Obstruction Light System Components

Light
Ultra-low consumption 12-Volt aviation red LED light in two sizes (10 and 30 cd nominal light output). It has a long operating life of >100,000 hours and very long maintenance interval. Stabilised light output with no R.F. emissions. Clear glass cover and anodised aluminium body, IP65 protection. 5 year warranty period.

Mini Pro charge controller
We designed Mini Pro-OL for the use in obstruction systems. It is a 10A microprocessor-based solid state shunt controller with temperature compensation. Mini Pro-OL is equipped with lighting control, especially adapted for use in SPOL systems.

The controller switches on the LED light when it gets dark and switches it off again when it becomes light again. This ‘dusk till dawn’ control uses the solar module as the light sensor, and typically the light will operate for about 30 minutes to 1 hour longer than the actual night length, depending on local conditions.

Normally the LED light is operated continuously when on, but our MiniPro-OL controller can also be set to flash the light at a fixed 2 seconds on and 2 seconds off duty cycle. If two lights are used in flashing mode, they can be flashed alternately by connecting each to one of the two output circuits, so that one light is always on and one is always off. If the battery falls to a low state of charge, only one light is operated. The same size of standard system can either operate one light continually or two lights in this alternate flashing mode.

Key features of Mini Pro-OL:

• Fast and accurate charging with a solid state charging circuitry
• Safe operation: back-up active only when the solar array detects no daylight
• One of the load circuits can be configured for night-time only lighting
• Low voltage load disconnect (LVD), overvoltage protection and battery type selection are all provided.
• Front panel indication is by LEDs, which indicate solar charging and LVD status
• Reverse night-time current flow prevented
• High reliability design gives a calculated MTBF in excess of 2 million hours.
• Lifetime over 15 years

Solar module
The solar module is selected from our range of low to medium power modules in the range 13 to 85 peak Watts (Wp), according to system needs. The 13 Wp module NP13RGFV is a special rugged construction with a 3mm composite base and a durable fluoropolymer cover, designed especially for ease of mounting and durability. The other modules used are of the conventional framed glass construction.

Solar module mounting
Mounting is easy thanks to a special adjustable structure, which allows the module to be installed on a 75mm or 60 mm pole or other vertical structure.

In tropical locations, the sun may be in either the North or South sky, depending on the season and a module mounted this way could be in shadow. Thus for tropical systems with this type of mounting, two modules are specified, one on each side of the pole or mast.

Key features:

• Fast and easy to install
• Durable design for harsh weather conditions

Battery
One or two sealed (valve-regulated) batteries are housed in the battery enclosure along with the controller and associated electrical hardware. The design life of a battery is from 10 to 12 years depending of the system configuration. Note that the actual battery life will depend on the exact operating conditions of the SPOL.

The batteries have been carefully chosen to give the longest possible lifetime in SPOL systems, typically a minimum of 3 years in the hottest environments and up to 8 years in cooler climates. Note that actual battery life will depend on the exact conditions of the SPOL installation.

Key features:

• Easy to keep, they require no water additions throughout their lifetime.
• Autonomy of at least 5 days under mid-winter conditions (in the larger systems considerably more)
• Long lifetime: 10 years

Battery Housing
The battery housing is a stainless steel cabinet with door lock and the smaller has also a sunshield. There are two standard cabinet sizes chosen according to the system size. The cabinet can be mounted on the same 75mm pole that supports the light and the solar module(s).