Does off-grid solar confuse you? Check out my DIY friendly website for solar system packages and product recommendations, and so much more! www.mobile-solarpower.com Join our DIY solar community! #1 largest solar forum on the internet for beginners and professionals alike: www.diysolarforum.com Check out my best-selling, beginner-friendly 12V off-grid solar book (affiliate link): amzn.to/2Aj4dX4 If DIY is not for you, but you love solar and need an offgrid system, check out Tesla Solar. Low prices and great warranty, and they can take your entire house offgrid with their new Powerwalls: ts.la/william57509 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My solar equipment recommendations (Constantly updated! Check here first): 12V/48V Lithium Batteries: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-batteries.html Solar System Component Directory: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solarcomponents.html Plug-N-Play Systems: www.mobile-solarpower.com/full-size-systems.html Complete 48V System Kits: www.mobile-solarpower.com/complete-48v-solar-kits.html DIY Friendly Air Conditioner/ Heat Pumps: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-friendly-air-conditioners.html Complete 48V System Blueprint: www.mobile-solarpower.com/48v-complete-system-blueprint.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My Favorite Online Stores for DIY Solar and Coupon Codes: -Current Connected: SOK, Victron and High Quality Components. Best prices and warranty around: currentconnected.com/?ref=wp -Signature Solar: Cheap Server Rack Batteries and Large Solar Panels: www.signaturesolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek -Ecoflow Delta Official Site: My favorite plug-n-play solar generator: us.ecoflow.com/?aff=7 -AmpereTime: Cheapest 12V batteries around: amperetime.com/products/ampere-time-12v-100ah-lithium-lifepo4-battery?ref=h-cvbzfahsek -Rich Solar: Mega site and cheaper prices than renogy! Check them out: richsolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek -Shop Solar Kits: Huge site with every solar kit you can imagine! Check it out: shopsolarkits.com/?ref=will-p -Battery Hookup: Cheap cell deals bit.ly/2mIxSqt 10% off code: diysolar -Watts 24/7: Best deals on all-in-one solar power systems, with customer support and distribution here in the USA: watts247.com/?wpam_id=3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Contact Information: I am NOT available for personal solar system consult! If you wish to contact me, this is my direct email: williamprowsediysolar@gmail.com Join the forum at diysolarforum.com/ if you wish to hang out with myself and others and talk about solar FTC Disclosure Statement and Disclaimers: Every video includes some form of paid promotion or sponsorship. Some links on this youtube channel may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these. My videos are for educational purposes only. Information is subject to change/update at any time. Electricity is DANGEROUS and can kill. Be smart and use common sense :) DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, An affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
*HI there I dont know if you can help me on this issue. But what if its a hybrid controller that has its own solar and wind turbine and want to connect another wind turbine that will have its own controller?*
I just watched another video claiming that two SCC on one bank would fight one another. That was the first time I heard this and the video had an over 200k views. I am planning on two controllers for our boat and was concerned. But, Will to the rescue, as per the usual arrangement. Thanks a bunch! You are the definitive Solar Authority!
Will, all of your videos are very good. But I have to say this video ranks right at the top because of how you explained so much valuable information in an easily digestible manner. Absolutely top notch effort. One other benefit that may have not been obvious is if your system starts out with a 20 amp solar charger and one day you need more amps, you can still use your old 20 amp charger and simply add another 20 amp solar charger to your system. Previously I would have thought I would need to junk the 20 amp charger and upgrade to a single 40 amp charger. So very helpful! Keep up the great work.
This is perfect, i have been hunting this answer for months. Glad i finally backtracked and found this video. I'd love to see the wiring diagram for this setup to make sure i understand it.
Thanks so much. I'm to learning this. I want to first set up a system for a camper and secondly set up a totaly off grid system on my daughters house. Your videos are very thorough and informative
You're a genius Will! Keep up the good work man for you'll go very far in life! I've been through college for engineering, plus I work on electronics in the US Air Force, and I have learned more from you about solar systems than I ever have in school and through my entire AF career! Thank you!
I agree...l don't know ur personal history that well to fully appreciate what happened to you and how it relates to us. I have essentially made this same comment before. I have a physics undergraduate degree from the dark ages 1969. I understand the basics you do an excellent job explaining using them. In fact having taught and developed technical curriculum all my life, l truly admire your talent...it exceeds mine. On the complex specifics of the different battery types, you've touched this in a previous video. I'm happy l recall seeing that because l couldn't grasp all the content you shared. One way video learning is tough because we don't get to ask questions...not ur fault at all. But learning that the key is battery resistance that's affected by internal factors specific to that battery's chemistry and a host of other generic factors like temperature was powerful. You repeated that several times in a very effective way especially after you shared a content chunk of info. It helped me to not get distracted as you were sensitive to from other info sources. I have 3 solar panels...2 abt 360 watts n a 100. I have 2 Victron controllers connected separately to ea of the larger panels (if l knew l would later expand l would have purchased a larger capacity controller to save money) But did expand and my single controller lacked the capacity. I didn't realize l cud have connected these 2 larger panels in series avoiding buying a second expensive but worth it controller) My 100 watt panel feeds a simple PWM controller. I learned before my 4 6V batteries connected series-parallel for 12V. Thanks for your patience and appreciation of the confusion us non expert solar power guys out here. 👍👍👍
I wish I could talk like you. I had to watch your video more than once because I couldn't focus on anything other than watching how easily you can say words with such grace and perfection.
Gr8 presentation, it gave this neophytes queries some clarity form the basics to a bit more advanced ones. We have a load of questions on Solar. Q1, Multiple controller charging one battery bank. Your comment at 00:45 covered that (10 or 20 controllers on one batt bank). We may be going 48v lith to pwr our Sol-ark 12k. For starters, we will have 5-PV on the East roof, 5-PV's on the west roof (more to be added on other building in time). We also wish to have a charging station for our 12v tractor batts. We will also like to hook up a pelton wheel on the 48v. A bank of 10 / 20 controllers answers a lot of questions.
Good Information! This solved my build with 12v solar system. 2 x 40ah MPPT Solar Charge Controller 4 x 120ah 12v Lead Acid Battery 4 x 320w pv panel 1 x 2kw 12v Pure Sine Wave Inverter
I have only just discovered this concept, and you present it so well. Thanks. I have a question though : If, to charge or not to charge, is based on internal resistance, why are the bulk and float limits set using voltage ? Hope you're still checking comments after 5 years 🙂
Hopefully, in 3 years I will start to understand SOME of the things Will is talking about. Thanks, Will that was one of my concerns of different solar arrays grabbing the sun from different angles.
