data logger, or it can communicate with a computer through an A200 module. The following table shows the wiring for both connections.
  • Page 36 COM port pair) COM G Ground DC In 1 or DC In 2 12 VDC No connection +12Vdc FIGURE 7-4. CH201 connected to a CR1000X via RS-232 RS-232 settings are as follows: Bits per second: 9600 Data bits: Parity: None Stop bits:...

  • Page 37: Rs-232 Commands

    <CR> (carriage return, 0x0D in hexadecimal format), where n = command number and x = command value. The CH201 response string begins with an asterisk (*), followed by the comma-delimited data strings and a checksum <CRC>. The string is terminated with <CR><LF> (carriage return 0x13, line feed 0x10).
  • Page 38 *Battery capacity = nnn.nn<CRC><CR><LF> Command: CH201(4)nnn.nn<CR> Where Sets Qloss to zero. If not used, the CH201 will nnn.nn = battery charge deficit in Ah automatically set Qloss to zero after trying to cycle charge a battery for eight hours or more. Response: *Qloss = nnn.nn...

  • Page 39: Crbasic Programming

    Downloadable example programs are available at www.campbellsci.eu/downloads/ch201- program-examples. 7.4 LED indicators The CH201 has two LED indicators, the CHG (charge) LED and the CK BAT (check battery) LED. Table 7-7 (p. 30) and Table 7-8 (p. 30) list the conditions and associated colours for the CHG and CK BAT LEDs.

  • Page 40: References

    10.5 V ≤ battery voltage ≤ 11.5 V Flashing orange Battery fault detected OR battery voltage < 10.5 V Flashing red 8. References 1 – Genesis Application Manual – Genesis NP and NPX Series US-NP-AM-002, June 2006. CH201 12V Charging Regulator 30...
  • Page 41 This download is an executable file that automatically installs itself into the correct folders. Run the file on the computer that will be used to connect to the CH201. 2. Connect the CH201 to power then connect it to the computer.
  • Page 42 FIGURE A-1. Downloading a new operating system CH201 12V Charging Regulator 32...
  • Page 44 Campbell Scientific regional offices Australia France Thailand Location: Garbutt, QLD Australia Location: Vincennes, France Location: Bangkok, Thailand Phone: 61.7.4401.7700 Phone: 0033.0.1.56.45.15.20 Phone: 66.2.719.3399 Email: info@campbellsci.com.au Email: info@campbellsci.fr Email: info@campbellsci.asia Website: www.campbellsci.com.au Website: www.campbellsci.fr Website: www.campbellsci.asia Brazil Germany Location: São Paulo, SP Brazil...

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