Upgraded the solar charge controller today.

[Bbasso]

I've had the Sunforce 30 amp PWM Controller for just shy of a year and has worked flawlessly but since I recently upgraded the battery bank to dual AGMs I need more juice flowing.
The Eco-worthy mppt 20 amp controller arrived just before lunch.

So after setting up the basic parameters I noticed a huge difference in the amount of solar capture.
And even more with the sun setting, usually around 2 to 3 amps coming in. Now there is at least 5 amps .
I do realize I upped the absorb / float levels but still impressive gains.

Hopefully this unit will last a really long time.

 

[4x4junkie]

That just proves how much value MPPT has even on smaller systems. As you found, the gains are greatest very early & late in the day, as well as when it's cloudy.
As MPPT controllers get less expensive, it only make more sense to use one.

 

[Bbasso]

Correct!
And my solar system is small.
Two 155ah AGM, two 100wt panels and now the Eco-worthy.

 

[comptiger5000]

On a vehicle, those gains can be incredibly useful. Especially if it means you don't end up needing quite as much panel (less weight, less space needed for the panels, etc.)

 

[AndrewP]

Just how long does your unit stay at the "absorb" voltage you set? Mine comes up to the setting, and immediately drops to float. It does not seem like the charge profile I expected.

In my case after messing around with the settings, set the absorb voltage to 15.0 (which measures at 14.8), so the controller stays in "bulk" until it hits 15 volts, then immediately drops to the float voltage, which varies around the setting of 13.4. Any load on the system, sends it immediately back to "bulk" which is what I expected/

 

[IdaSHO]

Yep, the eco-worthy is worth EVERY penny.

Isnt the greatest in the world of MPPT, but for the price, its hard to argue the benefit of any of the controller that are 2-3 times as expensive.


Mine to date has pumped north of 25,000 amps into our batteries,

Still truckin' :ylsmoke:

 

[Bbasso]

I haven't had the time to watch how long, usually at lunch I'll take a peak to see what's the status is. With my older controller the battery bank was usually full around 10 to 11 am on clear days.

 

[IdaSHO]

Im interested to see your long time report vs your old PWM


We are pretty hard on our setup, honestly.

I draw the batteries down pretty far at times.


Very seldom do we find ourselves parked in a location with anything better than mediocre sun.

Normally tucked into a draw with high canyon walls, or stuffed into the trees.


Still, we can manage 4-5 days in one spot with only an hour or two of good sun, before we really tax the batteries and need to find a way to feed them some juice.

I keep telling myself I need more solar, but being more realistic, I simply need more battery.

 

[Bbasso]

Not too I sure about a long term report lol
But I did raise the absorb and float # to match the requirements of the batteries. The older controller was .9 V off from where the batteries should be.
So I'm hoping that I can raise the batteries back up to... but time will only tell.

And on that note, I suppose there will be a long term report.

 

[jonyjoe101]

the ecoworthy 20 amp mppt is a reliable unit. I bought one when they first came out about 3 years ago. It has been working nonstop 24/7 since I hooked it up.

The only problem I seen is the same one mention above about the absorb mode not having a timer. As soon as the battery voltage reads 14.4 volts it switches automatically to float 13.3 volts. I read the manual and it doesnt show any way to make it stay in absorb mode.

This is how its suppose to work, battery is low in the morning say 12.3 volts. Controller is suppose to fast bulk charge it until it reaches 14.4 volts (about 80 percent charge) then it suppose to switch over to absorb which is 14.4 volts and maintain that voltage for several hours as the battery reaches 100 percent (amps slowly drop as battery gets full), then it switches to float about 13.3 volts.

With the ecoworthy, In the 3 years I had it, I have seen it in absorb mode for at most 5 minutes, usually it goes from bulk straight to float. The problem this causes is your battery never gets a full charge. It reaches 80 percent and just remains at float.

The only work around is to set your float setting to 14.3 volts (this is the highest voltage float goes on my 3 year old ecoworthy). This will ensure your battery gets a full charge every day. The battery wont suffer any damage from staying at 14.3 volts all day long.

The other workaround is to spend 300 dollars on a namebrand mppt, but if mine ever goes bad I will probably replace it with another ecoworthy, it works for me and my 240 watt 36 volt panel.

 

[Bbasso]

that's interesting to read...
thanks for the tip!

 

[IdaSHO]

I have mine set up similarly.

Never had a problem getting the batteries to 95%+

Assuming I have usable sun, of course

 

[Bbasso]

I just bumped the float to 14.3, I'll report back in a day or three.
Again, thank you.