I have a cheap solar car battery charger panel, it has NO regulation, not that I knew! Left it attached to a little used vehicles battery, and yes, it had boiled the cells, so I have bought one of these off eBay, hoped it would be an improvement, looks like I need to adjust and check it regularly hey? Thanks for video, it's a good warning.

@nightlightabcd

3 жыл бұрын

You should not be using the solar charger regulator with a car battery! Did you not review the videos here on KZread? They often say not to use on car batteries! I guess it could, but you are asking for trouble, for a car battery is NOT a deep cycle battery for a solar system! No one is to balm for your situation but you!

I have one of these however mine works great, no issues so far. It disconnects at 10.5V reconnects at 12.6V and charges the battery till it's 14.4V then once it's achieved 14.4V it stops charging and starts charging it again when the voltage reaches 13.2V. and if there is something I don't like I can change all 3 values, I even checked with my multimeter and the voltage is accurate on the display of mine. If you need the same one as me then I still have the exact link to where I bought it from

@hardergamer

Жыл бұрын

On mine, it's 0.3v out, compared to my FLUKE 87, but now that I know it over-reads by that it's fine.

@zachary4225

Жыл бұрын

Do you have yours set to b1 or B120, and what kind of batteries are you charging?

Thanks D-Widdy it was indeed of help to me.

Just hooked one up to monitor my 2 boat batteries going to plug a 100 watt solar panel later but for now just using it to monitor the battery levels. Seems to be ok for this application

FYI the charge controller comes with a default setting for a Gel battery. B01 is Gel. BO2 is AGM. B03 is the Flooded type. you need to set the battery to the correct type. I have a standard deep cycle flooded battery. you need to set the float voltage to 14.0

@danwiddison

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Paul. I wonder of they have improved the products in 2021??.. Hmm

@HelamanGile

3 жыл бұрын

True

@JjMn1000

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah!

@srdjan272able

3 жыл бұрын

I have AGM and both are charge on 14.2 for years. No any problems.

@sko1beer

3 жыл бұрын

@@danwiddison I got one yesterday and if you keep it at factory settings it’s set up for 12v lithium batteries anything else you got to toggle the settings

I have one of these pwm pos as well. Haven't hooked it up yet. Im glad that I found this video. My philosophy is that circuits can be tweaked after all efforts in programming have been exhausted. Could a simple over charging prevention circuit independent of the pwm controller be installed between the pwm and battery? Any thoughts?

@danwiddison

3 жыл бұрын

No point in having two charge controllers. Either set max voltage to a sensible level eg 13 - 13.5v or replace with a proper charge controller eg victron smartsolar

"Then it should drop to 13.4". No, it's a constant-voltage charger. Set it to the voltage you want it to hold. If you want a fancy multistage charger then buy one.

@danwiddison

3 жыл бұрын

The PWM is a good low-cost option: • for smaller systems • where the efficiency of the system is not critical, e.g trickle charging. • for solar panels with a maximum power voltage (Vmp) of up to 18V for charging a 12V battery (36V for 24V battery, etc). The MPPT controller is best: • For larger systems where the additional 20%* or more energy harvesting is worthwhile • When the solar array voltage is substantially higher than the battery voltage e.g. using house panels, for charging 12V batteries

@fratermus5502

3 жыл бұрын

@@danwiddison That has nothing to do with what I said.

@danwiddison

3 жыл бұрын

@@fratermus5502 pwm is 3 stage (multi stage charging) so no it's not a fancy 5-stage charging system. Neither is it a trickle charger. The point of this video is to warn against these controllers because the actual charging system cooks batteries by default. Sorry for any confusion. If you can afford it get a genuine mppt controller.

My last comment would be this: Sounds as if most people are using this cheap controller with high wattage panels and perhaps lower amp hour batteries. Is that a fair assessment? Cheap controllers should be mated to lower wattage panels and larger batteries that have small loads. Resistive loads. Guess one you get what you pay for and two building a system to meet your needs will determine what equipment will be used. Safety should also be a determining factor in your design

Hello! We have this same unit (ours is a 40A), but I can't get something to work and was wondering if you could provide insight. Everything is seemingly connected correctly. However on the main screen I don't see the solar panels that should show up on the right hand side and the battery is not being charged. Is there something I did wrong? Is it not functioning properly? Thanks

The USB sockets on these are limited to around 0.9A max. There's a resistor inside that can be changed to increase the current setting if you really want to.

