DIY Solar Charge Controller | STUPID EASY!

[@MartinJohnsonOffGridLiving]

☀️ *NEWEST UPGRADES TO OUR SYSTEM SEPTEMBER 2021* kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5bEcoGwn9-qnJI

[@yanahgunawan4602]

Pak martin pakai subtitel indonesia dong

[@mattg8787]

Will that renogy support a windmill.?

[@shanehaws3828]

martin you should go watch red poppy ranch and look at the lithium battery vid

[@BulletproofPastor]

On your car you always remove negative first because the frame is tied to negative and any slip of a wrench on a positive lug may turn into 12v arc welding. On a battery bank like you have it doesn't matter. Any break in the circuit stops current flow.

[@ewidmer1]

Went back and watched the videos from when you were teaching and then traveling. Great videos when I was off for my surgery.

[@bikabill403]

Hi Martin, great video. I'm in SC and I do not envy you for having all that snow/ice! Regarding soldering a crimped joint: a metallurgist colleague of mine was a failure analyst for an auto maker. He analyzed many failures of electrical connections because of soldering crimped joints. The problem is that the crimped joint relies on the strain of the cold worked metal for it's strength - copper cold works easily during the crimping process. The heat from soldering relieves that strain - think of heat treating. If I recall correctly, he preferred crimping to soldering, but either way, definitely do not solder a crimped joint, it defeats the whole purpose of the crimper.

[@CoquiAudio]

I'm just imaging how well that set up will work in Puerto Rico with all the sunlight that we have, wow!

[@PaullaWells]

Great upgrade! Yay for y’all! It will be interesting to see what ya get when it’s sunny.

[@vickystudio667]

You are the man of inspiration for so many around the world

[@armidaperez5360]

LOL love this time frame more time to watch it more than once before breakfast..wow your really making a dream home come true... looks comfy warm now better lights.

[@jennifercullison]

Love watching your progress and learning right along with you...thanks for sharing

[@Fester_]

All a bit different nowadays. I've just bought Renogy 60A in Belfast, thanks for the videos. Lovely weather.

[@gregkahle9046]

We usually disconnect the negative first, that way the chassis of whatever you're working on if it has one, isn't grounded which means if you bump it with the wrench while removing the positive you won't be shorting out/welding. When dealing with a battery out in the open, (no chassis/frame) like your set up, I'd bet a nickel it doesn't matter, but let's see what the electricians say. Also like to use a color matched heat shrink tubing over battery cable ends, looks nice and seals them up. Anxious to see how the new setup works. It's cool how the snow insulates your water tank. Looking good!

[@jeffrobison2013]

your are right

[@HousewifeInTheWoods]

Another great video to watch and learn from... and wow u guys have got some deeeeeep snow!

[@sylhunt8230]

Thanks for the video cant wait to drive through sandpoint.

[@GirdHerd]

Martin, I love following your progress. Just want to mention that discharging lead acid batteries below 50% will drastically shorten their life.

[@johnnyt2368]

☺️🙏🥰

[@jimmyFX]

ask the mechanic i use to work with,about soldering terminals,,LOL,solder only and not crimped,,lasted for about 6months,before the solder melted and the cables fell out,,,I believe in just plane ole crimping and shrink tube,maybe spray a little honey goo on cable ends,(for vehicle use),,as far as which cable to remove first,I've always disconnected the negative first.Great informative vid..

[@dannyanjom4016]

This is good, thanks so much for the educative videos

[@bobjoncas2814]

..LOOKIN' GOOD, GREAT VID..

[@denniswymore6897]

In regards to soldering: I was trained in instrumentation wiring for vehicles. We we taught to NEVER solder connections as soldering creates a “solid section” of wire that when subject to movement/vibration is more likely to fatigue break than a crimped connection, with no loss of data acquisition voltage (0-5v in milliamperes) Hope that you find that informative!

[@davidwright1752]

Then there is a dry solder joint. Nothing like inducing a fault as well. Not everyone knows how to solder properly. Started in telecom exchanges. Soldered all day long. Still learning at my age. No soldering when working on vehicles.

[@nicobogaard2315]

Effectively, crimping these terminals in the correct manner you have a weld. That is the effect of the thin layer of tin on that terminal under that kind of pressure. It is a finding in WWII to reduce the use of sodder. AMP (an American company) produced it worldwide, here in The Netherlands in the city of Den Bosch

[@yasminghani2073]

Look forward to see your videos you and your family do a amazing job

[@Masteradamant]

Good to see that Renogy solar controllers detecting wattage at least.. I'm not so sure I'm using the best solar charge controller just yet and I'm comparing different merchandise at the time being, so I might buy one...