Thanks Will, this is what I was looking for and the answer to the question I asked you yesterday. Now I have the answer and I see I can connect every charger to the same time to the battery, MPPT + dc-dc from alternator and even sore power charger. Thanks dude :)
Can you put the power from mppt into the DC to DC charger? We want to be able charge 2 types of batteries (Lead Acid and Lifepo4) from 2 different sized solar-panels each on separate mppt, and an alternator.
Thanks, I am old and new to solar, but using 5 charge controllers was what I thought was the best idea just for redundancy and if one or two go out I still have enough solar to do till I get them replaced. If one panel is shaded still have 4 others producing well.
Great to know this info. I have trees in the back yard and more sun in the front AM. I could run 2 controllers on separate arrays in accordance also utilizing the best solar panels for their respective output for straight sun and partial shade. Great to know this. Thanks Will.
Very nice, I was wondering about that. I'm building a 400 watt / 200 Ah solar for a small 5th wheel. Putting the 4 panels on the roof and was thinking about a suitcase for those shady spots. This clears up my options for wiring the suitcase into the system. Thanks for the info!
Thank you Will I have ask my Rv dealer and the Rv manufacture of my Rv and their techs could not or would not give me any satisfaction about solar applications. Have watched many of your videos on batteries and solar information and you have helped me more than anyone, Thanks again!
Great video! I asked renogy this same question and they said no. Do not connect separate charge controllers. I have 400 watts of hqst's and 100 watts of renogy. But i know my wanderer 30 amp pwm is only rated for 400 watts. So I wanted to put the 100 renogy on a 10 amp pwm but to the same bank. Thanks alot for showing the numbers! I've learned alot! It's not just taking your word for if. You actually show the numbers and let people decide if they agree or not!
You can use as many chargers as you want with no problems at all... I think the myth that you can`t comes from that when the battery is almost full and only charging a little it will use only one of the chargers to charge, only when the charge ampere is lager then the 1 charger can handle alone it will start using the other chargers.
Wow. This is the best solar charger explanation I’ve ever seen. It actually answers all of my questions in one video, as I go out to buy another panel. Thanks Will!
Yes! I'm using 3 reongy 30amp, 1 is set at flooded and 2 are agm, no problems and yes I'm monitoring the distilled water. At best I show 14.2 volts at my batteries, 1200watt system. Any added help is always listened too. Thanks for your videos
Great vid. When you gonna get into Wind Turbines, Kinetic-solar, Kinetic-aquatic and Electro-Static charging? It would add a twist to your excellent Solar vids.
Thank you for putting my mind at rest on this subject. I can now improve my system to maximize my roof area for additional panels and minimizing the shading problem I have 👍
Great video Will. I have always had two solar charge controllers connected to my battery bank. You are absolutely correct, no problems as long as the batteries can manage the charge. The reason for two is redundancy
Thank you. This was exactly what I was looking for. Connect all the solar charge controllers to a bus bar. Ideally one per panel. Put all of them near the bus bar so they see the same voltage. Then attach the battery(ies) and load to the bus bar. And with will also work if you attach a AC to DC and/or DC to DC charge controller(s) to the bus bar as well. Just need to have the same float and boost voltage setting. This includes petrol generator AC or DC to DC charge controllers and wind turbine charge controllers.
Watched this five years ago...here to verify my memory was correct And what do you know, will throws in an off hand nugget about AGMs. Always something new...thanks
The problem at 8:00 can have another, cheaper solution with 2 schottky diodes added to separate both arrays. We will have around 1% of output voltage drop but the resistive value of each array won't affect the other :)
To enable any panel orientation and types sizes, etc, you can solve this by using X charge controllers, group panels by types, all the same orientation on one controller. Different type ans orientation to another controller, and you are good. So you can have morning panels, middle panels, and evening panels. (or 2x more panels oriented for winter for example) This way the max charge current will be lower but you will have more hours. This technique just works beautifully. If you live during the day, and use your main devices during the day, this enable going with a smaller battery and in the end, you've spent less on the whole system, even with the price added of several controllers. And go lithium. reclaimed 7s 18650 are good. 8s LiFe is even better. Lithium require monitoring at cell level, balancing once in a while only.
I think this is a very powerful bit of information! This means that it is possible - and easy - to build a system in a modular fashion over time. For example, add 4 solar panels and a 20A MPPT every month until you achieve desired capacity. It also eliminates single points of failure! This is really exciting. Is my logic sound? (Like I have to ask folks to comment on UA-cam...)
@7:53 are you sure that's right ? I'm thinking two equally sized arrays in parallel, but one facing Southeast and one facing Southwest would not drag each other down, since they already have diodes within them. I think other people have demonstrated this to be true in other videos. Can you please elaborate on this Will? Thanks
The demonstrations are good and the conclusions and advice given are correct. IMO the actual myth the video disproves is: "you can't (or shouldn't) charge from multiple sources at once" instead of the stated "when one boosts the voltage it reduces the output of the other charge controller." (0:05) Consider what happens when one of the controllers (the shore charger) has a higher voltage setpoint for Absorption: the other controllers drop to zero watts (3:30) as the stated myth predicts. This will happen as the controllers complete Bulk charging at different times due to different voltage setpoints. They all contribute up to their setpoint then fall away as it is exceeded. Normal and expected, and Will explains that behavior clearly. It's a good video; I do want folks to understand the content without getting confused by myth wording in the intro.
I see your point. Very true. I always have a tough time thinking of titles to the video. What would you suggest as a better title? I thought calling it a "myth" would get people curious. But yes, further explanation was necessary.
Thank you so much for answering this question. Very well explained. I just installed a 2nd mmpt solar controller and was sure it would work and was starting to 2nd guess myself.
Great video! My question was, why the controllers need to communicate and coordinate? And, balancing of flooded lead-acid batteries was the answer. Thanks!
I would love you to build a cheap, light, good aero EV car conversion, from a car that is commonly available throughout the world. Looking forward to the painstaking step by step films, the best selling book, and the kits you sell!
Question: I have three separate MPPT charge controllers on three separate batteries. I have one 300 watt panel that supplies more than the daily energy the three batteries require. Can i just hook the three MPPT controllers up to the one solar panel in Parallel?
I wanna know too but because somehow I accidentally bought 3 charge controllers. 😔 thanks too computer lag but oh well. I just wanna know if I can hold a full charge in all 3 and use them separately at night?
This is confusing to me right now, but I've got your book on order and if it's written the way you teach on these videos, I won't be confused much longer.