@danwiddison

Жыл бұрын

Nice one Frank 👍

@hardergamer

Жыл бұрын

Mine crashes the controller if I connect any USB lead and has to have the battery/solar disconnected before it restarts.

@greg4272

Жыл бұрын

Fucking chinise liars!

@prateekdey8952

Жыл бұрын

Mine gives around 60ma🤣

Hi same problem with me is 13.2 v solved ur problem???

Thanks for sharing this information....it's very useful. I have a question, can you charge a single 12v battery with a 300w solar panel with a voltage rating of 36v?

@danwiddison

2 жыл бұрын

Hey man no worries! 36v is probably a 24v panel so you need a charge controller between the panel and battery to prevent damage

@tinkerer67

2 жыл бұрын

I have an older model that looks pretty much the same. They are rated for 50v input, but I wouldn't go with anything over 50W panels.

@clixium

2 жыл бұрын

You need a buck converter capable of at least 300W of power connected between solar and charger which would drop 36V to around 18V, they're not that expensive if you buy from Aliexpres .

Thank you for sharing sir new supporters here

I purchased one of these too, and came with a pathetically small panel claiming to be 100w. I didn’t read too carefully what batteries it supported and had bought a lithium ion battery. It still seemed to work, but I suspect I was lucky as the battery was fully protected by its own bms. It was indicating 14.6v when I first used the setup and was down to 14.3v at end of the week. I didn’t have my multimeter so couldn’t tell what the charge current was, and the controller only shows voltage. May have got away with it.

@danwiddison

2 жыл бұрын

I don't think these support lithium batteries so please be careful. I would recommend victron energy smartsolar series 👍

well done. its hard to find a alarm about this on the net... the figure of 14.4 is fake you can have 20v or more coming out of the controller and it will read 14.4. it wont show any higher. this controller will limit your output voltage to 75% of the input, so with 36v coming in from your panel youll have 27v cooking your 12v battery.. there by use this with a 24v batt, for a 12v batt you need a 18v panel. your 18v panel will give 13.5v out from the controller.. when the batt gets near fullly charged. the 18v panel will rise to about 20v.. 75% of that is 15v going into the batt.. the display on the controller will show the correct float voltage of 15v..when you have scrolled to the float voltage display.. this is no way to control battery charging.. this can be easily measured with a multimeter.. the amps are straight through.. the cheap mppts that look similar are also fakes.. ive measured some of those as well. no matter how insistant the seller is. there fake

I have one of these cheap Chinese jobs too. It really acts as more of a regulator than an actual charge controller as they state. All mine does is maintain 14.4 VDC to my batteries - nothing more, nothing less. It does not maintain any kind of float charge as they claim. You get what you pay for I suppose.

@danwiddison

2 жыл бұрын

Its a shame ebay dont allow reviews as mine boiled 2 batteries costing me way more than the controller did. Unsafe & potentially dangerous. The voltage reading is inaccurate too

@eddyk6853

Жыл бұрын

@@danwiddison My controller is overcharging as well, now disconnect the solar most of the time. Cannot be trusted

@mr.makeit4037

Ай бұрын

Did you try an over voltage protection board on the output side of this pwm?

Hi, I use 55amp acid battery plus two solar panels 200 watts both. wich controller I must buy? It's seems like the power coming from the panels is larger than the battery capacity.

@muff3nm0n5t3r

2 жыл бұрын

Get cheap one from China store i did, 1 year no problem

very useful info

@danwiddison

Жыл бұрын

Glad to be of help 👍

What's the controller function? Why they have different capacities (20, 30 and 60) amp? Having 2 panels both generating 200watts, wich controller I must buy?