[@gregorylyon6441]

When I do multi battery projects. I leave a 2 inch air gap in between the batteries for heat dissipation. Equals better performance higher capacity longer life

[@HrhFish]

Do you recomend using fuses between the panels and between the batery?

[@michaelmello9510]

Nice work

[@jerryp5039]

With metal chassis like on cars, disconnect negative first and and reconnect negative last. I don't think it really matters with your solar system but you should always reconnect away from the battery when possible and wear safety glasses (do as I say not as I do). When you reconnect the arc (that small spark) has the potential to cause the battery to pop and spray battery acid. I have had one pop when I attempted to start the car. Fortunately I wasn't standing over it.

[@axontech]

What is the "DC Load" used for when the inverter is tied directly to the batteries?

[@jbkroeger]

Thanks for this video Martin. I just added 4 more 100 watt Renogy panels to my system (making a total of 8) and also adding a 60 amp Rover charge controller. I now want to move the batteries, charger & inverter into the house and out of my enclosed trailer. Also need to purchase some unistrut material and build a sturdy ground frame to make a permanent panel mount. Still own the 40 amp Rover, so I can add 4 more panels at a later date. Have to next work on updating my 2 Renogy gel 100Ah batteries to 200Ah Lithium Iron Phosphate...if I can find at a decent price...Renogy wants way too much for theirs.

[@johnregan8796]

Have you enjoyed your renogy 60 amp charge controller? I am about to get into solar and have narrowed it down to that charge controller because of its versatility as I grow my battery bank through the years

[@autosousao61]

What is the purpose of the load connections, since all this is new to me ?

[@winstonsmiths2449]

Shrink tubing over the wire and lug would be a good idea. Everynow and then I forget to place the tubing on the wire prior to using my kinetic crimper LOL.

[@richardbrooks3569]

What makes that a cabin versus a house?

[@ReggaeRedeemer]

my man looks IRIE MON!! 👍😄

[@vannd6117]

Funny things..one day I stumbled to your channel and it led to Sarah. I follow more vids on her. After that, everytime Sarah mentioned you she put on this channels and I look up but none of it in bahasa so I thought I was hallucinating..turns out you have two channels lol 😂

[@ThreeDayRV]

I'm curious about the rover 60 amp , what's the maximum PV current that it can handle if I wanted to use this in parallel?

[@zeel4550]

Has the Renogy scc been reliable? I have seen mixed reviews for many of the Renogy products.

[@realestateinfonet9041]

Great video! Thanks!

[@SurvivalLiving]

Renogy is a great brand products, very nice 60 amp controler 👍 👍 Very nice system you guys are putting together.

[@lisainman4374]

If the nighttime symbol on this control charger remains on is there a way to reset the charger or are we to assume something is wrong with our solar system?

[@MartinJohnsonOffGridLiving]

I would look at the manual. Sorry I just can’t remember off the top of my head. It you don’t have it you can get it from their website.

[@delmasparker5184]

You need a battery disconnect between batteries and inverter. A fused combiner box at your panels also. Not only for surge protection. That way you can shut down without having to unhook wires for maintenance . Since you have a large solar array I would also consider lightning arresters to protect your equipment and avoid fire. Not sure what your overall voltage is coming from those panels but would do the math. Don’t seem like a 60 amp controller is enough. Should use your 40 amp too and split some of that incoming voltage. Mainly because you are using MPPT vs PWM. I always unhook positive first. Your panels must also be grounded one to the other .Just sharing my 10+ years of solar experience. No insult intended.

[@zz44ppppp]

haha i like the " no insult" caveat. he is very touchy.

[@carl8568]

Say with this 60a controller, the max PV power input is 150v, so is it safe to have exactly 150 or 151v coming in from 4x 250w panels?

[@scifycartoon]

When you do the permanent install, do get a DC load center to breaker your charge controllers and inverter !

[@bill7078]

what size cable to battery and size of inverter ?

[@sgtcote1]

I've both read and seen other videos that state when mechanical staking is used for connections that solder is not needed. The staking alone permanently welds the two together. Adding solder only reduces conductivity ever so slightly. But in the world of solar, we want every positive advantage we can get. Great video BTW, Ive just purchased the 40amp Rover to upgrade from my 30amp pwm charger. Im going to increase from 400 watts to 600 watts of solar. Oh, what is the wattage of your 24v inverter?? Thanks

[@Esyyyy]

Musim salju?apakah itu menyenangkan?:)

[@douglashuston5628]

I don't see any fusing on your lines or between components. I think this might be a good idea to check out. You might also consider an EMERGENCY disconnect from your battery bank.

