Ebay controller failure

[Snowman9000]

I am not looking to start anything. This is just a data point; a mini-review for anyone who's trying to decide on a controller. And it's just one person's experience.

I bought this controller on Ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261279374317?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT


It failed after 1 hour using a 100w panel.
The failure happened after the seller's 14 day warranty, so I don't expect anything to be done about it. I've contacted the seller for tech advice, to see if there is anything I can check or do. His English is okay, but his answers are shaky. OK, whatever, that is part of the deal and I knew that when I bought it. Whenever I buy something cheap from China. (With one exception: the LED bulb guy is great!)

BTW, it said to connect the panels last. I may have violated this, although I really don't recall. It was running though, and failed while still connected.

I paid $14 on best offer.

[Snowman9000]

I agree, Rich.

[RJsfishin]

Quote:
Agree that Ebay went downhill, I don't buy anything there unless there is no other source.
-----------------------------------------------------------
What a ridiculous statement !
As if ebay is a store all of its own !
In reality it consists of thousands of sellers (including myself) that have near a 100% honesty rating (including myself). Ebay has done nothing but gotten better, and safer over the years. Ebay and its sidekick Paypal have done nothing but made buying off the internet completely safe and secure. If there is ever a problem, it is your own fault for choosing a seller that does not have a 99% history rating. If there is a bad seller on ebay, he's not there anymore, bet on it. I have bought and sold several thousand dollars on/off ebay, and still batting 100%.
Your results may differ, but not by much I'd bet.

[NinerBikes]

I wonder how many of us own solar panels made in China??? How else do you support under a $ a watt solar panels being manufactured? Just saying...

[Almot]

RoyB wrote:
I guess what I am hearing here is the batteries must connected all the time for the solar controllers.

I don't think so. Definitely not the case with mine (though not bought on Ebay and not even close to the one discussed here).

I think what people are saying here - and I agree - is that most controllers should be connected to battery first, and panel second. Disconnecting is in the reversed order - panel first, battery second.

You can disconnect controller from the battery for as long time as you like. The only thing that might be affected in some controllers is that setup points will have to be reset if you disconnect it from battery. Again, not the case with mine.

Agree that Ebay went downhill, I don't buy anything there unless there is no other source.

[Shadow_Catcher]

Batteries are expensive, not taking care of them means they fail early. A Morningstar PWM converter which has a 5 year warranty will do the job it is supposed to do, and do it well.
If you want cheap and still works OK go with a Steca.

[Wayne_Dohnal]

I have purchased "a bunch" of Chinese electronics parts from ebay, about half of which are various digital panel meters. Overall the success rate is about 67%: One third of the gadgets don't do what I want or are just plain junk and end up in the trash, and the other 2/3rds are incredible bargains that work very well. I'm talking under-$20 items here, and I've done a few projects that never would have happened if it weren't for the low cost parts. I consider it an overall win, with the 33% loss being a disappointing but acceptable overhead.

[BFL13]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
The old adage "You Get What You Pay For"...

Particularly painful when you learn that your 200 dollar item could be had for forty dollars and even at forty bucks you learn people thought it was a ripoff...

It's always nice to encounter 1,388 Product Reviews with a 4-1/2 star rating

It does not matter what you get the price down to. One of the other guys will come back with HIS armadillo shell he got from some kid on the beach in Mexico, and claim he paid less for it than you paid for yours. 😞 You are always a loser! 🙂

The only consolation is when the guy who bought a picture frame full or butterflies on black velvet, later on finds his butterflies all half eaten by ants that were hiding in the frame! 🙂

BTW, does the same thing happen to the velvet Elvis pictures?

Mexico is great if you don't weaken---or drink anything with ice cubes in it! Dos cervesos por favor. 🙂

[pianotuna]

Hi,

I only switch the output of my Blue Sky 3024di. It seems to not mind at all.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

The old adage "You Get What You Pay For"...

Particularly painful when you learn that your 200 dollar item could be had for forty dollars and even at forty bucks you learn people thought it was a ripoff...

It's always nice to encounter 1,388 Product Reviews with a 4-1/2 star rating

[westend]

For one thing, the picture on the seller's E Bay listing that shows the dip switches indicates that it is a 5 amp circuit board. This particular controller board comes in a few flavors: 5Amp, 10 Amp, and 15 Amp. You may wish to look below the dip switches and see what model you have.

[NinerBikes]

Are you sure you didn't try to change a setting and whack something out of adjustment or proper range? Just playing devil's advocate here.

[Snowman9000]

bob_nestor wrote:
That controller looks like it's the same kind used on my cheap 120W portable. It's permanently wired into the back of the unit, so in my case the last thing hooked up is always the battery. I've had it set up in the sun without a battery connected without a problem. On a recent camping trip I had it set up and it ran fine for a week keeping my batteries up. The only warning I saw was to make sure the battery leads never touch.

Interesting point.
I doubt mine died because of the order of connection. But I mentioned it in the interest of full disclosure.

[diveman52]

BoonHauler wrote:
You get what you pay for.

x-2

[myredracer]

I do not buy any electronics on ebay - period. Too much of a risk. Only exception is the dirt cheap LEDs from China.

At least it's only $14 and nobody is going to die over it. Rip-offs and junk sucks tho. The majority of ebay sellers are cooperative and don't want a negative feedback and for that reason, I think the more irate you seem, the better the chances of getting a refund or replacement.

Have you filed a complaint with Paypal (within 45 days) for a defective item? I don't know about the current rules as of now, but it used to be that Paypal would just about always refund the buyer. Maybe rules are different now. I used to buy and sell on ebay a LOT but not very often anymore and am not up on the rules.

Buying from a direct inline vendor is always better. Often cheaper (no ebay or paypal fees) and you can easily contact the vendor and sort things out. They are usually very helpful. If you pay by credit card, you can always get a refund if it goes sideways. With our CC, we get double the factory warranty on an item as well. Can't do that with Preypal.