Charger for EDLC Capacitors (Ultra-Caps)
PAS395
Revision: 3.1
Specification
Prepared: Michael Raspotnig, PULS GmbH

2013/01/19

Content:1

Functional Description

22

Typical Wiring Scheme

33

Functional Diagram

34

Performance Description

45General Data

66

Charging Performance

67Signals, LEDs

78LEDs and Relay Contacts Pattern

89

Environment

810

Dielectric Strength, Isolation, Leakage Current

911

EMC

1012

Protection Features

1113

Mechanical Dimensions

1214

Terminals and Wiring

1315

Cooling1416

Approvals

14This document is proprietary. Any dispatch or disclosure of content is authorized only after written authorization by PULS GmbH.
All parameters are specified at 400V, 2.5A, 230Vac, 25°C ambient and after a 5 minutes run-in time unless otherwise noted.
Specification: SP-PAS395 Rev: 3.1
Date: 2013/01/19

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1

Functional Description-The charger is designed to charge EDLC (electrical double layer capacitors commonly
known as Ultracaps, Supercaps or Greencaps) with a constant current – constant voltage
characteristic (float charge mode).

-The charger is suitable to be used in a permanently spinning rotor-hub of a wind turbine.

-The charger is suitable for flange mounting. Any mounting orientation is allowed.

-

Most of the heat will be conducted through the base-plate of the charger. A good thermal
connection to the cabinet or an external heatsink can improve the MTBF and life time
expectancy.

-

The charger is equipped with an internal fan which turns on when necessary.

-

The charger comprises an internal diode in series to the positive output voltage path inorder to protect against back-feeding voltages.

-The input-, output and signal terminals are pluggable. Hot-swap ability is not supported.

-A voltage applied on the inhibit terminal stops the charging mode.

-The charger contains a “Fully-Charged” and an “Output-OK” relay contact.

-A redundant control circuit monitors the end-of-charge voltage and switches the charger
off in case of a too high voltage. After such an event, automatic start attempts occur until
the failure is cleared.

This document is proprietary. Any dispatch or disclosure of content is authorized only after written authorization by PULS GmbH.
All parameters are specified at 400V, 2.5A, 230Vac, 25°C ambient and after a 5 minutes run-in time unless otherwise noted.
Specification: SP-PAS395 Rev: 3.1
Date: 2013/01/19

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2

Typical Wiring Scheme

3

Functional Diagram

This document is proprietary. Any dispatch or disclosure of content is authorized only after written authorization by PULS GmbH.
All parameters are specified at 400V, 2.5A, 230Vac, 25°C ambient and after a 5 minutes run-in time unless otherwise noted.
Specification: SP-PAS395 Rev: 3.1
Date: 2013/01/19

3-14

4

Performance Description

4.1

Input

Input Voltage:

AC 220-240V -20%/+10% (176 to 264Vac)

Turn-on Voltagetyp. 164Vac

Shut-down Voltage

typ. 151Vac

Input Current:

typ. 5.2A (at 230Vac and 1000W output power)

Input Frequency:

50-60Hz ±6%

Power Factor:> 0.9

Inrush Current:< 10A peak (active limited, temperature independent)

4.2

OutputEnd-of-Charge Voltage:

Adjustable:
360-460Vdc (output voltage)
Factory setting: 410Vdc

OVP voltage:

370-470Vdc; auto setting (OVP = Output over-voltage protection)
The OVP voltage automatically adjusts to 10V higher then the endof-charge voltage after following the procedure for setting the endof-charge voltage.
Testing the OVP level: Tune the end-of charge-voltage
potentiometer clockwise until the “Fully Charged” LED starts
flashing. This indicates the OVP level.

