Inside Another Cheap Solar Charge Controller

[@TheGhungFu]

Now that we've established that the seller misrepresented the product, I can say these cheap PWM controllers work pretty well for the price. I've had one charging a solar lighting system, and one charging a wifi remote relay system for going on 3 years. They have been working well for those applications using 70 watt panels and sealed lead-acid batteries. I'm powering the wifi repeater using the USB port which seems to be outputting around 2 amps as stated. Thanks for the video!

[@markmhp6693]

There pretty good for what they are

[@vylbird8014]

I had one too, and it destroyed my battery. Hardware wise it's actually fine, but the firmware was set for a rather over-aggressive charge cycle.

[@1billthekid]

@@vylbird8014 Would you care to elaborate a bit on that? I just got my hands on a 10A setup, where the battery is lead-acid, 7A. Is the charging cycle adjustable in any way? Thanks in advance!

[@vylbird8014]

@@1billthekid It's been a good many years, but from what little I remember, it was taking the voltage too high during charging resulting in outgassing. Which will quickly damage a SLA. Maybe it's made for flooded cells.

[@1billthekid]

@@vylbird8014 Ok, thanks for replying mate!

[@thatcheapguy525]

good to see someone doing a teardown. I guess its easy enough to improve the heat sinking with what the controller is mounted to. for anyone who's bought one and they're concerned about the load track sizes, its no major issue to increase their density.

[@sambut87]

I have one like this and it has been working for 4 years now

[@ulises5319]

1 week for me.

[@ulises5319]

@Thomas Chrombly lol I have a lot of experience in specialized industry installations. Solar system imstallation is for kids. Regards!

[@jefersonnl]

How many times did you change the battery? Does it keep the battery healthy enough so we can extract a great lifetime from it? Thanks.

[@lawrencedavidson6195]

One year for me here in Jamaica.

[@twa2471]

I have a couple of those for small portable solar genarators 1 for a shed. The other is totally portable on a dolly with an enclosed box & 2 grp 24 deep cycle marine batteries. I've been using them frequently for about 3-4 years now and they have worked perfectly. For around 10 bucks, what more could you ask for? I think there great myself, and all mine have been 100% reliable. They work especially well for the application I'm using them for. Minor lighting, running small tools, and actually if I hook up 200wats worth of panels, it will handle a small 10cf fridge quite nicely, BTW, I also have a 1500 -3000w surge inverter on the dolly set up as well for DC use. Well worth having for mini systems IMO. All and all, a quite handy tool for using around the property where power isn't normally avaible.

[@azizimran8805]

This usual thing used mainly in Swiftlet Farms in most areas in Borneo for 12v system setup. For residential , i doubt it can supply much energy supply that we need for daily usage.

[@ianclau9155]

I purchased similar looking PWM solar charge controllers and found similar results. The back plate did get hot when connected to a 150w panel so I added a large heat sink scavenged from a motherboard, which seemed to help dissipate the heat.

[@twa2471]

I did the same.

[@frankz1125]

If you use a higher voltage with these they do not cut off. Mine was set to 14.2 v and caught it over 15.5v. I had 32v panel.

[@matte.9047]

6:44 Tech Params shows Battery voltage is 12/24v, Max solar input shows various voltages including 24v, is it possible to set the Battery voltage to charge a 24V battery?

[@OliverJobson]

Is the voltage of the "load" circuit regulated at all? Could it be used to drive some 12v devices - like a router without the use of a DC-DC converter / voltage regulator?

[@inregionecaecorum]

I have one that looks identical to that except that the label claims it is MPPT. How can I tell for sure whether it is or not?

[@AdamWelchUK]

It probably isn’t I’m afraid, but to be sure open it up and if you don’t see a decent sized inductor (usually a coil of copper coloured wire wrapped around a ring) then you can be fairly sure it is not mppt. Alternatively, check the voltage of the solar panel then check the voltage of the battery. If they are the same, it’s probably not mppt. This method works best with a battery which isn’t fully charged.

