@mjlorton Cool. Sorry for repeating. Um, I came up with a Hillbilly Headcam. Try ' SunFoil Mk-3 On The Highway, To Town, In The Rain.' It shows, via Voltmeter, the 2 Regulator's squabbling for Control Of the Battery ! Also, the extra Torque, at Low RPM, Uphill, in Top Gear.
@mjlorton Hi Bob, thanks for sending me here. The Alphanumeric Soup failed, but the Title got me to the Movie... Um, my PMs have frozen again. Sent too many yesterday ! MJ, very interesting. I'll go & watch Pt 2. Meantime, if you search 'SunFoil Science', thereat you'll find my own little contribution to the State Of The Art... Not as erudite nor as well equipped as yours, but it shaved 35% off my 4WD's Fuelburn.
@flavomarginatus That would be great, when you have the time please send it to martin@silentenergysolutions.co.za. If you pop me your rough location I'll look up the weather conditions etc for the period. Cheers, Martin.
Thank you. Excellent example. Your organization and labeling is first class. I recently installed a Rogue MPT-3024 on my trailer. I have 4- 80 watt polycrystalline panels in Tucson, Arizona, USA. Being that it is winter solstice, the power production is very low.
@flavomarginatus Thanks for your comments and for watching. Do you have an idea / log of the amount of Watt hours you are getting now. What are your local temps? Cheers,
@hebay2 Yes, you can use a 24volt panel to charge a 12volt battery. You just need to check what the maximum open circuit voltage is of the PV and make sure the controller can handle that. You also need to ensure you connect the 12 volt battery first as many charge controllers are auto sensing between 12 / 24 volt systems. If you connect the panel first it may think it's a 24 volt system and over charge the battery.
@mjlorton great advice thanks.makes sense.seems a lot of questionable mppt chargers out there performance wise..ive got a 12v system and spent my last few quid on a huge 24v panel..any ideas on being just able to add it to a 12v system for now..would rather lose power than not use it...im toying with re tabbing it to two 12v strings and paralleling them...anythings do able where theres a way..i wonder if anyones ever done it..can go mppt later either way...any ideas ?
@hebay2 You should be able to use in on a normal PWM charger as long as the max current and voltage don't exceed any of the charger specs. Your idea of re tabbling the panel does make sense but I would be concerned about damaging the integrity of the panel. If you've spent a fair amount of cash on it I would leave it...
If the panel voltage is still too high for the spec of your controler you could try placing load resistance in series to drop the voltage..but could lead to other issues.
@flavomarginatus thanks my friend but its a 12 volt system and i cant afford a new controller..ive just turned it into 2 12v panels by shining a bright torch through it and working out where to tap into the tabs..was really easy..one snip in the middle at the bottom..wire soldered onto each side then taken up to the box and whip one diode out...sorted.
@ors201 Very good question, my guess is that it won't juggle the amps to increase the voltage but I will do the investigation and post a video response to your question. Thanks for watching.
How do those MPPT work? They have some DSP calculating the Vmax (which corresponds to the max power) in open loop, or are they using the perturb and observe method?
@T0B0KKE They use an algorithm to step through various voltage and current combinations to see what yields the best power output. Each manufacturer will design their own algorithm for what they consider works best. The big name brands tend to have it working best.
@mjlorton Thank you. I am trying to build my own MPPT with the incremental perturbation of the output voltage and measuring the power. The method slowly approaches the MPP, like a ball that falls into a parabolic cup. However getting the power signal by multiplication of the current and voltage is proving to be hard... Can't implement a linear multiplication circuit. Anyone knows anything in this regard? :D
Good and easy to understand information about controllers and panels. Experimenting with the Watts-up meters also. Should be rxing a Juta MPPT controller to try soon. Just using a basic Kemo on-off one at the moment. It is also important that the system size is right for the consumption and amount of solar input, which is seasonal of course.
@jonathans1212 Of course the current intensity goes down. Look at the I/V curves of a photovoltaic cell. The lower the voltage the more close you get to the short circuit current. Also, the lower the current the higher voltage you get, until for I=0 you have the open circuit voltage.