@danwiddison

3 жыл бұрын

Solar charge controllers regulate the current from the panels to a safe level so it can charge the batteries. A 40A controller is adequate for a 400 watt solar panel set up. At this size and investment, we recommend installing the MPPT controller. A PWM controller is a fraction of the cost of a MPPT but the considerable loss of harvested energy would offset the cost of the larger system. - mowgli-adventures.com/400-watt-solar-panel-wiring-diagram/

thanks for the video. how do I change the settings (reduce it from 14.4 to 13v)

@cringuscristian8970

2 жыл бұрын

why reduce.....14.4 is ok, in fact need to be 14.7

@paulmassingham1459

2 жыл бұрын

valid point i want to know that

@detoast1197

10 ай бұрын

why say why and not just answer ? pic the thing you want to change , hold left button down till it flashes ,, change it with the other 2 , up and down , hold the left button down again and it will save @@cringuscristian8970

I always wondered if an over voltage protection board on the output side of this device would alleviate this problem?

@danwiddison

Ай бұрын

it would if it worked.. Seems they go haywire when they are under strain & in my case it malfunctioned and cooked several batteries.. Be careful! only use with a small panel

well I'm just looking for a video that explains exactly which button does what so that you can get these controllers to respond to settings. With very limited instructions that come with them it's impossible to get these things to respond to anything when reading the instructions or assuming which button does what. So I'm frustrated that I can't even get beyond the initial setup or find a video that helps with the very basics

@johnwyman6331

3 жыл бұрын

Take a look at Adam Welch videos. He tests lots of inexpensive solar charge controllers.

@fratermus5502

3 жыл бұрын

On most of these the left button changes the display, as seen in this video. 1. Short-press it repeatedly to get to the setting you want to change (as seen in this video). Depending on firmware, the "PV OFF" screen or similar is the battery voltage you want to hold. 2. long-press that button to allow configuration. The value will start to flash. 3. use the center and right buttons (typically marked up-triangle and down-triangle) to adjust up/down as desired. 4. short-press the left button again to save the setting.

just got 2, get them tomorrow, wish me luck :)

@awesomedee5421

Жыл бұрын

want to hear your experience with them too.

@crazycrab8578

Жыл бұрын

@@awesomedee5421 blow one up, :) crossed wires, :), but they work, all my stuff is 12v, no inverters, just got LED lights, a alpocool fridge, only have on for 5hrs a days, and a small 12v tv, 2 110amp lesure batts, 60w solar panels,

mine keeps changing itself to 24 volts on my 12 volt system after it has been charging for awhile....

@danwiddison

9 ай бұрын

check your battery voltage is good. if its too low the controller could behave strangely. Also make sure its not getting too much solar power, which can also make these malfunction. Check all wires are tight and properly connected :) If no good, replace with something like a Renogy Wanderer or victron smartsolar

I believe a part of the issue with these units are lack of information from manufacturer. Float, cut in and cut off values are assuming your controller will not be located at the batteries but rather 10 to 20 feet. Therefore they are adjusting for wire voltage drop and drawing 10 - 30 amps feeding a 120v inverter. This will result in lower voltage being presented at the battery then the 14.5 indicated at the controller. Now if you have 3 feet of wire between controller and battery with very little load then yeah......your going to roast them.

These generic controllers are notorious for over heating and as a result the mosfets responsible for regulation don't actually work. Whatever comes in off the panel they just push straight through to the battery. The solution is to ensure that the mosfets are making contact with the rear of the case, and in addition you might want to add a heat sink to the back of the case. Your "logic" here is a bit skewed, using a 10 quid controller to control an 800 quid battery!

Thanks a lot! Same problem. Did you manage to solve this?

@danwiddison

25 күн бұрын

Yes, you need to use it with a smaller solar panel that doesn't cause it to malfunction. Under 40w is probably the best bet & then when you can, buy a better one

14.6V? Seems too high. I have MPPT charge controller (not the cheap chinese model, but one with big coils so it's real MPPT) and I deliberately adjusted it down to max 13.8 V charge as I didn't want to cook my battery.

How many 205w panels can you connect on parallel with this type of 100A controller?

