Disconnect the controller from the battery when camper plugged in?

[BearhawkLSA]

Should I disconnect the solar charger from the battery when I have the camper plugged into the generator to run the microwave and A/C? I am not sure what will happen when the on board battery charger tries to charge at the same time the solar charger is providing power and want to avoid letting the smoke out of the electronics.

Dave

[ewarnerusa]

Nah, leave the solar controller hooked up. No harm. The two charging systems may confuse each other and the weaker will drop off. But neither system will deliver current when the batteries reach full charge.

[Sunking]

No problem, when on generator or commercial power, the solr will just idle essentially turning itself off. It cannot compete with a Stiff Source

[PNjunction]

Just remember that *initially*, most modern controllers want to be attached to batteries FIRST, in order to get their logic brain together, otherwise they may not function at all, or go into a failsafe mode of float-only at 13.8v, instead of allowing for a typical 3-stage bulk/absorb/float.

Thus if you are changing wiring around, or using switches and such for whatever reason, do the controller to the battery first and then switch on the panel. Once that's done you can leave it hooked up all the time. But if you reconfigure, just follow the battery-first / panel last technique.