[@BackPackHack]

What you didn't touch on was the terminals. Specifically, whether the 60a charger is capable of properly terminating a larger conductor capable of carrying 60 amps.

[@gusswilder6418]

For heavier wires you are going to have to make some custom adjustments. On one, I crimped a pin type terminator onto the wire to get it to fit. On another, I used solid copper wire and used a file to make it fit. But I wouldn't realistically expect it to handle more than 20A continuous.

[@rvc1rvc1]

I got one similar to yours. The usb outputs are rated at 2A, but the max you'll get out of ONE of them is +- 0.5A. If you try to pull anything more than that the voltage drops like crazy. float charge is also non-existent. I've opened a dispute with the seller saying the description isn't right, seeing as the usb's aren't working as advertised, and i'm getting my money back.

[@utuberlars]

the same at my controller... but its very cheap... and better than nothing ?!...

[@rvc1rvc1]

@@utuberlars Its better than nothing but I'd rather use something a little bit more reliable. So Instead I bought one from a reputable brand for just under 30 dollar.

[@leonardsolis9876]

Mine was working fine until i tried charging a dewalt battery from the usb port and i guess it burned out, can i fix it?

[@rndmfella1874]

"you get what you pay for!" I actually have a couple similar looking controllers, but they are actually ribbed metal in the back, for your pleasure.

[@cs8425]

lol xD

[@Swenser]

I've tried putting two in parallel. Charging stops. What am I doing wrong?

[@mvanvoorden]

I ordered the 40 amps from a site that actually advertised them as PWM, and it seems that they've upgraded the heatsink in the meantime. Mine has actual ribs on the back.

[@chrismurphy7324]

Those tracks will easily take 60 amps , the cross section of the tracks is quite large , also the mosfets have very low saturation resistance and produce little heat .. don't be so misleading

[@davebean2886]

While searching for a replacement for my Harbor Freight Thunderbolt 100 Watt solar system charge controller that has USB ports, I strangely ended up with several of these of the 30 A variety. They do seem to run, but I don't trust them, the as you cycle through the menus, there is not an identification of what is being changed and the connection screws are very small and hard to get to accept larger wires. How are others charging their USB devices? Very few of the more expensive charge controllers with names that we recognize have USB ports. Thanks.

[@IrishTrains]

What happens to the charge controller when the LiFePo4 battery internal controller disconnects due to charge or temperature? Does it fry the solar controller?

[@pleasecho2]

Why didnt you hook anything up to the load side of the controller?

[@frankhovis]

The one I have allows Battery type to be set from b1 to b7, but I've no idea what that changes.

[@Gybe1132]

Chance question. Why do they state only use solar panel input. I am using lithium ion battery to charge my lead acid batteries on my boat rather than starting the engine. Surely DC input is a dc input

[@1stinsightpro101]

Questions how did you get the programme to run on your computer

[@Berecz]

Hi. Could I connect this to my 48V 42A power supply and use it as a buck converter to charge my 6S8P li-ion pack (adjust the voltage down to 25.2V)?

[@panospapadimitriou3498]

bought a 1.5a 30w panel with it and after all cabling i m not sure if 30watts is enough to wake it up

[@bartsshorts]

pwm means pulse width modulation, which means it interprits the width of the radiowave to talk bs

[@lawrencedavidson6195]

I wonder if it has a carrier wave too, or a 19kz pilot tone..

[@cubey]

Those controllers are decent for the price. They do control the voltage and seem to last a while, even in hot conditions. Mine has been running in 100*F in my RV this summer, but the batteries haven't had a load except when I have been in there with a roof vent fan turned on for ventilation while I was working in there. Checking the controller and a separate LCD voltage meter, it has maintained the batteries properly, so it seems. I had a 20A for 100W originally, then 200W. I upgraded to a 30A controller when I added more panels for 400W total since a 20A would be at it's absolute limit, if not over. A low end, real 30A MMPT runs about $100 USD and a 40A runs about $150. Compared to $10-20 USD for PWM ones, it's a big savings if you are on a budget. Over 400W or 500W of panels, then I'd probably invest in an MPPT. I might anyway next year, if get it into my mind to do so. I'm running a a battery bank of two flooded lead acid batteries if about 100AH each (2 different brands) in parallel, keeping it at 12V since it's in an RV. For my needs, it's acceptable.

