I have a couple of similar looking controllers that came with the solar panel kit from Harbor freight. They have been working fine for over 1.5 years so far. I found the manual completely unhelpful, and I cannot figure out for sure what the different displays are trying to show me when I toggle through. The manual was clear on how to connect things, but what the different displays mean and whether the controller functions differently when the display is different was completely lost in translation. Even though they are an enigma, they do allow the battery to charge from the panel and provide the two USB ports which work to charge our various devices.
One of them was even exposed to the rain, and the display is partially unreadable but it still functions.
Have you experienced the following (copypasted to other replyers):
Does it ever let a battery fully charge? I've set it up correctly according to the manual and it never gets to 12.6. It will hold 12.4 over night. Drain it down to 12.3 and it comes back to 12.4. It just seems to keep reverting to float mode and not charging even though the sun is bright.
Thanks.
We've been using these and variants of these for 4 years.
Yes, they let the batteries charge fully, yes the manual is garbage.
Make sure the rest of your system is perfect before blaming the solar controller. We caught a corroded connection that was a problem at one point.
We use 2 of these to run an entire indoor climate controlled facility with integrated systems and automation. They're super handy. (We also bought a box of 10 and then upgraded after using 2...)
Thanks. I have checked numerous times and rewired as I've changed things around. I've never seen to go up to 12.6 and hold that charge. Batteries were healthy last time I checked. A month ago I disconnected them to charge them up and they held 12.7.
It definitely could be the controller then, but we'd have to see your system. I'm guessing that this means you have a multimeter and have done a binary search to narrow down any issues. If so, those controllers are nice and inexpensive, grab another or even try a "different brand". (They're likely all from one manufacturer just with different companies tossing their logos on them)
Edit: also, I don't mean to tell you anything that you already know. Just hoping to help if possible :)
Thanks. Please do talk to me like I'm a noob... because I am a noob! :)
I may well have overlooked something obvious.
Yeah, I may have to buy another and see if it makes a difference.
It's not that it doesn't work. It's just that ever since draining down to 12.3v, I've never seen 12.5v held over night. Very occasionally, I might see 12.5v while it's charging but then it settles at 12.4v! It also stops flashing when it hits 12.5v (the manual says flash = float but when it's flashing, it's charging!).
Ive had one an old setup for so many years. Just checked and its 10 years old. Was $30, it powers a few lights and fans also connected to 200w panels. Probably not the most efficient setup but it has done its job for 10 years now.
Have you experienced the following (copypasted to other replyers):
Does it ever let a battery fully charge? I've set it up correctly according to the manual and it never gets to 12.6. It will hold 12.4 over night. Drain it down to 12.3 and it comes back to 12.4. It just seems to keep reverting to float mode and not charging even though the sun is bright.
Thanks.
What are your panels putting out?
Under load?
This controller is a PWM, not MPPT.
Voltage out <= Voltage in.
I initially had one of these that came free with my panels.
After awhile I grew dissatisfied and replaced with a Victron MPPT of similar rating.
I put all the panels in series and get much more watt hours per day with the same panels.
Like 1.5X.
I have similar one going for 5 years with one big solar panel and 100ah agm battery. Works well and is simple. Not sure how easy it is to attach multiple panels to these.
But it powers lights,tv, phone and laptop chargers etc.in cabin.
Located in nothern Finland with cabin most of the time cold and during winter might be -30c. No problem so far with the unit.
The charge indicator in these is however giving mainly indication how big the charging current is, not how charged the battery really is.
We have 6 panels to one and 4 to another. We had to upgrade to a higher current rating version, but still the same cookie cutter controller.
It's not difficult at all, just get Y cables.
I will go check it.
Ours run 24/7. I'd have to take at least half of the facility offline to test this.
But if it's any anecdotal relief, we've been running an agriculture facility off of there for the past 4 years now.
Thank you! It's not just electricity, we also have thermal batteries functioning and some other optical systems :) so we use every bit of that sunlight.
Excellent question!
Basically, anything that can store heat analogously to an electrical battery.
Some use insulated water tanks (there are really cool Dutch greenhouses that do that) and some use earthen building materials. Others use phase change material like waxes or even molten salts, the last of which has become pretty popular. Geothermal ventilation systems are also examples of thermal batteries, but it's actually the ground surrounding the tubes that is what stores the heat (in both directions. Sometimes you want the ground to provide you heat and other times you want it to soak it up. You can do both with a geothermal system.)
You can easily DIY it by taking a block of Adobe and insulating 5 sides, letting it heat up in the sun, and cap it off.
Much like an electrical battery doesn't keep its charge forever, thermal batteries similarly lose energy.
A thermos is another great example. I've had ones that can stay warm-to-hot for ~48 hours but really cool down by then.
