New controller? Looks like it was added today.

KJINTF wrote:
I would venture a guess that there are ZERO manufacturers
that use 100% North American parts

R&D and assembly in the US - maybe

However the majority of the parts come from overseas

Have to ask

What makes the ones designed or assembled here any better?

Having stuff made here is nice because those jobs don't fly (and stay) overseas. There are plenty of other reasons, but I don't want to hijack this thread and turn it into China bashing. Same reason I drive a Ford and not a foreign make. Nothing against the other makes, but I just prefer to support Americans by brand choices. I much rather buy a CC made here, even if it means most of the chips are still foreign than just giving up and having yet another industry vanish overseas for good.

KJINTF wrote:

What makes the ones designed or assembled here any better?

BAM!

I would venture a guess that there are ZERO manufacturers
that use 100% North American parts

R&D and assembly in the US - maybe

However the majority of the parts come from overseas

Have to ask

What makes the ones designed or assembled here any better?

Almot wrote:
Intronics and Rogue are probably the only two that are designed and made in the US.

I sent an email to Midnight on this and here is the response.

Raechel wrote:
All of our equipment is manufactured and assembled at our Manufacturing and Research and Development Facility in Arlington, Washington. We do source specific parts for our equipment from various locations around the world, but in the end everything is manufactured and assembled in the USA. I have included a link to a video of our facility that you might find interesting. -Raechel

http://www.midnitesolar.com/video/videoPlay.php?video_ID=3&videoCat_ID=6

NinerBikes wrote:
I may be able to cut the Honda EU and the PD 9245 down to 30 or 40 minutes of bulk charging in the morning, or even keep it turned off for a few days before I need to run it in the morning enough to let the solar top the charge off fully by mid day.

This is how I did my previous system with Morningstar Sunsaver MPPT15L and two portable 90 watt panels in series, PD9245 and Champion 2000i. With 2 GC2's on the tongue I called it my hybrid system.

-Jeff

Wrong thread.

BFL13 wrote:
"How is that $30 30 amp PWM testing out yet for you? Or is it still too cold, wet and dark tor wire it in and see how she works? Mine arrived, and it's a big 'un to be hanging on the wall with that large display. "
----

Only tried it a little to see how to work the display buttons etc. Seems all right except the volt reading is reading low by 0.2v, so I have to apply that error when looking at it. No biggie.

Also the adjustment for stop charging or float voltage is wonky but also consistent so just allow for it. On mine, to get it to stop at 14.8 you have to set 14.4.

Once battery voltage reaches your setting of say 14.8 it stays there, which is what I want. If you want it to drop in voltage for Float after doing some time at 14.8, you can just set the voltage to that.

I won't know for a few weeks yet how the ammeter and AH counter check out until we are set up doing actual solar while camping.

Not cold wet and dark here! The yellow Daffs look nice under the mauve Magnolias next to the plum and cherry blossoms.

Nice! 14.8V suits my purpose just fine, should do a great job of getting as close as possible to 100% with only 7 amps input on a 150 Ah T-1275 Trojan. I'll be drawing about .7 to 1.0 Amp due to refrig, CO sensors and propane sensors per hour just as parasitic loss. I may be able to cut the Honda EU and the PD 9245 down to 30 or 40 minutes of bulk charging in the morning, or even keep it turned off for a few days before I need to run it in the morning enough to let the solar top the charge off fully by mid day.

pianotuna wrote:
Hi BFL13,

I suppose you could run the fridge on 120 volt setting as a "manual" diversion load to save a tiny bit of propane. That way the capacity of the panels would not just be idling and going to waste.

Been meaning to test that fridge (Norcold 8cuft) on inverter anyway, so just did it as backyard test. Fridge off in trailer doors open. Unplugged shore power turned off converter, plugged trailer into inverter as when camping.

Turned fridge on doors closed 120v and Trimetric showed amps at about 24 amps due to fridge, with some 25. I would expect "amps creep" from inverter if left on.

My 230w panel on that set of batteries that inverter is on can do say 16 amps so I would be short maybe 8 amps for running the fridge when the fridge is doing an on cycle with full solar.

Useful to know that 24 amps though, in case I wanted to run the fridge from the inverter while towing the trailer. If the 7-pin will put in 5 amps it would be about a 20 amp net draw for however long the drive is.

Propane use in summer has been about 30lb every three weeks with fridge on propane being the big user of that. $29 every three weeks.

Hi Almot,

I like the idea of recharging the laptop batteries, too. I just wish they were not so darned expensive.

Hi BFL13,

I suppose you could run the fridge on 120 volt setting as a "manual" diversion load to save a tiny bit of propane. That way the capacity of the panels would not just be idling and going to waste.