List Price: $40.99
Sale Price: $30.59
Today's Bonus: 25% Off
Pros: High power handling, low price, PWM, descaler(?)
Cons: Manual is jibberish, technical data incomplete, display LED has only one segment, the function button feels really cheap
Comments: Before I get into my commentary, a tutorial and some useful information (stuff that should have been in the manual).
1 The charge controller will manage the load automatically.
2 The minimum battery voltage must be 12.35v or the load will cut off.
3 The setting for keeping the load on (without the timer function) is 6.6 (I will call this the normal setting from here on)
4 The load indicator is always yellow (provided you have sufficient battery power)
5 The charge controller won't work without a battery connected to it.
*/TUTORIAL:
The charge controller has a single digit LED mode indicator which has two states (flashing or steady) that indicate whether you are in programming mode (flashing) or display mode (steady). A number may or may not have a decimal point. If it has a (.) to the right of the number, it means that the number is a decimal. No decimal point means that the number you are looking at is a whole number (totally counter intuitive).
* Every time you press the button (if you are in the programming mode), the number will advance to the next higher number.
* A button press will only advance you to the next number.
* Holding the button down will not cause the number to automatically advance.
* Pressing the button will advance the number through all the whole numbers, all the decimal numbers and then cycle back to the beginning of the sequence (0-9 and then .0-.9)
In order to get to the normal setting, you must:
a) Press and hold the button (there is only one button on the far right) until the LED begins to flash.
b) Repeatedly press the button until you get to the number BEFORE the whole number you are trying to set (in my example, until you see the 5)
c) Press and hold the button once again. This will change the number to 6 and it will stop flashing.
** At this point, you have set the controller for 6.x and you will have to repeat the process to get to .6
d) Press and hold the button until the number begins to flash
e) Repeatedly press the button until you get to the decimal number before 6. (in my example, until you see 5.)
f) Press and hold the button once again. This will change the number to 6. and it will stop flashing.
If you have followed all the steps, have your battery connected (charged above 12.35v) and have your solar panel generating sufficient power, LED-1 (far left) will be green, LED-2 (center) will be green and LED-3 will be yellow (indicating that there is power at the load terminals.
End Of Tutorial */
Beyond the little tutorial above, there's not really much to know about the controller itself. It's pretty much a set and forget device. There is not reset button (to restore it to factory default) and no self test mode but for most purposes it shouldn't be necessary.
Another poster stated that the unit can desulfate batteries. I have not verified that but if that is true, then you should also be able to connect this charge controller to a battery charger to recondition batteries (and save on the expense of a standalone desulfator).
Thanks for reading.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
This is an awesome little package. The instructions say that it can use any wire up to #4.I used a size 8 .... as #8 and #10 are typical wires for solar and electrical. Even the solar for my house uses these size wires.
It does everything I need it to do, plus some. One thing I really needed to know, did it desulfate the batteries. YES IT DOES ... whoo hoo
Very user friendly and easy to use ... it has little pictures on the machine instead of words ... so you know exactly what goes where, and you don't have to worry about losing the instructions.
Best Deals for AGPtek® 30A Solar Panel Power Battery Charge Controller / Regulator
This charger has been in service for over a week now. Batteries are charged every sunny day.Keep in mind, this charger will take a max of 360 watts or 30 amps of solar power at 12 volts; 720 watts or 30 amps max at 24 volts. The "Product Description" doesn't say what size wire you can connect to this but I was able to use 8 gauge wire, no problem.
It does have an LED display for lighting options (on the load side) but I haven't tried to use it. Unless you're very good at reading/understanding broken-English, you'll probably have to read the little manual several times to successfully use the Lighting Control. Says it has a 30 amp load capacity.
Are there better 30amp PWM charge controllers available? Yes.. but not for $25!
Honest reviews on AGPtek® 30A Solar Panel Power Battery Charge Controller / Regulator
have not seen voltage go to 14.4 like the pro style do but it does idle at 13.2 volts. Dont expect you use any larger wire then 10guage with this and at max power 10guage can get warm, which i do not like. This thing gets rather hot and could use some type of heatsink on the back of it but it seams to holding together ok its been going for over a week now and really no trouble with charging and maintaining the batteries. The timer feature im not useing its only rated at 30amp with some surge at 60sec and would never stand up to the inverter if i was you use that and try to wash clothes with the washer spiking in power upward of 40amp. Im up to 2 power rails of 12volt 410watts now and 8 114amp/hr batteries after draining the batteries down at nite to 11.8v on a sunny day they get charged but only to 13.2volts and the battery light starts blinking (battery with in voltage range) so if you want to use this i would recommend useing some type of charger at least once every 2 weeks to make sure they get the 14.4volts for at least one hour. Desuflate is another issue as well you need 15.1volts for desulfate at a 2 hours span at least once a month. My battery set is 16months old and still going well and have cycled them many many times considering im off grid with most of my home.8-25-13 Bought another one to add to my array they did a revision on this model with an aluminum heatsink on the back and manual is much better unit works to prevent sulfation with 14.5 volts for 10 minutes and heat compensation as well. I posted a pic of it with other charge controllers working. If anyone says that multiple charge controllers will not work i would have to say that is false if the amps never exceed max the charge controller is going to do its thing until the voltage is where is needs to be. Under a sunny day i have almost an 80amp charge after the inverter gets what it needs to work. After switching out to 3 30 amp charge controllers i see why my 60amp xandrex charge controller did not charge the batteries that well, i was over loading it.
Ide recommend not going over 350 watts at 12volt with this. That puts it at 29amp at 12volts unless your battery(ies) is lower then 12volt lets say 11.5 volts divided by 350 watts is 30 amps at max sunlight most higher end inverters will shut down at 11.5 volts to save battery life.
No comments:
Post a Comment