solar chargers from ebay......

[DEFENDERZOOK]

I'm looking to set up a solar panel up on the roof permanently......to keep the batteries topped up between trips and from lack of driving.......
then whilst out camping i want to connect another pair of panels in one of them suitcase configurations which i can move around to follow the sun with....

the panels i have at the moment are only 3 small 45watt panels......

I'm trying to find a solar charge controller to go between the panels and the battery.....so i won't fry my battery.....i need one that stops charging and just goes to a float charge.....
i have found plenty on ebay.....and i think i need an mppt type charger....the ones i have seen are selling for around $60.....but are a cheap chinese charger...they are not a true mppt....but rather a pwm charger with a mppt controller.......

my question is.....will these work for my purpose....?
i understand that a true mppt is upwards of $200......and closer to 300....but my budget won't allow that.....

or should i just get a pwm charger.....?

any advice or info will be greatly appreciated as I'm starting to confuse myself from too much research.......

[DEFENDERZOOK]

this is one of the pwm chargers......
20A 12V 24V LCD Display PWM Solar Panel Regulator Charge Controller Timer PWN | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/20A-12V-24V-LCD-Display-PWM-Solar-Panel-Regulator-Charge-Controller-Timer-PWN-/331450649663?hash=item4d2bff8c3f:g:4E4AAOSw9mFWJHL 3)


and this is the mppt one........
Solar Panel Regulator LCD 30A 12V 24V MPPT Three Timer Charge Controller USB FB | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Solar-Panel-Regulator-LCD-30A-12V-24V-MPPT-Three-timer-Charge-Controller-USB-FB-/181854561893?hash=item2a57606665:g:n94AAOSwu4BV5lk o)


i know they are cheap crap.....but if they work then the price is right for my setup.....i do plan on upgrading to bigger panels at some stage.....

[Corgie Carrier]

For a small input that you get from the suitcase panels, I don't think you need the benefits of a full MPPT.

This is the one I have next to my battery under the bonnet. I have an Anderson plug right beside it that I plug the suitcase style 120w solar panels into.

10A MPPT Solar Panel Regulator 12V 24V LED Display Charge Controller Metal | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/10A-MPPT-Solar-Panel-Regulator-12V-24V-LED-Display-Charge-Controller-Metal-/391177313446?hash=item5b13fc1ca6:g:M98AAOSwTapV45n m)

It is from the same seller as your first one and I have bought quite a bit from him with no problems at all.

[DEFENDERZOOK]

i plan to upgrade to bigger panels if and when funds allow......so was looking to get a slightly bigger controller.....

if the cheap fake eBay controllers actually work then i will get one....if there are any serious issues to watch out for.....i will have to wait to find a proper controller.....

i want to have one panel permanently fixed to the car.....so i don't want it to fry my batteries when they are fully charged......

also.....would you know if it stops the power backfeeding to the panels in the dark....?
since it will be connected 24hrs......

[inside]

Those mppt controllers aren't mppt, youtube has reviews on them, buyer beware.

[Ferret]

...and this is the mppt one........
Solar Panel Regulator LCD 30A 12V 24V MPPT Three Timer Charge Controller USB FB | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Solar-Panel-Regulator-LCD-30A-12V-24V-MPPT-Three-timer-Charge-Controller-USB-FB-/181854561893?hash=item2a57606665:g:n94AAOSwu4BV5lk o)


i know they are cheap crap.....but if they work then the price is right for my setup.....i do plan on upgrading to bigger panels at some stage.....

That is not an MPPT controller / charger. It does not even do proper PWM charging. Many of the Chinese so called 'MPPT' controllers seem to be fake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la-gvy0DfJs

[weeds]

If you are up grading panels later than buy a decent MPPT controller now........buy right the first time and you won't be buying twice.

[DEFENDERZOOK]

I know they are fake....I've done my research and seen all the YouTube videos and reviews.......but I was only looking to see if they work......then I was going to get one for now and get it all set up and running......it could take me a year or more before I upgrade.........

[Blknight.aus]

OR...

12V 5A Battery Charging Regulator for Solar Panels | Solar Charge Controllers | Solar Power | Ecotech | PRODUCTS | AA0348 | Jaycar Electronics (http://www.jaycar.com.au/Ecotech/Solar-Power/Solar-Charge-Controllers/12V-5A-Battery-Charging-Regulator-for-Solar-Panels/p/AA0348)

20-Amp 12V Super Solar Panel Regulator | Solar Charge Controllers | Solar Power | Ecotech | PRODUCTS | MP3126 | Jaycar Electronics (http://www.jaycar.com.au/Ecotech/Solar-Power/Solar-Charge-Controllers/20-Amp-12V-Super-Solar-Panel-Regulator/p/MP3126)

been using them for years for small cheap systems and no-one complained yet.

I think I still have the very first 2 5 amp units that I bought when I first started out doing solar and they are (were) still working well for use with my small panels as set and forget chargers.

