Getting a Fault wiring warning light on ea sun power 4880 solar charge controller

[petebolduc]

I am installing a solar system on a 2000 fiberglass chassis shuttle bus.

I have 4 300 ah lithium batteries set up parallel (12V).
I have 6 150-watt solar panels on the roof running parallel (900 watts total).
I have a 4000-watt inverter.
And I have an ea Sun Power 4880 80 amp MTTP solar charge controller.

I have the positive post on the first battery feeding a terminal post for positive and the negative post on the last battery feeding a terminal post for negative.

I have a 4 gauge wire from the negative terminal post to the steel frame of the bus.

The solar charge controller sources its power directly from the negative post on the last battery and the positive post on the first battery. When I turn on the controller it powers up normally and then after about 5 seconds a solid red LED warning light comes on. The LED screen seems to be working fine but the entire unit shuts down after about 5 minutes.

The text under the warning light says "Fault Wiring". There is also a warning light that says "Wiring Fault" but it does not come on.

Can someone explain to me the difference between "Fault Wiring" and "Wiring Fault"? And what are the possible issues in my wiring that would cause the "Fault" Wiring warning light to come on and remain solid?

It should also be noted that the vehicle is under a covering where the panels are not receiving sun... could this be the issue?

I have spent three days trying to figure this out... any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Pete

 

[Mattb4]

Could you post an image of the terminals (have to remove the bottom cover)? At a guess something is miswired.

 

[petebolduc]

Could you post an image of the terminals (have to remove the bottom cover)? At a guess something is miswire

 

[petebolduc]

Thanks for replying Mattb4...

I attached the images. I made a correction in the original post... the solar controller is sourcing its power directly from the batteries.

 

[Mattb4]

...

The solar charge controller sources its power directly from the negative post on the last battery and the positive post on the first battery. When I turn on the controller it powers up normally and then after about 5 seconds a solid red LED warning light comes on. The LED screen seems to be working fine but the entire unit shuts down after about 5 minutes.

The text under the warning light says "Fault Wiring". There is also a warning light that says "Wiring Fault" but it does not come on.

Can someone explain to me the difference between "Fault Wiring" and "Wiring Fault"? And what are the possible issues in my wiring that would cause the "Fault" Wiring warning light to come on and remain solid?

...

Looking at your images I do not see a wiring problem . The fault warning light could be due not having the correct battery voltages set in your controller. The display shows 13v from your battery. Check your settings for battery type (display says SLA) and charging parameters.

 

[petebolduc]

Looking at your images I do not see a wiring problem . The fault warning light could be due not having the correct battery voltages set in your controller. The display shows 13v from your battery. Check your settings for battery type (display says SLA) and charging parameters.

Matt do you think that the panels are not receiving sunlight because the vehicle is under cover might be an issue?

 

[Mattb4]

Matt do you think that the panels are not receiving sunlight because the vehicle is under cover might be an issue?

Since at night you would not be receiving any PV I would be surprised if that was a fault condition.

Edit, BTW did you look at the various screens (push up or down) to see if you have an error code?

 

[petebolduc]

Since at night you would not be receiving any PV I would be surprised if that was a fault condition.

Edit, BTW did you look at the various screens (push up or down) to see if you have an error code?

I've lost the manual to identify the codes... looking for one online with little luck

 

[Mattb4]

I have the EAsun 8048 model but I don't know if the error codes are the same for your model. However if you have one showing we can compare.

 

[petebolduc]

I have the EAsun 8048 model but I don't know if the error codes are the same for your model. However if you have one showing we can compare.

I do not recognize any error on the screen... I was able to figure out how to change the battery setting to Li believing that to mean lithium but the light is still on

 

[Mattb4]

Yes, but is it Li 12v? Once you select Li you need to also have the correct voltage (12, 24, 36, 48). On mine that means short pressing the enter key after the battery type and than using up or down arrow to select the correct voltage.

 

[petebolduc]

I do not recognize any error on the screen... I was able to figure out how to change the battery setting to Li believing that to mean lithium but the light is still on

Yes, but is it Li 12v? Once you select Li you need to also have the correct voltage. On mine that means short pressing the enter key after the battery type and than using up or down arrow to select the correct voltage.

I was also able to set the voltage to 12v... not sure without a manual what to look for/set next.

 

[petebolduc]

Yes, but is it Li 12v? Once you select Li you need to also have the correct voltage (12, 24, 36, 48). On mine that means short pressing the enter key after the battery type and than using up or down arrow to select the correct voltage.

I have an error: bE9 [08] E9d

 

[Mattb4]

About all I can suggest than is to cycle through all your settings under Li to see what they are.

 

[Mattb4]

Doing some online searching for the EAsun 4880 and there is a video on the manual here:

 

[petebolduc]

Doing some online searching for the EAsun 4880 and there is a video on the manual here:

I have reviewed that video... He gives very minimal commentary and the details in the manual can't be read even with an enlarged screenshot

 

[Mattb4]

If you go to U-tube you might ask about the manual settings in the commentary section below the video. I did a further search on line and came up empty in regards to a online manual.

If your error message is the same 08 as mine it would indicate battery over discharge. This could easily be if your Low voltage disconnect setting is too high. 13v on a Li battery puts you down in the 40% range.

ETA: One final thing. IIRC I had some problems with my unit getting confused after playing with the settings. I had to completely disconnect from the battery and PV after changing the battery detection to auto and then reconnect it and select the proper Li battery settings.

 

[petebolduc]

If you go to U-tube you might ask about the manual settings in the commentary section below the video. I did a further search on line and came up empty in regards to a online manual.

If your error message is the same 08 as mine it would indicate battery over discharge. This could easily be if your Low voltage disconnect setting is too high. 13v on a Li battery puts you down in the 40% range.

I've been looking for a manual for three days off and on. I know my wiring is correct as this is my 4th time building a bus but on the others, I had a different controller. Had to go to 80 amps because of the 900 watts on the roof and I chose the EAsun brand. I'm pretty sure it is in the settings... just got to keep experimenting. Thanks for your help.