Is This a Good Deal? 25a MPPT

[BFL13]

I already have that 230w panel and an Eco Worthy 20a MPPT to run it, but have also looked at the Tracer 20a MPPT with a remote for approx. $140.

This BlueSky 25a seems to be getting close in price (I suppose they don't make them anymore?) but does it have any fancy features that make it a good deal compared with the Tracer, eg?

http://www.wegosolar.com/categories.php?category=Inventory-Clearance

The Tracer 20a is here:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Tracer2215RN-20A-12V-24V-MPPT-Solar-Charge-Controller-Regulator-150V-MT-5-Met...

A forum member that bought one is going to test that Tracer for us fairly soon hope 🙂

[Salvo]

They haven't responded yet. "Lifetime warranty" may just be a gimmick. I'm not sure they warranty seal failures. I got oil all over the shock. I bet seal failures are the most common type of failure. Koni's warranty link says they first want it sent back to them so they can look at the defective shock before deciding whether to replace it. I wasn't planning on staying here for months.

Sal

NinerBikes wrote:

Salvo wrote:


Could also use a new shock. Koni shock blew 1000 miles down Baja. Guess Koni couldn't survive the Baja 1000. 😉

Sal

Koni has a lifetime warranty, get it rebuilt for free.

[BFL13]

It all shows you have to be awake and read the small print before you buy any of these things. Also helps if you know the significance of what you do see in the small print! Hard place for a newbie to wander into.

I don't mind having two controllers in parallel, it works ok. Only thing is with mine now the small PWM one is fixed at 14.4 max while the EcoW can be set to higher like 14.8 so that will kick the 130w panel out when batts get to 14.41, so what's the point of even having the 130? Answer: It adds amps in the morning to get the batts as far as 14.4 faster.

Now it is all down to daytime left whether the 230 could have done it all that day by itself but just take a little longer. No way to predict, it is all to do with how many clouds among the blue any particular day.

[KD4UPL]

Blue Sky offers a nice battery SOC meter if you get the shunt and hook it to the 2512xi. It can also operate as a lighting controller which is really of no use. It can also be configured with a separate 2 amp output to trickle charge a MH starting battery.

[JiminDenver]

I agree the the Eco-w 42v limit is a odd one and it makes me wonder who their target was. Then again the Blinx controller seemed to be the basis for a clone and it's voltage limit was 30v.
The Eco-w is suppose to be good up to 300w but I've never found a 300w panel with a VOC low enough to be run on it and two 150w 12v panels will be 2 volts or so to high.
What the Eco-w seems best suited for is a single 200-270w panel but those hadn't dropped in price yet when the Eco-w was released. The fact that they are a good combo seems more luck than planning.

I recently asked Eco-w if they intended to build a larger unit, raise the VOC, add a voltage sense line or make the temp sensor remote and the answer was no to all.

There is a line of 40 and 60a mppt controllers I wouldn't mind trying except where the Eco-w is limited to 42v, these controllers require 40v to wake up. Since my panels are not matched up, I will have to wait to try them out.

[BFL13]

I guess that 28Voc limit didn't matter if it was in a network or whatever it was really designed for. Not RVs that's for sure. Seems silly otherwise, no idea.

Roy you can't mix 24s and 12s with the same controller unless you series the 12s as a 24 and then combine the 24s.

I have a 230w 24 that needs MPPT and a 130w 12 that does not but would work with MPPT, but I can't put them on the one MPPT controller because I can't make them both 24s or both 12s. If I had two 65s instead of the 130 I could series them as a 24v 130 and run that with the 230.

What I do is have a $13 PWM controller for the 130 and put it on the same battery bank as the controller for the 230 so I still get total amps to the battery. It gets awkward having both 12s and 24s.

You get more choice if you have two 12s instead of one big 24. Two 100w can be in series as a 24 with MPPT or in parallel as a 12 with PWM. With a single 200 you get no choice, it needs a 24v MPPT controller.

[RoyB]

I am probably going to shoot for a 30AMP solar controller to cover my three proposed solar panels. My three panels will most likely be the 100W-120W size which will only have around 5-6AMPS from each panel of usable Dc current to deal with.

The 30AMP size controller might give me some help if I go with one larger 240W panel on the rear side of my POPUP roof between the roof mounted air conditioner and the roof edge. My three total solar panels could be as small as 320WATTs and maybe as large as 480WATTS

Roy Ken

[Golden_HVAC]

You will probably get a lot more amperage from a $18 30 amp PWM controller from AliExpress.com and then spend the $120 on a 100 watt solar panel from SunElec.com

Fred.

[NinerBikes]

Salvo wrote:
Got 9a out of a 2512 today from 130W tilted. Damn hot in Baja. Could use A/C.

Could also use a new shock. Koni shock blew 1000 miles down Baja. Guess Koni couldn't survive the Baja 1000. 😉

Sal

Koni has a lifetime warranty, get it rebuilt for free.

[mena661]

100V 20A MPPT

[AlbertaNewbie]

I would also recommemd wiring the panels in parallel, not series which increases the voltage. reason is that if one panel is shaded it will lower theerformance of the other in series.

[BFL13]

Ok that solves that! My 230w 24v panel has 37 Voc so my 42 Voc limit Eco Worthy MPPT can do it but could not do two 100w 12v panels at 22v each in series. Kind of stupid IMO.

Going to 50v limit on the new BlueSky would allow two 12v panels at 22 Voc each or one 24v panel, but that still is pretty lame for that much money. The Tracer can take 100 or 150 Voc depending on which blurb you believe, so that gives you lots more options for series and parallel combos.

[AlbertaNewbie]

the 2512ix is not recommended for 24v, usually 28-35v in operation, panels. if you can ensure the imp voltage does not exceed the max of the bs mppt controller youd be ok, but id look elsewhere.

[BFL13]

Salvo that 9a seems pretty good in hot weather. You often mention how MPPT degrades when the panel gets hot. (Can't help with the shocks. Not my fault people camp in Lower California instead of Upper California. Crossing the wrong border! Go North, young man!)

[Salvo]

Got 9a out of a 2512 today from 130W tilted. Damn hot in Baja. Could use A/C.

Could also use a new shock. Koni shock blew 1000 miles down Baja. Guess Koni couldn't survive the Baja 1000. 😉

Sal