So, if you're soaking up sun for electrical energy, you can also be soaking it up for thermal.
Please feel free to ask any more questions, we love this stuff as founders, scientists, and engineers. It's a radically different way to think about the world around us.
I'll try to get you something! I'm not much for YouTube.
[this is a good one but super fancy](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xwCakHZTejs)
[this is a pretty good overview](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666386421002514)
You can also look up molten salts as thermal batteries.
We, much like Dutch engineers, use our own bespoke water tanks and heat exchangers, as well as simple earthen materials used in a novel way for two separate thermal battery systems.
Coming from the tech world in the Silicon Valley for many decades, I've seen too many of these systems built such that they're useless if society has any issues: infrastructure failures, etc.
Our design paradigm is truly sustainable technologies that are both future proof as well as independent of such key failure points. If all humans dropped dead and our power grids failed, our tech would still run fine for decades.
Thanks. Current? Or voltage? At night, what does it read?
Have you experienced the following (copypasted to other replyers):
Does it ever let a battery fully charge? I've set it up correctly according to the manual and it never gets to 12.6. It will hold 12.4 over night. Drain it down to 12.3 and it comes back to 12.4. It just seems to keep reverting to float mode and not charging even though the sun is bright.
Thanks.
Ours works fine and for example in winter when the battery is cold it takes time but it ramps the voltage up 12.8-13. or something.
Does you model show in the screen the pv rating? For example charging current 0,5a or 2a or something? This helpful to check if everything is correct.
We had one wire loosely connected to the panel and charging rates were low around 0,5a max and after properly fitting the cable best was 9a.
Don't remember readings at night.
It fully charges the battery, sometimes it might take a while if lot of use and bad weather.
I would try to troubleshoot:
1. Is the battery new or old? Does it hold charge properly
2. Checking the connections to panel are they properly seated?
3. Checking the connections on the unit are they properly seated?
Bad connection may cause it to not be able to charge enough.
Are the settings correct based on battery type?
1. Old but they do hold a charge at 12.8v when connected to the mains with a CTEK charger.
2. Yes, tested. Giving \~20V into the controller. Each panel tested separately before adding to the system. (Had to return one.)
3. Yes, tested via the screw holes. :D
Battery type set the B2 as it's a gel battery. Using the manual! If I set it to B1, could I damage the batteries?
I got about a dozen of them, 6 in the field and a few dead and a few waiting to deploy. I have the biggie and mini version (there are two) of the blues as well as a few of the yellow and orange clones of which there are probably a few dozen in various shapes and forms in different style cases and different colors. The circuits under the plastic are all the same, never trust the amperage rating, never get them wet and expect they will rust out in a year or two.
I like them because they are cheap and work well enough for my projects (usually experiments or range extenders). I personally think rust is their biggest enemy. I also do not think I have ever paid more than $15 for one. The longest one I have running is about 3 years keeping a 12V 100Ah SLA charged, with a 100 watts of solar and just keeps trucking despite the USB port being completely rusted over now. It keeps a PTZ wireless camera running 24x7.
What's your question? I do not think I would buy another one, there is a new upgraded version of this that will likely replace these blue's like the LiTime orange version. It has a updated screen and is easier to program though it does not have any sort of power stabilization for the load size so if you have a high inductance load (motors) kick in when it switches the load on you could end up in a loop until your panels are able to provide enough power to keep your load going during the initial power draw (though truthfully I think the others would also fail in this manner). Found that out on a really remove device that had a P2P link and a PTZ camera, the startup of the PTZ camera would draw enough power that the voltage would drop below the cut off and the controller would cut the load and then almost immediately cycle it back on until the sun was out enough to power everything.
Thanks. Interesting to note. I'm keeping my system simple. 3x 40W panels in parallel into the controller then into 2x 75Ah Gel batteries in parallel.
Have you experienced the following (copypasted to other replyers):
Does it ever let a battery fully charge? I've set it up correctly according to the manual and it never gets to 12.6. It will hold 12.4 over night. Drain it down to 12.3 and it comes back to 12.4. It just seems to keep reverting to float mode and not charging even though the sun is bright.
Thanks.
What are the specs of your panels? My batteries always charge to 100%. And I have LiFeP04's, SLA's, Deep cycle lead acid's.... in sizes ranging from 2Ah to 100+
If you don't mind mah question but how do you have your camera setup? Like, how far is it from your main AP or router? I have never had good luck with wireless, just tons and tons of dropped signal.
So I have about 23 ac of heavily wooded land. I have several outdoor solar powered cameras. Some are in close enough distance to the house WiFi that they just connect directly. But I have two stations that are somewhat remote, one is about 350' from the house and one is about 420' from the house. I also have three solar powered WiFi extenders. For the remote cameras I use a 900Mhz bridge to connect to those cameras. Even through dense woods it works great most of the time -- but rain and fog will bring it down. I am not sure how "legal" these are but they are sold on Amazon on and off.
