Solar controller not acknowledging my new solar panels (1 Viewer)

[RubytheT5Tardis]

HELP !!! Can't get my solar controller to work. I recently installed 2 x 100 W flexible solar panels, The front front panel on the curved roof being a nightmare to stick down. neatly I won that battle after an epic solo struggle. I was then kicked in the teeth by a solar controller that refuses to acknowledge the solar panel thankfully the panels are working, providing sufficient voltage and current, confirmed by multimeter & connecting the solar panel directly to a 12 volt socket and a low power appliance working beautifully.
I tried the connection sequence procedure several times... Battery then solar.
Still no joy
Ordered another solar controller and changed. Still no Joy

 

[RubytheT5Tardis]

HELP !!! Can't get my solar controller to work. I recently installed 2 x 100 W flexible solar panels, The front front panel on the curved roof being a nightmare to stick down. neatly I won that battle after an epic solo struggle. I was then kicked in the teeth by a solar controller that refuses to acknowledge the solar panel thankfully the panels are working, providing sufficient voltage and current, confirmed by multimeter & connecting the solar panel directly to a 12 volt socket and a low power appliance working beautifully.
I tried the connection sequence procedure several times... Battery then solar.
Still no joy
Ordered another solar controller and changed. Still no Joy

 

[pappajohn]

What's the voltage on the center 2 wires (output) wires or the controller?
If that's it in the first pic 12.7 then that's battery voltage and not solar.
Disconnect the 2 while wires and test again

 

[Otter Spotter]

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Sack that PwM controller it’s dirt cheap, get an MPPT more efficient
Victron Energy BlueSolar MPPT 75V 15 amp 12/24-Volt Solar Charge Controller https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B018M88G98?tag=mhf04-21

 

[Rogerwyn]

Chinese grap

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[oldiesontour]

Had one of those controllers as good as any pwm had it for several years on a couple of panels at our property in Spain during renovations.Is input polarity correct ?

 

[Jev88]

Did you connect Battery First and then Solar?
Won't work otherwise.

 

[RubytheT5Tardis]

What's the voltage on the center 2 wires (output) wires or the controller?
If that's it in the first pic 12.7 then that's battery voltage and not solar.
Disconnect the 2 while wires and test again

Centre two wires, to the battery, showing 12.3v on my meter with load disconnected
Polarity correct As in red should be positive.
But anyhow you put me on the right track and then I investigated further back.... And Eurica !!!! My extension cable from 2 panel joiner is connected the only way it physically fitted in, but I discovered black input goes to solid red output to controller. It can only connect that way at the joiners. You couldn't make this shit up !!!
So now I have done the previously unthinkable connecting my red wire to the minus on the controller.... And Thunderbirds are go

Take a Bow Pappa John

 

[oldiesontour]

Guessed that was your problem ,they are so simple and robust, very cheap and durable not that efficient compared to mppt but on a 100w panel won't make that much difference

 

[RubytheT5Tardis]

Update. gone from 77% battery last night to 100% by 8am after sunny morning.
So very impressed with the performance of these cheap light panels !

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[autorouter]

I notice that you are using the 'Load' terminals of the solar controller. Normally the load terminals are not used in a motorhome/campervan setup. Usually the solar controller is just connected between the panels and the battery, and all the loads are taken from the battery directly. The load terminals are usually fairly low power, not enough to power anything except very small devices.

Load terminals are used in other applications, such as garden lights, road signs, CCTV cameras etc, and usually have a function to switch them on/off at dawn/dusk.