Output Current:

min. 2.5A at 400Vdc end-of-charge voltage

This document is proprietary. Any dispatch or disclosure of content is authorized only after written authorization by PULS GmbH.
All parameters are specified at 400V, 2.5A, 230Vac, 25°C ambient and after a 5 minutes run-in time unless otherwise noted.
Specification: SP-PAS395 Rev: 3.1
Date: 2013/01/19

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Output Ripple-Voltage:

Without connected capacitor bank:With connected capacitor bank:typ. 6Vpp , max. 10Vpp
negligible

Output Current Ripple:

During charging: typ. 150mApp , max. 300mApp

Output Return Current:

Max. 1mA (discharge current when charger is not working)Procedure for Setting the End-of-Charge” Voltage:
Setting the end-of-charge voltage shall be done in a laboratory. The
output shall be open (not loaded, no capacitor needed). The output
voltage (end-of-charge voltage) shall be measured with a digital
voltmeter.
Factory setting of the end-of-charge voltage is 410Vdc and the OVPlevel is 10V higher. Changing of these values can be done
according to the following examples:
Example 1:
Setting the end-of-charge voltage to 420V and OVP to 430V
Step 1: Push the “OVP disable / enable” button to disable the OVP.
The red LED will start and keep flashing for two minutes. For thisperiod of time the end-of-charge voltage can be set without
triggering the OVP. Ensure that the unit is not in OVP mode before
starting with step 1.
Step 2: Set the end-of-charge voltage to 420V
Step 3: Push the “OVP disable / enable” button again to set theOVP voltage 10V higher than the end-of-charge voltage(= 430Vdc).
Red LED will go off.
 doneExample 2:
Setting the end-of-charge voltage to 430V and OVP to 450V
Step 1: Push the “OVP disable / enable” button to disable the OVP.
The red LED will start and keep flashing for two minutes. For thisperiod of time the end-of-charge voltage can be set without
triggering the OVP.
Step 2: Set the end-of-charge voltage to 440V
Step 3: Push the “OVP disable / enable” button again to set theOVP voltage 10V higher than the end-of-charge voltage(= 450Vdc).
Red LED will go off.
Step 4: Set the end-of-charge voltage to 430V (without pushing thebutton) doneThis document is proprietary. Any dispatch or disclosure of content is authorized only after written authorization by PULS GmbH.
All parameters are specified at 400V, 2.5A, 230Vac, 25°C ambient and after a 5 minutes run-in time unless otherwise noted.
Specification: SP-PAS395 Rev: 3.1
Date: 2013/01/19

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5General Data

Efficiency:typ. 94.4 %at 400Vdc output voltage, 2.6A output current and 230Vac input
voltage.

Full-load Power Losses:

typ. 60.8W at 400Vdc output voltage and 2.6A output current

No-load Power Losses:

typ. 12 W at 360Vdc output voltage
typ. 13 W at 400Vdc output voltage
typ. 15 W at 460Vdc output voltage

6Charging Performance

The charger is suitable to charge capacitors up to 5F. The typical capacitance is considered to
be 2F. Therefore, most of the following curves and investigations apply for this size of capacitorunless otherwise stated.

This document is proprietary. Any dispatch or disclosure of content is authorized only after written authorization by PULS GmbH.
All parameters are specified at 400V, 2.5A, 230Vac, 25°C ambient and after a 5 minutes run-in time unless otherwise noted.
Specification: SP-PAS395 Rev: 3.1
Date: 2013/01/19

6-14

7Signals, LEDs

Inhibit Input:

A signal voltage of at least 18V on the inhibit input terminal stops
the charging mode. Safety features are not included.
The input is galvanically isolated by an optocoupler.
Typ. signal current; 4.2mA at 18V and 5.4mA at 24V.

Output-OK Relay Contact:

This relay contact closes (normally-open-contact) when thecharger works properly and no internal faults or abnormal
conditions are present.
The contact is open when:- the inhibit input is active or- the over-temperature protection is activated or- during overload or short-circuit conditions or- when the over-voltage protection circuit has triggered.
Contact ratings: max. 30Vdc, 0.5A resistive load
min. 1mA at 5Vdc (minimum permissible load)

Fully-charged Relay Contact: This relay contact closes (normally-open-contact) when the endof-charge voltage is achieved.
Contact ratings: max. 30Vdc, 0.5A resistive load
min. 1mA at 5Vdc (minimum permissible load)
Input-OK LED:

This green LED is on, when input voltage is higher than 150Vac.

