Wondering if dealer did any damage.

[Bobbo]

In 2017 when we bought our brand new Airstream TT, we had the dealer add the airstream 90 watt solar package. He did so, and we have been using it for the last 4 years. I am considering adding more solar panels to the roof, and the OEM PWM controller needs to be upgraded. I bought a Victron SmartSolar 100/30 controller to use. When I opened up the compartment, I found what I am sure is a mistake. I think the dealer mis-wired the OEM controller.

It is a Sun Explorer (not the Sun Explorer II or III). It has 3 wires (plus the ethernet cable to the display panel). The red (hot) wire is connected to the battery positive, as it should be. The black (ground) wire is connected to the battery negative, as it should be. The yellow (PV hot) wire is connected to the PV hot wire, as it should be. However, the PV green (ground) wire that should be connected to the battery negative is, instead, also hooked to the battery positive.

Of course, I am going to wire the new controller properly, but I am wondering if the solar panel has been damaged.

[BFL13]

With the panel in the sun put a voltmeter across the yellow and green wire ends to read Voc. If you get a voltage reading, the panel is working. confirm that by checking for amps.

If the meter does amps (10 amps max is usual) and if array Isc spec is under 10 amps (so won't blow meter fuse--or if no fuse fry the meter), you can switch the meter to amps and put it across the yellow and green ends and see if there are any amps as Isc. Or if no multimeter:

Connect the new controller to battery first to light up its display, then yellow and green into array pos and neg, and see if you get any solar amps.

[Bobbo]

This is my controller. It has a black wire for the battery negative. It has a red wire for the battery positive. It has a yellow wire for the PV positive. There is nowhere on it to connect the PV negative. The PV negative is supposed to connect directly to the battery negative according to the Airstream schematic. I have the schematic.

My problem is that the PV negative wire is connected to the battery positive instead of the battery negative.

I have already gotten the Victron SmartSolar 100/30 to replace it. As soon as genuinedealz.com gets my wires to me, I will replace the OEM one. I am just wondering if the PV is damaged.

[BFL13]

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f240/upgrading-the-solar-charge-controller-from-atkinson-to-mppt-16...

This guy put the array wires (green and yellow) into his new controller's array side and has red and white to the battery. Photo of old controller just shows the two batt side terminals with a cut red in one, and a cut yellow in the array side.

Hard to tell what the old controller (same as OP's I think) has for connections. The OP could help us a lot here!

[CA_Traveler]

Good point about terminology but I was using the OPs terminology.

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If "PV" means "array", then the "PV - " wire would go to the controller's neg input terminal ("array neg" on some controllers) not to the battery
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This controller does not have a PV/array - input. The - PV wire goes to the - battery terminal, I know different. I'd want to know what the PV green wire is that's connected to the + battery post UNLESS as the OP suggested it is really from the panel which is why I asked if the solar is really working.

[BFL13]

CA Traveler wrote:
The PV + wire connects to the controller PV + terminal. The PV - wire connects to the - battery terminal
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If "PV" means "array", then the "PV - " wire would go to the controller's neg input terminal ("array neg" on some controllers) not to the battery
----------

The small controller black wire is for the electronics only and not used for the - charging circuit.

The PV green wire could be a PV frame ground or something else. Veryify that it's actually charging with a ammeter and there is a - negative PV to battery post wire.

Very confusing to use "PV" instead of "array" and "battery" for the input and output.

[CA_Traveler]

BTW Since there is generally no wire color standard for RVs verify the colors are correct etc.

[CA_Traveler]

The PV + wire connects to the controller PV + terminal. The PV - wire connects to the - battery terminal, The small controller black wire is for the electronics only and not used for the - charging circuit.

The PV green wire could be a PV frame ground or something else. Veryify that it's actually charging with a ammeter and there is a - negative PV to battery post wire.

[Lwiddis]

If your 90 watt solar panel has been regularly filling your batteries, additional solar watts won’t do much. This would also indicate correct wiring. If you are adding battery amp hours then one solar watt for every battery amp hour is a good place to start.

[BFL13]

There should be a pos and neg terminal for the two array wires as the controller's input. Should be a pos and neg (not "ground|) terminal for the output wires from controller to battery (pos wire with a fuse near battery)

There might be a chassis ground wire normally not used with an Rv (stick house idea where they also ground the panels) Some controllers are "positive ground" instead of negative ground, which might be what you are looking at, don't know. In an RV where the chassis ground is not used, it doesn't matter which way the controller is--it only affects which path in the controller is switched (Mr Wiz has explained that)

If nothing bad happened in the last four years, no worries at this stage.