[@willcal2738]

those plates are enough to sink that heat, but the connection from mosfet to plate though is a problem

[@ThingsMadeOfOtherThings]

Would it be worth modifying one of these to reduce idle power consumption by desoldering the usb ports, and also wiring in a button to turn the lcd screen on/off? I'm working on a remote solar project and trying to keep overall power consumption down to absolute minimum. I would resent keeping the lcd screen illuminated when no one is there to read it. I can't for the life of me find a pinout diagram for one of these displays. How would one identify the + and - of the led using a multimeter?

[@bain19]

Soemthing I think worth mentioning. When looking at the traces, there is a common ground between the solar panel, the battery and the output.

[@bsm125]

I was hoping to find out what setting to use for 6 -6volt batteries, wired as 3 - 12volt. The manual doesn't say, but there are different settings on the unit.

[@ronb4178]

cheap as chips for the functionality offered, useful. Can't buy mppt for that price yet, it'd be silly to expect it to be true. Good vid, cheers!

[@jerrybomcool]

I’ve got one of these marked as “100 amps” what I’m sceptical on and I can provide more information on differences between the one you have and mine. But mine will be used for 80w going to a battery and then the battery will be hooked up with an inverter so it should be all fine and safe considering the look of the scratchy device

[@jha5301]

so if you add those mosfets yourself then the rest is the same? program included? Is there a way to improve the 60 version so it works better? How much can the 60 version have on it in solar wattage? half that would be what is used in the video?

[@Francois_Dupont]

those doesn't boost the voltages? if i use a small solar panel that only outputs 6volts it will never charge a 12v battery will it?

[@BeezyKing99]

A 6V panel WILL never charge a 12v battery... and PWM chargers don’t boost voltage... you need a TRUE MPPT and a panel of 12v and higher than 15w

[@brookerobertson2951]

I ordered one of them last week from Ali express £3.50. going to take week to get hear so was good to have a sneak peek. But was hoping to see some of settings.. I am going using this to charge a 140 ah lead acid battery.. and was wondering if it only bulk charges.. and what parameters it has with lead acid.. like can you set it high for the bulk and when you know it's full then manually set it low for float.. ?? Any advice in the comments will be appreciated.. thanks.. 👍 *edit* the one I got was a 20a at £3.70

[@AdamWelchUK]

£3.50! I’ve been done! Sorry - as you could see it was hard to film the screen and I didn’t want to make the video too long. To answer your question, you can select between three battery types. ‘Lithium, gel and flooded’. The lithium settings are a equalization charge of 12.6 volts then you can set the float voltage anywhere within 12-15 volts. The equalization or boost voltage seems to be set by battery type and is not adjustable, only float voltages, disconnect and reconnect voltages can. On each screen you can hold the menu button for a few seconds to adjust one parameter.

[@brookerobertson2951]

@@AdamWelchUK lol the price is reflected in the years it takes to ship.. lol.. and thanks for the help.. you may be interested in some good batteries I found "26650 type" liitoKala have good energy density and always come under rated. Say 5000 mAh and test around 5200 and best of all are cheep.. so good for people that can't get there hands on old laptop batteries.. I am building up a collection with my left over cash.. thanks for the interesting videos 👍

[@rm6857]

3.50 for 20A charge controller... No need to know more

[@knutposchel2165]