Great Explanation. Please can i add a new charge controller to a hybrid inverter which already has a built in charge controller?. I want to upgrade and I have different mismatch solar panels
Hi Will, What happens when we connect 2 or more Mppt controller to a single array of panels (charging a 12V lithium battery bank)? Currently I have a Victron 100/50 controller(connected to 800Watt array) and am planning to add few more panels(400watt more panels) to my existing solar array. I do not want to replace my current controller with an expensive larger controller nor split my panels into 2 arrays. Instead I was thinking of adding another 100/20 controller in parallel to the same Single Array PV wire. Would this setup work? can these 2 controllers co-exist on same array and work as a 100/70 controller?
As I understand it, the IR of the battery dictates the current it can take, but the charge controllers decide how much to give based on the battery voltage, up to whichever limit is reached first: desired current / panel or charge current or batt full. Multiple controllers work fine, they have no knowledge of each other and don't need to know - all they know is the battery voltage, and therefore how much current to push depending on where it is on the charge curve. More controllers push up the voltage, so they'll back off automatically to follow the voltage and give the combined charge current specified. Make sure combined controllers cannot exceed the C rating of the battery, so they should be derated to ensure that can't happen. This may only be a problem with small batteries and large controllers though!
@@twmcali7257 They could do, but in general they don't need to. They could arbitrate with one or more controllers electing to switch to grid output or load dump if the battery is approaching full and can be handled by just one controller - in that case they may need to be aware of each other, or more likely a master controller decides which controller does what and when.
@@twmcali7257 there is no magical way for a charge controller to know what other charge controllers connected to the battery are doing. And for most circumstances, they don't need to. It measures the voltage and uses it's charge algorithm to determine what is most appropriate. And what did the renogy tech support say? also, the controllers in this video are rebranded renogy controllers and you can see from the test that what you said is simply not true. Think about how they work
@@twmcali7257 They have knowledge of the overall system but not each other directly unless they have direct comms with each other. I don't think any Renogy stuff allows inter-controller comms but I could be wrong.
@@WillProwse After watching your video, I purchased multiple charge controllers. I found they do reduce output. When I have 1 output is > 700 watts, 2 total output is 400 watts, 3 total output is 300 watts. I have them on a busbar. What I think is happening, is as the solar power is used by one controller, it degrades what's available to the others. Then on the output side, I have again all going to a busbar, which I believe is also altering voltage as seen by the other controllers. So your are correct, there is no magical way for the charge controllers to know what the other is doing, it is the voltage and amps the controllers are detecting on input and output which it sees, that is altering their ability to function. I have isolated each to it's own solar bank and specific batter on the bank, and that has worked out much more efficiently.
I have a MorningStar solar controller but I also have a self regulated windmill that run pretty much straight to the battery but when the wind picks up this solar controller compensates and turns down the amps going to the battery.assuming it nearly fully charged.
I like this. Thank you so much, Prowse. You are a great teacher. Please, for fear of blowing things up as a non-expert, a video with step by step connection of two charge controllers to a three-battery bank connected in parallel as well as in series will technically help.
Andy Lee Robinson what about if I have a caravan with a solar panel on the roof connected to 120 AGM battery via a mppt charger which is parallel linked to another 120 amp battery which has a mppt charger attached and which is feed by tow vehicle
@@mrfourex4070 Fed by tow vehicle? You mean that has solar panels too? No problem - each mppt has their own set of panels which they manage. Their outputs can be connected together fine at the batteries, (assuming they're both set to charge the same type and voltage of battery) Rule for mppt is that they control 1 panel, string or array each so they can adjust the input voltage for max power. 2 mppt controllers sharing panels will get confused as they hunt for max power. They will still work, but not optimally. The outputs only care about battery voltage and current and are independent of the panels. Hope that makes sense.
curious about two or more uxcell Voltage Buck Converter Regulator DC 24V Step-Down to DC 12V 20A 240W Waterproof Power Transformer , what will they do share the load or hunt back in forth? if the load was bigger than one , but not two of them. Great info Thanks!
I had every intention to learn more about solar power through this very inclusive channel but ran out of time before we got busy with the landscaping season. I am looking for a solar panel stystem to be able to charge my dump trailer batteries (3 trailers) at night and to power indoor and outdoor light in our small shed (600sqft). I have a gas generator to run our large compressor and power tools. The light are motion detection lights and we rarely use the shed at light. So mostly just need to charge my batteries. I assume I would need a very large system to run my 1.5hp compressor.
i had 2kw of 8 panels wired series parallel going into 2x outback 80 amp controllers and they never shared at all either 1 was in bulk and the other showed battery full and giving nothing or vice versa in the end i put them all on 1 controller and sold the other
In regards to morning and afternoon arrays, is it generally better to have a smaller power harvest but consistent through day or face both arrays to max power harvest at the same same time for a bigger burst of power? Assume a long solar window in each case not just one hour.
nice job again, what keeps the recharge from charging at a rate similar to the discharge rate in cca's? like say 800cca's, maybe the collection of electrons inside., maybe there's something that could replace sulfuric acid to charge at a higher rate, Have you ever tried super capacitors before the ledacid, something might be fabricated to increase the recharge of the ledacid.
Does using more than one charge controller apply to solar chargers too when adding a second battery (AGM or Lithium)? Inergy says not to use another charge controller when connecting their unit to an auxiliary battery, but your video shows it should be OK. I want to use an external DC charger to the auxiliary battery because the Inergy unit won't charge it to full.
Absolutely not. Totally different scenario. The converter circuit of Apex is designed to charge to 12.6 volts max due to NMC it's designed to attach to. If you exceed that voltage with another converter circuit, you will fry the Apex. Bad bad bad idea. And no, this video does not say to do that. Completely different circuit than what was mentioned in this video
In other words, current is a dependent function, voltage and resistance are independent functions. If the voltage is 12 volts and the resistance is 3 ohms, according to Ohm's Law, the current is I = V / R, or 12/3 = 4 Amps. This will be the case even if the voltage source can deliver 1000 amps, the load will draw only 4 amps.
@@bren42069 Thanks Bren, would this mean connecting to a single battery bank or separate battery banks which could be connected either in series or parallel to the inverter?
I have 2 identical solar chargers connected to a battery bank. When the battery bank is almost full it only uses one of the solar chargers and the other one just sit there idle, that is most likely why people think you can not use 2 chargers on one battery... Only when the charging ampere is higher then what just one charger can make it starts using the second solar charger.
