Charge controller

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whgoffrn
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Charge controller

Post by whgoffrn »

Anyone care to give name and make of a good charge controller for solar panel. I just got off eBay a 100 watt panel with a charge controller however either the controller was a cheap Chinese controller that was defective or I blew it by hooking it up in the incorrect order .. (correct me if I'm wrong negative batt pos batt neg solar panel pos solar panel) I wasn't doing that at first so I may have melted it. Anywho I want to buy a decent one that has display volts or battery % so I'm not constantly looking for my voltameter plus wonder if the mppt controllers are worth the cost and if so what's a good one of those type? I'm new to solar obviously

100wt enough to power a small 34 Engel? And an iPad and small amount of electronics and lights ....i have 2. 29group batts
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Chinook
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Re: Charge controller

Post by Chinook »

We operate with a pair of 50 watt solar panels, and our Engel frig is the largest draw. The system works fine for us. Lots of variables involved, including weather conditions in your planned cruising area, frequency of running the outboard charging system, and size/type of house battery. We have a pair of 6 volt golf cart batteries, hooked up in series, so we do have good storage capacity. Regarding controller, I suggest you try starting by contacting the manufacturer of your panel, or finding a dealership which markets that type of panel. They should be able to point you toward the proper controller.
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kurz
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Re: Charge controller

Post by kurz »

I also have two 50w solar panels and a waeco fridge. I run the fridge only if volt is above 12.5V and electricity comes from the panels. Most time works ok.

Concerning the controller: Look for an mppt controller. So you can wire your panels in serial, better for the mppt.

What I hate with my mppt is the fact that you have to open the case to replace the fuse or to wire your cables. BECOUSE then you have to fidle arount for 1000 hours to match the LEDs that are on long legs to find the holes in the case... Just very little problem but really sucks. So if I will replace one day I will take one with an easier case setting. Forget the 50$ ones. They are no mppt ones, even if they write... Forget the display function in the controller.
A Volt display you can get very cheap separately and install it where you can see it...

Show % of remaining battery capacitiy... does not comes for free with a cheap controller. So again, forget it...
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Cougar
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Re: Charge controller

Post by Cougar »

Supposedly the best solar chargers are made by Victron Energy, a Dutch company with worldwide sales. And I'm not saying that because I'm Dutch myself... :D
I do have a Victron MPPT charger and it's excellent. You can monitor the device with an app using a dedicated bluetooth dongle.
https://www.victronenergy.nl/where-to-buy
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Sea Wind
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Re: Charge controller

Post by Sea Wind »

this is what I have :

meter: http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?pat ... &id=342012

controller:https://www.solarblvd.com/products/morn ... ontroller/
panel:https://www.solarblvd.com/products/sola ... r-panel-2/

It is connected to a dedicated switch not directly to the battery. Here is a link to my setup:
http://www.macgregorsailors.com/phpBB/v ... =9&t=21443

It does keep up with the GPS, VHF and stereo with two house batteries. I turn off the fridge at night which I really only use on longer trips.
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Seapup
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Re: Charge controller

Post by Seapup »

I do have a Victron MPPT charger and it's excellent. You can monitor the device with an app using a dedicated bluetooth dongle.
https://www.victronenergy.nl/where-to-buy
I have only heard good things about victron and the 15A MPPT & is under $100. You can get a digital readout or bluetooth dongle to go with it.
I want to buy a decent one that has display volts or battery % so I'm not constantly looking for my voltameter plus wonder if the mppt controllers are worth the cost
I ran a 100w panel with a PWM for a season and usually saw about 60w in good conditions via the battery monitor. I swapped to a MPPT and get about 85w same conditions.

Tracer is a chinese model, but has lots of reviews and MPPT models with a remote and temp sensor for under $100. They have a bluetooth dongle too if you want to use your phone.
Image

The display/remote has a lot of features. It shows you the amps volts coming in and the converted amps & volts going to the battery. So you can see a 100w panels gives something like 18v & 4.5A in and that its converting it to maybe 6A @ 13.5V to the battery. Another 1.5A for free vs PWM.

It also displays volts/amps/watts/watthours both input and output & program battery bank size and view battery percent similar to a battery monitor.