I too ordered one on aliexpress as it was $4.85 inklude postage! Beat that - soo cheap! Its my second .... just couldn't belive this price ;) www.aliexpress.com/item/New-Solar-Charge-Controller-10A-PWM-12V-24V-Auto-LCD-Solar-Charger-with-Dual-USB-Output/32953353968.html But these controllers are good for the price! They do what these supose to do. Only I would not drive them to hard .... see a 60A (with dobble the Mosfets - but not the print/wire :( They have a LCD, you can adjust the voltage and you can charge your USB-stuff. And if you short-circut the solar input .... nothing happens - GREAT - as some of my other controllers burn the fuse at battery input. So for a small solar up to 100W this is enough. AND ABOUT MPPT ..... I too saw some of this marked MPPT - but hey - there is no real MPPT under $19USD!!! They cheapest MPPT is a CPY-2410 but people don't recomand it as there is no LCD nor adjustment for voltage. Perhaps a MPPT5025A-DUO is good - unfortunaly they over 50USD and over the free custom toll value of Norway.

[@mrjohhhnnnyyy5797]

You will have 4 times the heat if you double the current. I^2R loss, MOSFET turned fully on is like a low value resistor :)

[@jamieellulbonici]

benn using these for years they are great!

[@236vic]

so did you get your money back ?

[@turk242]

i have the same cheap 30A controller but mine wont allow me to set "2) float voltage" below 25.4V. that can't be good. is this thing just meant for the garbage?

[@tinkerman9525]

At last someone with technical knowledge. I have a 30 amp pwm. Was investigating the possibility to increase to 40 amp (real) and basicly can only use those kind of FET's. No 1404/7 or 4110 because of the low nc of the 70N?? Or 50N??. Will have to get 2 more and locate all of them off board with decent heatsink.

[@fidelcatsro6948]

add a 100amp sticker to get even more output!

[@maryalobo1287]

Hahahahaha

[@Horriblebastad]

The a overage charges are not filtered into the system and the most important thing is the load ambient temperature and humidity is the best

[@deeblood3599]

Hi, I've seen some different videos about adding a heatsink to these models but can't find where to get them! Can you PLEASE let me know who to contact to get to get one? Thanks so much, Sincerely, Dee

[@DrexProjects]

I have the 10A version of the same device. What does 601 in the settings menu mean? I can't change it. Can you do a video on setting it up? Thanks.

[@viocaia]

It is B01...that means is sett for charging Lead acid battery

[@DrexProjects]

@@viocaia Ahhh. OK, Thanks.

[@sarkybugger5009]

@@DrexProjects If you need to change it, hold the Menu button for a few seconds, then press +/- to change.

[@DrexProjects]

@@sarkybugger5009 Thanks. I am charging Lead Acid right now. But thanks for the tip.

[@retrictumrectus1010]

@@sarkybugger5009 I will try that. Because I did everything, but the setting just wont budge.

[@Sabhail_ar_Alba]

I just bought similar IRF3205 MOSFETS for £1.80 a pop so the 60A upgrade isn't a bad deal. Incidentally, what kind of micro-controller are they using ?

[@sarkybugger5009]

Adam. Please don't encourage the scumbags! They knew exactly what they were doing in the description, but were too lazy to edit all the pictures.. Raise a case with eBay, get your money back, and tell us *whodunnit.* With any luck, you'll get to keep the controllers.

[@gavjlewis]

Couldn't have put it better myself. 👍 But it is good he is making these videos to showcase it for new people who don't know any better.

[@AdamWelchUK]

I’ll be in touch with them. I agree descriptions need to be accurate but it’s difficult as to where to point the blame. I’m sire they’ll offer some kind of resolution, but hopefully this video plays a small part to force all sellers to be more honest with the product description.

[@sarkybugger5009]

@@gavjlewis MPPT is vastly overrated, IMO. They only make a difference if they are in bulk charge mode. As soon as you reach absorb voltage, they are dumping power. My battery never gets that low. As for Adam's attitude to the scumbags, I wonder if he had ordered a Rolls Royce and received a Ford Fiesta, if he would be so forgiving? :oD

[@AdamWelchUK]

SarkyBugger I’d prefer the insurance bill for the fiesta! I think MPPT is useful for the bulk stage as you say, but also when you use your energy when it is being produced. Otherwise I’d agree, PWM is perfectly adequate for the vast majority of applications.