I think it really sucks that you have to use those Watt's up power analyzers, why wouldn't they put in an led screen in the MPPT charge controller? I noticed that a lot of MPPT charge controllers that are available on eBay do not have led screens. Old controllers do, so why wouldn't they put them in new ones?
would you be so kind as to share a bit about that whole unit? We're looking at building some teaching/lab devices and it looks like we need to make something like this... email divonbriesen@gmail.com
I had a look at your channel and it looks very interesting. I built the whole system from a plastic tool box and bought most of the components from Amazon. I did put a video and pictues together of the build that I never posted so I can send them to you.
@mjlorton hey sorry for the delay... life is busy. Just watched your vid about water systems... with regards to your reply here... can you send those pix, or post them where we can see them (of the build for the mppt and such referenced above)? That'd be way cool.
@hippyraverocker It does tent to make a little noise especially under low light. I assume this is due to the MPPT algorithm having to work harder to find a maximum power point when lighting conditions become challenging.
Question...Is your Power Analyzer before your charge controllers? (directly after the PV's). I ask because in your video when you switch to the std Controller the current goes up to 3.3a from 3 with the MTTP? Your test shows its better to use a std C contoller as current into the batterys is whats important....not Watts at the panel. Do you have a way to measure V & I at the battery? That may glean some light onto the performance of the 2 controllers.
@mjlorton actually i didn't mean the MPPT but the whole setup with the toolbox, cable ties, different labels, etc... Did you make it? Did you buy it? Where could I get one made, and what would it cost, or are there plans? We're building school lab components, and I'm looking for ideas, and really like the way you did this.
This is the Coolest setup! I love that you've put together a package that has so much flexability. Keep up the great work. Where did you find the Power Analyzer Pro? Based on your setup I'd love to have one but it looks like thy are out of business.
Thanks for your comments. As I recall I bought the Power Analyser Pro from RCHover. It would be a pitty if it is no longer available as it's a great tool.
This is the Coolest setup! I love that you've put together a package that has so much flexability. Keep up the great work. Where did you find the Power Analyzer Pro? Based on your setup I'd love to have one but it looks like thy are out of business.
Thanks. I think there will be a marked difference in the output when summer arrives. The crystalline panels will perform poorer in warmer / hot conditions while the amorphous should do better.. I'll track the output under changing conditions and report back.
yeah mate
LOPEZdJUNGLIST 1 month ago
@mjlorton Cool. Sorry for repeating. Um, I came up with a Hillbilly Headcam. Try ' SunFoil Mk-3 On The Highway, To Town, In The Rain.' It shows, via Voltmeter, the 2 Regulator's squabbling for Control Of the Battery ! Also, the extra Torque, at Low RPM, Uphill, in Top Gear.
Ciao !
WarblesOnALot 2 months ago
@magna59
@mjlorton Hi Bob, thanks for sending me here. The Alphanumeric Soup failed, but the Title got me to the Movie... Um, my PMs have frozen again. Sent too many yesterday ! MJ, very interesting. I'll go & watch Pt 2. Meantime, if you search 'SunFoil Science', thereat you'll find my own little contribution to the State Of The Art... Not as erudite nor as well equipped as yours, but it shaved 35% off my 4WD's Fuelburn.
WarblesOnALot 2 months ago
@WarblesOnALot I've seen it...great work...thanks for sharing it with us!
mjlorton 2 months ago
I can provide you with a data log after I download the data. I really love the ability of the Rogue to log data for 30 days.
flavomarginatus 2 months ago
@flavomarginatus That would be great, when you have the time please send it to martin@silentenergysolutions.co.za. If you pop me your rough location I'll look up the weather conditions etc for the period. Cheers, Martin.
mjlorton 2 months ago
But the amps actually increased without the MPPT controller. What is up with that?
flavomarginatus 2 months ago
@flavomarginatus Watch part 2.
mjlorton 2 months ago
@mjlorton
Thank you. Excellent example. Your organization and labeling is first class. I recently installed a Rogue MPT-3024 on my trailer. I have 4- 80 watt polycrystalline panels in Tucson, Arizona, USA. Being that it is winter solstice, the power production is very low.
flavomarginatus 2 months ago
@flavomarginatus Thanks for your comments and for watching. Do you have an idea / log of the amount of Watt hours you are getting now. What are your local temps? Cheers,
Martin.
