Powerclamp 3 - support

This is a working page and changes may happen at anytime so please check back for changes. 

Technical specifications

Operating range  50v - 400v (not diversion range)

Maximum crowbar protection circuit: 40A

Maximum diversion current: 30A

Maximum current per switched load: 10A

Main diversion is 500 Hz PWM and Auxiliary 300 Hz PWM 

Crowbar accuracy +-2% separate analog circuit. Response time TBC micro seconds 

Minimum Dump Voltage	Initial Dump Voltage	Maximum Dump Voltage	Crowbar Voltage
50	110	120	140
150	210	220	250
250	310	350	400

Installation

PCB labelling for version 3.0.2 

PCB labelling for production version. 3.0.1

Connection diagram.

Crowbar

On the 3.0.2 PCB, there is now the option to either have a link between "IN+" from the turbine and "CB_R" so if the crowbar triggers it will short the input to ground. This is fine for Powerspout turbines, but other turbines may require a resistor instead across this to reduce the total current between "IN+" and "CB_R". As a starting guide, the resistor values will be similar to the sum of the diversion resistors in parallel, in both resistance and wattage.

Resistors

The matching resistors for the dump loads called R1, R2, R3,R4 are critical and work in a range of voltages and power ranges, see the graphs for accurate diversion characteristics with correct number of resistors required. Note that you can divert at a lower voltage and as the system produces more power to divert, the voltage will naturally rise to match generation. 

NB: Hardware 3.0.1 and prior had R0-3 where we changed naming to R1-4

 

 

 

 

Configuration

How to configure the device:

1. Power On the Device: Ensure the device is powered on with ~50v or more.
2. Connect to Wi-Fi:
• Open the Wi-Fi settings on your computer or mobile device.
• Look for the network with the SSID "powerclamp".
• Connect to this network using the password "powerclamp".
• Your device may complain that it cannot reach the internet, and if you should the option to either select "to continue to connect to it anyway" or "Always connect" etc and it will remember the setting. If the signal is weak it will likely connect back to your previous WiFi to get access to the internet. You can unselect "auto connect" to stop this.
3. Access the Configuration Page:
• Once connected, open a web browser.
• In the address bar, enter 192.168.4.1 and press Enter.
4. Configure the Device:
• The configuration page will load, allowing you to adjust settings as needed.
5. Save Settings:
• Make any necessary changes and save your settings.

For sites with multiple power clamps on one site, we suggest setting each one up at a time and changing the SSID of each with a unique name e.g. powerclamp1, powerclamp2 etc, then clearly label each one. 

 

If for reason you cannot remember your password etc, there is a button on the circuit board to reset everything to factory default. This includes the calibration.

Calibration: The device is sometimes a few volts out, therefore always calibrate after a factory reset, we suggest having a very stable conditions eg DeltaV <2 and then enter the voltage on the PCE in the settings page.  It will display the voltage it is reading, this should now match your PCE going forward. 

 Display

On version 3.0.2 and above there are LED's on the front to indicate what it is doing.

Green = power on

Red = Diverting some power the resistor bank.

Yellow = Diverting some power to an Auxiliary port. 

Blue = reserved for LORA status.

When multiple devices are used, once connected there is a "Find Me" button which triggers the display to flicker for 20 s, this will allow you to confirm which physical device you are connected to. 

Can I use a tablet or old phone permanently connected and mounted on the wall beside the powerclamp?

Yes, this has worked well, set the device to auto reconnect to the WIFI, and set the 192.168.4.1 as the home page. Connect to a USB power supply permanently, set power settings to stay on when on charge.   

 

Once connected to 192.168.4.1  you will receive the Data page, Which is a real time graph of current voltage  and diversion to resistors, full scale is fully on to that resistor dump load etc. 

Plus some key operating information  at the bottom.

What is Delta?

Delta: this is the % voltage fluctuation of the incoming turbine voltage over a 4 s period. As the powerclamp diverts power to the resistors this is an indication of how stable it is. It will spike as things change such as a sudden need for diversion etc but under stable conditions this should be less than 5% of the current voltage. This is mainly used for diagnostics for unexpected crowbar triggers. This also gives an indication on how close you can set the divert voltage to the crowbar voltage. 

Can I connect to raw data and build my own web app?

 yes.

This retrieves all real time data http://192.168.4.1/data

This retrieves all configuration information http://192.168.4.1/getValues

The start page with real time data graph  http://192.168.4.1/index.html

Settings data  http://192.168.4.1/settings.html

Firmware and Spiffs update page http://192.168.4.1/update

 

 

 

Firmware

We will release updated firmware which may either resolve an issue or add features. 

for hardware 3.0.0

PC3 3.0.0 firmware.bin

PC3 3.0.0 spiffs.bin

for hardware 3.0.1 onwards

PC3 3.0.1 firmware.bin Jan 2025 for hardware 3.0.1

PC3 3.0.1 spiffs.bin  Jan 2025

 

Please check your current version found on the settings page. To update download both firmware and spiffs .bin files and upload ensure you use matching versions of these files. 

Ensure the powerclamp is on a stable power supply >50v and not diverting. 

Auxiliary loads

The auxiliary loads can be many things and therefore we cannot cover all situations in this manual. 

The PWM signal is at 300 Hz and can be used for switching DC loads from the battery directly. The powerclamp then needs connecting to the Battery to monitor the voltage and if the voltage drops too low then all  auxiliary diversions will be switched off. 

To ensure stable operation we recommend:

Any single Auxiliary load should not be more than ~1000 watts or no more than the maximum output of a single turbine.

Do not set multiple auxiliary outputs to trigger on the same V and to have a minimum ~5% gap between all voltage set points for diversion and auxiliary diversion settings. 

Example 140V model: Voltage diversion = 110, Aux1 =  105, Aux2 = 100

Example 250V model: Voltage diversion = 210, Aux1 =  200, Aux2 = 190

For support on possible options please contact your supplier or powerspout directly for support.

 

We are in the process of developing long range radio auxiliary diversion switches switches using LORA technology, which will use Aux3 and 4.

 

Changing models 140/250/400

The crowbar part is separate from the powerclamp controller, and each device can be configured for any mix of models, eg powerclamp can operate just below the 140V region using a 15 Ohm resistors and the crowbar can be set to 140v, 250v or 400v independently.  both are set by a solder join marked on the PCB.  the crowbar is on the left hand side, where the powerclamp is the top right settings.