[JDNSW]

What Dave said if you just want to maintain the battery while the vehicle is unused.

The advantage of a MPPT charger is that it maximises the useful output from a panel(s). Since even your single 45W panel is ten times what is needed for this purpose, anything that regulates the output is all that is needed - you don't need the extra efficiency.

John

[bee utey]

The Australian made MPPT regulators from GSL would be my choice for a good quality unit. Their 12A unit would handle all three 45W panels.

GSL MPPT12 1 12 24V 12A Solar Charge Controller Regulator | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/GSL-MPPT12-1-12-24V-12A-Solar-Charge-Controller-Regulator-/161867683933?hash=item25b010d85d:g:8mMAAOxykmZTOqS F)

[DEFENDERZOOK]

Thanks guys....I liked the idea of the digital display which told me what was coming and going from the battery.....
But I guess I'll just use a multi meter.......one of those simple ones will get me out of trouble and I can still plug in the extra two panels when I'm away.....and its within my budget.......

Too easy......I'll avoid the fake ones and save up for the real ones.....

[Blknight.aus]

edit, this was in reply to bee utey not defenderzook

I would suggest that it might not.

not because of amps but because of the differential panel output in parallel/serial thing.

for a budget MPPT regulator on a 140w panel I dont think youd have any complaints about that one.

[towe0609]

I have 2 of these in use.

20A 12V 24V MPPT LCD Solar Energy Charge Controller Regulator 15 30 More Power | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/20A-12V-24V-MPPT-LCD-Solar-Energy-Charge-Controller-Regulator-15-30-More-Power-/261795318771?hash=item3cf4378bf3:g:7MUAAOSwQItUEna k)

I leave them permanently connected and think they are pretty good value. I'm impressed with the alloy case and connectors build quality ... can't comment on the electronics ... know nothing about that side of thinks - but they seem to work as promised.

[DEFENDERZOOK]

I would suggest that it might not.

not because of amps but because of the differential panel output in parallel/serial thing.

for a budget MPPT regulator on a 140w panel I dont think youd have any complaints about that one.

The panels I've got are all the same........and I plan to connect them all in parallel........
so the voltage won't change.......only the current will increase when I connect the two extra ones.......

Is that what you meant......?

[Blknight.aus]

The panels I've got are all the same........and I plan to connect them all in parallel........
so the voltage won't change.......only the current will increase when I connect the two extra ones.......

Is that what you meant......?

it depends on the panels.

if you have panels in series or parallel and one of the panels is shaded it not only drops the output by what its no outputting but also drags down some of the output from the other panels.

on those very cheap regulators on very cheap panels I usually run one panel per regulator. in your case I would have one on the vehicle mounted panel and a seperate one for the remote panels (which I would build into a breakout box so you could plug the panels into different things if needed.

alternates include
blocking diodes (for parallel)
bypass diodes (for series)
switches (so you have either the permanent panel hooked up or the externals)

Some panels come preset with diodes and how they are setup is usually listed in the manual or circuit diagram with the panels

http://www.solar-facts.com/panels/panel-diodes.php

thats a basic of why you use the different diodes. the problem with doing blocking diodes is that you need to push an extra .3 or .7v out of the panel to deal with the loss across the diode (a silocone diode drops .7v a germanium .3 and a schottky .2)

If you were going to go multiple panels on one input If the panels arent already fitted with blocking diodes ID put one of these (http://www.jaycar.com.au/Active-Components/Discrete/Diodes/Diode-MBR735-Schottky-35V-7A-TO-220-2/p/ZR1029) for each input onto the regulator as close to the regulator as I could get it.

[DeanoH]

"...............any advice or info will be greatly appreciated as I'm starting to confuse myself from too much research........."

or as they say "bull**** baffles brains"


You're on the right track Tony, a point to remember is that ALL solar controllers are PWM (pulse width modulation) controllers but not all are MPPT (maximum power point transfer) controllers. Forget about voltage and current for a minute and consider that the whole point of the solar setup is to transfer power from the solar panel(s) to the battery. Using an MPPT controller allows this to happen more efficiently ie. the MPPT controller allows more power to be extracted from the panels than would be the case with a non MPPT controller. This is pretty handy especially when you're a bit light on for solar panel output but for keeping a battery 'topped up' not really important.

What is very important for a 'top up' solar charger is reliability. It's been my experience that when solar regulators fail their voltage output goes high and by the time you find out your batteries are boiled dry and ruined. This happened to a friend of mine whose cheap POS Chinese reg failed and took out a pair of 100 ah deep cycle batteries. I've had two solar regs fail and both have 'gone high' in output voltage but were discovered before damage could be done. Both were $40ish Chinese eBay solar regs.


.....would you know if it stops the power backfeeding to the panels in the dark....?
since it will be connected 24hrs......

....and I can still plug in the extra two panels when I'm away....

Not a problem, you can kill two birds with one stone here.

Permanently fit one of your panels to your Landy using a good quality reg like the one Beeutey suggests (Morningstar are also very good) and fit a diode in series between the panel and the reg. to block reverse current.

