I have 6, 53 watt Siemens panels I am going to use to keep 4 100amp batteries charged up at my cabin.I am looking for some help picking a 30 amp controller suitable for the job. I looked on ebay and see many different suppliers with an amazing range of price.Any one have some advice on one to pick?Thanks very much.

You will want the controller to recharge your usage while at the cabin, then you will want it to "maintain" the batteries while you are not there (Float them)You can get a controller with a single adjustable voltage. Pick that high, like 14.8 for while there and then re-set it at say 13.4 for floating before going home.Or you can get a controller with two adjustable voltages, so after it gets to 14.8 or whatever, it drops to 13.4 or whatever by itself whichever voltages you choose.Your expected amps is maybe 20a with that total wattage. You need a controller that will not overheat at 20amps. You must have margin above 20 so 25 or 30 is good for that. Or with some controllers, they clip the amps to their rating size and will not overheat at that max rating, so you could pick a 20a one of those and be ok.I have a 20a MPPT Eco-Worthy that is about $102 US that has two adjustable voltages. I also have a Solar30 PWM with one adjustable voltage that is about $35. Either would do the job.I suggest getting one like these with a read-out display for your settings and not go cheaper with a $20 job that has no display and no adjustable voltage. ( it would work, sort of, but for a few dollars more you get so much more)A factor in all this is wiring gauges. Some set-ups need fatter wire to use PWM at 12v than 24v MPPT would need. The difference in wiring cost might narrow the gap between PWM and MPPT controllers.The MPPT will give a few more amps than the PWM but for your cabin application, who cares? Pretend they will do the same thing and look at the other factors like the wiring or whatever.

No one controller is the end all for everyone. You need to narrow the field with what features are important to you and how you plan on wiring the panels.

Not knowing much of anything about how to wire this up, I assumed - Each pos and neg off of each panel to a post on the back of the mounting frame with 10 gauge wire. Then an 8 gauge pos and neg run about 15 ft to the controller mounted inside the cabin. Then an 8 gauge 16 ft run to the batteries.4 100 amp 12V Batteries wired in parallel with 4awg cable to posts (neg off last battery pos of first)

If they are 12 volt nominal panels rated around 3 amps each, then you could look for a MPPT controller that can take in up to about 150 volts and put out up to about 25 or 30 amps at 12 VDC (that can be 13.5 volts normally). In this way, you only have about 3 amps going through the wire, and practically no voltage loss across the wire due to amperage. Using #10 wire will lessen any voltage loss even further. The 6 panels would be in series, so that you connect the negative wire to the first - terminal on panel #1, and continue with only 1 wire from +12 of panel #1 to -2 then +2 to panel # 3, 4, 5, and 6. + output of #6 panel then returns to the controller. On a cold sunny day, it might see as many as 130 volts, perhaps as much as 150 volts. Under charge load, it will probably see about 100 volts X the amperage rating of your panels (say 2.5 volts) and at the controller this 100 volts input is changed to 13.2 - 13.5 volts to charge the battery bank.I would recommend #10 UV rated direct burial wire from Home Depot. For mounts, I would suggest aluminum angle from Home Depot. On the roof of my motorhome, I cut 6" long and drilled three holes for #10 screws into the roof, and 5/16" hole for the bolt into the panel frame.If I where to wire it up with a lower cost PWM controller, then I would run two wires from the panels to the controller, with 3 panels on each line. This would put about 9 amps on each run of #10 wire, you can go as high as 15 or 16 amps, but to put the whole 18 or 19 amps on #10 wire, you might see 5% or 8% loss due to high amperage on the wire. If you find that you want to expand the system, this place sells panels for about $1 per rated watt. SunELec.comGood luck,Fred.

Hi,Looks like voc is 21.6 volts. Use any PWM controller that allows for variable set points. A temperature probe on the battery bank is a nice item to have.

