Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Nubie controller question

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Nubie controller question

    Just assembled my 1st set of 4 small panels in parallel, total 100W and connected to charge controller 7amp max.
    The ammeter says 4amps is coming in at 20V , connected it to 1 12v DC battery that already had charged up at 15v at store .
    Charge controller says cut in at 13v and out at 14.2v , but when I connected it to the battery it kept charging battery to 17v and the controller got hot so I disconnected it.
    Should the controller have stopped the charging process if it was at 15v , or is this normal? I don't want to blow up the 12v battery.

  • #2
    sounds like something didn't work. charge controller was suppoesed to cut the PV off at 15V - were all the wires connected correctly, and in the right sequence (battery connection first, then the PV connection)
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount (2) | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister

    Comment


    • #3
      All wiring looks right, connected in that order. It's a cheap Colman charge controller, so maybe it only cuts out from below 14.2v and rising, not when it's already over 14.2v ? Scarey

      Comment


      • #4
        Not to take a dig at you, man. But, when it comes to controllers, "cheap" is NOT a word I would use when considering my purchase. I have a Kid by Midnite, and two MorningStar controllers. All work great. (I would probably by more from MorningStar if their customer service didn't suck so badly.)

        I really would consider laying some money out for a decent quality controller.
        Paul

        Comment


        • #5
          There are inexpensive controllers that are functional but unless you know someone that has tested one out, you have no idea. I would think that for a small PWM system a name brand controller wouldn't be that much considering the cost of replacing the battery if something went wrong.

          Comment


          • #6
            Oh yeah, that's just wrong.

            What you are describing is a blown mosfet in the controller, which in this case is a cheap voltage ping-pong type using tech from the 1970's. Coleman / Sunforce 7A controllers come to mind.

            What is the actual battery you are using? Lot of things to go wrong here, especially if the emphasis is on cheap/used stuff. Taking that up to 17v means you get to start over with a new battery and new controller. At a minimum, something like a morningstar SunSaver SS10-12v 10A pwm controller would be suggested or a Schneider/xantrex C12 with temp probe would be suggested.

            This all hinges on how much power you are using from the battery in the first place however, to see if your system is viable for actually sustaining your needs.

            Comment

            Working...
            X