KM3 Backplane User Manual ver 2 · Version 2 4 20th February 2020 1 Introduction The TCS KM3 backplane permits multiple TCS power converters to be used simultaneously with a single

Version 2 1 20th February 2020

KM3 System

Change log

Date Version Reason Author 16th October 2018 1.0 Document created M. Garland. 22nd October 2018 1.1 Amended specifications A. Knox 22nd October 2018 1.20 Created Specifications Section M. Garland 24th October 2018 1.21 Added fuse rating A. Knox 19th February 2020 2 Updated with new user interface J. Siviter



Contents 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 4

2 Specifications ................................................................................................................................. 4

2.1 Fuse ratings. .......................................................................................................................... 4

3 Hardware Description .................................................................................................................... 4

3.1 Front Panel ............................................................................................................................ 5

3.2 Rear Panel ............................................................................................................................. 5

3.3 System Diagram .................................................................................................................... 5

4 Installation and Setup .................................................................................................................... 6

4.1 Mounting .............................................................................................................................. 6

4.2 Connecting the TEGs ............................................................................................................. 6

4.3 Connecting the Battery ......................................................................................................... 6

5 Powering up ................................................................................................................................... 7

6 Touch Screen Interface .................................................................................................................. 7

6.1 Main Operation Screen ......................................................................................................... 7

6.2 Information Display Area and Enable Converter Function ................................................... 8

7 USB Interface .................................................................................................................................. 8

7.1 Installation ............................................................................................................................ 8

7.2 KM3 Manager Operation .................................................................................................... 10

7.3 Output Data Headings ........................................................................................................ 13

8 Support ......................................................................................................................................... 14


1 Introduction The TCS KM3 backplane permits multiple TCS power converters to be used simultaneously with a single 12V lead-acid battery. The system can provide monitoring and control information to the user via the built-in touch screen or via serial interface commands.

For a detailed description of the converters’ electrical characteristics and conversion efficiencies, please refer to the KM3 type converters from TCS. See www.TEConversion.com.

The number of separate power converters in the unit is specified by the user when ordering and can be between 2 and 16 KM3s. Auto-ranging for 12V or 24V battery operation is available on request.

2 Specifications Please note that the customisation options on the backplane will alter the specifications of each unit produced.

Parameter Min Typ Max Unit Input (TEG) Channels 2 Input (Open Circuit) Voltage 3 85 V Input Current (each channel) 12 A Input Power (each channel) 0 150 W Switching Frequency 125 kHz Operating (Battery) Voltage 10.8

18 V

Output (Battery) Current -2.5 97.5 A Idle power consumption (Start up) 9.6 W (Average) 7.2 W Width 20.5 cm Height 9 cm Depth 25 cm PC Interface USB User Interface Touch Screen

N.B. these specifications apply to unit Serial no 469 and 470.

2.1 Fuse ratings. The following fuse ratings are used internally in the unit: KM3 Power converter: 40A

3 Hardware Description The backplane consists of the following:

- One TCS KM3 Power converter for each channel o Terminal post 20A input connector (2 terminals per TEG)

- A central monitoring controller - Forced air cooling system for the converters - A USB port for communication with the device - An LCD touch screen for system control and status display - 200A Battery Connection binding posts - 300A Battery isolation switch - Enclosed in a 2U 8” rack mount box.


3.1 Front Panel

1- Touchscreen control 2- Battery connected status indicator (illuminated when battery connected) 3- USB serial communication port

3.2 Rear Panel

1- Battery Isolator Switch 2- Battery Connection terminal (top positive, bottom negative), 10mm binding post 3- TEG input terminals, brown and blue sockets, 2 channels per connector. 4- Battery input fuse – 40A

3.3 System Diagram All TEG channels are connected to the rear panel 4mm posts. Individual channels can be selectively enabled / disabled using the touch screen control or via the USB interface.

1 2

3

1 2 3

4


Each of the power converters has a differential input and all share a common output to the battery connection. There is an external fuse for the battery that powers the KM3s, fan, system processor & display. These consume approximately 7.2W during use, dependent on battery voltage.

4 Installation and Setup Before installing the TCS backplane, please ensure that the battery isolator switch on the rear panel is set to the vertical ‘0’ or ‘off’ position and any USB devices have been disconnected.

4.1 Mounting The backplanes’ high power handling capabilities unavoidably results in heat build-up in the converters. Maintaining a good airflow is thus critical to the longevity of the converters. The backplane is fitted with a fan system with air flowing from the top to the bottom and sides through the case. As such, it is important to ensure that the outlet and inlet vents on the top, bottom and sides of the unit are unobstructed. Care should be taken to ensure all cabling at the sides of the unit is bundled and kept clear of the vents.

4.2 Connecting the TEGs Each TEG should be wired into the relevant channel’s 4mm plug connector. Each TEG input consists of 2 terminals labelled + (brown) and – (blue).

Devices should be connected such that channel A’s positive and negative terminals are connected to A+ and A- respectively and channel B’s positive and negative terminals are connected to B+ and B- respectively. Please note that incorrect wiring could result in damage to the converters, please seek assistance from TCS if you are uncertain.

4.3 Connecting the Battery A 12V lead-acid type battery with a ‘C’ rating adequate to accommodate the maximum charging current from your generation devices should be used for storage. The battery should be charged at no greater current than C/4 (i.e. a 100Ah battery should not be charged at more than 25A).

For example, a thermoelectric system with a maximum electrical power output of 500w should not be used with a battery of less than 190Ah.