Need help choosing a solar controller | Good Sam Community

26 Replies

jrnymn7
Explorer
Mar 12, 2015
Kalegley wrote:
jrnymn7 wrote:
Electrical Conductivity Payment Conversion Calculator

I did?
craz_z
Explorer
Mar 09, 2015
Morningstar ts45 or ts60 pwm
Cheap controllers are a hazard and a disappointment
Mppt is a waste of money until u reach 1000watts or want to go to 24v or higher panels to neck down to 12v
Wiring is just as important go huge 0 gauge or bigger
Read bob is the solar guy everything he said is 100 percent correct
Make sure u get the remote temp sensor all controllers should come with one

Again wiring and the controller are the most important part of the solar system

Rarely if ever do I need to start the geneie only use it boondocking for ac and the microwave. I've disabled my converter don't need it anymore
Kalegley
Explorer
Mar 09, 2015
jrnymn7 wrote:
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StewB
Explorer
Jan 31, 2015
Thanks to everyone for all the input.
BFL13
Explorer II
Jan 30, 2015
smkettner wrote:
BFL13 wrote:
pianotuna wrote:
53 watt panel

PT, those guys are as bad at math as your are! :) The USA NEC says you need a 20% margin but these guys say you should multiply by 1.25 for controller size in amps. That is a 25% margin.

Hint for the "math disadvantaged"--

- 25 expected amps. 20% is 5 amps so you need a 30 amp controller.

1.25 x 25 = 31.25 (6.25 more not the NEC required 5 more.)

NEC says 20% margin on the wire/equip for continuous duty (3+ hours).
30 amp x 20 % = 6 amp derate or 24 amps. Or as they suggest 1.25% of the 24 amps.... wait for it..... 30 amps.

So the 1.25 is same as NEC 20% because they are going in opposite directions.

I understand that going from 25 to 20 is a 20% reduction.

It seems there is the 1.25 x the PV Isc to get you that amps, called the "PV 1.25 " and then you do 1.25 on that to get the "NEC 1.25" for the fuse and wiring--after doing some de-rating on the wiring for temperature. Not too confusing! :(

Scroll to Appendix E here, where he starts by explaining how to apply this all to various parts of the set-up. Also mentions the actual articles in the 1999 NEC.

Farther down is an example set-up using eight of those 53w panels!

http://www.senecass.com/NEC2000.pdf
time2roll
Nomad
Jan 30, 2015
BFL13 wrote:
pianotuna wrote:
53 watt panel

PT, those guys are as bad at math as your are! :) The USA NEC says you need a 20% margin but these guys say you should multiply by 1.25 for controller size in amps. That is a 25% margin.

Hint for the "math disadvantaged"--

- 25 expected amps. 20% is 5 amps so you need a 30 amp controller.

1.25 x 25 = 31.25 (6.25 more not the NEC required 5 more.)

NEC says 20% margin on the wire/equip for continuous duty (3+ hours).
30 amp x 20 % = 6 amp derate or 24 amps. Or as they suggest 1.25% of the 24 amps.... wait for it..... 30 amps.

So the 1.25 is same as NEC 20% because they are going in opposite directions.
StewB
Explorer
Jan 30, 2015
jrnymn7 wrote:
Hey Stew,

The eco-worthy does not pair well with even two 12v panels in series. It has a 42v input limit. So that's out.

The solar30 will work, but is pwm, so some power will be lost, especially if there is shading, and will require heavier wiring. Also, it must be manually adjusted down to a suitable float voltage before leaving the cabin. So that may not be suitable.

The Tracer-3215RN is not adjustable, and requires an additional remote meter. So I would pass on that, personally.

The Tracer-3215BN is adjustable, but also requires an additional remote meter. This may be a good option

This is a forested location so there is considerable shading. Thanks for the info, I will look into the 3215BN

ebay price
MrWizard
Moderator
Jan 30, 2015
okay
i was off by one volt
still i think a PWM controller is the way to go for his setup with these panels
jrnymn7
Explorer
Jan 30, 2015
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jrnymn7
Explorer
Jan 30, 2015
Hey Stew,

The eco-worthy does not pair well with even two 12v panels in series. It has a 42v input limit. So that's out.

The solar30 will work, but is pwm, so some power will be lost, especially if there is shading, and will require heavier wiring. Also, it must be manually adjusted down to a suitable float voltage before leaving the cabin. So that may not be suitable.

The Tracer-3215RN is not adjustable, and requires an additional remote meter. So I would pass on that, personally.

The Tracer-3215BN is adjustable, but also requires an additional remote meter. This may be a good option

ebay price