I installed a 100 amp solar panel and charge controller package on my 2008 camper, and shortly thereafter my converter went bad. Ive replaced the converter, but am unsure about hooking up my solar controller because I dont know if it could have been responsible for my converter going in the first place. Is there a good way to test my solar controller. it is a coleman (cheap) controller.Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

100 watt, not amp. What about the converter 'went bad'?

First confirm you have wired the controller properly. 6 holes. Do not use the two "Load" ones. Make sure you have the "Battery" wires in the controller with red to pos and black to neg. Assuming those two wires have ring terminals to go on the battery posts, and using your truck battery not the camper's, and using your jumper cables, clamp the jumper clamps to the ring terminals-red to red, black to black.Ok, with the truck not running, clamp the jumpers to the truck battery red to pos and black to somewhere on the truck frame (or to the battery neg post if you don't mind a spark)Check the controller to see if it lights up and the display shows stuff. it should show battery voltage at 12.x. If so, now connect the panel to the "array" holes on the controller red to pos and black to neg.The display should now show battery voltage has gone up to say 13.x. Not normal for the solar to cause a converter problem soon after. If it happened right away, I would guess you wired it wrong so that somehow your battery wires got reversed and you blew the reverse polarity fuses. If that was all, you could just replace those and wire it right and not need a new converter, but too late for that now. Keep it as a spare or sell it maybe.

Yes 100 watt. When plugged in the outlets didn’t work.Thanks for the answer. Makes sense. Easy test. I’ll post results when finished. Are the reverse polarity fuses on the controller or the converter?Thanks

The fuses are on the converter.

Yes 100 watt. When plugged in the outlets and lights didn’t work when battery was disconnected. Thanks for the answer. Makes sense. Easy test. I’ll post results when finished. Are the reverse polarity fuses on the controller or the converter?Thanks

solar charge controller test | Good Sam Community

pianotuna
Nomad III
Nov 02, 2021
For a 1983, I suspect a battery is needed.
time2roll
Nomad
Nov 02, 2021
Redhanded73 wrote:
I have a 1983 Lance 580 truck camper. It has no battery on board. I am looking for any help I can get with coming up with a plan for power without using my truck. Thank you all in advance.
Use the main cord to plug into 120vac.
Redhanded73
Explorer
Nov 02, 2021
I have a 1983 Lance 580 truck camper. It has no battery on board. I am looking for any help I can get with coming up with a plan for power without using my truck. Thank you all in advance.
2oldman
Explorer II
Nov 15, 2020
Hondacanoe wrote:
Why not connect panel to controller without controller connected to battery?
The owner's manual likely says not to.
Almot
Explorer III
Nov 15, 2020
Hondacanoe wrote:

Why not connect panel to controller without controller connected to battery?

If you drink a 6-pack and there is no washroom to go - you blow up. Controller is passing energy from panel to battery, it may go up in smoke when there is nowhere to pass it. I would install a switch on Pos wire btw panel and controller. 100W panel is a low 6A current, any switch will do.
time2roll
Nomad
Nov 14, 2020
There are some controllers that can/will sustain permanent damage if they are powered by the solar and no battery attached.
Not all but enough do call it out in the manual. Check the manual or post the controller model for best answers.
Otherwise it is just a generic precaution.
Hondacanoe
Explorer
Nov 14, 2020
Thanks.
Why not connect panel to controller without controller connected to battery? I remove truck camper battery’s for winter and never thought to disconnect panel as well.
I have a outdoors rv with factory installed zamp system and do nothing but remove battery as well.
Almot
Explorer III
Nov 14, 2020
Hondacanoe wrote:

Is there a way to test polarity from solar panel?

Take multimeter, set it to 100V DC, hold panel to the sun, connect probes to the panel - without battery or controller.
If it reads ~18V, then red probe is on the Pos wire of the panel. If it reads negative voltage, then red probe is on the negative wire of the panel. That is, if you plugged red/black leads into voltmeter correctly. Some voltmeters have leads permanently attached.

As noted, never connect controller to panel when controller is not connected to battery.
BFL13
Explorer II
Nov 13, 2020
Some solar controllers have no reverse polarity protection. Just observe proper polarity.

A. With the array not connected to the controller (take out one of the two wires from the "array" terminals. Then--not before--

B. Take out one of the two wires from the battery to the controller "battery" terminals ( both still on the battery posts).

With voltmeter, put the red probe on the red wire and the black probe on the black wire from the battery (probe to the controller terminal for the wire that is still connected there) The voltmeter should read 12.x if correct (no minus sign) but - 12.x if the wires from the battery are reversed polarity.
Hondacanoe
Explorer
Nov 12, 2020
I had checked all fuses and breakers. The problem was that the 12v lights didn’t work with only shore power, so I replaced converter with a progressive dynamics intellipower 4600 and all worked. I had wanted this upgrade and the perfect excuse was given ;)
Is there a way to test polarity from solar panel?