@danwiddison

7 ай бұрын

Probably two in full sunlight. Just make sure you use good quality wiring & if the unit doesn't malfunction, try adding another one or two

You need to set your battery type. Either led acid or lithium

What does a controller like that understands as "float charge"? Mine(model identical to yours) would start upping the voltage at the start of the charge(early morning, 6 AM), than, as it gets to 14.4v(midday), it will keep it there until the end of the day(6 PM), even if I don't discharge the battery during the night, and even as the battery is pulling less than 200mAh of current from the charger. Shouldn't the charger go to "float charge" and try to keep my battery stable, from 13.0v to 13.7v (adjustable), when it is no longer getting usable current from the charger? Isn't that the dictionary definition of "float charge"? Ps: My inverter only turns itself on at 6 PM, so it can't be blamed for any "current leak", all the power produced by the solar panel during the day hours has only the battery as its consumer. I am starting to think that this charge controller just ignores any settings you put in. I have never felt my battery hot, nor any smell of the electrolytes boiling though. I have a 100amp, sealed 12v stationary battery.

@danwiddison

3 жыл бұрын

I've had several and they all seem to overcharge / boil batteries, so I've set my maximum charge voltage to 13.7v. when possible go for a Victorian energy smart solar charge controller & say goodbye to all these issues

@fratermus5502

3 жыл бұрын

It is a single-stage (constant voltage) charger that will charge to the voltage you specify. Multistage charging costs more than $10. > What does a controller like that understands as "float charge"? A "float charge" is a single voltage held forever. 13.6v or whatever, as seen with stationary, non-cycled batteries charged from shore power. The term is a good a translation as any, but some people interpret it as being part of a bulk-absorp-float multistage sequence and this controller doesn't do that.

@fratermus5502

3 жыл бұрын

@@danwiddison You will continue to destroy batteries until you understand battery charging and solar charge controllers better. Charging the batts to 13.2v off solar will kill lead batteries just as dead; it will take somewhat longer. BTW, *Victron* controllers are having serious problems right now with the controller's "smart" absorption dropping prematurely leading to bank capacity loss. The present workaround is to hold Vabs permanently, exactly like this controller does. Money is not the solution; understanding is the solution.

@jefersonnl

3 жыл бұрын

@@danwiddison Lucky me that my battery does not boil nor gets hot or loses fluid by evaporation, even after a year running on this charger. I guess that's due to the capacity of the battery(100 amps) and the relative low current of the solar panel, witch at most puts 8.2 amps out, less than 10% of the battery capacity, and less than half the recommended max charge current. Well it's a pretty good and expensive lead acid stationary battery after all.... I guess I paid for quality on my storage at the expense of my controller. Next time I get some real free time I will build my own charge controller, I often revisit and reiterate in my mind the ideal pwm charger circuit when I take a nap.

@jefersonnl

3 жыл бұрын

​@@danwiddison I've found a way of dealing with these, tho not ideal, it will save your battery from a boiling or explosive sure fate. I already had a monitoring unity built around my solar system, in order to turn the inverter on at night and off during the day(at specific times), switch to grid power if battery is close to undercharge, and send telemetry data to my PC every minute or so. This system is built around an Arduino Nano, with a ESP8266 WiFi shield, a couple of ACS712 30A hall effect sensors (one measuring the current from the panel to the battery and another from the battery to the inverter), a DS3231 Real Time Clock shield, a Voltage Divider (to measure battery voltage, of course) and a Relay Bank(to turn the inverter on and off and to do the switching between grid and inverter). What I did was making use of all of this "telemetry data" to my benefit. I keep checking the battery voltage and the current passing trough from the solar panel in the main loop. When voltage is greater or equal to 14.25v and current less or equal to 600mAh, I open the connection between the solar panel and the charge controller, via another relay that I added to the bank for this specific purpose, and I only reconnect if/when battery voltage equals or lower than 12.80v. That is not like turning these cheap charge controllers into three-stages "smart chargers" ones, with fancy trickle charging and stuff, no, no way. They are still dumb chargers only capable of Bulk and Absorption phases, however now I get my 100 amps/hour battery charged to the point it must be, and not beyond. The relay normally opens around 12/13 o'clock, if the day is not cloudy, meaning battery fully charged. The sun here shines on the panel until 17 o'clock at least. I'm saving my battery of receiving almost 4 extra hours of overcharging by just doing that. It holds 13.2v nicely until 18 o'clock when the inverter turns on. It is naturally drained during the night by the lights around the hause, comes next day, 6 o'clock inverter turns off, voltage will naturally be under 12.80v, and the cycle repeats itself.

