MPPT advice (1 Viewer)

zaskar

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Sep 25, 2007
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:cry:Blimey! What is it they say about a little knowledge being a dangerous thing!:Doh::cry:

I bought this panel ................
Link Removed ( 24Volt, 185 Watt )
to charge the 2 x 110 amp leisure batteries on my 5ver.

Being disapointed with the output using a "bog standard" (non MPPT) controller, I then spent 73 quid on this........
Link Removed

............only it turns out that it's unsuitable for my 24V panel because it wont accept the charge which is too high! Should have realised cos the advert clearly states 12volt only but like an idiot I missed that bit! My fault, no excuses.:cry:

So, before I bankrupt myself on useless purchases, could somebody PLEASE recomend a sensibly priced MPPT controller which will accept the 24v from my panel and charge my 12 volt batteries.

Thanks:thumb:
p.s. If anybody wants to make me an offer on the controller, I'm all ears!:Cool:
 

lunarman

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The link to the controller appears to be the same as the one to the panel
 
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zaskar

zaskar

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The link to the controller appears to be the same as the one to the panel

Oh great!:Doh: Guess whos's head is in tatters! :Blush:

Try this for the controller..............

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..............and it's still up for grabs cos its no good to me!::bigsmile:
 

aba

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personally id contact the seller and ask them if you could exchange it for the 24volt version that they also stock as you didn't read the ad properly and see what they say.
 

pappajohn

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i don't understand why you bought a 24v panel and controller (ok, it was wrong :Doh:) to charge a 12v battery ?

anyway, the same seller has a 24v controller for £67...but it does say 'Nominal battery voltage = 24v'

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voyagerstan

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hi all panels give way more voltage than 12 volts thats why you need a con a regulater . the one just sujested is only 10 amp and will only work with upto 120 watts of solar . you will need a 20 amp regulater to give you abit of leeway . hope this heps stan:thumb:
 

chrisgreen

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the mppt controller that you have,states that it has a max imput voltage of 25v?so why is it no good?or am i missing something?:Blush:
 
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zaskar

zaskar

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personally id contact the seller and ask them if you could exchange it for the 24volt version that they also stock as you didn't read the ad properly and see what they say.

I thought about that as I saw they also do a 24v version, but I've been told that although the 24v version will accept the charge from my panel, its only suitable for passing that charge on to a 24v system, not 12v.:Blush:

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chrisgreen

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i think if you read the spec on the mppt controler that you have it will handle the 24v panel and put out 12v:thumb:






*Store Policy: please visit store page on WARRANTY AND SERVICE for more information.
--------------------------------

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:
MPPT200 is an MPPT solar charge controller with maximum charging power of 20A. It is compatible with 12V battery systems as well as 12V PV modules (nominal voltage). It is capable of supporting up to 200W PV module with an maximum efficiency of 96%. It is suitable for operators of small, compact PV system who is looking to extract the MAXIMUM POWER from the PV modules.
*Also available in 24V model – see MPPT400 in a separate listing.
Link RemovedLink Removed
MAIN FEATURES:

  • Integrated MPPT capability increases performance by 20~25%
  • Intelligent 3-stage charging optimizes system performance
  • Designed for 12V systems (max 200w)
  • Charging power up to 20A to reduce overall charging time
  • Maximum efficiency 96%
  • Automatic load detection
  • Automatic battery voltage detection
  • Support all popular battery types including wet, sealed, AGM, Gel, or NiCd batteries
  • Large LCD displays for system parameters
  • Full battery protections
  • Suitable for vertical mounting
Link Removed

BATTERY TYPE and CHARGING VOLTAGE

MPPT-200 @ 12V
MPPT-400 @ 24V

BULK
FLOAT
BULK
FLOAT
Wet
14.3V
13.2V
28.6V
26.4V
AGM
14.3V
13.4V
28.6V
26.8V
Gel
14.3V
13.7V
28.6V
27.4V
NiCd
14.3V
14.0V
28.6V
28.0V

SPECIFICATIONS:

MPPT200
MPPT400
ELECTRICAL SPECIFICATIONS
MPPT Range @ Voltage
15V~22V@12V
30V~44V@24V
Max PV Input Voltage
MPPT200-25V
MPPT400-50V
Max PV Input Current
12A
Max PV Input Power
200W
400W
Recommended Battery Type
Sealed Lead-Acid Batteries, AGM or Gel
Nominal Battery Voltage
12V
24V
Max Charging Current
20A
Ripple Voltage
<± 1V
Max Efficiency
0.96
Standby Power
2W
Charging Schemes
3 stages, bulk, absorption and floating
Protections
Battery Reverse Polarity, Reverse Current at Night, Output Short Circuit, Overload (>110%)
LCD Indicator
Solar and Output Power, Battery Voltage, Charging Current, and Fault Conditions
LED Indicator
6 LED
 