[@sarkybugger5009]

@@AdamWelchUK Ignore me. I'm in one of those moods today. I report any and all misleadingly described items to eBay. Doesn't matter to me if it's a 99p item, or £99. They know what they are doing, and they aren't doing it to me! Nail 'em up, I say! ;o)

[@davidosbiston9699]

I have a similar 20 amp controller. Mine is showing all the numbers for a 24 volt panel. If I half them they are about right for a 12 volt system. Any idea how I set for a 12Volt? Im using a 100 watt panel that I have used perfectly well with a different controller and the numbers were all for 12 volt.

[@jotamagalhaes7825]

THANKS FOR THE INFORMATION . OPORTO - PORTUGAL

[@michaelward402]

Couple of MOSFETs for £2 is £1.98p profit. Sellers in China need to sell or it costs them money, so if they can get away with false advertising, they will. Which controller IC is inside this ? The one I saw had the CN3722 which according to the data sheet is "The CN3722(Note 1) is a PWM switch-mode battery charger controller that can be powered by photovoltaic cell with maximum power point tracking function." A voltage divider does the MPPT set point. Thanks for the review

[@TimFuller]

I installed the thirty amp version of this to two 100 watt (parallel) 12V panels and have been quite pleased with the price/performance given my panels are flat mounted to the roof of Nellybelle (my 93 Dodge Grand Caravan LE - the L is for Luxury) and the system was installed and operated thru the winter here in the high mountain meadows (Fort Collins) of Colorado when solar conditions are less than ideal. #hobomessiah Enjoy.

[@viocaia]

Yep! It's working great with a better heat sink...of course for the money

[@juliamichell1]

I bought one from Wish. The display sometimes disappeared altogether and it randomly switched on my pump, maybe something to do with the on off switch which got stuck and I had to open it up to release it. Very flimsy

[@dharmakissoon]

how can we mod this???????????????

[@petermoygannon698]

my pwm charge controller dingo 20/20 ..12 24 48 volt it won't work with my single house solar panel 180 watts. why ???

[@FvGa]

I think i'm missing the clou as a layman, does it mean that when I connect a 10 to 15w panel to this controller in my car my 95Ah battery will explode?

[@MrSummitville]

WHY would you think that?

[@zerog2000]

I'm not sure why they just don't sell them as 100A, 200A, and 300A versions ;)

[@timm3802]

I'm sure they do LOL

[@RWBHere]

I want to know where it has 'auto-focus'.

[@koningbolo4700]

Can these cheapy controllers be used in conjunction with normal household solar panels? And how many of them can I hook up to the same battery bank?

[@BeezyKing99]

No, you’ll end up frying them. Stay with the factory household charge controller that came with your panels.

[@stevefrost8789]

above is about my new controller it is the same as on the video, but no on/off buttom.

[@MorgothCreator]

LOL, those are good to be retrofitted for MPPT function, they already have all the necessary circuitry to monitor the current and voltage, need a adequate coil and diode between the drain of the charge transistors and battery and a new firmware for the microcontroller, I wander what is the microcontroller, a STM32?, I will buy one to see if a MPPT can be done from it if has a STM32 uController. Those transistors can push 30A respectively 50 A, the power dissipation on them is very small, usually need to be little warm is they are driven correctly. If someone do a reverse engineering for the schematic will be a good start, I will do an open source repository for the firmware and all necessary changes inside the device :)

[@NasierOmran]

They offer both mppt & pwm. Maybe you ordered the wrong one. It basically has the same main functions, so..

[@Gybe1132]

I want to top up my big boat battery with some 18650 in series and bought one of these to regulate the process. Whilst it will regulate the voltage am I correct that it will not control the current and may damage my 18650s

[@BeezyKing99]

PWM chargers will blow your system using it with 18650’s... they pulse the power, they don’t control input/output power... so, whatever voltage you put in, comes out the other end.... get yourself a buck/boost converter instead if you’re planning on using anything higher than 12v on input.