What do you connect to the light bulb side?

@danwiddison

2 жыл бұрын

12v devices

Unfortunately most these charge controller we purchase from Ebay already are defective, I purchased so far 3 different types none of them function right

Frater Mus. I would really like to here your opinion on my comment too. Thank you

@fratermus5502

3 жыл бұрын

> Could a simple over charging prevention circuit independent of the pwm controller be installed between the pwm and battery? The charger will not overcharge; it will hold the configurable voltage setpoint as long as solar harvest is available. The trick is to to pick an appropriate voltage setpoint for a single-stage charger like this. For standby batts that might be a Float voltage in the 13s. For deeply cycled batts (depleted to 50% DoD each night, for example) it would likely be an Absorption-style voltage in the 14s. The battery manufacturer's info and your own testing will help find the voltage that works best.

@mr.makeit4037

3 жыл бұрын

That's good to know. I purchased a dc to dc buck boost converter pcb and an overcharge prevention pcb as well and want to incorporate this in my system after my pwm. The pwm I have learned, since my comment here, will not turn off. So my pwm is not stopping as the man in this video experienced. I will keep you updated, Fraternity Mus. Thanks for your knowledgeable comment.

get a renology one for about £20. proper manual and safer.

Read the manual, know your battery's specs. If you had set it right it wouldn't have cooked your batteries. I think you misunderstood

@danwiddison

3 жыл бұрын

There is no manual, that's part of the problem. Also anyone who has done their research wouldn't buy it in the first place 😄👍

@detoast1197

10 ай бұрын

that bloke replying is a nob :) sod him @@danwiddison

@detoast1197

10 ай бұрын

what manual ? you misunderstood manors mate

Did ypu know to hold the far left button for 12 seconds to change the settings & hold for another 12 seconds to accept

Help *my keyboard didn’t wanna type the ed in helped

These are Good for lithium

I do not know what exactly was written in the manual of yours. But I got similar "charge" controller (it is more discharge controller) and it has three settings: charging voltage (adjustable in range 12,7 - 15V); back to discharge voltage; and cut off voltage. There is written in the manual it is only good for float charge and lead acid batterie. So if you want to have it hooked up 24/7, you really need safe voltage. Yours 13,2 V now should be safe. I really don't believe this charge controller has ability to switch between absorption and float charge voltages, or even cut off charging. In my personal opinion it only can float charge same as my controller. But I saw different problem with these chinese controllers. You set certain voltage but the controller keeps charging the battery higher that that! So many problems with these. Need to test it first, if it works as intended.

@danwiddison

3 ай бұрын

That's right, only to be used as a temporary solution. If your battery starts gassing like mine did your at risk of an explosion. Avoid unless your just using it as a trickle charger with a small panel 👍

so it broke your battery or you didnt have the correct settings??

@danwiddison

11 ай бұрын

Correct it will boil your battery by default & even when I replaced the battery & changed the settings, it still boiled the battery. These are generally unsafe - i would go for a reputable brand rather than risking a fire / your life, let alone wasted money on batteries.

Gotta set the min and max as well as the battery type.

@danwiddison

Жыл бұрын

Even then they can’t be relied upon

This is my problem too its will not stop charging on my battery i set it to 13.5v and it goes to 13.8v it still charging

@fratermus5502

3 жыл бұрын

There are more than one voltage setting; be sure you are adjusting the charging setpoint and not one of the load-related ones.

your first mention you changed no settings, i can almost guarantee thats the issue, your overvolting it as default, your using a lead acid battery by sounds of it so you need to read up max voltage on your battery or just see what your battery is capable off via reviews and spec sheets off the manufacturers website

@danwiddison

3 жыл бұрын

A charge controller should not be set to overcharge by default but this is what's happened to many people. I did adjust the settings & it still cooked another brand new battery.

