Thread: MPPT or PWM solar controller?

Originally Posted by austastar

Hi,
How many connections?
Minimum needed is 2,
1) solar panel
2) battery

If you have 3, the third one should be for the load, and it will probably have a low voltage protection built in to protect the battery from drawing down too far.
You may like to wire at least one light directly to the battery so you won't suddenly be in the dark.
As mentioned above, the instructions should explain it.
Cheers

I have installed the new MPPT controllers on the boat and the Nissan and the fridges will run directly from the battery or from the "Load" outlet.
I disconnected the solar panel to replicate night time conditions and the fridge still runs so I may leave them set up running from the "Load" outlet for now

Originally Posted by trout1105

So do i run the fridge/fridges from the batteries or from the load outlet on the MPPT controller?

The 'load' connection on the solar controller is in most cases irrelevant and all you need to do is connect the solar panel and battery with your load distribution connected to the battery, leaving the 'load' connection unused. This is what most people do.

What the 'load' connection does is to allow a timer controlled output from the controller and depending on the controller the ability to measure output (load) current. A typical example of this would be to automatically switch a light on and off. eg. at night time in a toilet at an unattended solar powered site. Not particularly useful in an automotive situation but could be used for example in a campervan to automatically switch the fridge off/on at night if the compressor noise was a problem whilst trying to sleep. In some controllers load current can be displayed giving the user an 'all in one' monitoring device without the need of additional meter(s). In this scenario the solar reg is left in its (usually default) mode of 'always on 24/7'. The downside of this is if the electronics fail in the timer/current measuring circuitry then you've got no power to the load ie. fridge and your beers hot and SWMBO's ****ed cos the foods gone off.

IMO best left unused.

Deano