Solar voltage help...
I just connected my solar kit (160w cmp12 controller)and the voltage while connected to the rv batteries reads 16.55v. Is this normal or too high? Sorry but im new to this.
Forum Discussion
Captain Obvious wrote:
In looking at it and reading through the engrish manual - it looks like it just dumps solar voltage onto the battery off and on until the battery looks charged around 14v, and then it stops dumping voltage until the battery voltage drops again. It's not a PWM and definitely not an MPPT charger.
They never put MPPT in those kits. And you wouldn't like el-cheapo MPPT if they did.
Even the most epxensive PWM works pretty much the same: voltage goes to pre-set point of 14-something (called Bulk), stays there for an hour, and then it tapers the current to let the voltage drop to 13-something (called Float). The biggest drawback of el-cheapo PWM I see in their inability to adjust those Bulk and Float setpoints - important because every battery has different setpoints, and also in lack of temperature compensation. Lead is getting more and more expensive, as all raw materials, so taking good care of your batteries makes sense. Low-current PWM with adjustable setpoints and temp-comp are not terribly expensive.