[@supermultixverse4466]

I think you're doing Great already 😊😊

[@kenwood8210]

what are you using for Bluetooth?? what kind if box or plug?

[@mkroach59]

Always remove the ground side first then the hot, reverse to install , hot first then ground last. This will lower the risk of a spark which could ignite hydrogen gas being off gassed by the batteries. Hope this helps.

[@jeffrobison2013]

your going to get a spark no matter which one you do first. the unhooking negative first thing is from automotive work in case your wrench bumps surrounding metal when unhooking positive. when installing new batt hook positive up first for same reason

[@markjackson6829]

@@jeffrobison2013 Always negative first and last, it's not just for automotive arcing on a grounded frame ect. Connecting the battery cable to terminal itself creates less sparking when the ground is hooked up first and last, rather than the positive!?

[@kickingitwiththecarrs]

This was a very useful video your awesome I just started an off grid channel with my kids and could really use a shout out from you to help out small channel out we all gotta start somewhere and I think the big man is sending me your way takes alot to ask but the big man will either make it happen or not we appreciate you and your videos and will be watch much love from kicking with the Carrs to your family. # kicking with the Carrs

[@keithhudson8522]

Good job

[@dannyanjom4016]

Have a question; had a 600w system that was working well. Charge controller failed and i changed battery connection to series 12v. Now system works during the day but at night voltage quickly drops and goes into blackout after about 2 hrs use. Any ideas what this might be?

[@PNW-LOGGING-HOMESTEAD]

Have you used anything like a desulfator from pulsetech to extend that bat banks life for cheap

[@ohske]

Good 👍👍👍👌☺️

[@JonOffgrid]

Good luck hope it works out for yea cheers

[@socalives]

Hi, I have a question that Renogy seems not to have any info about the 24v setup. You mentioned that when selecting 24v the controller automatically doubles the numbers in the parameters, even though you actually see 12v numbers. This would be in the USER mode for LiFePo4 batteries at 12.8v. Connected in series (25.6V). So.... I do not need to double the numbers for series connection?? just select 24V and plug the recommended numbers from the battery manufacturer and the controller takes it from there? Thanks for posting your videos! Update! After reading my manual closely, the controller does indeed double the numbers for 24v .

[@christophejedi6634]

hi, you don't put any breaker or fuse on your installation ?

[@MartinJohnsonOffGridLiving]

That is an old video.

[@ericl3272]

Is that the bt1 or bt2?

[@CamppattonFamilyCompound]

First disconnect the panels from the controller, negative first. Once the panels are disconnected, then disconnect one line from the controller to the batteries, at the controller. Negative or positive, doesn't make a difference with a solar system, because you are NOT (repeat NOT) connecting any of the wires to a metal rack. Then disconnect the other end of that cable from the batteries. Now disconnect the other cable. DO NOT disconnect both ends (at controller or batteries) at the same time, UNLESS you tape the exposed wire off on the first cable BEFORE you disconnect the second cable. Safety first! On crimping the lug ends to the cable, you don't have to solder them, hence the name "solderless" connections. HOWEVER, vapors from the batteries will corrode those fine wires. I always solder them in addition to crimping them. Then heat shrink, liquid tape or rubber tape over the end of the lug and cable, covering all exposed wire. I have seen copper wire oxidize and come out of what was a secure crimp after several years. That's why I take the extra time and solder them.

[@nacekilpatrick6290]

I just bought the 20 amp one

[@jml7916]

People who insist you solder don’t understand crimps. A proper crimp is a cold weld and should perform as well as soldering. They also have much better vibration tolerance. Not as important for your cabin but very important in my travel trailer.

[@blaineonabike]

Where did that island in the kitchen come from?! Haha

[@juliejohnson9531]

Blaine McKinney 😉

[@at347est]

Obviously 8 panels is better than 4 , but is it enough ? Will you add more later ?

[@carlyoung1707]

am building a ebike/ camper/cabin can you use your inverter in 48v

[@ericl3272]

What gauage wire are you using on the 40 amp one

[@op8995]

8AWG I think he is using

[@epnuzuluaga766]

Remove negative side first. Reattach positive first then negative to avoid sparking.

[@benkanobe7500]

Was unable after watching four of your Solar KZbins and reading the specifications on Amazon for inverter/charger to find out where/how to get the BT application on your phone for monitoring the system. Can you point me to the correct KZbin? Also, is there a KZbin of yours that explains whey That, inverter/charger? Thank you!!

