Portable Solar Smoking

Reversed polarity?

BFL13 wrote:
Reversed polarity?

Maybe, if the red and black wires are mixed up from the factory.

Also, no current going into the battery was registering on my battery monitor.

Should have hooked up controller first before opening suit case possible blown controller, controller need's battery power first. Foud that the hard way when a battery went out and fried a $3oo controller, no where for power to go from panel's. Possible reversed cable's????

Not reverse polarity. Interesting about the controller needing battery before opening panel. I wasn't aware of that. It is a cheap plastic controller, garbage.

Probably is garbage now. Controller must be hooked to battery before any solar. Usually that’s taken care of by hooking controller to battery, THEN hooking panels to controller. Shut down by disconnecting panels THEN disconnecting battery. Since panels produce a small amount of power even in dim light, there’s no room for error. If there’s smoke, something is burnt up.

With a "kit" the panels are already wired to the controller's array side, so all you can do is connect the controller's battery side to the battery. This should not fry that controller.

Some controllers, not all, will go bad if you do not follow the proper sequence in their user manuals--connect battery first then array, and VV when disconnecting.

Must be something else the matter. Take it all apart and check each panel aimed at the sun using your DMM to make sure each one is ok (see their Isc and Voc specs), then re-assemble and try again.

naturist wrote:
Probably is garbage now. Controller must be hooked to battery before any solar. Usually that’s taken care of by hooking controller to battery, THEN hooking panels to controller. Shut down by disconnecting panels THEN disconnecting battery. Since panels produce a small amount of power even in dim light, there’s no room for error. If there’s smoke, something is burnt up.

This is great info. I'm planning to get a 300w suitcase type unit with controller to supplement my 300w on the roof if we get in a shady place. Who knows what order I may have hooked it up in. Good info for sure.

Thanks,

naturist wrote:
Probably is garbage now. Controller must be hooked to battery before any solar. Usually that’s taken care of by hooking controller to battery, THEN hooking panels to controller. Shut down by disconnecting panels THEN disconnecting battery. Since panels produce a small amount of power even in dim light, there’s no room for error. If there’s smoke, something is burnt up.

This is great info. I'm planning to get a 300w suitcase type unit with controller to supplement my 300w on the roof if we get in a shady place. Who knows what order I may have hooked it up in. Good info for sure.

Thanks,

Controller is connected to rear of panel, so I would need to connect the clips while keeping the suitcase covered from the sun, then open the panels to the sun after connecting.....Is this the standard procedure?

Must be fun setting that up each morning. Unless you go to town for lunch. Then you get to set it up after lunch too.