Does this controller ever indicate that charging is complete ?

@danwiddison

2 жыл бұрын

Yes when the arrow stops flashing which indicates charging coming in 👍 just bear in mind they can malfunction and overcharge batteries so keep an eye out for battery boiling

When I bought mine like that I thought it was a mppt but I guess it's the same kind your ears must be defective because mine the highest it goes on my 50 watt panel is 14.4 I ordered a new charge controller it's going to be a 30 amp 12 to 24 volt automatic to handle a 260 watt panel which I have two of those if I use them both I will do them in parallel but I got to test her to test each of them before I decide to do that cuz but your charge controller must be a defective one I don't know how much you're running through it anyways good luck

My Understanding is these arnt meant for Lead Acid, Just Lithium I, or AGM

@danwiddison

2 жыл бұрын

No they support flooded lead acid.

Video out about actual programming them with the buttons! User error!!

@danwiddison

2 жыл бұрын

kzread.info/dash/bejne/d3iglsWHYa24ddI.html

These have no quality control

I'm using the raggie pwm charge controller. My battery supports 13.2v to 13.9. today I realized it went up to 22v and my battery started boiling

@carlafuh9481

2 жыл бұрын

Tried setting it back to 13v but no avail. Thinking of resetting the charge controller

@danwiddison

2 жыл бұрын

@@carlafuh9481 yes thy do crash but no warning sign just boiling batteries! Dangerous 🥺

I prefer Victron. This type of regulators is crap.

13.2v is too low a float charge voltage for lead acid 12v batteries; most sealed lead acid batteries say to float at 13.6-13.8v.

@danwiddison

11 ай бұрын

I was playing it safe.

@jimmybrad156

11 ай бұрын

@@danwiddison I think only need to go that low if you're in a really hot climate.

@jimmybrad156

11 ай бұрын

Even then, something like 13.37 is likely preferable.

Chyba masz coś nie tak połączone mam panel 20W sterownik chiński pwm i akumulator agm 12V 14Ah i działa na oknie w cieniu cały czas i mam akumulator na full i utrzymuje mi napięcie między 12-12,6V

@detoast1197

10 ай бұрын

good point

Charging settings for lifepo4 or lithium will destroy wet batteries try avoiding settings up this equipment when your in dumb mode 🤔

It killed my batteries too, I don't recomend getting this controller, no matter how you setup this thing, it will not only cook the batteries, it will also kill the inverter too, damn this device is really awful it costs me a lot 🙄.

@danwiddison

2 жыл бұрын

Agree, these are hit & miss & who knows if they're all from the same factory.

@awesomedee5421

Жыл бұрын

@@danwiddison Maybe you got the cheap Chinese knock off of the cheap Chinese PWM charger. Interesting that a few people seem to say it is OK while many say it boils the batteries.

For a quick demonstration on how to set this unit please watch The following kzread.info/dash/bejne/d3iglsWHYa24ddI.html

You would have came out cheap or just buying a good victron charger instead of buying a bunch of batteries trying to make a cheap charger work

One has to size the Panel to the Battery. Sounds like maybe you didn't? The 12v battery is attached to an 18v panel. A 24 volt battery to 36v panel.. etc. What v coming in FROM the panel? It should give you this intel in the manual.. just sayin.

@danwiddison

Жыл бұрын

The panel was an 80w. Could have been a factor, but more likely the controller as others have said the same.

Having issues with mine as well... no quality will not stop over charging

@danwiddison

3 жыл бұрын

shame ebay dont allow reviews for non uk items... protectionism??

@fratermus5502

3 жыл бұрын

Please post pics somewhere of the applicable setting and the battery voltage measured above that. I've used many of these and have never seen one charge higher than the configured setpoint.