I was looking at a Flin Energy solar charger/inverter (similar to MPP brand) . On this PWM (cheaper) model, solar max input is 3000 W and Inverter is rated at 5000 W. I was looking at ways to achieve 5000 W inverter output on solar to run air-conditioning during sunlight hours. Using this method, I can connect 3000 Watts of solar to 48V 200AH battery through a MPPT solar charge controller and another 3000 Watts of solar through PWM charge controller in the inverter. Thus I can perhaps achieve 5000 Watts of inverter output purely on solar during sunlight hours. The reason for considering this set-up is a PWM solar charger / inverter in parallel with MPPT charge controller is 30% to 40% cheaper than buying one single MPPT solar inverter that can accept 5000W of solar input.
Have you done a segment devoted to temperature v efficiencies of longevity v kWh? I.E., equatorial heat destroying batteries no matter what (short of air conditioned storage). Exposition in this segment was good, but probably deserves its own treatment from you for your followers. Loce your work!
This is a very informative test. I was always told by electrical engineers to never combine two or more power supplies or chargers to one battery, even if all provide the very same voltage or of the same type/model etc. Did you use any load balancing resistors or ORing diodes on the supply outputs?
I have 24v Sungold all in one charge controllers. I have a second one that I haven't set up yet. Can my second controller be connected to my first battery bank? My first set up is 8 one hundred watt panels. I want to add another system so I can use two larger panels can I connected right to the battery bank I have? 4 Iron phosphate 24v 100 amp hour battery.
I have 2 eg4 6000ex in parallel. I have approximately 30 kwh of battery storage. One inverter has 6kw of pv. The other has 7.5kw of pv. I have an additional 7kw of panels i can install. I am thinking about buying a 8000 or 10000 watt sungoldpower inverter for those panels and using the same battery bank. I would put the ac output of this inverter own a separate panel specifically for car charging when the panels are making good power. Do you see any issues with this? Thanks for your input!
Will, I enjoy your videos. I’ve not been able to find an answer to the following question. Can I hook up two separate panels to th same controller. One from my camper roof and one portable on the ground. Thanks.
Hello Will, You are an excellent popularizer and super competent, I refer to you very often for battery recharging questions and much more. I found all the answers I was wondering about. Thank you for letting us benefit from your great knowledge and experience. You are an important resource for me. I hope you want to continue for a long time because it helps a lot of people, I'm sure. I'm sure I have the answer already but just in case, If I plug in a Renogy DC-DC Charger 20A from the car's alternator and an Epever 20A solar panel controller in parallel, I won't have a conflict between the devices, right? Thank you very much for your advice, Jacques
Thank you very much for this video and answering questions I've been looking for! Just to be sure. Did I get you right - If I have LiFePo4 12V 560Ah and three solar panels 460w each and I have three mppt charge controllers with no parallel function and I connect each panel to each mppt charge controller and wire their outputs to my battery it will work great without any parallel function at all?
Great information and interesting videos Will ! If I haven't said it yet having found your channel a while back now. It's like a master class in solar energy. Thank you very much !
Always looking forward to your videos, taught me a lot already even far across the Atlantic.... Iots of love from Nigeria 🇳🇬...... More idea to you bro, your contents are simple and dope!
Seriously. You rock. I was asking these types of questions to some solar stores and they all said something different. Some saying never add 2 controller to one bank... Blah blah blah. But I was never getting a consistent answer. However Your test results confirmed my belief. Seriously, you rock. Keep up the good work.
Hey Will, thanks so much for the very informative videos! Do you think 8 hours time duration for equalizing (4) Duracell GC2 6V FLA batteries is too long? That's the hard setting in my Xantrex Freedom 458 20D charger. I know i should check the specific gravity to know for sure but I'm always paranoid i'll end up squirting acid in my eyes or something dumb like that. I've got a BMS i've been procrastinating to install so i can more accurately track the charge cycles. I full time RV and go between boondocking and campgrounds so my charge cycle patterns do vary quite a bit. Sorry, now i'm rambling... Thanks again for your channel!!!
That sounds like a long ass time, the best thing to do is to find the specs recommended by the manufacturer for your specific battery model Actually i think I'm using that same battery which is a rebranded deka gc110, i found the exact specs somewhere i believe someone on cheaprvliving forum actually called deka and asked. iirc
I have agm led gel batteries and I want to add wind as well. So as I understand I can just link up another charge controller from the wind turbine and it will integrate with the solar charge controller. I also don't understand where the excess power goes if your batteries are full how does the solar charge controller get rid of the excess power? Does it drain from the earth cable I have from the charge controller? Their is no cord on my victron mppt solar controller to dump excess power. I'm confused. But thankyou for clearing up the multiple charge controller thing. Oh would I be able to splice the cables from a solar panel and a wind turbine and run it I to one solar charge controller or would that confuse it with heaps or eregular power flowing in?
Yes ☺perfect explain..but for a better test would be a 48v system..Two banks ..8 batteries of 12v runing as one with bussbar + and the - With two charge controller. Well balance agm lead asid batteries as well..
so after reading your video my renogy rover 20 at back should be set to equalise the lead acid battery its connected to.?I have a ctek charger that can equalise I think also
Is it possible to connect 2 or more charge controllers into a single DC/DC charger? Effectively charging a lead acid starting battery from solar as well as being able to charge the Lifepo4 from the alternator.
Great video, makes so much sense... so is this that people normally do ? using multiply charge controllers if upgraded battery has capacity for multiply small chargers... ? Is it normal to put loads directly on the battery, or normally on the load terminals of charge controller ? I guess you were just loading the battery directly for the test ? Could you parallel up the load output of multiply charge controllers ? Thanks sorry so many questions.
I'm assuming your solar charge controllers are programmed the same? The shore power charger is the one that's different and has a higher threshold before it goes into float charge and that's why the solar chargers go into float first? I'm trying to do something like this for my boat and it seems a lot easier than I'm making it in my head
Would enjoy a video on midnight classics or outback custom setting for Lithium and the question if they are equipped for Lithium being built for sealed or flood lead acid.
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*HI there I dont know if you can help me on this issue. But what if its a hybrid controller that has its own solar and wind turbine and want to connect another wind turbine that will have its own controller?*
I just watched another video claiming that two SCC on one bank would fight one another. That was the first time I heard this and the video had an over 200k views. I am planning on two controllers for our boat and was concerned. But, Will to the rescue, as per the usual arrangement. Thanks a bunch! You are the definitive Solar Authority!
I've been searching for this information for a month and then get it from someone i trust is great.
Will, all of your videos are very good. But I have to say this video ranks right at the top because of how you explained so much valuable information in an easily digestible manner. Absolutely top notch effort.
