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

[george_tlc]

Yeah, the unit is IP43 rated - basically splash of water type protection. Definitely needs to be installed in cab or in waterproof housing.

e.g. IP Rating Chart | DSMT.com

cheers,
george.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Just back from an 8 day trip into the Arizona Strip/North Rim area and used this charge controller continuously during this time. It's a great charge controller.

When I say continuously, I mean the charge controller got hooked to the battery (via the inside fuse panel) and 160 watt panel the day before I left, and ran continuously for the entire trip. Interestingly, the panel still generated enough power even on the rain day we had to keep up with the fridge. The lowest battery voltage I ever saw on the house battery was 12.4 volts.

I noticed some other fun facts. After the truck was started in the morning, the batteries were charged by the alternator but then boosted up to 14.7 volts by the charge controller doing it's absorb phase, even while driving down the road! Or, if the loads were greater than panel output, the voltage would drop to alternator voltage of 14.0. But if I shut off the lights or fan or what ever, the panel would go back to absorb voltages. After the absorb phase was over (typically 2 hours) the voltage would drop to the 14.0 supplied by the alternator, and when stopped, to 13.7 or so, the float voltage of the controller. So during the absorb phase, the panel was supplying all the power to run the truck. Very interesting to see the controller and the alternator's voltage regulator hand the loads back and forth smoothly. Absolutely no problems noted.

The Bluetooth signal has surprising range even with the controller mounted inside the cab of the truck, but basically anywhere in camp, you could check on the output of the panel and battery voltage.

Leaving the controller always hooked up has some other advantages. Even when parked, or out on a hike or away from the vehicle, the system was always live and keeping the batteries full and the fridge powered. I liked never having to think about it, or set up anything, or move any thing ever.

My settings:

Autodetect: On

Absorb voltage: 14.7 volts

Equalize: Off

Float: 13.8 volts

Temperature compensation: On


So a very satisfactory full power/full time test.

 

[Semi Hex]

This is great news! I will be having mine continuously hooked up on my teardrop. One less thing to worry about.
You didn't go to the Outdoor Expo did you? We were there Friday.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

So this controller has another cool trick.

****Do not do this with AGM batteries for obvious reasons****

I've always been curious about "equalizing" batteries and if this actually does anything.

If you turn on the equalize function, and set the interval to 1 day, it will charge and then equalize your batteries each time you turn it on. The equalize step is about 1 hour long. So, over the last few days, I've equalized a bunch of batteries.

So what does it do? It definitely causes some electrolysis on the plates. The rising bubbles stir the electrolyte and mix up the acid. open the vents on the battery and have them there loosely. Supposedly, over time, acid can kind of layer out in the cells and the equalization stops that process. Also, supposedly, can convert some additional lead sulfate back to lead and sulfuric acid.

I went through the process for several batteries with an equalization voltage of 15.8 volts. Even several days later, the equalized batteries hold a higher resting charge-by about 0.1 volt. Not a lot, but consistent. I have no way to know if it increased other parameters, like stored power, increased cranking amps or anything else.

Anyway, the RV guys with big battery banks are huge proponents of a monthly equalization step, and it definitely does something. Whether there is long term benefit, I don't know.

Do this only with flooded lead acid batteries. When done, top up the cells with distilled water.

 

[bluesquirrel]

@Cruiserdrew Should AGM batteries not be used with solar systems? Or just not dual battery equalizing?

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Just don't equalize! There's no where for the hydrogen and oxygen to go! AGMs are ok with solar, just follow the voltage/charging recommendations from the particular manufacturer.

 

[Hiace4wd]

So this controller has another cool trick.

****Do not do this with AGM batteries for obvious reasons****

I've always been curious about "equalizing" batteries and if this actually does anything.

If you turn on the equalize function, and set the interval to 1 day, it will charge and then equalize your batteries each time you turn it on. The equalize step is about 1 hour long. So, over the last few days, I've equalized a bunch of batteries..

How do you connect it? You connect the second battery to the load terminal or to the solar terminal?
Anyway, it will probably be described in the manual.
But I didn't realize it could do that.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

@Hiace4wd not sure what you mean. You use the panel as the source and hook the controller to the battery in the standard fashion. I don't have my load terminals hooked up to anything because I don't use that function.