Output-OK LED:

This green LED is synchronized with the Output-OK relay contact.
The LED is on when the relay contact is closed.

Fully-charged LED:

This green LED is off during charging and is on when the end-ofcharge voltage is achieved. The LED is flashing when the unit
enters the over-voltage protection level area (charger has
switched off and makes start-up attempts).

This document is proprietary. Any dispatch or disclosure of content is authorized only after written authorization by PULS GmbH.
All parameters are specified at 400V, 2.5A, 230Vac, 25°C ambient and after a 5 minutes run-in time unless otherwise noted.
Specification: SP-PAS395 Rev: 3.1Date: 2013/01/19

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8LEDs and Relay Contacts Pattern
Input-OKLED

Output-OKLED

Fully charged
LEDOutput OKContact*)

Fully charged
Contact

Capacitors in charging modeONONOFFclosedopen

Capacitors fully charged

ONONON

closedclosed

Inhibit input activatedONOFFOFF ***)

openopen***)Capacitor does not permit charging(e.g. short circuit across output)ONtyp. ON 130s
OFF110s…

OFF

typ. ON 130s
OFF110s…

open

No capacitor connected

ONONON

closedclosed

Over-temperature shut-down (OTP)

ON

OFF

according to thestate-of-charge

open

according to thestate of charge

Over-voltage protection activated (OVP)

ONOFF **)

flashingopen **)closedInput voltage < 150V

OFFOFFOFFopenopen*)
The Output-OK contact is synchronized with the Output-OK Led.
**) Short single pulses will be suppressed in order to avoid a false triggering of the OVP.
***) delayed by a couple of seconds

9Environment

Operational Temp. Range: -40°C to +65°C
Storage Temp. Range:-55°C to +85°C

Humidity:

10 – 90% r.H.
Do not energize while condensation is present

Altitude:

0 to 6000m above sea level

Overvoltage Category

III up to 2000m altitude
II up to 6000m altitude
according to IEC 62103, EN 50178

Degree of pollution

2 (IEC 62103, EN 50178, not conductive)

ShockAccording to IEC 60068-2-27
20g 11ms, 3 bumps / direction, 18 bumps in total
30g 6ms, 3 bumps / direction, 18 bumps in total

Vibration sinusoidal

According to IEC 60068-2-6
2-17.8Hz: ±1.6mm; 17.8-500Hz: 2g, 2 hours / axis

Vibration random

According to IEC 60068-2-64
10-500Hz: 0.5 m²/s³
Test duration: 120 minutes

This document is proprietary. Any dispatch or disclosure of content is authorized only after written authorization by PULS GmbH.
All parameters are specified at 400V, 2.5A, 230Vac, 25°C ambient and after a 5 minutes run-in time unless otherwise noted.
Specification: SP-PAS395 Rev: 3.1
Date: 2013/01/19

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10

Dielectric Strength, Isolation, Leakage Current

The output is floating and has no ohmic connection to the ground.
The following type and factory tests are conducted by the manufacturer. The test duration is 60s
for type tests and 5s for the factory tests.
Type- & Factory Tests

OutputPESignal Pins

Input

2.5kVac

2.5kVac

3.0kVac

2.5kVac

3.0kVacOutput
PE500Vac

Field tests may be conducted in the field using the appropriate test equipment which applies thevoltage with a slow ramp (2s up and 2s down). Prior to the field test, special treatment of theunit may be necessary. Connect all input-terminals together as well as all output poles before
conducting the test. When testing, set the cut-off current settings of the test equipment to avalue larger or equal than 10mA. Optionally, a DC test voltage can be applied too. In suchcases, multiply the AC test voltages with the factor 1.41.
The test duration for field tests should not exceed 10s, since every high-pot test adds
extraordinary stress to the unit.
Field Tests

