Solar Controller (cheap china)
I started w/ accidently getting the winning bid on a $130 100 watt panel. So then I had to buy a cheap china $11 10 amp controller, right ? It all worked great, so great infact, I bought another nea...
Forum Discussion
Any product was a no-name before it was given a name, yes. With name, there came a brand reputation to worry about, and hence the quality control. A no-name item today, might become a brand name tomorrow, or it might go into oblivion. Panels last 20+ years, a controller of unknown durability does not fit well in my picture of long-term investment. Another thing is the "quality" of charging process while this controller works - losses, adjustability, temperature compensation.
RJsfishin - there really isn't much to understand about controller features, especially MPPT. Perhaps somebody can suggest a good 101 on the subject. Basically, you want it to meet the battery setpoints (those are shown in battery specs), and then tune-up a little like voltage-based or timer-based absorption end-point etc. Batteries are not "set and forget" thing, you want to treat them well. With time, batteries will become more and more expensive, due to China's own domestic demand. They guzzle raw materials like water, there is a talk on the Wall Street that in future currencies will be backed by commodities, and it will not be gold.
Rogue - yes, it is good. The best MPPT with 30A limit. Which is irrelevant to an array of a few 12V panels that OP has.
Sorry, typo: I meant to say - not much to understand about features if it's PWM.
RJsfishin - there really isn't much to understand about controller features, especially MPPT. Perhaps somebody can suggest a good 101 on the subject. Basically, you want it to meet the battery setpoints (those are shown in battery specs), and then tune-up a little like voltage-based or timer-based absorption end-point etc. Batteries are not "set and forget" thing, you want to treat them well. With time, batteries will become more and more expensive, due to China's own domestic demand. They guzzle raw materials like water, there is a talk on the Wall Street that in future currencies will be backed by commodities, and it will not be gold.
Rogue - yes, it is good. The best MPPT with 30A limit. Which is irrelevant to an array of a few 12V panels that OP has.
Sorry, typo: I meant to say - not much to understand about features if it's PWM.