 

[Hiace4wd]

Ah I see. I know equalizing as equalizing two batteries to each other.

But I see what you mean know. I didn't know it under that name.

 

[TrickyT]

I, too, have now joined the Victron BlueSolar MPPT charge controller club. I've got a 60W thin-film amorphous folding panel and had been using a simple and inexpensive Morningsun PWM controller prior to this. That setup worked just fine for me, but the ability to link quantitative data from the controller to an app on my iPhone that I could look at while sitting in a camp chair 20ft away was just too much for my geek-brain to resist. I'm anxious to see how much more power I can eek out of my simple panel with the MPPT controller, but there's been too much coastal fog the last few days for me to do meaningful measurements. I guessing I might see 10-15% more, which I can't say really justifies the cost of the new controller + bluetooth module. But the geekness is priceless.

EDIT: I view the ability to set the float voltage on this controller as quite important. I run AGM batteries for my main and spare and therefore want V(float) to be 13.6v. A flooded cell battery should have V(float) = 13.4v. (Neither of these values include temperature compensation of -3.9mv per cell per degree Celsius.) Although this doesn't seem like a big difference, since batteries can sit for long periods at float voltage you want to avoid "cooking" (= gassing) your battery since that will dramatically shorten its life.

 

[george_tlc]

^ nerds/geeks unit

cheers,
george.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

^ nerds/geeks unit

cheers,
george.

Uhhh...Thought you had one too!

 

[george_tlc]

Of course - that's why we all need to unite

cheers,
george.

 

[TrickyT]

Of course - that's why we all need to unite

cheers,
george.

The Victron app lets you monitor multiple charge controllers so there are all sorts of possibilities when on a trip together.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

The Victron app lets you monitor multiple charge controllers so there are all sorts of possibilities when on a trip together.

Well, since comparisons will be inevitable, want to borrow a 100 watt panel?

 

[Hiace4wd]

Hey fellow nerds,

did you also know you can use the Rx and Tx pin of the VE.direct plug to add features?
Of course, it would involve disconnecting the bluetooth dongle that you all love, but it could be used for easy automation.

Obviously you could get all info from the controller by reading the ve.direct port with a Raspberry Pi or something (just like the phone app does via bluetooth). But that will take some coding to be done, and you have an extra piece of electronics, always taking a bit of energy.

The pins can have extra functions, they also have a streetlight function.

What I want to do is to use a small electric water boiler (only 6 liter) which can take 12V 200W. I can hook it up to warm it while driving.
But since my 175W solar panel could easily help (for times when you stay longer without driving) it would be good to automate it.
For example, if the whole thing reaches the Float state (battery full), it could start heating my boiler.
But I'm unsure if I can have a float output via the Tx function. Perhaps I could use (or misuse) the streetlight function to have it detect the high voltage and then enable the tx port.

I'm not sure if my plan will work, perhaps I just have to add an Arduino (takes very little energy) or one of these ESP wifi boards, and read the ve.direct port. To detect the Float state, and then just go enable the boiler, while checking if at least 150W is harvested or something.

 

[TrickyT]

@Hiace4wd, is the VE.direct serial protocol defined anywhere? When I poked inside the Victron Bluetooth adapter I saw it was little more than a Raytec MDBT40 LE BT module. So it would be straightforward to monitor the command exchanges going on between the BT module and the charge controller (unless they are encrypted, of course). Maybe some day if I have time on my hands....

 

[george_tlc]

VE.Direct Protocol FAQ [Victron Energy] this page leads to many other pages. Looks like there's plenty of info on the protocol and using it with homebrew schemes etc. They appear to happily support such development.

cheers,
george.

 

[TrickyT]

^^^ Wow. Unusually open about details of data comms with their products. And from the FAQ it looks like they have a following of geek heads and are happy to answer questions from them. Very refreshing compared to most companies today. Makes me even more of a fan of their stuff.

 

[Hiace4wd]

Yeah I think it is a great company. I e-mailed a few times with them, and the support seems to be good. (convenient for me is that they are in my country/timezone)
But even without support, the documentation is great. And this kind of home brewery stuff is fine with them.