How would I hook up up two or more 5 watt panels? Simply double up the wires on the controller?
306603
Depends on what voltage you want. Wiring in series or parallel changes or maintains the output voltage.
306604
If there are only 2 (12 Volt) panels; you could put both wires in the "solar panel" connectors. For more panels I would suggest you get wire nuts. Wire nuts allow you to connect many panels together (in parallel) without any wires slipping out. The kind of wire nut is the bolt kind, a slotted screw with a nut to crimp a few wires together for a tight electrical bond. Have a thicker gage wire going from the wire nuts (+ & -) to the controller.
1947082
Should work it is pushing the controller hard but I am doing (1) 255 watt panel with a 12 volt system and works fine good luck.Lon
2134187
Buy the MC-4 connectors. Then puchase some 18 to 16 gauge wire in the length you need.Attach the wires to the MC-4 connectors. The MC-4 connectors plug into the panels and the wires they are attached to go to your controller.Go to this link for more info: http://www.freesunpower.com/index.php
1283053
31.666 amps is where you are with your 4 panels. I agree with AT... You need a larger charge controller or research using multiple controllers.
302625
Hello,If you are charging 24v the controller can support 3 of these panels.In 24v the controller can support up to 800 watts.Please let us know if you have any further questions.Regards,Austin WaltiRenogy Technical Support Rep.
1806277
There are too many variables to give a definite answer. ie. Are you using an individual controller for each panel or one controller for all three? Have you considered back flow from one panel to another? How about voltage or amperage input to the controller(s)? Also, the 128 watts is an ideal, under perfect conditions result. Do not expect to produce this much power. They are good, useful panels, but I don't know of any panels which produce their rated power consistently.
1224563
i used 12 gauge from the solar panels to the controller and from the controller to the batteries i used no 6 awg i already had here The no 6 is probably overkill i wouldnt go any less than 8 from the controller to the batteries what is your battery bank at least 24v i hope
590438
You can reasonably connect 4 panels at 128 Watts and 24 Volts each using this spider. Connect the single lead to a 10AWG cable (sold separately from Amazon) and then to your charge controller. This is my set-up and the set-up of many other responders here. So, to answer your question, I believe the four conductors may not be 10AWG, but the single one I believe to be 10AWG. All stranded. I used the MC4 connectors sold separately from Amazon.
558809
it depends on the type of controller. I have a 12v switch with hard-wire connecters and buttons to control the type of lights I need on. So yeah you can connect 2 or more sets of lights
592386
The short answer is: A pair of alligator clips to connect the wires to the battery. If you or a friend have any mechanical ability at all, it is easy. You get 40' of wire that becomes 20' because you run two conductors, a positive and a negative. You will cut the desired length of wires to run from the panel to the controller. The wire remaining will be used to go from the controller to the battery. The terminals on the panel, the controller and the battery are clearly marked as to what goes where. (I used a piece of red tape to mark the hot (positive) wire at all ends. (the wires are all black.) This system is superb. We use two batteries and have all the power we need in our RV. (Lights, pump, tv, computers.) We are thrilled with it. (The price is unbelievable. $600 in RV stores) If I can be of any other help please don't hesitate to holler: Ivor ivorthomas316@aol.com
1373853
I have not tried this and wonder why you want to unless you have too much power for one. They do make a controllers that works up to sixty amps. I don't know how you want to wire this. Using separate panels is the only thing I can guess. I use my meter every day to read the total amps going to my batteries and the voltage at any given time. The lights on the front of the controller tell you most things about the system but not the voltage or the current. The voltage tells you how close you are to a full charge. If you have two sets of panels you would need two controllers with two meters. Hope this helps. I have not tried this and wonder why you want to unless you have too much power for one. They do make a controllers that works up to sixty amps. I don't know how you want to wire this. Using separate panels is the only thing I can guess. I use my meter every day to read the total amps going to my batteries and the voltage at any given time. The lights on the front of the controller tell you most things about the system but not the voltage or the current. The voltage tells you how close you are to a full charge. If you have two sets of panels you would need two controllers with two meters.... » Read More I have not tried this and wonder why you want to unless you have too much power for one. They do make a controllers that works up to sixty amps. I don't know how you want to wire this. Using separate panels is the only thing I can guess. I use my meter every day to read the total amps going to my batteries and the voltage at any given time. The lights on the front of the controller tell you most things about the system but not the voltage or the current. The voltage tells you how close you are to a full charge. If you have two sets of panels you would need two controllers with two meters. Hope this helps. « Show Less
1117725
These simply repeat whatever signal is put into it, with a power boost. This is useful for having only 1 controller, but using these you can send that signal with plenty of power to however many strips and repeaters you want. For my build, I used a 360w power supply and 5 of these repeaters to power and send signals to about 10 RGB LED strips (2 strips per repeater) with just 1 controller. What I used: http://www.amazon.com/SUPERNIGHT-Switch-Power-Supply-Switching/dp/B008HARHN8 Edit: On the output side of the repeater, you can see two 'power' terminals. I wired two repeaters from each terminal from the above mentioned power supply. Alternatively, you can also use http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B7BGAXW (though I've had mixed results with plug compatibility). For me, I have my repeaters wired directly into this cable: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008LR6EAY, which then goes to a connector that attaches to the lights. Overall I would suggest using a DC power supply if you plan on using more than 1 of these.
1771873
Power (watts) = E (voltage) x I (current in amps), so 12 volts x 40 amps =480 watts. 480 watts/250 watts/panel = 1.925 panels. With the panels only producing 250 watts in perfect conditions, and with the efficiency factor of the panels multiplied in, plus the loss on the wire between the panels and the charge controller, it looks like your charge controller should be able to handle 2 panels, barely. Only 1, barely, if you run at 24 volts.
1947999
I could not find cable for sale that would connect the two. i purchased an extension cable for the solar panel, cut one end off and attached it to the controller.
1729372
It could be done, but 50 watts probably wouldn't do the trick. You could tie together more than one panel, though, for more power, or use a larger panel. If you do buy solar and plan to use a lead-acid battery, spend a little more and buy a PWM controller. (Look at Sunguard controllers). It costs a little more, but you'll get more output from the same panel. Controllers are used to prevent overcharging lead acid batteries. So, in short, it can be done. I love the Instapark panels. I dropped one from my RV and replaced it with the same model. Still need to see if I can have the glass replaced. They are not fragile, though. Have fun. It's a project.
1283048
A 30A Charge controller WILL be adequate and will work but it is a narrow margin for your 145 watt panels. I estimated the amperage on your panels @ 7.25 amps each, that put you right at 29 amps. Barring any solar fluxes that might tip the controller to temp shut down you should be ok.
270728
LED Panels? Do you mean an LED Matrix panel? If so, start with one panel (in), two wires should be there to extend the power then just connect the wires to the next panel. Red is positive and black is negative. Does this help?