I bought a kit for ebay, with the same charge controller. Mine is just not chrging the battery, cause it's output is limited to a non changable value of 12.3V! Even if I go into settings, the value can not be altered! Chinise crap shitt!

@danwiddison

Жыл бұрын

Check the output on your panel just to make sure you have a good voltage should be around 17v

@greg4272

Жыл бұрын

@@danwiddison I have of course checked that. Its 16V, in more light its 18

Man,.. And instruction manuals. 🤣 Do I need to read this no I'm a Man and I can do anything perfect the first time around. 3 batteries later... Stopid cheap scc, China scams, definitely not my fold this. Right Man. 😁

@danwiddison

3 жыл бұрын

That's if you actually received any instructions in English 😄👍

Linti wait tupa

Better had spent 80 on the scc

@danwiddison

3 жыл бұрын

What do you mean by scc?

@Server0750

3 жыл бұрын

@@danwiddison solar charge controller.

@danwiddison

3 жыл бұрын

@@Server0750 yes if budget allows go for genuine mppt controller

Rr

That's hook up wrong

My charger is boiling my battery 🔋and screen goes black😄🤣

@danwiddison

3 жыл бұрын

Ouch 😯 glad u can laugh about it tho! Crazy how these dodgy chargers can potentially cause such danger to end users.. hope u didn't boil as many batteries as I did

This is a PWM charger. A PWM (pulse width modulation) controller can be thought of as an (electronic) switch between the solar panels and the battery: The switch is ON when the charger mode is in bulk charge mode The switch is “flicked” ON and OFF as needed (pulse width modulated) to hold the battery voltage at the absorption voltage The switch is OFF at the end of absorption while the battery voltage drops to the float voltage The switch is once again “flicked” ON and OFF as needed (pulse width modulated) to hold the battery voltage at the float voltage Note that when the switch is OFF the panel voltage will be at the open circuit voltage (Voc) and when the switch is ON the panel voltage will be at the battery voltage + voltage drops between the panel and the controller. The best panel match for a PWM controller: The best panel match for a PWM controller is a panel with a voltage that is just sufficiently above that required for charging the battery and taking temperature into account, typically, a panel with a Vmp (maximum power voltage) of around 18V to charge a 12V battery. These are frequently referred to as a 12V panel even though they have a Vmp of around 18V.

"it killed the batteries" lol, no. you killed the batteries by not setting it up properly

@danwiddison

6 ай бұрын

I kept trying but whatever cutoff I chose it cooked the batteries & I'm not the only one.

3 batteries, sorry U a bit slow.

Cleaned your nose

@danwiddison

3 жыл бұрын

Not whilst filming, but I'll keep that in mind thank you 😀🙏

Good grief! You didn’t bother to zoom around the internet for a manual before destroying 3 batteries? These manuals are everywhere. A simple Google search would have produced the manual, where you could have actually learned how set it up correctly. But you just blame the product for your mistakes. Let’s be clear… it charged exactly the way it was designed/ configured to charge. You sir, are fully at fault here for not configuring it properly. I would have thought after destroying battery number 1, you would have learned your lesson and googled the manual….. but no, you repeated your mistake two more times. Yeah, ok, let’s blame the charge controller. That’s like pressing your car’s accelerator pedal all the way to the floor, then complaining the car is going too fast. It MUST be a bad car. GEESH. Here’s a good idea: don’t connect ANYTHING electrical unless you are fully versed in all of the details, and you carefully verify that everything is functioning properly after you connect it.

@danwiddison

2 жыл бұрын

I, like many others, live in the real world where you use a thing called common sense and intuition. And yes I did look up the manual & the limited info suggested adjusting the charge levels etc. The video is more a warning to those who buy these thinking they are plug and play, as that's how they are sold. I'm glad your a thorough kind of guy tho and do everything properly 😄👍 I hope you share your extensive knowledge with others and make a difference yourself 👍 See ya 😎

@Ianarling

Жыл бұрын

​@@danwiddison I've found that with these cheap charge controllers the setting doesn't make any difference. Well done with your professional reply against the keyboard warrior. You will help people with your video and bless you for the warning