New controller? Looks like it was added today.

[big_buford]

Off solar blvd site http://www.solarblvd.com/p2907/Midnite-Solar-The-KID,-30A-MPPT-Charge-Controller,-150V,-Black/product_info.html

Hyper-link tab not working for me.

[BFL13]

Unyalli wrote:
Check out this video on setting up the Kid to use a Wizbang Jr. Up around the 7 minute mark it gets very interesting.

-Jeff

I missed the part where it has a temp comp so it keeps up with the capacity changes. Otherwise that is exactly what I do with the Trimetric except I have to do it all in my head or a piece of scrap paper to get the estimated SOC from accumulated AH.

I think I saw where you enter a temp and leave it at that until temp changes then you enter an new temp?

No idea how that fits in with those who say you don't use ambient temp but are supposed to use internal battery temp which you can sort of get by aiming an IR down a cell. (Except with AGMs--no cap to take off the cell)

[Unyalli]

Check out this video on setting up the Kid to use a Wizbang Jr. Up around the 7 minute mark it gets very interesting.

-Jeff

[westend]

ATM, I'm more concerned about the marketplace maturing and offering new, smaller sized MPPT controllers. I hope Rogue, Outback, Midnite, and all grow and prosper so they can offer better controllers at a cheaper price.

There are certain functions about some of them I wish were combined into one.

[mena661]

Good points except this is not a new thing and has been happening for decades. The only thing that's killed our jobs was the recent severe recession not labor moving overseas. These are not new arguments and there has yet to be proof of a severe impact the the economy SOLELY due to that.

[lorelec]

mena661 wrote:

PS - If you lose your job because someone else can do it better, just go find something else to do.

The problem isn't that people in other countries can do it better, it's that they do it cheaper -- because either their standard of living is much lower than ours, or because they're being exploited...or both. Yes, that's capitalism for you. And it's self-defeating because left unchecked it will eventually drive down wages and standard of living for everyone except those involved in managerial work and some service-oriented jobs that haven't been outsourced yet. That's what the shift toward buying cheap Chinese goods is going to accomplish.

[mena661]

mlts22 wrote:

Having stuff made here is nice because those jobs don't fly (and stay) overseas.

Capitalism doesn't stop at the border. Do you support the Canadian built "American" cars or the American built "Japanese" cars too? Or are you just supporting the nameplate and fooling yourself into thinking profits, jobs, manufacturing, parts, etc are only made/designed/conceptualized here and no where else? I've heard these arguments against foreign made products for decades. I remember when it was the Japanese that were "hated" because they didn't build anything here and when they did that still didn't count because their profits went back to the homeland. The goal posts keep getting moved and it's annoying as hell. No matter, I'll continue to buy whatever works best. Seems a few million other people agree with me. Go figure.

PS - If you lose your job because someone else can do it better, just go find something else to do.

[lorelec]

Unyalli wrote:

Almot wrote:
Intronics and Rogue are probably the only two that are designed and made in the US.

I sent an email to Midnight on this and here is the response.

...

Although Robin of Midnite is wrong when he says, "No other major manufacturer builds their own circuit boards in the US or Canada or even in North America. They're all built offshore."

Rogue builds their circuit boards in Oregon. All of the metalwork and final assembly is also done in Oregon.

And Blue Sky, Apollo, Magnum, and Outback (some of their stuff) are "Made in the USA," although I don't know if they have their circuit boards made here. Usually "made" means assembled.

[pianotuna]

Hi BFL13,

I found the duty cycle was 2:3 on the Dometic fridge. So the panel would catch up during the 20 minutes per hour that the fridge is off.

BFL13 wrote:
Been meaning to test that fridge (Norcold 8cuft) on inverter anyway, so just did it as backyard test. Fridge off in trailer doors open. Unplugged shore power turned off converter, plugged trailer into inverter as when camping.

Turned fridge on doors closed 120v and Trimetric showed amps at about 24 amps due to fridge, with some 25. I would expect "amps creep" from inverter if left on.

My 230w panel on that set of batteries that inverter is on can do say 16 amps so I would be short maybe 8 amps for running the fridge when the fridge is doing an on cycle with full solar.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

4.8 million ignition switches. Enough said.

[Unyalli]

mlts22 wrote:
Having stuff made here is nice because those jobs don't fly (and stay) overseas. There are plenty of other reasons, but I don't want to hijack this thread and turn it into China bashing. Same reason I drive a Ford and not a foreign make. Nothing against the other makes, but I just prefer to support Americans by brand choices. I much rather buy a CC made here, even if it means most of the chips are still foreign than just giving up and having yet another industry vanish overseas for good.

X2

[mlts22]

KJINTF wrote:
I would venture a guess that there are ZERO manufacturers
that use 100% North American parts

R&D and assembly in the US - maybe

However the majority of the parts come from overseas

Have to ask

What makes the ones designed or assembled here any better?

Having stuff made here is nice because those jobs don't fly (and stay) overseas. There are plenty of other reasons, but I don't want to hijack this thread and turn it into China bashing. Same reason I drive a Ford and not a foreign make. Nothing against the other makes, but I just prefer to support Americans by brand choices. I much rather buy a CC made here, even if it means most of the chips are still foreign than just giving up and having yet another industry vanish overseas for good.

[mena661]

KJINTF wrote:

What makes the ones designed or assembled here any better?

BAM!

[KJINTF]

I would venture a guess that there are ZERO manufacturers
that use 100% North American parts

R&D and assembly in the US - maybe

However the majority of the parts come from overseas

Have to ask

What makes the ones designed or assembled here any better?

[Unyalli]

Almot wrote:
Intronics and Rogue are probably the only two that are designed and made in the US.

I sent an email to Midnight on this and here is the response.

Raechel wrote:
All of our equipment is manufactured and assembled at our Manufacturing and Research and Development Facility in Arlington, Washington. We do source specific parts for our equipment from various locations around the world, but in the end everything is manufactured and assembled in the USA. I have included a link to a video of our facility that you might find interesting. -Raechel

http://www.midnitesolar.com/video/videoPlay.php?video_ID=3&videoCat_ID=6