Connect your two other panels as required, (also with blocking diodes) in parallel to the same solar input connection as the permanently wired panel.

The diodes protect the panels from inadvertent reverse polarity connection, stops night time discharge and will prevent reverse current flow in a shaded panel when the other(s) are in sunlight.

Some panels come with the diode(s) already installed in the connector block.

For best results the panels should have the same electrical characteristics and the solar reg should be able to handle the maximum possible current the combined panels can put out.


Deano :)

[Aaron IIA]

What is your opinion on this regulator? It appears to suit both lead and lithium batteries.

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=261599213144

Aaron

[digger]

dont forget to try other sources online...

eg:

"ali express"

watch the numbers required and postage but otherwise normally theyre good.

[Blknight.aus]

I'll make these comments my biggest concern is its manuals and the Ebay writing is a little spanglishy

what it advertises however is very good in spite of this

Put it in the catagory of

" I myself would not go out of my way to purchase one of these however I would not be upset if one was obtained on my behalf" which you can translate as.

If I had done work on your vehicle for you and the agreed payment was an XXX amp (they have a good selection on the votronic site) solar regulator and you gave me one of those it would be accepted.

The reason I would not go out of my way to purchase one is its capabilities are in excess of my requirements and for less than the advertised cost of the unit I can cobble together what I need from discrete components

[Ferret]

What is your opinion on this regulator? It appears to suit both lead and lithium batteries.

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=261599213144

Aaron

I have one and I know of others with this unit. No problems with it, though the price was a little cheaper earlier this year.

[Tins]

eg:

"ali express"

watch the numbers required and postage but otherwise normally theyre good.

And often remarkably cheap. I've bought a few things using Ali with no worries, but I second the "watch" list above.

[460cixy]

The Australian made MPPT regulators from GSL would be my choice for a good quality unit. Their 12A unit would handle all three 45W panels.

GSL MPPT12 1 12 24V 12A Solar Charge Controller Regulator | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/GSL-MPPT12-1-12-24V-12A-Solar-Charge-Controller-Regulator-/161867683933?hash=item25b010d85d:g:8mMAAOxykmZTOqS F)

Just brought one today will see how it goes when it rocks up.

[jcamp]

I'm looking to set up a solar panel up on the roof permanently......to keep the batteries topped up between trips and from lack of driving.......



All of this battery charging is totally confusing - our chief engineer knows and has done the stuff as aftermarket on RAN subs

To keep a LR size battery charged you need 10 - 30 ma on each battery (less flat -more cooks/bubbles). For a vehicle parked outside a 5w solar on the dashboard seems do the job (that is per battery seperate +- wire to each battery)

For charging my experience is 8 years ago for a serious application (in Solomons). Test of 30 different controllers available at the time

Test 1 80C and 100% humidity for 168hrs - half failed
Test 2 Shorted the output - rest failed

And that before testing MPPT and Lead Acid charging

Had to do our own MPPT proper Lead Acid charger

If you ignore development costs it wasn't too much of a loss as we had boxes and connectectors left over from obsolete telecoms equipment

[TeamFA]

I'm using a Tracer MPPT controller picked up from eBay, the same as this combo:
20A MPPT Solar Charge Controller Regulator 12 24V Tracer 2215RN 150V PV W Meter | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/20A-MPPT-Solar-Charge-Controller-Regulator-12-24V-TRACER-2215RN-150V-PV-W-Meter-/252019248295?hash=item3aad848ca7:g:ih8AAOSwPcVVm3e i)

(different seller though, I think).

I did a fair bit of research on controller before I purchased, but this unit seems to do the job very nicely. I have the controller installed on the back of the center console (so close to the battery), with the remote unit in the cargo area, where we would be most when checking the charging (accessing the fridge, etc).

I checked out lots of reviews on these controllers.

[DEFENDERZOOK]

My research came up with the tracer charger as well......but my current budget refuses.......
I'll save up a bit more and do it right the first time......

[460cixy]

GSL MPPT12 1 12 24V 12A Solar Charge Controller Regulator | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/GSL-MPPT12-1-12-24V-12A-Solar-Charge-Controller-Regulator-/161867683933?hash=item25b010d85d:g:8mMAAOxykmZTOqS F) fitted it up on the weekend works like a champ was getting 95 watts out of 120watt panel pretty happy with it.

[Homestar]

My solar setup was permanently set up on the 101 for over 12 months and is now set up on my caravan. It is a Chinese 140 watt panel with the cheapy controller it came with. It stays connected 24/7 to the batteries and there is no issue. The controller cuts the power at 13.7 volts and has never overcharged my batteries. It is currently connected to 2 x 100Ah AGM deep cycle batteries, but was connected to 1 x 100Ah AGM deep cycle battery and 1 x N70 maintenance free cranking battery in parallel while sitting there doing nothing. It made the 101 real easy to start, and with my power usage while camping, I always had enough sun during the day to top everything back up.