In a post about Sep18 I said I changed to MPPT controller, as I stuffed my original PWM controller (silly me)
Well have had 2 MPPT's from Jaycar - Powertach 3731,,, 1st one lasted till Easter 19 and packed it in, wouldn't charge.
New one has just started charging one day and not the next.
HAVE ORDERED NEW REDARC PWM, spoke to techie he was VERY helpfull. Back to a simple pwm close the cupboard and monitor in morning and afternoon,, hands off like did for 11 years with original el cheapo pwm.
Terry T1 you were right, I eat humble pie. My MPPT experiment is over.
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Why is it so? Professor Julius Sumner Miller, a profound influence on my life, who explained science to us on TV in the 60's.
Well, I've climbed back off the floor and back on the chair, but still a wobbly on the legs What price for the Redarc unit and how many amps does it handle?
T1 Terry
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$199 and 30a for 480w of panel and 480ah of batteries. Redarc and 12 volt shop agree 30a. Original was 30a and i've seen 25a go in often and absolute max 28a one day about 6 years ago.
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Why is it so? Professor Julius Sumner Miller, a profound influence on my life, who explained science to us on TV in the 60's.
I have learnt that it is most important to disconnect the solar before disconnecting the batteries, I you don't there is a danger of damaging the regulator.
On the contrary, since we have changed over to a MPPT controller, we have plenty of power.
I have learnt that it is most important to disconnect the solar before disconnecting the batteries, I you don't there is a danger of damaging the regulator. On the contrary, since we have changed over to a MPPT controller, we have plenty of power.
Did you rewire the solar to a series connection for the MPPT controller?
T1 Terry
__________________
You can lead a head to knowledge but you can't make it think. One day I'll know it all, but till then, I'll keep learning.
Any links to any sites or products is not an endorsement by me or do I gain any financial reward for such links
I have learnt that it is most important to disconnect the solar before disconnecting the batteries, I you don't there is a danger of damaging the regulator. On the contrary, since we have changed over to a MPPT controller, we have plenty of power.
Did you rewire the solar to a series connection for the MPPT controller?
T1 Terry
Because the solar was rewired from parallel to series so the voltage went up and the current went down and it result in better charging from the existing solar shows the problem was not the choice of controller but rather the poor wiring from the solar to the controller. A common factory wiring problem due to the fact they seem to think a single 100w panel is more than anyone could ever need, no point in wasting money on heavier cable or more runs of the bootlace size cable they consider to be plenty for any and every application.
Glad it is working well for you, did you increase the size of the cable from the new controller to the battery?
T1 Terry
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You can lead a head to knowledge but you can't make it think. One day I'll know it all, but till then, I'll keep learning.
Any links to any sites or products is not an endorsement by me or do I gain any financial reward for such links
Hi Terry, I don't want to steal this thread, but to answer your question the solar side of the wiring was 6mm, but was a long series of runs. The supply from the regulator to batteries was upped to 8mm.
Hi Terry, I don't want to steal this thread, but to answer your question the solar side of the wiring was 6mm, but was a long series of runs. The supply from the regulator to batteries was upped to 8mm.
To give you an idea of the cable size required, 6 B&S (13.5mm sq) can carry up to 40 amps over 5 mtrs without voltage drop becoming an issue. Was the 6 mm wire the size of the hole required to push it through? That is known in the trade as 6mm auto cable, 4.35mm sq conductor, a far cry from the 13.5mm sq conductor required to do the job properly.
T1 Terry
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You can lead a head to knowledge but you can't make it think. One day I'll know it all, but till then, I'll keep learning.
Any links to any sites or products is not an endorsement by me or do I gain any financial reward for such links
Thank you. The innards look substantial -- I can see why it wasn't cheap. That said, I can't find a single reference to "guike" capacitors on the Internet, although their specs look impressive.
I see that the unit has two coils. Perhaps one is for buck and the other for boost mode. It would make for an interesting teardown for someone who has the time and inclination (maybe DeBe ?).
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With 14 switching devices on that board i would be checking both sides for cracks in the solder around each lead. The pictures arent realy clear enough but i picked one that was & marked a relavent lead. Dry solder joints (cracking) is a common fault on PCBs with solid state switching.
Thanks. It has gone back to manufacturer to investigate 2nd almost identicle failure. Your comments make sense for this one as it was so intermittent, ie didn't work on hot day but worked fine the next day that was cool, about 20 C cooler.
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Why is it so? Professor Julius Sumner Miller, a profound influence on my life, who explained science to us on TV in the 60's.
What price for the Redarc unit and how many amps does it handle?