OutputPESignal Pins

Input

2kVac

2kVac

2.5kVac2kVac

2.5kVacOutput
PE500Vac

Isolation resistance

Input to output: 200MOhm (measured with 500Vdc)
Input to PE (earth): 200MOhm (measured with 500Vdc)
Output to PE (earth): 100MOhm (measured with 500Vdc)

Leakage Current:

max. 1.5mA (measured one minute after turning on the unit)

This document is proprietary. Any dispatch or disclosure of content is authorized only after written authorization by PULS GmbH.
All parameters are specified at 400V, 2.5A, 230Vac, 25°C ambient and after a 5 minutes run-in time unless otherwise noted.
Specification: SP-PAS395 Rev: 3.1
Date: 2013/01/19

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11EMCEMC Immunity

Generic standards: EN 61000-6-1 and EN 61000-6-2

Electrostatic discharge

EN 61000-4-2

Contact discharge
Air discharge

8kV
15kV

Criterion A
Criterion A

Electromagnetic RF field

EN 61000-4-3

80MHz-2.7GHz

20V/m

Criterion A

Fast transients (Burst)

EN 61000-4-4

Input lines
Output lines
Signal lines

4kV
4kV
2kV

Criterion ACriterion A
Criterion A

Surge voltage on input

EN 61000-4-5
EN 61400-24

LNLN2kV
LPZ 2Criterion A

EN 61000-4-5
EN 61400-24

L  PE
L  PE

4kV
LPZ 2Criterion A

EN 61000-4-5
EN 61400-24++-1kV
LPZ 2

Criterion A

EN 61000-4-5
EN 61400-24+ / -  PE
+ / -  PE

4kV
LPZ 2Criterion A

Surge voltage on signals

EN 61000-4-5
EN 61400-24

signal  PE
signal  PE

1kV
LPZ 2

Criterion A

Conducted disturbanceEN 61000-4-60.15-80MHz20V

Criterion A

Mains voltage dips

EN 61000-4-110% of 220Vac (=0V)
40% of 220Vac (=88V)
70% of 220Vac (=154V)

20ms
200ms
500ms

Criterion A
Criterion C *)Criterion A

Voltage interruptions

EN 61000-4-11

0% of 220Vac (=0V)

5000msCriterion C

Powerful transients

VDE 0160

over entire load range

750V, 1.3ms

see note M

Surge voltage on output

Criterions:
A: Power supply shows normal operation behavior within the defined limits.
C: Temporary loss of function is possible. Power supply may shut-down and restarts by itself. No damage or hazards for thepower supply will occur.
*) signal status and LED will remain appropriate (= Criterion A)
Note M: The protection circuit switches off the converter for approx. 2 seconds, which is not considered to be a problem for thecharging process.

EMC Emission
Conducted emission

Generic standards: EN 61000-6-4
EN 55011, EN 55022, FCC Part 15, CISPR 11,
CISPR 22

Input lines:
Class A
Signal lines:
Class AClass AClass A fulfilled (active PFC)
fulfilled *)Radiated emission
EN 55011, EN 55022
Harmonic input current
EN 61000-3-2
Voltage fluctuations, flicker EN 61000-3-3This device complies with FCC Part 15 rules.
Operation is subjected to following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) thisdevice must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
*)

Tested with constant current loads, non pulsing

This document is proprietary. Any dispatch or disclosure of content is authorized only after written authorization by PULS GmbH.
All parameters are specified at 400V, 2.5A, 230Vac, 25°C ambient and after a 5 minutes run-in time unless otherwise noted.
Specification: SP-PAS395 Rev: 3.1Date: 2013/01/19