[@ianjaspercanda8414]

@@BeezyKing99 😂😂❌❌❌❌ wrong

[@zerog2000]

I would love a bigclive-style test with actual 60A test loads to see how long it lasts (outdoors, over concrete or masonry, of course)

[@sarkybugger5009]

Give it to John Ward. He knows how to *stress test* things. ;o)

[@LOTPOR0402]

Maybe the tracks were designed with 60 amp in mind ,then kept the same for 30 amp version .Why change it for less amps ?

[@waelbadr4724]

I have the 10 amps of it and the blue ceramic capacitor blew up Can you tell me the number of it if you still remember

[@ronaldd.1355]

I have a cheap solar charger just exactly like this one, it says "60amps" but I plugged to the LOAD port a water pump 180w (12v x 15amps) and it only worked for 3 to 4 seconds and it burned the charger with a lot of smoke.

[@raisagorbachov]

I blew one of those up. Mine was rated at 30A and couldn't handle two 2.5A marine bilge fans. After a brief period it started shutting down. I put a capacitor across the fans just to make sure feedback spikes were reduced. The thing was toast though. I pitched it and bought one made in the USA instead.

[@wile.coyote8466]

Great Videao Adam. So what 12 volt charge controller do you actually recommend, that works & lasts ?

[@Ra-zor]

Not bad for a tenner though the 60 amp one if you run it up to about 20 amps... Apart from the soldering (which is a 2 min job to fix) it seems not too bad actually...

[@Graham-ce2yk]

Another KZbinr tested the 60amp model. Output didn't go over 30amps, although that could have been due to their setup. Of more interest is that the heatsink reached 100ºC during the test. If anyone invests in these, I'd say you need to also invest in a good sized heatsink and make sure there's a good connection between the heatsink and the back of the controller. Here is that video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rnSuoaqijdZoebs

[@Solaiman007]

his wire is very low quality so thats why

[@umerjamal4442]

I got Same one from shop in $3. Inside is exactly same but outer front plastic case is different though. It works good at least for the price

[@williamdenham8018]

So where is the fire?

[@toddmarshall7573]

No beefing up of tracks: you can look at that two ways. There's no beefing down of tracks either. Maybe now you should start the nit pick the color.

[@juststeve5542]

I don't think I'd describe those MOSFETs as "attached" to the back panel!

[@AdamWelchUK]

Ha! Adjacent to?

[@juststeve5542]

@@AdamWelchUK waving about near to...

[@AdamWelchUK]

In the vicinity of...?

[@juststeve5542]

@@AdamWelchUK barely acquainted...

[@sarkybugger5009]

@@juststeve5542 Loitering with intent?

[@paulh6527]

Hi which budget range solar charge controller would you recommend for small sealed lead acid. Thanks

[@kosmokramer9502]

Personally, I'd go for a Victron 75/10 or 75/15 MPPT Solar Charge Controller/ regulator. They are a little more expensive, but they are much more effective/efficient at charging your batteries.

[@paulh6527]

Thanks all.. Victron was where I ended up

[@jefersonnl]

What does a controller like that understands as "float charge"? Mine(model identical to yours) would start upping the voltage at the start of the charge(early morning, 6h AM), than, as it gets to 14.4v(midday), it will keep it there until the end of the day(6h PM), even if I don't discharge the battery during the night, and even as the battery is pulling less than 200mAh of current from the charger. Shouldn't the charger go to "float charge" and try to keep my battery stable, from 13.0v to 13.7v (adjustable), when it is no longer getting usable current from the charger? Isn't that the dictionary definition of "float charge"? Ps: My inverter only turns itself on at ​6h PM, so it can't be blamed for any "current leak", all the power produced by the solar panel during the day hours has only the battery as its consumer.

[@fuzzymonkey777]

3 years later and there are many charge controllers on ebay labeled mppt for just 12 bucks.

[@toddmarshall7573]

If you open it up you see that the higher amperage comes by putting more mosfets in parallel... up to 3.

[@dantronics1682]

If its working in pwm mode the mosfet shouldnt heat up that much

[@Yangmist3r]

I will like to see the settings for lithium charging. Can I set parameters?