One other benefit that may have not been obvious is if your system starts out with a 20 amp solar charger and one day you need more amps, you can still use your old 20 amp charger and simply add another 20 amp solar charger to your system. Previously I would have thought I would need to junk the 20 amp charger and upgrade to a single 40 amp charger.
So very helpful! Keep up the great work.
i have tried that on same in coming line off the panels it seem to cancel the other charge out
This is perfect, i have been hunting this answer for months. Glad i finally backtracked and found this video. I'd love to see the wiring diagram for this setup to make sure i understand it.
Thanks so much. I'm to learning this. I want to first set up a system for a camper and secondly set up a totaly off grid system on my daughters house. Your videos are very thorough and informative
Wow! You are the best youtuber on photovoltaic offgrid system
You're a genius Will! Keep up the good work man for you'll go very far in life! I've been through college for engineering, plus I work on electronics in the US Air Force, and I have learned more from you about solar systems than I ever have in school and through my entire AF career! Thank you!
I agree...l don't know ur personal history that well to fully appreciate what happened to you and how it relates to us. I have essentially made this same comment before. I have a physics undergraduate degree from the dark ages 1969. I understand the basics you do an excellent job explaining using them. In fact having taught and developed technical curriculum all my life, l truly admire your talent...it exceeds mine.
On the complex specifics of the different battery types, you've touched this in a previous video. I'm happy l recall seeing that because l couldn't grasp all the content you shared. One way video learning is tough because we don't get to ask questions...not ur fault at all. But learning that the key is battery resistance that's affected by internal factors specific to that battery's chemistry and a host of other generic factors like temperature was powerful. You repeated that several times in a very effective way especially after you shared a content chunk of info. It helped me to not get distracted as you were sensitive to from other info sources. I have 3 solar panels...2 abt 360 watts n a 100. I have 2 Victron controllers connected separately to ea of the larger panels (if l knew l would later expand l would have purchased a larger capacity controller to save money) But did expand and my single controller lacked the capacity. I didn't realize l cud have connected these 2 larger panels in series avoiding buying a second expensive but worth it controller) My 100 watt panel feeds a simple PWM controller. I learned before my 4 6V batteries connected series-parallel for 12V. Thanks for your patience and appreciation of the confusion us non expert solar power guys out here. 👍👍👍
For real, we need this dude in Jones Hall
You have an amazing gift Will, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us.
I wish I could talk like you. I had to watch your video more than once because I couldn't focus on anything other than watching how easily you can say words with such grace and perfection.
Gr8 presentation, it gave this neophytes queries some clarity form the basics to a bit more advanced ones. We have a load of questions on Solar. Q1, Multiple controller charging one battery bank. Your comment at 00:45 covered that (10 or 20 controllers on one batt bank). We may be going 48v lith to pwr our Sol-ark 12k. For starters, we will have 5-PV on the East roof, 5-PV's on the west roof (more to be added on other building in time). We also wish to have a charging station for our 12v tractor batts. We will also like to hook up a pelton wheel on the 48v. A bank of 10 / 20 controllers answers a lot of questions.
This Is Very Interesting! The Info Was Huge And Very Informative. Heat And Cold Lead Acid Vs Lithium Ion Is Fascinating! Good Video!
Good Information! This solved my build with 12v solar system.
2 x 40ah MPPT Solar Charge Controller
4 x 120ah 12v Lead Acid Battery
4 x 320w pv panel
1 x 2kw 12v Pure Sine Wave Inverter
I have only just discovered this concept, and you present it so well. Thanks. I have a question though : If, to charge or not to charge, is based on internal resistance, why are the bulk and float limits set using voltage ? Hope you're still checking comments after 5 years 🙂
Hopefully, in 3 years I will start to understand SOME of the things Will is talking about.
Thanks, Will that was one of my concerns of different solar arrays grabbing the sun from different angles.
Wow, someone on UA-cam that actually knows the subject they are talking about.. And without any ego.. Very informative video if you live off grid
thanks a lot!!! everything you said about the myth..that was what I was made to believe.. now I know better.. again thanks a lot...
Thanks Will, this is what I was looking for and the answer to the question I asked you yesterday. Now I have the answer and I see I can connect every charger to the same time to the battery, MPPT + dc-dc from alternator and even sore power charger. Thanks dude :)
Awesome!! Glad I can help :)
Can you put the power from mppt into the DC to DC charger? We want to be able charge 2 types of batteries (Lead Acid and Lifepo4) from 2 different sized solar-panels each on separate mppt, and an alternator.
Thanks, I am old and new to solar, but using 5 charge controllers was what I thought was the best idea just for redundancy and if one or two go out I still have enough solar to do till I get them replaced. If one panel is shaded still have 4 others producing well.
Great to know this info. I have trees in the back yard and more sun in the front AM. I could run 2 controllers on separate arrays in accordance also utilizing the best solar panels for their respective output for straight sun and partial shade. Great to know this. Thanks Will.
@Bmillmine yeah, I can't do that, but I can work out a plan for best efficiency of panels with that in mind.
Very nice, I was wondering about that. I'm building a 400 watt / 200 Ah solar for a small 5th wheel. Putting the 4 panels on the roof and was thinking about a suitcase for those shady spots. This clears up my options for wiring the suitcase into the system. Thanks for the info!
Thank you Will I have ask my Rv dealer and the Rv manufacture of my Rv and their techs could not or would not give me any satisfaction about solar applications. Have watched many of your videos on batteries and solar information and you have helped me more than anyone, Thanks again!
another masterly exposition, great stuff Will
Great video! I asked renogy this same question and they said no. Do not connect separate charge controllers. I have 400 watts of hqst's and 100 watts of renogy. But i know my wanderer 30 amp pwm is only rated for 400 watts. So I wanted to put the 100 renogy on a 10 amp pwm but to the same bank. Thanks alot for showing the numbers! I've learned alot! It's not just taking your word for if. You actually show the numbers and let people decide if they agree or not!
You can use as many chargers as you want with no problems at all... I think the myth that you can`t comes from that when the battery is almost full and only charging a little it will use only one of the chargers to charge, only when the charge ampere is lager then the 1 charger can handle alone it will start using the other chargers.
@a64738 that's exactly what I've seen when full or close to full 1 charger does the work until there more demand and the other makes up.
Wow. This is the best solar charger explanation I’ve ever seen. It actually answers all of my questions in one video, as I go out to buy another panel. Thanks Will!
Yes! I'm using 3 reongy 30amp, 1 is set at flooded and 2 are agm, no problems and yes I'm monitoring the distilled water.