[@MartinJohnsonOffGridLiving]

Here is the app apps.apple.com/us/app/renogy-bt/id1251320287 I’ll make a video about our solar set up soon. We are moving it to a new location soon.

[@wallaceloper637]

How about an outside breaker box for panels to chargers. just me thinking out loud.

[@garyreed354]

Any one know the difrance between battery + and load+ or load and battery y is it marked like that

[@misu5175]

Hi mr martin, i'm sarah subscriber, i'm indonesian, nice to meet you :)

[@alibutler3400]

How do you switch the controller from night to day?

[@MartinJohnsonOffGridLiving]

I don’t.

[@alwayson7229]

Should be 6” clearance for that rover top and bottom not against that 2x4 might want to raise it

[@douglashuston5628]

...ooops. addition from previous post: EMERGENCY Disconnect from the Panels might also be a good idea.

[@RonaldMedia]

Nice setup. Are you going to expand the batteries at some point too? Or is it enough for the time being?

[@chumleye1112]

Just an fyi that tthe further you run DC cables, the more voltage drop there is making it less efficient unless you upsize the cables and the colder a battery is, the more inefficient it becomes. Battery efficiency drops drastically along with temperature. Just think of it like trying to start a vehicle where if it doesn"t start right away in the summer you can crank it forever but in the winter you can"t crank it for very long before it dies. Might be a good idea to put the batteries, controllers and inverter in the basement, closer to the panels and the house which will keep your voltage drop to a minimum and keep your batteries warmer, killing two birds with one stone.

[@MartinJohnsonOffGridLiving]

That is true for AC too.

[@garyenwards1608]

I'm considering purchasing this unit currently but I've seen multiple people say that the renogy charge controllers don't read the batteries accurately. In your experience is it reading accurately have you tested with a multimeter at the batteries to compare to the charge controller?

[@PaulChapman1bz]

I got the 40w rover couple of weeks ago and I noticed the display was showing a higher voltage than my multimeter. Poor form as my batteries are new AGM and I don't want them ruined in the first couple of years

[@garyenwards1608]

@@PaulChapman1bz Try the Tracer EPEver they are very accurate. Ive had one for a number of years never failed

[@michaelhardy8589]

8000w outbacks solar power 5 system off-grid great

[@keramanbinmohamadiemansh7184]

Good morning

[@pup1008]

Hi, I would be extremely grateful if someone could help me out on a couple of points, one on the unit & the other operations in general. I'm running my through a good quality inverter & the whole setup works like a dream but.... Whenever the Rover goes into "Boost" mode & *IF* I have anything plugged into & running through the inverter, it goes nuts because I think it doesn't like the fact a higher than recommended/advised current is going through it. I can reduce the "Boost" voltage under the "USR" setting but wonder if this is negating the benefit of having "Boost" & if, under "USR," you are using a host of random parameters generally? I could get round this by not using the unit when the Rover is in "Boost" mode but just on that - Is the "Bulk, Constant, Float, Boost," a cyclical thing eg. continually repeating during the day or just a once a day thing? I have been running the system without any fusing. Do people recommend fusing? I can't really see where any problem would occur & the inverter is fully fused? Also would fuses lessen the available current going into the battery? Many thanks for any help!

[@RJSoftware2000]

I think the boost is preprogrammed battery charging options for longevity. I would contact inverter company about problem as it s job to stabilize

[@pup1008]

@@RJSoftware2000 Many thanks for your kind help!

[@trevinom69]

Renogy is an American company. Started in Lousiana.

[@jesperdahl1486]

Whether you disconnect Positive or Negative first, is not as important in a wood shed, or in a plastic battery box, because you can not short circuit to metal ground as in a car, but do Negative first, to keep the procedure in your head. Much more important, I did not see a fuse / breaker, or even a disconnect in your system, you really should have at least a fuse, I would use one rated at about 1.5 times the max load of the inverter (2000 x 1.5 / 24 = 125A ) a breaker is nice because you can disconnect at will. Now that the panels are on your house it is quite important to ground the Negative side of the panels ( for lightening protection ) but do NOT just do that, READ how your inverter is set up, you can blow up the inverter if you do grounding "wrong" If you get in your car, and drive West until the weather gets really crappy, you will find a couple of factories that build airplanes, the cables that go to the turbine engines, are crimped, with NO solder in sight, if it is good enough for Boeing, it is good enough for you. Have a wonderful day.

[@daniellesmith1059]

No. Wont be any better to solder, as long as the ends are tight.