𝑃!"# = 𝑃$%!!"&' = 500𝑊

KM3 A

KM3 B

Voltage Regulator

Fan

Battery +

Battery -

Fuse Holder

KM3A TEG -

KM3A TEG +

KM3B TEG -

KM3A TEG +

Touchscreen and System Controller

USB input and Battery Monitor

Main Battery Switch


𝐼$%!!"&' =𝑃$%!!"&'

𝑉$%!!"&'()*+)=50010.5

= 47.6𝐴

𝐶)*+ = 𝐼$%!!"&' × 4 = 190.4𝐴ℎ

The battery should be connected to the screw-down terminals on the back panel of the case. For longer term installations, TCS recommend using 10mm crimp type ring terminals, which can be fitted by completely un-screwing the binding post. The current calculated above for Ibattery should be used to ensure that an adequate gauge of cable has been used to connect the battery. The black terminal should be connected to the battery negative before the red terminal is connected to the battery positive. When disconnecting the battery always remove the positive (+ve) lead first.

5 Powering up Once all connections have been made and checked, the backplane can be powered up by rotating the battery isolator switch to the horizontal ‘on’ or ‘1’ position. If the connections are correct, the fans will start and the screen will display a white screen, followed by a dark screen.

After a few seconds, the operation screen loads and the state of each KM3 is loaded to the screen.

During operation, the KM3 may re-establish maximum power point operation which may cause a slight change in output power.

6 Touch Screen Interface The touch screen on the backplane offers system control in addition to displaying real time information about the state of the system and an energy counter for each channel.

6.1 Main Operation Screen The main operation screen permits the display of information pertaining to all channels simultaneously.

1- Information Display Area 2- Enable / Disable Converter Button

1 2


6.2 Information Display Area and Enable Converter Function TCS Power Converters have a status byte that determines their mode of operation. The “Enabled” and “Disabled” setting can be directly viewed/set with the touch screen. The buttons display green to indicate the function is enabled and red to indicate it is disabled. Tapping each button will toggle the relevant state.

When enabled, the converters will start up at MPP as normal when presented with an input voltage greater than the switch on threshold listed in their datasheet. When disabled, the converter will still sense and display the open circuit voltage of the device connected but will not transfer power to the battery.

The interface displays the following information for each KM3:

Vin - TEG Input Voltage Volts Iin - TEG Input Current Amps Pin - TEG Input Power Watts VOC - TEG Open circuit voltage Volts Vout - Output Battery voltage Volts Iout - Output Battery current Amps Pout - Output Battery power Watts

7 USB Interface The backplane offers a USB interface to allow for a more in-depth interrogation of the power converters, alongside control and export. This is accessible on the front panel.

Note: Please do not connect the KM3 System to the PC until the software has installed the drivers.

7.1 Installation The PC software may be downloaded from TCS website here: http://www.teconversion.com/km3managerinstaller_v1/

Run the installer ‘Km3ManagerInstaller.exe’ and allow administrative access.

1.


2.

3.


4.

Once installation is complete, please attached the USB cable from the KM3 to the PC.

7.2 KM3 Manager Operation 1. Connect the battery and switch the system on. A white screen will display before loading the

KM3 Information screen on the touchscreen. 2. Run the KM3 Manager from the Icon on the Desktop or Start Menu.

3. On the USB selection page, select the COM port of the KM3. If the COM port does not appear click on the Data icon and then click back to the USB connection page. The Baud Rate should be set to 115200. Use the connect/disconnect button to connect to the KM3 system.


4. Once connected, click on the Data Collection icon to display all the current data from both KM3 A and KM3 B.

USB Data Collection


5. The KM3’s can be enabled or disabled from this screen by clicking under the relevant KM3.

6. Logging can be set every 1 second, 10 second or minute intervals. Alongside this, the output directory can be selected. Once the selections have been made, ‘Enable Logging’ can be enabled.


7. At the end of logging, the data is saved in CSV format. Microsoft Excel includes a library to interpret the semi-colon separators correctly.

7.3 Output Data Headings A. “Timestamp” (UNIX time in milliseconds) B. “km3a readVin” KM3 A TEG voltage C. “km3a readIin” KM3 A TEG Current D. “km3a readPin” KM3 A TEG Power E. “km3a vinOff” KM3 A TEG Open Circuit Voltage F. “km3a percentageVoc” KM3 A Operating point as a percentage of open circuit voltage. G. “km3a readVout” KM3 A Output voltage H. “km3a readIout” KM3 A Output current I. “km3a readPout” KM3 A Output power J. “km3a isEnabled” Boolean state of KM3 A converter. True is enabled. False is disabled. K. “km3b readVin” KM3 B TEG voltage L. “km3b readIin” KM3 B TEG Current M. “km3b readPin” KM3 B TEG Power N. “km3b vinOff” KM3 B TEG Open Circuit Voltage O. “km3b percentageVoc” KM3 B Operating point as a percentage of open circuit voltage. P. “km3b readVout” KM3 B Output voltage Q. “km3b readIout” KM3 B Output current R. “km3b readPout” KM3 B Output power S. “km3b isEnabled” Boolean state of KM3 B converter. True is enabled. False is disabled.


8 Support Support is available upon request and where available, remote assistance can be provided. The KM3 system is equipped with a wireless network to enable remote monitoring and assistance.

In order to access this, a wireless hotspot must be set up with the following credentials:

TCS Device Serial --- --- Access point name --- --- Password (WPA-PSK) --- ---

Documents

KM3 Backplane User Manual ver 2 · Version 2 4 20th February 2020 1 Introduction The TCS KM3 backplane permits multiple TCS power converters to be used simultaneously with a single