At best I show 14.2 volts at my batteries,
1200watt system. Any added help is always listened too. Thanks for your videos
It made plenty of sense and answered a lot of the questions traped in my head :D
Great vid. When you gonna get into Wind Turbines, Kinetic-solar, Kinetic-aquatic and Electro-Static charging? It would add a twist to your excellent Solar vids.
Thank you for putting my mind at rest on this subject. I can now improve my system to maximize my roof area for additional panels and minimizing the shading problem I have 👍
Great video Will. I have always had two solar charge controllers connected to my battery bank. You are absolutely correct, no problems as long as the batteries can manage the charge. The reason for two is redundancy
Thank you. This was exactly what I was looking for. Connect all the solar charge controllers to a bus bar. Ideally one per panel. Put all of them near the bus bar so they see the same voltage. Then attach the battery(ies) and load to the bus bar.
And with will also work if you attach a AC to DC and/or DC to DC charge controller(s) to the bus bar as well. Just need to have the same float and boost voltage setting.
This includes petrol generator AC or DC to DC charge controllers and wind turbine charge controllers.
Watched this five years ago...here to verify my memory was correct
And what do you know, will throws in an off hand nugget about AGMs.
Always something new...thanks
Thank you Will. I think that answered my question about running a generator with my charge controller.
The problem at 8:00 can have another, cheaper solution with 2 schottky diodes added to separate both arrays. We will have around 1% of output voltage drop but the resistive value of each array won't affect the other :)
Absolutely! Blocking diodes. You got it :)
To enable any panel orientation and types sizes, etc, you can solve this by using X charge controllers, group panels by types, all the same orientation on one controller. Different type ans orientation to another controller, and you are good. So you can have morning panels, middle panels, and evening panels. (or 2x more panels oriented for winter for example) This way the max charge current will be lower but you will have more hours. This technique just works beautifully. If you live during the day, and use your main devices during the day, this enable going with a smaller battery and in the end, you've spent less on the whole system, even with the price added of several controllers. And go lithium. reclaimed 7s 18650 are good. 8s LiFe is even better. Lithium require monitoring at cell level, balancing once in a while only.
I think this is a very powerful bit of information! This means that it is possible - and easy - to build a system in a modular fashion over time. For example, add 4 solar panels and a 20A MPPT every month until you achieve desired capacity. It also eliminates single points of failure! This is really exciting. Is my logic sound? (Like I have to ask folks to comment on UA-cam...)
Very nice, will.
Exactly what's needed to show and prove. Good hint for the equalization (it can be deactivated on many controller)
The first rule about charge controller fight Club is....
Ask Will!
And don't worry about it.
@7:53 are you sure that's right ? I'm thinking two equally sized arrays in parallel, but one facing Southeast and one facing Southwest would not drag each other down, since they already have diodes within them. I think other people have demonstrated this to be true in other videos. Can you please elaborate on this Will? Thanks
The demonstrations are good and the conclusions and advice given are correct. IMO the actual myth the video disproves is:
"you can't (or shouldn't) charge from multiple sources at once"
instead of the stated
"when one boosts the voltage it reduces the output of the other charge controller." (0:05)
Consider what happens when one of the controllers (the shore charger) has a higher voltage setpoint for Absorption: the other controllers drop to zero watts (3:30) as the stated myth predicts. This will happen as the controllers complete Bulk charging at different times due to different voltage setpoints. They all contribute up to their setpoint then fall away as it is exceeded. Normal and expected, and Will explains that behavior clearly.
It's a good video; I do want folks to understand the content without getting confused by myth wording in the intro.
I see your point. Very true. I always have a tough time thinking of titles to the video. What would you suggest as a better title? I thought calling it a "myth" would get people curious. But yes, further explanation was necessary.
Thank you so much for answering this question. Very well explained. I just installed a 2nd mmpt solar controller and was sure it would work and was starting to 2nd guess myself.
Valid answer to a valid question . Thanks again , Thanks All
Good job.I have 4 100w BB batteries with 2 360w panels. Thinking about adding more your timing was great. Thanks.
@3:27 does this mean that led acid does not get as much out of the chargers as the first batteries you hooked up?
Great video! My question was, why the controllers need to communicate and coordinate? And, balancing of flooded lead-acid batteries was the answer. Thanks!
Brilliant. This helped me with my query about using mismatched solar panels....but I will have to re watch a few times! Thanks Will.
I would love you to build a cheap, light, good aero EV car conversion, from a car that is commonly available throughout the world. Looking forward to the painstaking step by step films, the best selling book, and the kits you sell!
Question: I have three separate MPPT charge controllers on three separate batteries. I have one 300 watt panel that supplies more than the daily energy the three batteries require. Can i just hook the three MPPT controllers up to the one solar panel in Parallel?
I wanna know too but because somehow I accidentally bought 3 charge controllers. 😔 thanks too computer lag but oh well. I just wanna know if I can hold a full charge in all 3 and use them separately at night?
This is confusing to me right now, but I've got your book on order and if it's written the way you teach on these videos, I won't be confused much longer.
Great Explanation.
Please can i add a new charge controller to a hybrid inverter which already has a built in charge controller?.
I want to upgrade and I have different mismatch solar panels
Hi Will, What happens when we connect 2 or more Mppt controller to a single array of panels (charging a 12V lithium battery bank)? Currently I have a Victron 100/50 controller(connected to 800Watt array) and am planning to add few more panels(400watt more panels) to my existing solar array. I do not want to replace my current controller with an expensive larger controller nor split my panels into 2 arrays. Instead I was thinking of adding another 100/20 controller in parallel to the same Single Array PV wire. Would this setup work? can these 2 controllers co-exist on same array and work as a 100/70 controller?
As I understand it, the IR of the battery dictates the current it can take, but the charge controllers decide how much to give based on the battery voltage, up to whichever limit is reached first: desired current / panel or charge current or batt full.
Multiple controllers work fine, they have no knowledge of each other and don't need to know - all they know is the battery voltage, and therefore how much current to push depending on where it is on the charge curve.
More controllers push up the voltage, so they'll back off automatically to follow the voltage and give the combined charge current specified. Make sure combined controllers cannot exceed the C rating of the battery, so they should be derated to ensure that can't happen. This may only be a problem with small batteries and large controllers though!
Exactly!!
@@twmcali7257 They could do, but in general they don't need to.
They could arbitrate with one or more controllers electing to switch to grid output or load dump if the battery is approaching full and can be handled by just one controller - in that case they may need to be aware of each other, or more likely a master controller decides which controller does what and when.
