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I have a 100/50 Smart controller and am trying to figure out how to use the Streetlight function. The manual does a very poor job explaining how to achieve this. I do have the TX cable as well as LED lights. I understand that I need a "driver?" Can you show me what an appropriate driver would be? Does the Victron unit provide all power for the LED strip or does the driver act as a kind of relay?
As far as I understand this:
https://www.victronenergy.com/live/victronconnect:mppt-solarchargers
Your MPPT has no "output" on the internal Terminal, your loads are directly connected to the battery('s). The tx Port can act in different "streetlight" functions. The PWM one with dimming and the static one without dimming.
Both are low level signals from the tx port which then control an "load circuit". If u only want to use static switching and you are okay with "light on / light off" then the tx port can control a relais, simple said...
Couse of the needed current of the relais to switch (I think the tx port can't deliver this), you should use a mosfet to react on the rx-port-signal to let the relais switch. This could be a relative small mosfet couse the current for the relais isn't that much. You can see the rx-port-signal as a digital value, not able to drive a load.
If u wanna use PWM, then u must use a power-mosfet (depend on the current of your load). Possibly a mosfet which drives a more powerful mosfet. See, PWM is a very fast switching between on and off. The dimming of the LED is in reality, with reference to 1 second, the most time of and short time on. So your eyes (which are slow on human beeings) recognize this as a dimmed light. What I want to say: if PWM is used, the mosfet has to switch very very often a high current. This could heat up the power-mosfet very quicky, as it has to block current and a few milliseconds later it has to let the current flow.
But to answer your question as simple I can: see your tx-port-signal as a digital one to control an external circuit which drive the light you want to use
Never, I repeat NEVER, connect your load/LED's/streetlight to the tx port directly!
I not sure, but I don’t believe the 100/50 has streetlight functionally. I have the SmartSolar 100/20 and it has load terminals that the 100/50 doesn’t. I can, and do, use the streetlight function. In looking over the spec sheet and manual online for the 100/50 I don’t see a reference for the streetlight function. I see where one can remotely turn the controller on and off, but that’s it. I think the addition of load terminals, giving a total of 6 connection points instead of 4, is required for streetlight function.
I stand corrected by the post from Launacorp.
