Date:         Wed, 6 May 2015 15:23:14 -0700
Reply-To:     Alistair Bell <albell@SHAW.CA>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Alistair Bell <albell@SHAW.CA>
Subject:      Re: Possible Solar Charge Controller Warning ?
Comments: To: Neil N <musomuso@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To:  <CAB2RwfgX4n+MakBM4wBnz5+N0jdF8nseB9CDO_xRLv3g=H0c1Q@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

I can see how you'd think it would be safe in dark garage. It's a pretty innocent mistakes to make, not like the bonehead move I made with my 50W panel, the one that I used as a portable with great success last summer. This spring I allowed it to get blown over in the driveway, smashed the glass.
Good news is I found a 75W Siemens panel to replace it.

Alistair



On May 6, 2015, at 1:57 PM, Neil N <musomuso@gmail.com> wrote:

>> Yeah my cheap 30 A PWM controller said, in not so perfectly translated
>> English, to be sure to connect to battery before connecting to solar.
> 
> For sure Alistiar. In my case, I just didn't think.
> It was dark in garage so.....   ;)
> No excuses though!
> 
> A fellow Vanagon-ite kindly gave me a new MPPT controller with pooched
> up screw contacts; I soldered leads to the PCB. It's untested and though
> I secured the leads to the enclosure, it still seems risky to use (?)
> 
> I'm on a time line here, heading to Walla Walla so will install same
> as before. For future, I'll install an MPPT for sure.
> 
> Neil.
> 
> 
>> On 5/6/15, Alistair Bell <albell@shaw.ca> wrote:
>> Hi Neil,
>> 
>> Yeah my cheap 30 A PWM controller said, in not so perfectly translated
>> English, to be sure to connect to battery before connecting to solar.
>> 
>> So Neil, you have any ideas on your next controller? I'm a little miffed at
>> mine as the ad implied or inferred that it had user defined float voltage

>> setting. It doesn't, but one could make the argument that up here in BC the
>> daily charging profile is such that it might not be such a big issue.
>> 
>> Alistair
> 
> 
> -- 
> Neil n
> 
> Blog: Vanagons, Westfalia, general <http://tubaneil.blogspot.ca>
> 
> 1988 Westy Images <https://picasaweb.google.com/musomuso/New1988Westy>
> 
> 1981 Westfalia "Jaco" Images, technical <http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/>

> 
> Vanagon-Bus VAG Gas Engine Swap Group <http://tinyurl.com/khalbay>