Image
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Bilgemaster
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Re: Charge controller

Post by Bilgemaster »

Meanwhile, in the "cheap seats," I'm rockin' a Harbor Freight "Thunderbird" 100 Watt Solar Charge Regulator that I picked up on sale last year for like just $18 or so with a coupon--maybe less. Right now it seems to be going for $26, or about $20 with one of their 20% Off Coupons (and get yourself a free little headlamp or tarp in the bargain until the end of April 2017).

All I can say is that mine's been dangling happily over my dual batts from a little velcro lanyard around that galley handpost for well over a year now without issues, keeping both batteries tip-top from the juice of an ancient and long abandoned solar array that was just left standing on a little tower next to my 2 spots in the boat lot, and which is still managing to pump out about 50 free clean Watts on a sunny day. The Regulator's limited to just 100 Watts of course, but still, for folks like me with minimal power needs, it'll do just fine. Otherwise, it might also make for an excellent make-do backup for folks with some fancier system that might take a poop during their travels, as complicated electrical systems hanging around the water a lot are prone to do. Sure, they may need to power down that icemaker and frozen margarita mixer and Slurpee rig, but if they can "rough it" along on 100 Watts or fewer, then it's certainly small enough to stow handily. Since it uses SAE type connectors instead of the MC4 type found in most higher end equipment, one might also want to toss in a little Solar Power Connection Kit for about $10. Both would handily fit into medium-sized ziploc bag or even a margarine tub which one could jam into most any nook or cranny, with plenty of room left over for spare fuses, bulbs connectors or other miniscule electrical whatnots.

Since I can't very well tow that solar array tower along behind me and up and down the Chesapeake, I've since bought this swell little flexible 50 Watt panel from China (they call it a "Semi-Flexible Bendable 18V 50 Watt Lightweight Solar Panel 12v Battery Off Grid") for when I'm on the go. Apart from its costing less than a C Note, I chose this particular one for its easy "scalability" (I can always easily plug together more panels), thinness, flexibility, size and most especially those 4 handy grommets at its corners, making it a cinch to mount compared to rigid frame-style arrays. It fits nicely and conforms snugly right on top of the companionway sliding hatch, and four of those mini bungie cords that come in the Harbor Freight assortments like this one hold it down nice and firmly from the corners of the sliding hatch. I could also toss it (and a second, third or fourth) onto the bimini top (Though I'd eventually need a beefier regulator than the little 100 Watter I have). These panels are real light and pump an honest 50 Watts. The only issue for me was that it comes with MC4 type connectors instead of the SAE type dual-prong style in my current setup. Mind you, many solar experts will assure you that MC4 is better than SAE, but I already have what I have. Good luck at finding an MC4-to-SAE adapter out there. I couldn't. I ended up making an adapter out of a Pair of Solar Panel PV Cable Wire Male & Female MC4 Connectors Red & Black 3.5FT, splicing them to another unneeded piece from that Harbor Freight Solar Power Connection Cable Kit. Having one of those 30 Pc Watertight Heat-Shrink Butt Connector Assortments was handy for that. You'll need two of those big yellow ones that you'll probably never need for anything else.

Anyhow, I've already hashed over the solar thing before.
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grady
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Re: Charge controller

Post by grady »

Cougar wrote:Supposedly the best solar chargers are made by Victron Energy, a Dutch company with worldwide sales. And I'm not saying that because I'm Dutch myself... :D
I do have a Victron MPPT charger and it's excellent. You can monitor the device with an app using a dedicated bluetooth dongle.
https://www.victronenergy.nl/where-to-buy
X2
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Highlander
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Re: Charge controller

Post by Highlander »

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grady
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Re: Charge controller

Post by grady »

Looks like a good setup. Are you going to run the panels in series? With that controller it will be more efficient. Just make sure they have pass thru diodes. If they do not you can add them.
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Sumner
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Re: Charge controller

Post by Sumner »

grady wrote:.... Are you going to run the panels in series? With that controller it will be more efficient....
The 'series' vs. 'parallel' debate comes up often on sailboat boards. If there is any shading on any panel and they are in series you will kill the output of the other panels that are in series. If the current is cut down in one panel in series the other panel, even if in full sun, will be reduced to the current that is passing through the shaded one. Hard to avoid this on a sailboat. I've tried to get the panels behind the boom on both boats but still there are times they become shaded to some degree by something. On the Mac 200 watts are behind the boom and the rest can be shaded by it. On a fixed house install if shading isn't a problem then I'd look into series.

