Awesome new MPPT controller with bluetooth control for $99 (1 Viewer)

[Overland Tailor]

Wondering about heat dissipation. Do you need to leave the box open when in use?

I'm not sure yet..... I used a piece of aluminum as sort of a poor man's heat sink, but some people mount these in the engine bay.. I am concerned about that and will watch it.. As you stated though, I can just open the case if required.

Cheers -

john

 

[george_tlc]

Should be fine in the box. The charge controller is likely around 95% efficient (or better) at energy conversion, so even at full tilt of 15A output (say 14V output) you have 210W running through it. With 5% loss that's 210W x 5% = 10.5W thermal losses. No issues for the size of the unit and the thermal capacity of the box etc.

Most of us are likely to have no more than 140W of solar, so then 140W x 5% = 7W thermal losses.

cheers,
george.

 

[terrx]

I like the idea for portability. It's easy to move folding panels and the charge controller between different vehicles. I saw a small plastic "ammo box" at HF tools yesterday - looks like it would have enough room for both the Victron and leads to panel and battery. I may give it a whirl. Thanks.

 

[Overland Tailor]

Just wanted to pass along a note I received from Bioenno Power on their recommendations for Solar Charging their Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries.


Below is my response to the question of a charging profile:

Hi John,

Charge at 14.6VDC, and float at 13.8VDC. The max charge current depends on the model of battery. The charge current is usually max about 0.3C (or 0.3 x capacity of the battery). For example, the 12V, 20Ah, the max charge current is 6 Amps

-Kevin



Hope this helps -

John~

 

[JCruse]

First off i think the thread title is a bit misleading. The charge controller is $99 but the BT portion is extra $

Having said that, I'm still going to order one after all your great reviews and that my new 130 watt folding panel is slightly too large for my existing 12amp PWM controller (was on a 50 watt panel).

Whatdaya want, a book for a title..?
Sheesh.

As far as Im concerned you kinda have a point... without the ability to modify settings I may have passed on this one. But overall I like it very much.

 

[JCruse]

I have a new question...

On bluetooth it says it was giving the battery12.87v, but the voltage reading for the battery was 12.64. Does that mean that this thing can diferentiate between the two simultaniously?

Because I"ve never seen that before in a CC.

 

[george_tlc]

The unit can display input voltage (from panel) and output (to battery). Do note that:

a) the output voltage will be at the terminals of the unit - you will have voltage drop in the wiring (assuming charge current is present) and the voltage at the battery will be lower. Ditto that displayed input voltage will be right at the terminals of the unit (versus right at the solar panel).

b) 12.64V versus 12.87 is (12.87-12.64)/12.64 = 1.8% difference. Don't assume the unit has 4 digit precision (it isn't a precision multimeter)....

cheers,
george.

 

[Hiace4wd]

What do you mean the "voltage reading for the battery"? Is there a seperate meter? Or you used a multimeter?
Could be that there is some resistance in one of the connection (like the batteryplugs or so) or just long wiring.

 

[e9999]

So are you guys still happy with the gizmo? Still think it's worth buying or is there much better now for the price?

 

[Overland Tailor]

So are you guys still happy with the gizmo? Still think it's worth buying or is there much better now for the price?

I've only used mine a few times, but its been flawless. I'm not sure about any others that have the BT capability, but for that feature I would buy again.

Cheers,

John

 

[Hiace4wd]

I still like it a lot. The bluetooth makes it easy to change some settings while on the trip, and to check operation.
And there aren't many competitors that can work with the high voltages ( I use a 40 Volt panel )

What I think is a shame that other controllers have an extra relay connection that indicates if the battery is full. This one has the Float mode, basically saying the same thing. But not as an external connection. If it had, it would've been perfect.

 

[cme4lyt]

Love mine ! Accurate and great peace of mind. Love being able to check everything from an iPad/iPhone.

 

[LandForce1]

Hi gang,

I am building a solar power supply box and have hit a road block on how to wire this portion of the project. As pictured I am wanting to wire the 3 piece accessory outlet upto the blue solar charge controller unit, I have a couple leftover distribution blocks that I thought I might use. The inverter will not be connected to the load output of the charge controller, only the 12 volt accessories will be ran through the load output of the charge controller. My questions are....

- Do I wire the three accessory outlets in parallel in order to achieve a constant 12v output regardless of how many outlets are in use?
-Will the short runs of 10 gauge wire be enough to handle the potential max 20 amp capacity of the mppt unit?

*** any other feedback is welcome as well.

 

[george_tlc]

^ yes, of course you wire all 3 outlets in parallel to get 12V to each one independent of what the other is doing.

10g for 20A is plenty good - especially with only a couple of inches between each outlet and the mppt controller.

American Wire Gauge Chart and AWG Electrical Current Load Limits table with skin depth frequencies and wire breaking strength is a quick reference. You are doing 'chassis' wiring.

I would not have that lid of the box closed when you are running the inverter at high power levels - it'll have no convection cooling.

I assume the idea of this 'unit' is to have a portable setup between vehicles?

cheers,
george.

 

[BulletHead]

Parallel = voltage constant, current adds up.
Series = current constant, voltage adds up.

 

[LandForce1]

^ yes, of course you wire all 3 outlets in parallel to get 12V to each one independent of what the other is doing.

10g for 20A is plenty good - especially with only a couple of inches between each outlet and the mppt controller.

American Wire Gauge Chart and AWG Electrical Current Load Limits table with skin depth frequencies and wire breaking strength is a quick reference. You are doing 'chassis' wiring.

I would not have that lid of the box closed when you are running the inverter at high power levels - it'll have no convection cooling.

I assume the idea of this 'unit' is to have a portable setup between vehicles?

cheers,
george.

Yes, the box is to just carry everything around to each vehicle or area. The lid will definitely stay open during inverter operation. Thanks guys! I will post a pic when I'm finished with it.

 

[JCruse]

I bought one too and the BT dongle. Where's a good place to mount the controller? Any pictures of set ups?

Mine is under the hood of my 80 right behind the second battery box mounted on the fender. I put a piece of rigid plastic sheet above it to keep water from pouring through the hood/fender panel gap. Its been there since I started this thread and so far so good.
I figured with no remote temp sensor it was best too keep it near the battery.

 

[JCruse]

Just wanted to pass along a note I received from Bioenno Power on their recommendations for Solar Charging their Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries.


Below is my response to the question of a charging profile:

Hi John,

Charge at 14.6VDC, and float at 13.8VDC. The max charge current depends on the model of battery. The charge current is usually max about 0.3C (or 0.3 x capacity of the battery). For example, the 12V, 20Ah, the max charge current is 6 Amps

-Kevin



Hope this helps -

John~

My Lifeline and Odyssey batteries both list bulk and float voltages on top.

 

[Wagonofdoom]

I use the 100/30 on 3 100 watt panels and love it. Works amazingly.

 

[terrx]

Hi all,

When testing a new Bluesea 100/15 over the weekend, the power readings from Victron-Connect app seemed unreliable. Has anyone else seen this? I assume the 75/15 and 100/15 are similar so I'm asking in this thread to keep info in one place.

It's the first time using either the app or bluesea controller so it may be operator error. I had a Norcold fridge on the load terminals pulling a steady 2.8 amps verified with a Fluke current clamp meter, but the Victron-Connect app was reporting between 1A-4.5A to the load, constantly fluctuating. Power reported to/from battery and PV were also bouncing around according to the app but stable according to the current clamp meter. 2 x 50 watt panels connected in series in full sun. Optima yellow top with no other loads on it. It seems goofy.

Thanks.