[@AdamWelchUK]

3s lithium has a equalization voltage fixed at 12.6v. You can adjust the float as low as 12volts.

[@Yangmist3r]

@@AdamWelchUK Is there a 24v version of it that can be use for a 7s ?

[@AdamWelchUK]

This is an auto switching 12/24v version. So double the voltages I mentioned - so it’s a 6s charger really.

[@General_Confusion]

Aside from the seller description being wrong, this didn't tell us much at all. You didn't test them up to rated load, so i can't really see how you can condemn the 60 amp unit as having a flimsy head sink when it may well have been sufficient and the 30 amp unit could in fact have been over engineered. No functions were shown, no temperature measurements under load were taken and no tests were done on the USB outlets. From a technical aspect this was no more than an unboxing video.

[@tracebuk]

Hi Adam a couple of years ago you did a video on a jumper pack and charging it with a solar panel mine has given up the ghost because of the battery I wondered if you could do a project on replacing the battery with 18650 or similar great vids mate thanks a lot!

[@AnubhabKundu]

I feel sorry about these scamsters branding their products wrongly to fool around with customers. This PWM is a cheaper alternative to MPPT controllers, but MPPT costs much higher than this. I know it because I made an electronic model of the solar charge controller using MPPT scheme as my final year project, and I discovered that proper MPPT is much costlier and we can arrive at a PWM charge controller easily with electronics, also with a microcontroller, making MPPT is far more complicated than we think of. Thank you for posting this and please drop in a site where I can buy a true MPPT controller for a rooftop solar home. Try an ebike or e-scooter charger with this, because your money has been wasted as you did not get what you were looking for. Laymen seriously need to understand a bit of modern engineering to catch these scams.

[@stevefrost8789]

well done. its hard to find a alarm about this on the net... the figure of 14.4v is fake you can have 20v or more coming out of the controller and it will read 14.4. it wont show any higher. this controller will limit your output voltage to 75% of the input, so with 36v coming in from your panel youll have 27v cooking your 12v battery.. there by use this with a 24v batt, for a 12v batt you need a 18v panel. your 18v panel will give 13.5v out from the controller.. when the batt gets near fullly charged. the 18v panel will rise to about 20v.. 75% of that is 15v going into the batt.. the display on the controller will show the correct float voltage of 15v..when you have scrolled to the float voltage display.. this is no way to control battery charging.. this can be easily measured with a multimeter.. the amps are straight through.. the cheap mppts that look similar are also fakes.. ive measured some of those as well. no matter how insistant the seller is. there fake

[@guywhoknows]

60 amp cc can only do 760 watts. Well less, as it over heats.. about 500w for 30 minutes

[@DmitryOlyenyov]

I wonder is there any cheap and light real mppt controller?

[@Thomas_P_aus_M]

What is "cheap" for YOU? There are real mppt starting around 25 Euro (with stepup/boost) and normal mppt starting 40 Euro.

[@DmitryOlyenyov]

@@Thomas_P_aus_M Do you have any examples? I bought mpt 7210a, but it's a boost controller. And when i try to search AliExpress for 12v mppt, most of them are actually PWMs..

[@Thomas_P_aus_M]

@@DmitryOlyenyov MPPT battery 12V and pv higher voltage, Am*z*n ASIN B08BWPFV1J or E*ay ITEM 174594183591 or 402728246180. With stepup/booster e.g. (also in the videos here) the CTK 300 or ITEM 393125441517. I prefer the solution with mppt and boost: indoor 24V battery and outdoor 12V pv-modules parallel , because of the trees and roofs of the neighbours.