[@blastblade9434]

I noticed that your wires were under the snow. My idea for you is to try to get a type of pole to place the wires on top of so they are easier to grab and out of the way of the snow.

[@armidaperez5360]

Melt the snow for water? Free

[@at347est]

Sounds great but in reality , there is not much yield . About 3 gallons of snow to make 1 gallon of water .

[@kenputer56]

It does not matter which is first, where as a car the whole body is the negative terminal

[@jamest.5001]

Just beat it! Or crimp it! Some rung terminals, may need cleaning, with wire brush, it can cause problems later, if they are corroded or if there is anything that will cause corrosion or a bad connection, tinned copper terminal are nice, a wire brush to clean them before crimping, can make a better connection, a heat shrink to prevent any oxidisation/ corrosion, atleast some tape to seal the connection, especially if there is high current connections, things happen over time, I don't like having over 300 amps constant/ sustained load with DC power, I have had things happen , from bolts loosening from heat cycling, viberations, and corrosion of conductors, causing things to overheat, and could lead to fire, and throw 200-300 + amps in the mix, and it gets gets fast, if it's over 200amps it's best to not leave it to a single connection, no matter the the cable size, I run 2 runs each, of 2/0 cable on my system to the inverter. Leaving 150-200 amps peak to each cable, the distance a single 3/0 would work fine, but it's cheaper than a house! I just lost my house to a fire a few years ago, so I'm a bit paranoid about potential fire hazards!! Having enough lithium batteries to launch a rocket, doesn't help! So I'm waiting for the BMS, and a cabnet before even trying to connect the batteries! Along with a baking soda fire suppression system, in the battery cabnet, I'm hoping the soda will help prevent the whole battery bank from going up, if there is a "incident" with a single cell, and because water will only make things worse! Sorry rambling again!

[@akwolf1434]

Should have run your wires from the shed to the house up off of the ground so you don't accidentally damage them.

[@drewhillfarm1830]

Or have a moose get tangled up with them and drag them off/out somewhere else like they like to do with my electric fence. They’ve even climbed the woven wire fence around the garden next to the house., leaving big footsteps in the wire and bending corners in towards the center. They move around a lot at night and are curious about all the changes.

[@avflyguy]

You must not have a lot of load demands on your system. With only 4 golf cart batteries, would surely think you'd be running 4 batteries to some serious load demands for ac conversion for even something like a hair dryer. Might want to check out what Red Poppy did before you load up with more lead acid batteries. (my golf cart has 6 six volts and it for sure won't run around 18 holes more that a few times with 4 people and clubs)

[@richardsabean5781]

Hey Martin,, you wanna see some snow?? Check out 24 hours of snow in 30 seconds,, Newfoundland Canada,, just type it in youtube search.. aloha

[@sandrabarnhart1434]

Snow is a incerlator

[@armidaperez5360]

+ 1st or - 1st. You'll soon find OUT..lol

[@jeffrobison2013]

does not matter

[@n4mwd]

Any mppt controller that only works from only 150 volts is junk. There are a lot of them too. With panels that have a vopen of 45 volts, that means you can't have more than 3 panels before you have to go parallel. There are only a few 600 volt controllers out there that have it. Where I live, shading is an ever-present threat which makes connecting in parallel unfeasible.

[@jesusverasecula6892]

Por favor Martín, no olvides poner la barra de subtitulo, no hablo ingles también como tu. También tienes subscriptores en latinoamericana.

[@PoorMansHomesteadCanadaBC1961]

SHOVEL SOME SNOW INTO YOUR WATER TANK FOR MORE FREE WATER

[@kenputer56]

Hold on to the crimper you fool !

[@GirdHerd]

Installing = Positive first. Uninstalling = Negative first. That way you don't shock the system so much.

[@tiffanybrown8165]

. Are is pooping up a error indicator.

[@northernliving2387]

Snow act like insulater.. sounds like you need to build a bigger shed.

[@coreys121]

I just solder and don't crimp cause I have no crimping tool

[@yasminghani2073]

Please get more batteries

[@nieveshuerta2060]

👍

[@WiSeNhEiMeR-1369]

CHARGE CONTROLLER - would you have CHOSEN a larger CHARGE CONTROLLER - initially - if you knew your final number of SOLAR PANELS ? 60 amp + 40 amp ... would you have chosen a 100+ amp Charge controller if you knew in advance ??? you seem to be using a COMBINER MC-4 Connector that I've never seen before = 2 Wires / Panels into a single FEED Wire ... what are these called ? COOP ...

[@колянягодкин-к9т]

Хорошо конечно,,когда есть за что купить