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zaskar

zaskar

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i don't understand why you bought a 24v panel and controller (ok, it was wrong :Doh:) to charge a 12v battery ?

anyway, the same seller has a 24v controller for £67...but it does say 'Nominal battery voltage = 24v'


I did actually ask that question on here before I bought it and was told that it didn't really matter so long as the controller could handle the imput. The controller which came with it CAN handle the imput but unfortunately is not MPPT and given the size of the panel, I must admit to being VERY disapointed with its output. That's why I'm now looking for a suitable MPPT but its proving difficult to say the least.:Sad:
 
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zaskar

zaskar

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i think if you read the spec on the mppt controler that you have it will handle the 24v panel and put out 12v:thumb:


Sorry Chris but it wont. It specifically states 12 volt only on the model shown. When I wire it up, I get error message E1 which is "shut down due to too high or too low voltage".

edit= actually Chris, reading back through the way you RED highlighted the spec for me, it does actually say that the version I have should accept 25V ? Might e-mail the company and ask before I just bin it in frustration!

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chrisgreen

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I did actually ask that question on here before I bought it and was told that it didn't really matter so long as the controller could handle the imput. The controller which came with it CAN handle the imput but unfortunately is not MPPT and given the size of the panel, I must admit to being VERY disapointed with its output. That's why I'm now looking for a suitable MPPT but its proving difficult to say the least.:Sad:
THE MPPT controller you already have will handle the imput from your pv panal,it will handle 25v imput:thumb:
 

chrisgreen

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i think if you read the spec on the mppt controler that you have it will handle the 24v panel and put out 12v:thumb:


Sorry Chris but it wont. It specifically states 12 volt only on the model shown. When I wire it up, I get error message E1 which is "shut down due to too high or too low voltage".
it clearly states in the spec max input 25v,so the panal must be more than 25v to show an error?try an open circuit test to see if the panal is more than 25v?:thumb:
 
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zaskar

zaskar

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it clearly states in the spec max input 25v,so the panal must be more than 25v to show an error?try an open circuit test to see if the panal is more than 25v?:thumb:


Ok, now bare in mind you're talking to a novice here...............

yesterday, when I wired the panel up and got the error, I put my multi-meter across the + & - input terminals from the PV and it read 41.5.........which I must admit confused me:RollEyes:

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chrisgreen

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Ok, now bare in mind you're talking to a novice here...............

yesterday, when I wired the panel up and got the error, I put my multi-meter across the + & - input terminals from the PV and it read 41.5.........which I must admit confused me:RollEyes:
there you go /
its the panal thats wrong not the controler?the panal is a designed to run at 24v after being converted from 41.5v.
 

chrisgreen

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sorry mate, you've lost me there?:Cool:
the panel you have bought is designed to run at a constant 24v after being convererted down from 41.5v+or-.other words you have bought a 24v panel not a 12v panel:Doh:
the panel you need is designed to run at 12v after being converted down from 18.5v+or-.
if you put ten of your panel's together it will give you 240v:thumb:

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zaskar

zaskar

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OK, so at the risk of droning on & boring the pants off everyone (sorry chaps! ::bigsmile:)

Will this do ?

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chrisgreen

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OK, so at the risk of droning on & boring the pants off everyone (sorry chaps! ::bigsmile:)

Will this do?

Link Removed
no i dont think it will?:Sad:
i think it will sense that its a 45v panel and switch to 24v output,if it was to sense that it was under 24v panel it would switch to 12v output,if it was me i would return the panel,or rewire it down to 2 cells of 22.5 volts,easy to do with a soldering iron and a bit of know how:thumb:
 

Wildman

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you are missing the point. your solar panel delivers fourty odd volts which is sufficient to charge a 24v system. But too much for a 12V system. You do I believe need to change the solar panel for a 12V one. The other option is to connect 2 x batteries in series for charging purposes then take power from each battery independantly for seperate circuits (neither of which would then be monitored or be able to be shut down in the event of excess battery drain.) Not the best idea.
As to your original setup which appeared to work but gave poor results do remember a horizontal panel will not work well in the UK at this time of year due to the low angle of the sun, output in full sun could still be down to 25% or less of stated rating. People also forget the higher the battery is charged the lower the input current will appear to be, it is merely the regulator doing its job.

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