Solar Boost 50 is a 12/24V photovoltaic (PV) charge controller capable of delivering up to 50 amps of output current. Patent pending technology allows Solar Boost 50 to automatically track the peak power operating point of a PV array, resulting in a charge current increase of up to 30% or more. Other charge controllers without this technology simply can't deliver the charge current provided by Solar Boost 50. Don't waste your money by throwing PV power away! Get the PV power you paid for with Solar Boost 50.

Solar Boost 50 does much more than increase charge current. It offers an advanced fully automatic three stage charge control system to ensure the battery is properly and fully charged, resulting in enhanced battery performance with less battery maintenance. Reliable high efficiency power conversion is achieved using the latest generation power MOSFET transistors, with output power delivered via a series pass Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) control scheme. Electronic current limit prevents output current from exceeding 50 amps. Output current limit eliminates worry about overload or nuisance fuse blow when PV output is unexpectedly high. An equalize function is also included to periodically condition liquid electrolyte lead-acid batteries.

An optional user friendly digital display is available to monitor PV charge performance. The display shows battery voltage, PV current, output charge current, charge mode and state of charge. It is provided in the controller, as a remote panel installed up to 300' away, or both. Optional temperature compensation of charge voltage is also available to further improve charge control and battery performance. Selectable compensation curves support lead-acid and NiCd battery chemistries.

A photovoltaic (PV) array is a constant current device. As shown on a typical PV panel voltage-current curve, current remains relatively constant over a wide range of voltage. A typical 75 watt panel delivers 4.45 amps @ 17 volts. Traditional PV controllers connect the PV array directly to the battery when the battery is discharged. When this 75 watt panel is connected directly to a battery charging at 12 volts, the PV panel still provides about the same current. But, because PV output voltage is lower, it can only deliver 53 watts to the battery. This wastes a whopping 22 watts or nearly 30% of the available power!

Solar Boost 50's patent pending technology operates in a very different fashion. Under these conditions Solar Boost 50 calculates the voltage at which the PV panel delivers maximum power, in this case 17 volts. It then operates the PV panel at 17 volts to extract maximum power. Solar Boost 50 continually recalculates the peak power voltage as operating conditions change. We call this peak power tracking. PV output power, now 75 watts, feeds a high efficiency power converter which reduces the 17 volt input to battery voltage at the output. The full 75 watts delivered at 12 volts would produce a current of 6.25 amps. A charge current increase of 1.8 amps or 40% is achieved by converting the 22 watts that would have been wasted into useable charge current. This example assumes 100% efficiency to illustrate the principal of operation. Actual boost will be less as some power is lost in wiring, connections, fuses and in Solar Boost 50.

The actual charge current increase you will receive varies with PV temperature and battery voltage. Lower PV temperature increases available power, while lower battery voltage increases current for a particular PV output power level. Under normal conditions in comfortable ambient temperatures, current increase typically ranges between 10 to 25%, with 30% or more easily achieved with a discharged battery and cooler temperatures. What you can be sure of is that Solar Boost 50 will deliver the highest charge current possible for a given set of operating conditions. When conditions are such that extra power is not available from the PV array, Solar Boost 50 will operate as a high performance series pass PWM controller.

· Bulk Charge - The process begins with a high current of up to 50 amps. During this stage, the battery receives maximum available current to rapidly recharge the battery.

· Acceptance Charge - Following bulk charge the acceptance voltage is applied to the battery. During this stage, charge current decreases as the battery charges

· Float Charge - Once the battery is fully charged, the float voltage is applied to the battery to properly maintain it in a fully charged state without excessive water loss.

· Equalization Charge - A fourth charge mode. Equalization is a controlled overcharge which is manually enabled periodically to condition liquid electrolyte batteries.

Three Stage Charging Taken To The Next Level…

Controllers that use time or other arbitrary factors to determine when the battery is fully charged cannot realize all the benefits three stage charging has to offer. The true indication of when a lead-acid battery is 100% charged is when net battery charge current during acceptance charge decreases to 1.0 amps per 100 amp-hours of battery capacity. Solar Boost 50 uses net battery charge current optimized to battery size in amp-hours to determine full charge. This method charges the battery quickly and completely without undercharge, overcharge or excessive water loss. An internal precision alloy shunt is used to measure battery current when battery load during charge is relatively constant. When battery load is highly variable, Solar Boost 50 can connect to an external shunt measuring net battery current. If desired, Solar Boost 50 can also operate as a two stage charger.