Fischer Panda battery charging DC generators available with new fpControl

Fischer Panda “Hybrid Power” battery charging generators DC from 3.2 kW up to 22 kW are now available with the fpControl system.

This new system allows the battery charging parameters to be easily set. This is important for the onboard power supply via batteries as well as for electric drive systems with lithium-ion-batteries. The fpControl digital display provides operating and monitoring information about the generator such as voltage, current, winding temperatures, operating hours.

The fpControl system features an automatic start mode. When the voltage drops below a set level, the generator starts automatically and stops when the battery is charged.

Fischer Panda “Hybrid Power” battery-charging generators fitted with the fpControl are supplied with a DC measurement module which monitors the voltage.

The generators are suited for charging all types of batteries including lithium-ion banks fitted with a Battery Management System (BMS). Each battery type has its own manufacturer’s requirements to ensure optimal charging and to prevent overheating and damage. To meet these requirements, the owner can adjust many settings for the battery charging process using the fpControl digital panel.

These settings include:

- Determine the battery voltage at which the battery charging starts automatically.

- Adjust the maximum/minimum charging current that flows to the battery.

- Specify the constant charging voltage (absorption voltage).

- Determine the hysteresis (switching from charging with constant voltage to float voltage).

- Set the float voltage.

- Specify the float voltage timeout (generator stops automatically when float voltage is reached).

- Activate and deactivate the battery monitor integrated in the generator.

Many yachts now have glass bridges with centralised control and digital switching. The fpControl offers options for bus communication. Higher systems can access and display the generator information on multifunction displays via NMEA2000 / SAE J1339 / HTML.

The fpControl and its digital panel are available for different Fischer Panda generators (variable-speed, regulated-speed, and battery-charging versions).

For Fischer Panda DC Generators with fpControl above Model AGT-DC 12000, the rectifier and battery monitoring module (BatMon) are installed in an external unit. This unit also has all the fittings for the cable connections.

Fischer Panda “Hybrid Power” DC generators provide powerful charging for electrical systems that use a battery bank as a main energy source. “Hybrid Power” DC generators can support the onboard power supply and electric drive systems in ships. They are a good choice when daily load profiles do not require a generator to run continuously. Thanks to the low weight and the increased performance and capacity offered by Lithium-Ion battery banks, this type of power setup has become increasingly popular.

A Fischer Panda DC generator can serve as a reliable backup power source when shore or solar power is limited or not available. A further advantage is that some electrical consumers can be operated for longer periods provided that the battery bank’s capacity is sufficient when the generator is running.

In a DC-AC power system, the Fischer Panda DC generator is connected directly to the battery bank. An additional inverter / combi inverter is typically installed to convert DC to AC to power electrical consumers with 230V AC. For recreational use, this setup often only requires the generator to run for 2-3 times for half an hour each day. Charging the batteries with a generator allows the skipper to spend more time on the water and less time returning to the harbour to recharge with shore power.