Here is a good video showing the effects of minor shading on one panel and the impact if they are in series...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofo1HQy ... u.be&t=561

I'd stay with parallel on a boat.

I have all my panels in parallel and Blue Sky MPPT controllers on both boats except for a Morning Star MPPT controller on some of the panels on the Mac where I do run two sets of two sixty watt panels in series (240 watts) to charge 2 12 volt batteries in series for the 24 volt trolling motor. I have two other ...

Image

... 60 watt panels that can be switched from running in series and going to the Morning Star controller or running in parallel and going to the Blue Sky controller that is charging 2 Trojan T-105 6 volt batteries in series for the main house bank.

The 2 12 volt batteries can be switched from the 24 volt bank to a 12 volt bank at night and added to the house bank if needed. In 3 months on the Bahama trip with the 560 watts total of solar I never once had to run the outboard or the gen-set for power and the batteries never went below about 60%. I'm purely a cruiser and not a racer so having 12v power is essential to me so I can use the 63 quart fridge, CPAP machine, computer, lights and so forth,

Sumner

============================
1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links
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grady
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Re: Charge controller

Post by grady »

Sumner wrote:
grady wrote:.... Are you going to run the panels in series? With that controller it will be more efficient....
The 'series' vs. 'parallel' debate comes up often on sailboat boards. If there is any shading on any panel and they are in series you will kill the output of the other panels that are in series. If the current is cut down in one panel in series the other panel, even if in full sun, will be reduced to the current that is passing through the shaded one. Hard to avoid this on a sailboat. I've tried to get the panels behind the boom on both boats but still there are times they become shaded to some degree by something. On the Mac 200 watts are behind the boom and the rest can be shaded by it. On a fixed house install if shading isn't a problem then I'd look into series.

Here is a good video showing the effects of minor shading on one panel and the impact if they are in series...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofo1HQy ... u.be&t=561

I'd stay with parallel on a boat.

I have all my panels in parallel and Blue Sky MPPT controllers on both boats except for a Morning Star MPPT controller on some of the panels on the Mac where I do run two sets of two sixty watt panels in series (240 watts) to charge 2 12 volt batteries in series for the 24 volt trolling motor. I have two other ...

Image

... 60 watt panels that can be switched from running in series and going to the Morning Star controller or running in parallel and going to the Blue Sky controller that is charging 2 Trojan T-105 6 volt batteries in series for the main house bank.

The 2 12 volt batteries can be switched from the 24 volt bank to a 12 volt bank at night and added to the house bank if needed. In 3 months on the Bahama trip with the 560 watts total of solar I never once had to run the outboard or the gen-set for power and the batteries never went below about 60%. I'm purely a cruiser and not a racer so having 12v power is essential to me so I can use the 63 quart fridge, CPAP machine, computer, lights and so forth,

Sumner

============================
1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

That is why I state if the panels do not have pass thru diodes you need to add them. With those the issue of shading of one panel is eliminated.
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kurz
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Re: Charge controller

Post by kurz »

grady wrote: That is why I state if the panels do not have pass thru diodes you need to add them. With those the issue of shading of one panel is eliminated.
Well did not know these thru diodes.
Can you show details?
could not find anything about your thu diodes. Neither could find a german word for it.

Maybe you could post it amazon, so I can find it better. Thanks...
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grady
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Re: Charge controller

Post by grady »

kurz wrote:
grady wrote: That is why I state if the panels do not have pass thru diodes you need to add them. With those the issue of shading of one panel is eliminated.
Well did not know these thru diodes.
Can you show details?
could not find anything about your thu diodes. Neither could find a german word for it.

Maybe you could post it amazon, so I can find it better. Thanks...
Here you go. I guess a better explanation is bypass diode.

http://www.solar-facts.com/panels/panel-diodes.php
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grady
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Re: Charge controller

Post by grady »

Just got 2 more 50w panels in. Here is a picture of the diode in question.

Image
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