Home brew Arduino MPPT controller
Pretty cool project. Highly programmable. He does not list the amps it is capable of but I'm thinking 4-8 only based on the diode sizing. There are some very sophisticated MPPT algorithms out there...
Forum Discussion
I like the voltage scanning aspect of their offerings, which is why Morningstar's product is on the top of my list if/when I built a RV solar array.
What I wonder about is why that we have PWM controllers at all. MPPT is better in every single way, and gets rid of a lot of headaches. If mass produced, economies of scale would make MPPT controllers the same price as PWM ones.
One Youtube person I follow (techman2015) upgraded controllers a few months ago, and it did a significant improvement in his amperage gain, especially because he could attach another panel and not force 17+ volts through a PWM controller that can at best just lop off the voltages coming in.
I'm itching to try building a collapsable, free-standing solar frame that can either stay at the boondocking festival site I'm at indefinitely, or be taken down and slid into a cargo trailer or truck bed. Time to look up costs, but if done right, it would provide enough power to my rig to counteract the drain from the furnace, so I never have to fire up the generator unless I am running the microwave or A/C. It would have its own battery bank and use a PSW inverter. That way, while I'm gone on weekdays, it can charge the batteries up, then I can plug it in, let the RV charger go from there.
What I wonder about is why that we have PWM controllers at all. MPPT is better in every single way, and gets rid of a lot of headaches. If mass produced, economies of scale would make MPPT controllers the same price as PWM ones.
One Youtube person I follow (techman2015) upgraded controllers a few months ago, and it did a significant improvement in his amperage gain, especially because he could attach another panel and not force 17+ volts through a PWM controller that can at best just lop off the voltages coming in.
I'm itching to try building a collapsable, free-standing solar frame that can either stay at the boondocking festival site I'm at indefinitely, or be taken down and slid into a cargo trailer or truck bed. Time to look up costs, but if done right, it would provide enough power to my rig to counteract the drain from the furnace, so I never have to fire up the generator unless I am running the microwave or A/C. It would have its own battery bank and use a PSW inverter. That way, while I'm gone on weekdays, it can charge the batteries up, then I can plug it in, let the RV charger go from there.