mjlorton 2 months ago
Hi,does mppt mean i can use a 24v panel to charge a 12v battery
hebay2 3 months ago
@hebay2 Yes, you can use a 24volt panel to charge a 12volt battery. You just need to check what the maximum open circuit voltage is of the PV and make sure the controller can handle that. You also need to ensure you connect the 12 volt battery first as many charge controllers are auto sensing between 12 / 24 volt systems. If you connect the panel first it may think it's a 24 volt system and over charge the battery.
mjlorton 3 months ago
@mjlorton great advice thanks.makes sense.seems a lot of questionable mppt chargers out there performance wise..ive got a 12v system and spent my last few quid on a huge 24v panel..any ideas on being just able to add it to a 12v system for now..would rather lose power than not use it...im toying with re tabbing it to two 12v strings and paralleling them...anythings do able where theres a way..i wonder if anyones ever done it..can go mppt later either way...any ideas ?
hebay2 3 months ago
@hebay2 You should be able to use in on a normal PWM charger as long as the max current and voltage don't exceed any of the charger specs. Your idea of re tabbling the panel does make sense but I would be concerned about damaging the integrity of the panel. If you've spent a fair amount of cash on it I would leave it...
If the panel voltage is still too high for the spec of your controler you could try placing load resistance in series to drop the voltage..but could lead to other issues.
mjlorton 3 months ago
@hebay2 Maybe you could take your 12 volt panels and wire them in series to create a 24 panel, then add the 24 volt panel to the system.
flavomarginatus 2 months ago
@flavomarginatus thanks my friend but its a 12 volt system and i cant afford a new controller..ive just turned it into 2 12v panels by shining a bright torch through it and working out where to tap into the tabs..was really easy..one snip in the middle at the bottom..wire soldered onto each side then taken up to the box and whip one diode out...sorted.
hebay2 2 months ago
Not very good comparison which controller had which panels?
CL8ON29 4 months ago
@CL8ON29 Two panels are switched together between each controller for the demonstaration.
mjlorton 4 months ago
What if the voltage drops below 12v..... Will the MPPT still work to reduce amps and increase voltage??
ors201 6 months ago
@ors201 Very good question, my guess is that it won't juggle the amps to increase the voltage but I will do the investigation and post a video response to your question. Thanks for watching.
mjlorton 6 months ago
How do those MPPT work? They have some DSP calculating the Vmax (which corresponds to the max power) in open loop, or are they using the perturb and observe method?
T0B0KKE 11 months ago
@T0B0KKE They use an algorithm to step through various voltage and current combinations to see what yields the best power output. Each manufacturer will design their own algorithm for what they consider works best. The big name brands tend to have it working best.
mjlorton 10 months ago
@mjlorton Thank you. I am trying to build my own MPPT with the incremental perturbation of the output voltage and measuring the power. The method slowly approaches the MPP, like a ball that falls into a parabolic cup. However getting the power signal by multiplication of the current and voltage is proving to be hard... Can't implement a linear multiplication circuit. Anyone knows anything in this regard? :D
T0B0KKE 10 months ago
Good and easy to understand information about controllers and panels. Experimenting with the Watts-up meters also. Should be rxing a Juta MPPT controller to try soon. Just using a basic Kemo on-off one at the moment. It is also important that the system size is right for the consumption and amount of solar input, which is seasonal of course.
Keep up the good work
Kevin
zl1ujg 1 year ago
@zl1ujg Thanks for your comments Kevin.
mjlorton 1 year ago
i have a question
if you divide the volts into watts it comes out to be that the pwm has more Amps
the other has higher voltage and watts but not more amps bc watts divided by voltage is your final amps
jonathans1212 1 year ago
@jonathans1212 Have a look at the follow-up MPPT vs PWM video and that might clarify things for you.
mjlorton 1 year ago
@jonathans1212 Of course the current intensity goes down. Look at the I/V curves of a photovoltaic cell. The lower the voltage the more close you get to the short circuit current. Also, the lower the current the higher voltage you get, until for I=0 you have the open circuit voltage.
