Morningstar 30amp solar charger display

red31 wrote:

MrWizard wrote:
...OUCH

ain't that one of the controller's job, to limit panel energy production when it is not 'needed'.

controllers JOB .. is to control Voltage
the amount of current in the circuit is a function of voltage/resistance

as the battery charges, it's internal resistance increases, so current flow will drop, increasing to voltage to set limit allows the battery to keep accepting charge current

the OP asked if the 7amps being shown on the controller was all the batteries would take, or what the panels were putting out

the answer is YES to both questions
it is NOT an either or situation
it is "that is it" situation

it might be the middle of the day, and the batteries nearly fully charged, so that is ALL they will accept (aka all that battery resistance will let flow thru the circuit into the batteries) so that IS what the panels are putting out , until the circuit resistance changes, by turning on some power using device (aka load), when another load is added, circuit resistance is lowered and current increases up until it reaches the limit that the Solar can provide

or the other possibility is that the batteries are Not yet charged, but the sun is low and that is all the solar panels can produce, and the batteries are taking all of it

but it is still the same answer
yes that is what the panels are producing, yes that is what the batteries are getting

example
in the morning, my batteries are low (all eight of them) and can easily accept over 100amps
but the solar conditions can only supply a few amps, and that is what the controller will show

i can start the generator put my clamp on meter on the converter charge wires and read over 100 amps
the solar will still show the same few amps because the batteries can take all that can be supplied, and that is all the solar can produce until the sun gets higher, as the sun gets higher the solar increases until it reaches the limit the solar can produce or the limit that the batteries can accept,
but what ever is on the meter IS what is being produced and going to the system, it is voltage vrs resistance
and the meter will change reading every time the fridge cycles something is turned on or off