Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2018 12:23:30 -0500
Reply-To: alex@MEVAY.ORG
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Alex MeVay <alex@MEVAY.ORG>
Subject: Re: solar charge controller any suggestions
In-Reply-To: <9F72CE92-3C1F-42F2-B7D4-2A5508925717@mac.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Hi Ed,
> The solar panel is putting out 17 + volts in the overcast so it is working
This may not be a healthy panel. Generally a regular "12V"
crystalline panel should put out 20+V open circuit if there's light on
it.
The gold standard check for your panel and wiring is to bypass the
controller, and connect the panel directly to the battery through an
ammeter. You can do this where the controller is normally connected.
In full sun, no partial shading, and an angle that's not too far off,
you should see at least half the rated panel current (Imp or Isc; they
will be similar). Panels and wiring exposed to the elements often
fail with a high resistance, so it's common to see voltage with no
current behind it when there's a problem.
> and my aux bat is down to 4 volts will put it on a regular charger today
Most charge controllers run off the battery, not the panel, and
require some minimum battery voltage to operate (say 8-9+V), so this
may be the reason your controller appears dead. Best to get the
battery charged a bit and check again before replacing it. You can
connect the panel directly to the battery if needed. Monitor the
voltage manually. Be aware that if the battery is very far gone and
the sun is strong/panel large, the voltage could shoot up immediately,
and may damage sensitive electronics.
> I must admit I sometimes forgot to turn off the charge controller to the aux bat before starting the engine and having it take over the charging I assumed that
> it would not ge good to have both charging the aux bat
Generally, there is no problem leaving both charging sources
connected. Keep it simple.
> I am starting to look for a replacement on Amazon any suggestions
>
> Now it is only charging the aux bat I would like to have it also charge the main bat
Not sure how big your panel is, but from our range, you could try the
compact Genasun GV-10, or if you want automatic trickle charging for
your start battery, remote displays, etc, the Blue Sky Energy
SB2512iX-HV. These are both made-in-the-USA MPPT controllers, with
multistage charging, available temperature compensation, USA support,
and are Vanagon proven. :)
https://genasun.com/all-products/solar-charge-controllers/gv-10-pb-10a-solar-charge-controller/
http://www.blueskyenergyinc.com/products/details/solar-boost-2512i-hv-2512ix-hv
Best,
Alex
