I am not looking to start anything. This is just a data point; a mini-review for anyone who's trying to decide on a controller. And it's just one person's experience.I bought this controller on Ebay:http://www.ebay.com/itm/261279374317?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AITIt failed after 1 hour using a 100w panel.The failure happened after the seller's 14 day warranty, so I don't expect anything to be done about it. I've contacted the seller for tech advice, to see if there is anything I can check or do. His English is okay, but his answers are shaky. OK, whatever, that is part of the deal and I knew that when I bought it. Whenever I buy something cheap from China. (With one exception: the LED bulb guy is great!)BTW, it said to connect the panels last. I may have violated this, although I really don't recall. It was running though, and failed while still connected.I paid $14 on best offer.

Thanks for testing that unit out for us. I don't recall anyone else commenting here on testing that version. The unit that they badmouth on their Ebay ad, has worked fine for me with my 120 Watt panel and up to 7 amps input into the battery. Of course, I don't mess with or use the light timer function, I only use it to adjust and control the voltage that the battery receives during bulk and absorbption charging phases.You always hook the battery up first, so that the controller knowns and learns to charge for 12V.

BoonHauler wrote:You get what you pay for.Yeah, if it was mission critical I wouldn't have considered it. OTOH I've gotten some good value for the money on Chinese electronics too.

My $12 CMP-12 15 amp is doing great. But its the same one that is used on 75% or the $400 portables, so I expected it to be a good basic one, only at a cheap price. They are selling at solar dealers for $59-79. No, you don't always get what you pay for, forget that idea !Oh yeah, that makes 1 failure in how many thousand cheap ones ?A fantastic failure rate if ya ask me !

Ebay controller failure | Good Sam Community

BFL13
Explorer II
Mar 23, 2014
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
The old adage "You Get What You Pay For"...

Particularly painful when you learn that your 200 dollar item could be had for forty dollars and even at forty bucks you learn people thought it was a ripoff...

It's always nice to encounter 1,388 Product Reviews with a 4-1/2 star rating

It does not matter what you get the price down to. One of the other guys will come back with HIS armadillo shell he got from some kid on the beach in Mexico, and claim he paid less for it than you paid for yours. :( You are always a loser! :)

The only consolation is when the guy who bought a picture frame full or butterflies on black velvet, later on finds his butterflies all half eaten by ants that were hiding in the frame! :)

BTW, does the same thing happen to the velvet Elvis pictures?

Mexico is great if you don't weaken---or drink anything with ice cubes in it! Dos cervesos por favor. :)
Wayne_Dohnal
Explorer
Mar 23, 2014
I have purchased "a bunch" of Chinese electronics parts from ebay, about half of which are various digital panel meters. Overall the success rate is about 67%: One third of the gadgets don't do what I want or are just plain junk and end up in the trash, and the other 2/3rds are incredible bargains that work very well. I'm talking under-$20 items here, and I've done a few projects that never would have happened if it weren't for the low cost parts. I consider it an overall win, with the 33% loss being a disappointing but acceptable overhead.
Shadow_Catcher
Explorer
Mar 23, 2014
Batteries are expensive, not taking care of them means they fail early. A Morningstar PWM converter which has a 5 year warranty will do the job it is supposed to do, and do it well.
If you want cheap and still works OK go with a Steca.
Almot
Explorer III
Mar 23, 2014
RoyB wrote:
I guess what I am hearing here is the batteries must connected all the time for the solar controllers.

I don't think so. Definitely not the case with mine (though not bought on Ebay and not even close to the one discussed here).

I think what people are saying here - and I agree - is that most controllers should be connected to battery first, and panel second. Disconnecting is in the reversed order - panel first, battery second.

You can disconnect controller from the battery for as long time as you like. The only thing that might be affected in some controllers is that setup points will have to be reset if you disconnect it from battery. Again, not the case with mine.

Agree that Ebay went downhill, I don't buy anything there unless there is no other source.
NinerBikes
Explorer
Apr 07, 2014
I wonder how many of us own solar panels made in China??? How else do you support under a $ a watt solar panels being manufactured? Just saying...
RJsfishin
Explorer
Apr 07, 2014
Quote:
Agree that Ebay went downhill, I don't buy anything there unless there is no other source.
-----------------------------------------------------------
What a ridiculous statement !
As if ebay is a store all of its own !
In reality it consists of thousands of sellers (including myself) that have near a 100% honesty rating (including myself). Ebay has done nothing but gotten better, and safer over the years. Ebay and its sidekick Paypal have done nothing but made buying off the internet completely safe and secure. If there is ever a problem, it is your own fault for choosing a seller that does not have a 99% history rating. If there is a bad seller on ebay, he's not there anymore, bet on it. I have bought and sold several thousand dollars on/off ebay, and still batting 100%.
Your results may differ, but not by much I'd bet.
Snowman9000
Explorer
Apr 07, 2014
I agree, Rich.

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