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12

Protection Features

The output is short-circuit, overload and no-load proof. After removing the fault, an auto-restart
will be performed.
Over- temperature protection:
A temperature sensor monitors the internal temperature of a semiconductor. If the temperaturerises above a certain level, the fan will be turned on. If the temperature keeps rising, the output
will switch off in order to protect the charger. The output will automatically turn on again as soon
as the temperature decreases by 5°C. The “Output-OK” LED will be off and the “Output-OK”
contact will be open when the over-temperature protection is active.
Output over- voltage protection (OVP) circuit:
In case of an internal power supply defect, a redundant circuit limits the maximum voltage on
the output terminals. If the fault has not removed within 2.5s, the “Output-OK” LED will beturned off and the “Output-OK” contact will open.
Overload and short-circuit protection:
An overload or short circuit on the output will be recognized by the slew-rate of the voltagechange on the output. If the output does not reach typ. 40Vdc within 130s after starting tocharge, the charger will stop and will make a pause of 110s before a new charging cycle starts.
These cycles continue until the fault has been removed.

This document is proprietary. Any dispatch or disclosure of content is authorized only after written authorization by PULS GmbH.
All parameters are specified at 400V, 2.5A, 230Vac, 25°C ambient and after a 5 minutes run-in time unless otherwise noted.
Specification: SP-PAS395 Rev: 3.1
Date: 2013/01/19

11-14

13

Mechanical Dimensions

Dimensions:

310 x 158 x 80mm (L x W x H)

Weight:approx. 2.3kg

This document is proprietary. Any dispatch or disclosure of content is authorized only after written authorization by PULS GmbH.
All parameters are specified at 400V, 2.5A, 230Vac, 25°C ambient and after a 5 minutes run-in time unless otherwise noted.
Specification: SP-PAS395 Rev: 3.1
Date: 2013/01/19

12-14

14

Terminals and Wiring

Two self-locking plug-connectors (X1, X2) with spring-clamp connection points

Pin assignment:
X1: Power Connector
1 Vout (+)
2 not used3 Vout (-)
4 not used
5 PE
6 N
7 L
Cross section

X2: Signal Connector
1 Inhibit (+)
2 Inhibit (-)
3 Fully charged contact
4 Fully charged contact
5 Output-OK contact
6 Output-OK contact

0.08 - 2.5 mm2 (solid)
0.08 - 2.5 mm2 (fine-stranded)
0.25 - 1.5 mm2 (fine-stranded with ferrule and plastic collar)
0.25 - 2.5 mm2 (fine-stranded with ferrule, without plastic collar)
28 - 12 AWG

Recommended stripping length: 8 - 9mm (0.31 - 0.35in)

This document is proprietary. Any dispatch or disclosure of content is authorized only after written authorization by PULS GmbH.
All parameters are specified at 400V, 2.5A, 230Vac, 25°C ambient and after a 5 minutes run-in time unless otherwise noted.
Specification: SP-PAS395 Rev: 3.1
Date: 2013/01/19

13-14

15Cooling

The charger has a temperature controlled fan included, which makes the unit suitable for any
mounting orientation and also suitable for applications where the heat cannot be transferredthrough the base plate of the unit.

The fan will only run if needed during high temperatures. The fan will also run for 8 seconds
after applying sufficient input voltage. This allows to check the function of the fan. Furthermore,
the fan will run approximately every three hours for a short time to avoid a stiffness of the fan
after long breaks and to extend the life of the fan.

16Approvals
GL (Germanischer Lloyd); planned

The CE mark indicates conformance with the:- EMC directive 2004/108/EC,- Low-voltage directive (LVD) 2006/95/EC and- RoHS directive 2011/65/EU.

This document is proprietary. Any dispatch or disclosure of content is authorized only after written authorization by PULS GmbH.
All parameters are specified at 400V, 2.5A, 230Vac, 25°C ambient and after a 5 minutes run-in time unless otherwise noted.
Specification: SP-PAS395 Rev: 3.1
Date: 2013/01/19

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