What's the best/safe way to connect a 100W panel &amp; this controller to my 22ah portable power stations. (A Schumacher 1200 amp and Diehard 1150.) TIA
200919
i just used 14 gauge electric wiring. it worked fine. the connections could take 12 gauge wire.
1567139
Hi I have my Go Power 95 watt hooked up in parallel. It d8es fine in the winter. I have to many trees so it does less right now. To hook up do this, get two cables one red the other black. Run black negative to black, red to red positive. Now check polarity on the two cables from the controller negagitive on negative on one battery. Positive to positive on the other battery. Your batteries charge better this way. Thanks
2236906
I use this panel to charge a 4ah lithium iron phosphate battery w/ a charge controller to regulate voltage(14.1). I wanted an unbreakable portable panel for charging electronic devices. You could link two of these in parallel to 2 group 24 batteries but it would only be a trickle charge(&lt;20watts). I would suggest a cheap charge controller even though it's not necessary to extend your battery life. These are nice panels but for two 85ah batteries you might aim for 50-75watts.
1955408
I have five 100 watt panels now, wired together with MC4 split connectors and running 25 feet to my charge controller. My panels have a working voltage of 18.5V. That gives me 5.5 amp per panel in direct sun. In total I get 27 - 28 amps on a clear day. I have no problem with voltage drop but I am now max'd out on my 30 amp charge controller and the 10 guage wire. If you have a larger system than that you will need heavier wire, unless your panels operate at a higher voltage, wich would lower your amps. As long as you are under 30 amp this wire works great. I hope this helps.Dan
1056067
I have several solar panels. I started out with the MC4 connecters but found them both very un-reliable and hard to work with. I would lose power on a/some panels, trace the problem/s to the connectors (always). I simply replaced the line coming out of the panels with some long enough to run to weather proof plastic junction boxes, running the positive leads into one and the negative to the others. Out of those to my charge controller. Problems ended, and WAY lower cost than those MC4 connectors and the over priced branch connector un-reliable cables or over priced boxes.
1947081
Wont' work. You'll burn out the charge controller, which is rated to about 500W maximum. I'd suggest an Outback controller instead (FM60 or FM80). We've used this Tracer2210RN for smaller installations up to about 400W max. We've also used five other controllers of various capacities and like the Outback series the best.
31482
I have had four one hundred watt panels hooked up to this same charge controller for nearly a year and it works fine. At first, I had them hooked up with the panels at 12v and the battery bank at 12v, then I switched the hookup to two sets of two panels in series to put the panels at 24v with the battery bank remaining at 12v. I get a little more power out of the panels this way because a lower amperage means a smaller voltage drop between the panels and charge controller, even though the wattage from the panels is the same. It works fine. With an MPPT controller, the voltage of the panels is not dumped directly into the batteries so you can hook it up either way. If you hook the panels in sets to reach 24v, then your only limit is the 30 amps to the battery bank. Anything above that is simply lost.
264929
Is this the only panel in the circuit? If yes you could use as little as 10 amp charge controller.if you plan on adding I'd total the amps your panels produce....
1523595
Yes it will work. I'm using two 100 watt panels wired in series to get 24 volts running to the charge controller and then to my 12 volt battery bank. works great. You'll have have less resistance from the panel to the controller in 24 volts as well.
1873944
I think you need to check your controller specs, but I know some controllers may just shut off to prevent damage. Also note these panels are higher voltage which may not be compatible with your controller. I bought a charge controller that won't work with these because the voltage may go up to 45V on these panels. Now I run two of these with the Morningstar MPPT 45A charge controller. Morningstar has a calculator on their site that will confirm whether a planned setup will work with their charge controllers or not. I am planning on adding one more panel to my setup. The 45A MPPT charge controller can handle 3 of these panels. Good luck!
2165899
I think a 20A would be the min I would hook up two panels to. I have 4 panels wired in series and parrallel to a 40A MPPT controller. The MPPT vs PWM is a different thing completely. You can google the difference between the two. I have had great luck and success with http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008KWPGAE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I've used this one and the same brand in 20A. These are great panels and make power even in moonlight.
231755
You need to buy separate cables to hook panels to controller. I purchased HQRP Pair MC4 T-branch Solar Panel Connector M/M/F & F/F/M (1F2M & 2F1M) for PV / Photovoltaic System plus HQRP Coaster (Splitters used to connect two panels to one controller) and HQRP Pair 25 feet / 7.62m 1x4mm Photovoltaic Solar Array Cables with MC4 Connectors and HQRP Coaster Sold by HQRP-US (cables to hook panels from roof of RV to controller mounted inside of RV). The setup worked like a charm. Pigtails on panels are very short.
1127411
According to Grape Solar (you can call customer service and they are very helpful), you should be able to connect the solar panel to the Morningstar charge controller, Pro Star 15 (which is 15 Amps). According to Grape Solar, you need to connect the solar panel to the Morningstar Controller with an MC4 cable. I purchased a 25ft MC4 cable ( HQRP Pair 25 feet / 7.62m 1x4mm Photovoltaic Solar Array Cables with MC4 Connectors and HQRP Coaster), and Grape Solar confirmed this was the correct purchase. Apparently you need a wire stripper to connect the MC4 cable from the solar panel to the charge controller. According to Grape Solar, you cut the MC4 cable in half, and then use a wire stripper to connect the solar panel to the charge controller. I have no idea how to do this, and i was going to call Grape Solar tomorrow to walk me through it. And then you need battery cable from the charge controller to the battery. Grape asked how far the charge controller was going to be from the battery, and i told them 3 feet. They said to get #6 gauge wire. I will try to walk you thorugh it once i figure it out myself. Hope this helps I guess i just post another comment once i find the solution from Grape? If you call and get better or different information, please let me know. Good luck!
707713
I don't believe you'll have a significant reduction in current unless you start talking hundreds of feet. The specs on this say it has 3 foot cables, but on mine the cables from the panel to the controller are 10 or 15 feet long. (Maybe they changed the cables, maybe they're talking about the cables that go from controller to battery, I'm not sure). The wires are made of copper, so resistance is low. You might have to splice cables together to make the distance, but as long as you do that correctly, it should work fine. Another option would be to solder your own longer cables directly to the panel, which I think would work better.
1918069
The HQRP charge controller will work with your 100 watt panel. Whether or not your entire "system" is right for your needs depends on your loads. If you plan on running a fridge, TV, radio, lots of lights, electric heater, etc., it ain't gonna happen.
232512
Use a 45 watt panel connected to battery with controller. Would not recommend direct connect (solar to pump) unless very small panel. Try a 5 watt and see. This still might be too much electricity.
598514
I believe you are asking if you can mix panel types with this controller....no. You will need the MPPT type Morningstar controller.