@@twmcali7257 there is no magical way for a charge controller to know what other charge controllers connected to the battery are doing. And for most circumstances, they don't need to. It measures the voltage and uses it's charge algorithm to determine what is most appropriate. And what did the renogy tech support say? also, the controllers in this video are rebranded renogy controllers and you can see from the test that what you said is simply not true. Think about how they work
@@twmcali7257 They have knowledge of the overall system but not each other directly unless they have direct comms with each other. I don't think any Renogy stuff allows inter-controller comms but I could be wrong.
@@WillProwse After watching your video, I purchased multiple charge controllers. I found they do reduce output. When I have 1 output is > 700 watts, 2 total output is 400 watts, 3 total output is 300 watts.
I have them on a busbar. What I think is happening, is as the solar power is used by one controller, it degrades what's available to the others. Then on the output side, I have again all going to a busbar, which I believe is also altering voltage as seen by the other controllers.
So your are correct, there is no magical way for the charge controllers to know what the other is doing, it is the voltage and amps the controllers are detecting on input and output which it sees, that is altering their ability to function.
I have isolated each to it's own solar bank and specific batter on the bank, and that has worked out much more efficiently.
I have a MorningStar solar controller but I also have a self regulated windmill that run pretty much straight to the battery but when the wind picks up this solar controller compensates and turns down the amps going to the battery.assuming it nearly fully charged.
I like this. Thank you so much, Prowse. You are a great teacher. Please, for fear of blowing things up as a non-expert, a video with step by step connection of two charge controllers to a three-battery bank connected in parallel as well as in series will technically help.
try to not parallel Lol !!
Brilliant explanation Will.
Was just grappling with this a few days ago.
Ask the universe.... And Will will supply.
Great video Will, I’ve always been told that the MPPT chargers would fight against each each other.
Cheers,
I think this is true only if the MPPT chargers share the same panels, not sharing the same battery.
Andy Lee Robinson what about if I have a caravan with a solar panel on the roof connected to 120 AGM battery via a mppt charger which is parallel linked to another 120 amp battery which has a mppt charger attached and which is feed by tow vehicle
@@mrfourex4070 Fed by tow vehicle? You mean that has solar panels too?
No problem - each mppt has their own set of panels which they manage. Their outputs can be connected together fine at the batteries, (assuming they're both set to charge the same type and voltage of battery)
Rule for mppt is that they control 1 panel, string or array each so they can adjust the input voltage for max power.
2 mppt controllers sharing panels will get confused as they hunt for max power. They will still work, but not optimally.
The outputs only care about battery voltage and current and are independent of the panels.
Hope that makes sense.
@@ahaveland Exactly so
curious about two or more uxcell Voltage Buck Converter Regulator DC 24V Step-Down to DC 12V 20A 240W Waterproof Power Transformer , what will they do share the load or hunt back in forth? if the load was bigger than one , but not two of them. Great info Thanks!
Hi Will! Great informative video! Keep up the good work my young friend.
I had every intention to learn more about solar power through this very inclusive channel but ran out of time before we got busy with the landscaping season. I am looking for a solar panel stystem to be able to charge my dump trailer batteries (3 trailers) at night and to power indoor and outdoor light in our small shed (600sqft). I have a gas generator to run our large compressor and power tools. The light are motion detection lights and we rarely use the shed at light. So mostly just need to charge my batteries. I assume I would need a very large system to run my 1.5hp compressor.
i had 2kw of 8 panels wired series parallel going into 2x outback 80 amp controllers and they never shared at all either 1 was in bulk and the other showed battery full and giving nothing or vice versa in the end i put them all on 1 controller and sold the other
I love your channel, you cut right thru all the crap ...and call BS and marketing hype and misinformation.
Thanks ,only video I've found about multi controller going to same set of bats,I'm new to solar, setting up my first,great video s
Ive seen a sailboat with a seperate charge controller for each individual solar panel to compensate for shade areas...crazy!
well time to break out my box of old controllers, thanks for the extra work
In regards to morning and afternoon arrays, is it generally better to have a smaller power harvest but consistent through day or face both arrays to max power harvest at the same same time for a bigger burst of power? Assume a long solar window in each case not just one hour.
This video made my day, thanks for the explanation.
nice job again, what keeps the recharge from charging at a rate similar to the discharge rate in cca's? like say 800cca's, maybe the collection of electrons inside., maybe there's something that could replace sulfuric acid to charge at a higher rate, Have you ever tried super capacitors before the ledacid, something might be fabricated to increase the recharge of the ledacid.
Does using more than one charge controller apply to solar chargers too when adding a second battery (AGM or Lithium)? Inergy says not to use another charge controller when connecting their unit to an auxiliary battery, but your video shows it should be OK. I want to use an external DC charger to the auxiliary battery because the Inergy unit won't charge it to full.
Absolutely not. Totally different scenario. The converter circuit of Apex is designed to charge to 12.6 volts max due to NMC it's designed to attach to. If you exceed that voltage with another converter circuit, you will fry the Apex. Bad bad bad idea. And no, this video does not say to do that. Completely different circuit than what was mentioned in this video
And you can't charge lead acids attached to apex to full. That's one big downside of the apex
In other words, current is a dependent function, voltage and resistance are independent functions. If the voltage is 12 volts and the resistance is 3 ohms, according to Ohm's Law, the current is I = V / R, or 12/3 = 4 Amps. This will be the case even if the voltage source can deliver 1000 amps, the load will draw only 4 amps.
Haha yeah! I was trying to avoid saying that for beginners, but yeah, you got it. Exactly
How bout combining a pwm and an mppt? Will it charge faster than only one type?
Good explanation, does this multiple solar charger connection approach work for PWM charge controllers?
Yes
@@bren42069 Thanks Bren, would this mean connecting to a single battery bank or separate battery banks which could be connected either in series or parallel to the inverter?
The chargers should go across the entire battery and yes that would be in parallel to the inverter and each other
@@bren42069 Thanks Bren
I have 2 identical solar chargers connected to a battery bank. When the battery bank is almost full it only uses one of the solar chargers and the other one just sit there idle, that is most likely why people think you can not use 2 chargers on one battery... Only when the charging ampere is higher then what just one charger can make it starts using the second solar charger.
Good video. With lead acid batteries,could you use a mppt and a pwm charge controller on one battery bank? Thanks for what you do.