T0B0KKE 11 months ago
were did u get those little amp meters
jonathans1212 1 year ago
@jonathans1212 They are "Watts Up!" meters and are available from Amazon or RC hobby shops.
mjlorton 1 year ago
I think it really sucks that you have to use those Watt's up power analyzers, why wouldn't they put in an led screen in the MPPT charge controller? I noticed that a lot of MPPT charge controllers that are available on eBay do not have led screens. Old controllers do, so why wouldn't they put them in new ones?
PiercingKnight 1 year ago
@PiercingKnight Yup, have to agree, I wish my MPPT had a display....
mjlorton 1 year ago
I noticed that the amp were actually more for the normal charger witch is what really matters.
shartne 1 year ago
@shartne If you view "MPPT vs PWM Solar Charger - Follow-up"
it should answer your comment.
mjlorton 1 year ago
would you be so kind as to share a bit about that whole unit? We're looking at building some teaching/lab devices and it looks like we need to make something like this... email divonbriesen@gmail.com
Thanks!
d.i.
Icabad 1 year ago
@Icabad Hi D.I.,
I had a look at your channel and it looks very interesting. I built the whole system from a plastic tool box and bought most of the components from Amazon. I did put a video and pictues together of the build that I never posted so I can send them to you.
Cheers,
Martin.
mjlorton 1 year ago
@mjlorton hey sorry for the delay... life is busy. Just watched your vid about water systems... with regards to your reply here... can you send those pix, or post them where we can see them (of the build for the mppt and such referenced above)? That'd be way cool.
d.i. (di@gdwell.org)
Icabad 1 year ago
Does your MPPT controller make a slight clicking noise when charging a battery?
Especially under low light?
hippyraverocker 1 year ago
@hippyraverocker It does tent to make a little noise especially under low light. I assume this is due to the MPPT algorithm having to work harder to find a maximum power point when lighting conditions become challenging.
mjlorton 1 year ago
Question...Is your Power Analyzer before your charge controllers? (directly after the PV's). I ask because in your video when you switch to the std Controller the current goes up to 3.3a from 3 with the MTTP? Your test shows its better to use a std C contoller as current into the batterys is whats important....not Watts at the panel. Do you have a way to measure V & I at the battery? That may glean some light onto the performance of the 2 controllers.
Excellent setup BTW! Nice work.
drz4000 1 year ago
@drz4000 A video response to your observation and query will be posted soon. Thanks, Martin.
mjlorton 1 year ago
@drz4000 The follow-up video has been posted. Thanks again.
mjlorton 1 year ago
please sir provide a diy project for mppt(homemade)
buy the way u r great
anupamvipul233 1 year ago
My MPPT is not DIY but I've put an excellent link to an MPPT DIY project and full explanation on how it all works in more info.
mjlorton 1 year ago
@mjlorton actually i didn't mean the MPPT but the whole setup with the toolbox, cable ties, different labels, etc... Did you make it? Did you buy it? Where could I get one made, and what would it cost, or are there plans? We're building school lab components, and I'm looking for ideas, and really like the way you did this.
Icabad 1 year ago
This is the Coolest setup! I love that you've put together a package that has so much flexability. Keep up the great work. Where did you find the Power Analyzer Pro? Based on your setup I'd love to have one but it looks like thy are out of business.
nolimitssjca 1 year ago
Thanks for your comments. As I recall I bought the Power Analyser Pro from RCHover. It would be a pitty if it is no longer available as it's a great tool.
mjlorton 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
This is the Coolest setup! I love that you've put together a package that has so much flexability. Keep up the great work. Where did you find the Power Analyzer Pro? Based on your setup I'd love to have one but it looks like thy are out of business.
nolimitssjca 1 year ago
Comment removed
nolimitssjca 1 year ago
Good comparison!
makoboat20c 2 years ago
Thanks. I think there will be a marked difference in the output when summer arrives. The crystalline panels will perform poorer in warmer / hot conditions while the amorphous should do better.. I'll track the output under changing conditions and report back.
mjlorton 2 years ago
Very nice setup. I wonder what effect ambient air/PV temperature would have on the MPPT vs. PWM controller output. Thanks for posting this video.
GreenSolarDude 2 years ago