[@hansdegroot652]

Sorry I don't get it. I have a similar product from ali. It was 6 euro's so almost free :) I thought to keep it as a spare just incase my rv's currents charge controller fails during a vacation. If you have to buy a charge controller at the nearest local store in a right away you pay the jackpot if you can find one at all. But mine says max input is 24 volt when using a 12 volt battery. I hooked up 17 year old 105 watt panel I got from my brother last week but the panel is 31.8 (oc) volts and 25.5 (mpp?). When I connected it it evening was comming and not too much light out there and it started charging my battery. When I measured the voltage on the solar in it was about 12.8 so I thought it is working. The next day I checked and it stopped charging. Checking the voltage on the solar input it was 30 volts. Disconnecting and reconnecting the wires started the charge process again but I do suspect it just stopped charging when max the voltage was reached? When I red the manual in this video at arround 9:07 it also says max solar input 12/18 or 24/36 which is way less than the 40 volt you feed it. When cheap solar chargers only handle like 18 to 24 volts and not the 30 volts the pannels I got produce. Can I just ignore the voltage input than?

[@listenup1711]

Please turn up the volume on your next video. Thank you. Your advice is valuable.

[@7KingCobra7]

Interesting, at wallmart online they also say MPPT I was pissed. IT SAYS RIGHT ON THE BOX PWM

[@cccmmm1234]

PWM u its are OK for low voltage step down eg from an 18V panel to 12V, but it is a complete waste of a oanel if you put two panels in series.

[@martinwinfield2935]

I think it's a bit of a lucky dip as to what you get. I purchased an almost identical unit from another eBay seller and got a bad item . Again supposed to be MPPT but not, even worse I cannot adjust the charge voltage to less than 15 volts which is frying my 12 volt battery. You get what you pay for!!!

[@fishhuntadventure]

Why be cheap? There’s the P30L that works from windyNation plus iirc both Victorian and epever are each ~$40ish US

[@mikmilivoj8673]

i really like your videos! You are the best!

[@timm3802]

I would like to see it take 30A. Can u do the test ?

[@000MACK000]

Good to know I'm glad I found your video these are selling on wish for like $6

[@opera5714]

I have one of these and it was only $3.50 shipped on an ebay auction, the 4 FET version. I just use it to maintain a battery, but I use it on 60V panels. Between that and the panel I have another wonder, a 72-12V 15A voltage converter that only cost $4.50. It is modified into a linear current booster that puts out a max of 14.6V and doesn't let the panels drop below 59V. You get 90% of all the advantages of MPPT for less than $10. Any relation to what the display says and the battery voltage is pure coincidence. Those FET barely touch the panel and it is beat to add more thermal compound. All said, they are not a bad performer for a small system. The unused power of the panels goes to heat water. Stop wasting money on 12V panels, go grid tie.

[@steveadams7550]

The seller was not confused. He lied. You can tell that by the modified pictures of the unit, no PWM.

[@mjpbase1]

Was it just the camera angle or was that tiny capacitor on the front top right a little larger on the 60a model?

[@johnswift1736]

It is 4 pounds on Lasaa in Thailand

[@rolandruiz1972]

i got one like this got burned up mosfet and there is no names on it ist a p channel or n chnnel mosfet?

[@NazimUdDin-tg8jg]

these types of PCB are very common South Asia and they come with name of CM24x(amp)Z ie CM2430Z is 30 amp model.

[@cifsman]

can you review MPT-7210A ? it's mppt for lithium battery, i heard it's quite good

[@AdamWelchUK]

I was sent one by a kind viewer who upgraded, but I’ve never done a review because it’s been covered by a few other youtubers. I’d have a look at Julian Ilett’s videos on the MPT-7210A. He ended up doing two or three videos because it’s a bit odd in the way it works. I’ve heard it’s quite noisy, turning the fan on frequently.

[@cifsman]

@@AdamWelchUK thanks for reply, i will check Julian video.

[@BeezyKing99]

I have one myself... the problem with those, they are not TRUE MPPT.... it’s just a boost converter... it can’t handle 12v in to 12v out... as it’ll try to keep the voltage higher than input, they work better on 30v and up battery banks.... also, wire your panels in respect to output voltage for what you need... up to 60v input, up to 90v output... and as the name tag says, it can do up to 10A... however, it will never run at the full 10A unless you have 10A in solar panels. Which I find overkill IMO. I use mine with a 50w panel to keep my 48v pack topped off.