I was looking at a Flin Energy solar charger/inverter (similar to MPP brand) . On this PWM (cheaper) model, solar max input is 3000 W and Inverter is rated at 5000 W. I was looking at ways to achieve 5000 W inverter output on solar to run air-conditioning during sunlight hours. Using this method, I can connect 3000 Watts of solar to 48V 200AH battery through a MPPT solar charge controller and another 3000 Watts of solar through PWM charge controller in the inverter. Thus I can perhaps achieve 5000 Watts of inverter output purely on solar during sunlight hours. The reason for considering this set-up is a PWM solar charger / inverter in parallel with MPPT charge controller is 30% to 40% cheaper than buying one single MPPT solar inverter that can accept 5000W of solar input.
What are your thoughts on building batteries out of 18650 lithium ion batteries?
Thanks Will, that answers my question I sent you last week. 👍✌
Have you done a segment devoted to temperature v efficiencies of longevity v kWh?
I.E., equatorial heat destroying batteries no matter what (short of air conditioned storage).
Exposition in this segment was good, but probably deserves its own treatment from you for your followers.
Loce your work!
Great stuff👍😀 very impressive presentation, very impressive.👏 thank you for sharing.
This is a very informative test. I was always told by electrical engineers to never combine two or more power supplies or chargers to one battery, even if all provide the very same voltage or of the same type/model etc.
Did you use any load balancing resistors or ORing diodes on the supply outputs?
I have 24v Sungold all in one charge controllers. I have a second one that I haven't set up yet. Can my second controller be connected to my first battery bank? My first set up is 8 one hundred watt panels. I want to add another system so I can use two larger panels can I connected right to the battery bank I have? 4 Iron phosphate 24v 100 amp hour battery.
I have 2 eg4 6000ex in parallel. I have approximately 30 kwh of battery storage. One inverter has 6kw of pv. The other has 7.5kw of pv. I have an additional 7kw of panels i can install. I am thinking about buying a 8000 or 10000 watt sungoldpower inverter for those panels and using the same battery bank. I would put the ac output of this inverter own a separate panel specifically for car charging when the panels are making good power. Do you see any issues with this? Thanks for your input!
Will, I enjoy your videos. I’ve not been able to find an answer to the following question. Can I hook up two separate panels to th same controller. One from my camper roof and one portable on the ground. Thanks.
Hello Will,
You are an excellent popularizer and super competent, I refer to you very often for battery recharging questions and much more.
I found all the answers I was wondering about.
Thank you for letting us benefit from your great knowledge and experience. You are an important resource for me.
I hope you want to continue for a long time because it helps a lot of people, I'm sure.
I'm sure I have the answer already but just in case,
If I plug in a Renogy DC-DC Charger 20A from the car's alternator and an Epever 20A solar panel controller in parallel, I won't have a conflict between the devices, right?
Thank you very much for your advice,
Jacques
Thank you very much for this video and answering questions I've been looking for! Just to be sure. Did I get you right - If I have LiFePo4 12V 560Ah and three solar panels 460w each and I have three mppt charge controllers with no parallel function and I connect each panel to each mppt charge controller and wire their outputs to my battery it will work great without any parallel function at all?
Well explained... Thank you ... I wish I had discovered this channel long ago
Great information and interesting videos Will ! If I haven't said it yet having found your channel a while back now. It's like a master class in solar energy. Thank you very much !
Thank you very much. All You’re videos are very informative but this one answered a question I was wondering about for some time.
Always looking forward to your videos, taught me a lot already even far across the Atlantic.... Iots of love from Nigeria 🇳🇬...... More idea to you bro, your contents are simple and dope!
Seriously. You rock. I was asking these types of questions to some solar stores and they all said something different. Some saying never add 2 controller to one bank... Blah blah blah. But I was never getting a consistent answer. However Your test results confirmed my belief. Seriously, you rock. Keep up the good work.
Thank you!! Glad I can help :D
Doesn't one CC see the other as a load when one is reading voltage?
Hey Will, thanks so much for the very informative videos! Do you think 8 hours time duration for equalizing (4) Duracell GC2 6V FLA batteries is too long? That's the hard setting in my Xantrex Freedom 458 20D charger. I know i should check the specific gravity to know for sure but I'm always paranoid i'll end up squirting acid in my eyes or something dumb like that. I've got a BMS i've been procrastinating to install so i can more accurately track the charge cycles. I full time RV and go between boondocking and campgrounds so my charge cycle patterns do vary quite a bit. Sorry, now i'm rambling... Thanks again for your channel!!!
That sounds like a long ass time, the best thing to do is to find the specs recommended by the manufacturer for your specific battery model
Actually i think I'm using that same battery which is a rebranded deka gc110, i found the exact specs somewhere i believe someone on cheaprvliving forum actually called deka and asked. iirc
@@bren42069 thanks Bren, I'll check that out.
I have agm led gel batteries and I want to add wind as well. So as I understand I can just link up another charge controller from the wind turbine and it will integrate with the solar charge controller. I also don't understand where the excess power goes if your batteries are full how does the solar charge controller get rid of the excess power? Does it drain from the earth cable I have from the charge controller? Their is no cord on my victron mppt solar controller to dump excess power. I'm confused. But thankyou for clearing up the multiple charge controller thing. Oh would I be able to splice the cables from a solar panel and a wind turbine and run it I to one solar charge controller or would that confuse it with heaps or eregular power flowing in?
I think this is good. Supposed rambling was informative. Thanks for sharing
Yes ☺perfect explain..but for a better test would be a 48v system..Two banks ..8 batteries of 12v runing as one with bussbar + and the - With two charge controller. Well balance agm lead asid batteries as well..
so after reading your video my renogy rover 20 at back should be set to equalise the lead acid battery its connected to.?I have a ctek charger that can equalise I think also
Is it possible to connect 2 or more charge controllers into a single DC/DC charger? Effectively charging a lead acid starting battery from solar as well as being able to charge the Lifepo4 from the alternator.
great infos thank you. But how multiple charging stages is managed with multiple controllers?
This is exactly what i was looking for. Thanks for the info! Very well explained and easy to understand. Regards!.
Great video, makes so much sense... so is this that people normally do ? using multiply charge controllers if upgraded battery has capacity for multiply small chargers... ? Is it normal to put loads directly on the battery, or normally on the load terminals of charge controller ? I guess you were just loading the battery directly for the test ? Could you parallel up the load output of multiply charge controllers ? Thanks sorry so many questions.
I'm assuming your solar charge controllers are programmed the same? The shore power charger is the one that's different and has a higher threshold before it goes into float charge and that's why the solar chargers go into float first? I'm trying to do something like this for my boat and it seems a lot easier than I'm making it in my head
Would enjoy a video on midnight classics or outback custom setting for Lithium and the question if they are equipped for Lithium being built for sealed or flood lead acid.