Morningstar 30amp solar charger display
The digital display on my Morningstar PWM 30amp solar charger shows battery volts and amps. When the display reads 7amps is that telling me what the panels are producing or is it the amps that the bat...
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PWM controller, once the battery and other loads won't take full panel output current go into a pulse mode. Voltage waveform goes between something above Vbat and 0V with a varying duty cycle. AFAIK, the readout displays the RMS equivalent current into the load. If you look at it with a scope it will be a voltage going between about 13V and ground with a varying duty cycle. If you look at it with a current probe, you would see a very simlar waveform.
If you look at it with a voltmeter in current mode that has a AC or DC mode, you will see different readouts as well. AC true rms will read very close to the morningstar readout. DC will read near 0, there is almost no DC current flow. Been there, done that. At least my Tek RMS meter matches, and it is a well calibrated wide frequency response RMS volt/current converter.
If you look at it with a voltmeter in current mode that has a AC or DC mode, you will see different readouts as well. AC true rms will read very close to the morningstar readout. DC will read near 0, there is almost no DC current flow. Been there, done that. At least my Tek RMS meter matches, and it is a well calibrated wide frequency response RMS volt/current converter.
