Have just just received it new MPPT 3048. It is solid. Perhaps too solid ;) - bigger than I thought. 4.5" thick, 8x8.5" front. With this amperage it can't be smaller, and 45A unit from Morningstar is thicker yet, and less esthetically pleasing. The plan was to put it on night table of the front bedroom, but now I think to move it to storage. Not just for looks - though black would've blend better in wood-ish interior - but I also don't want it to be a space heater on a hot sunny day. Controller front: . There are 4 buttons under the display, Android phone comes out of focus at times. Back: . You can see the fins of the heat sink, they are not flush with the back. When installed on vertical wall (as Rogue recommends), there is 0.5" gap from the wall, which might not sound like a lot, but it creates thermal draft upwards, similarly to fridges. Very clever.Front storage I think to put it: - the space is 8ft long across the trailer, 3ft wide, about 1.5ft tall. The batteries I will also move there, they are AGM so no problem with gassing, and ventilation registers will be added - like those on storage of some 5-ers. Registers won't help with heat build-up, they are for gassing (which won't be much anyway). On 5-ers people put everything in there - controller, inverter, batteries - though on trailers this is less common. Marc from Rogue recommends against installing it in "enclosures" unless it has a forced fan ventilation, but I think this storage qualifies as a "room" rather than enclosure. In Japan it would be considered a room :)Ready to listen to your comments on these crazy ideas.

Good enough! The controller is not going to be dissipating heat at it's maximum except when the batteries are discharged and it is charging in the first stage. Most of the time it will be operating at lower current. A guy could always place a small 12v axial fan directed at the heatsink to help with dissipation. FWIW, I build some stuff that requires massive heatsinking to dissipate heat from just two MOSFET's (14" x 8" sinks w/2" fins, 3/8" base). As long as the heatsinks are of adequate size and unimpeded, all is good.

Can't see the pics but....I mounted an Iota deck mount converter in m front storage compartment. 3' to the batteries and it's a better charger than the factory WFCO that has a 20' wire run.

Darn Flicker, never liked it. Uploaded the pics again. See it now?Mbopp - it's not a converter, that one I'm not replacing yet, there is no shore power there anyway. It's a controller for solar panel.

Almot wrote:Darn Flicker, never liked it. Uploaded the pics again. See it now?I see them now. And IMO, that compartment will be fine. Will you installing a slide out tray for the batteries?

Rogue 30A controller in front storage space? | Good Sam Community

19 Replies

mena661
Explorer
Aug 15, 2013
BFL13 wrote:
Almot, it will look fine in the bedroom if DW knits a little hat for it.

You can put a name sign by it, saying, "Hi, my name is FRED."

(joke!!! not trying to insult Rogue. FRED applies to any brand of MPPT controller instead of a sensible PWM of course :) )
LOL!!!!
BFL13
Explorer II
Aug 15, 2013
Almot, it will look fine in the bedroom if DW knits a little hat for it.

You can put a name sign by it, saying, "Hi, my name is FRED."

(joke!!! not trying to insult Rogue. FRED applies to any brand of MPPT controller instead of a sensible PWM of course :) )
KJINTF
Explorer
Aug 15, 2013
Almot

You could put a glass top on it and mount it under the dining room table...Then again maybe NOT. DW would stop that right away. Remember you need all those darn wires attached to it to make it functional - not just a simple cat5 cable

You hit the nail on the head "Curiosity" is a good enough reason for the remote status display. That along with a good quality battery monitor say the 2025Rv and you can easily see whats happening with your entire 12 VDC system - no need to look inside a storage area.

Looking forward to seeing pictures of your brand NEW installation
Almot
Explorer III
Aug 15, 2013
KJINTF wrote:
If you decide to mount that nice looking controller inside the storage compartment, How will you access the integrated front panel to check status or change the settings?

That's possibly my biggest negative for the Rouge controller - when mounted out of sight the panel becomes almost usless - sure would like to see the panel optional and a nice remote panel available

It's looking quite "technical". Would look nice in the kitchen, not in the bedroom. Alright, enough women talk.

I can see and change anything remotely via serial data cable with optional $45 converter - don't know if I need this yet, will see later. The plan is to mount it on the wall next to the hatch where I could see it and push the buttons if I have to. Once setpoints are adjusted, I don't need to do anything other than checking the display once in a while for curiosity (or doing equalization from time to time which I am not sure I can, with these AGM).

There was an optional remote display with previous model, but I don't see it offered with the current model. At that price, you won't get a 30A controller with remote display anyway. TS MPPT 45 without any display on the main unit costs slightly more.

BFL - yes, controller in the storage will allow slightly shorter battery cables, but there is a voltage sense cable included so in any event it boils down to lost watts rather than incorrect setpoints. Cable length does matter - you don't want to lose watts or amp-hours, but the difference btw location in bedroom and storage is insignificant. The bedroom night table is the "ceiling" of that storage that you see through the hatch, so cable length doesn't change much.

PS: while I was thinking slowly, and typing, I see others have answered most questions already. And no, BFL, this is not a beauty to my subjective taste. Can paint it black if place it in bedroom. Or maybe pink :) ?
KJINTF
Explorer
Aug 15, 2013
Thanks Mark

Was hoping you might be able to reduce the cost and the complexity and maybe a bit of the selling price by offering it without the integrated front panel that in my case is of Zero use, actually a draw back. For the most part I mount the units out of sight out of mind and hide all the wiring with only a nice remote panel for the user to take a look at.

Sure appreciate your updates - looking forward to seeing the protocol manual and the new remote.
lorelec
Explorer
Aug 15, 2013
KJINTF wrote:
Almot

A question for you

If you decide to mount that nice looking controller inside the storage compartment, How will you access the integrated front panel to check status or change the settings?

That's possibly my biggest negative for the Rouge controller - when mounted out of sight the panel becomes almost usless - sure would like to see the panel optional and a nice remote panel available

There will be a remote display/interface available for the 3048 within the next couple of months (similar to the one that was available for the 3024). The 3048 still retains the front panel and its display, and the remote display connects to the comm port on the controller.
full_mosey
Explorer
Aug 15, 2013
BFL13 wrote:
Good point! Almot, you are saved! Mount that beauty inside where you can see it and use the voltage sense wire as suggested. ( This validates the earlier thread over the value of those wires and the worry that the new Rogue would not have that)

Yes, that is exactly what I did with the MS TS 45PWM in the TT. It is inside and about midway between the solar and the batteries.

Also, I installed both the remote temp sensing(RTS) and remote volt sensing(RVS) cables. The RVS reads volts directly from the battery so charge line resistance is mitigated.

HTH;
John
full_mosey
Explorer
Aug 15, 2013
Almot wrote:
\

In theory, I could put batts on the side, for ease of access - don't know if anybody actually done this to his AGM.

Like this?

HTH;
John
BFL13
Explorer II
Aug 15, 2013
Good point! Almot, you are saved! Mount that beauty inside where you can see it and use the voltage sense wire as suggested. ( This validates the earlier thread over the value of those wires and the worry that the new Rogue would not have that)
KJINTF
Explorer
Aug 15, 2013
BLF

That nice controller has as standard a "Voltage Sense" capability it will do what you suggest automatically and "Properly"

Remember with a fixed wire resistance the voltage dropped across the wire changes with the current through the wire.