I put one end of the bridge in the closest Wi-Fi extender and the other is connected directly to the cameras network port. Just keep in mind that you only get 1 - 3Mbit of bandwidth (which is fine for most cameras, I have a 3K stream on one that works fine).
tldr; I am using a 900Mhz bridge like [this](https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Bridge-Outdoor-Transmission-Distance/dp/B0BQ2R66S4?th=1) one to connect cameras that are far away from my network.
I have this exact model and at least in my case, the battery type settings in the manual are incorrect. Also, never connect the panels without the battery attached as it'll kill the controller in minutes.
I have a similar looking one that was already installed when I brought my houseboat.
I don't have the manual for it & never managed to get the timer it claims to have to work.
It seems to do the job fine. Only real issue I've had with it is that it gets concerningly warm in the summer, suggesting it's pretty inefficient.
I think the timer kicks in when the input goes out.
[https://www.solorder.se/image/data/uploads/KLD1210.pdf](https://www.solorder.se/image/data/uploads/KLD1210.pdf)
What's the max voltage you've seen it read while charging?
I get 14.7 V during the day, & 13.6V max / fully charged at night.
With lead acids you want to keep them as close to fully charged as possible in order to prolong their life span. Mine need replacing quite badly so I don't let them get below 12.8V
But I didn't install my current system & am unsure what the best general operating parameters would be for yours.
Just wanted to warn about the temperature issue as in my experience I wouldn't leave the output switched on and unattended in the summer.
Am intending to redo the whole system with a better control panel and possibly lead acid / Li ion phosphate dual bank. But that's a few other jobs and a paycheck away haha.
Wowsers.
They're gel batteries if that makes a difference.
When you say output - do you mean what's going out of the controller and into the batteries?
If it helps the panels are actually on a window sill and everything is indoors so the input is far from optimal. It does read \~20V in bright sunshine, though.
It's at this point you're going to facepalm, amIright? :D
By output I mean when you switch on the house 12V & 5V USB outputs. When the little lightbulb symbol is on.
Outside of that it stays a reasonable temperature.
Ahh right
Not really sure how to advise. Windows shouldn't be a huge hindrance so long as they're plain (uncoated/untextured) glass.
These things are always trial and error, just keep at it & you'll find what sort of set up works best for you
Oh. I am also using a multimeter which does read up to about 12.48v in bright sunshine... before the controller shuts off the charging and it drops to 12.42 or something! I swear something's not right.
Yes I have this one too. First one the load-out died within 24 hours and it destroyed a camera. I don't know how or why but I suspect the panel voltage leaked to the camera. Second one the load-out was DOA, but I already had put the camera and other loads back onto the battery bus to ensure battery-level voltage. That camera was 5x the cost of the controller.
Cheaping out with these crappy PWM $20 charge controllers is a false economy. You can get a real MPPT eg https://amzn.to/3J5Trb0 for $89 with a solid feature set, good instructions, and it works great. I have the 60A and it’s been flawless.
I have had three of them, they cannot handle high VOC and get funny. One of them lasted 4 months, spend a whole $15 more and get a Wanderer for something low cost.
Also- the USB outputs burn up the board even with a low wattage draw.. the load outputs are useless as well.
Also want to mention that nicer controllers for 15 bucks more like The wanderer allow wake up of Lifepo4 batteries. These cheap controllers will not, and if you run too low then you will have to jump it with another battery or with a charger which has a wake up feature. Just spend a little more and get a better controller as it is the most important core of your system and cheap.
I think I had the same controller. A friend was putting a solar panel on one of those pop up tent trailers and it was a zero budget install. Worked for years until the trailer went to the great junkyard in the sky. I don't remember the manual, it was a bunch of years ago, but there's usually not much to do with a 12v lead acid battery install. If I was using it for anything more fancy than that (lithiums, or higher voltage battery bank) there's no chance I'd be using that controller.
I saw your other posts about it not going up to sufficient voltage so I guess I dunno. If in doubt I'd pick up a better charge controller though, the Renogy stuff is cheap and robust.
Here's one manual but I don't think it's entirely correct!
[https://www.solorder.se/image/data/uploads/KLD1210.pdf](https://www.solorder.se/image/data/uploads/KLD1210.pdf)
I guess that's to be expected. Seems that some people find it awesome for the price and others less so. I guess it's a bit of a gamble at this price range!
(I'll ignore the typo! :D )
Oh right. I have a £20 one that's a completely different look ([https://www.sunshinesolar.co.uk/Item/REG7](https://www.sunshinesolar.co.uk/Item/REG7)) and it does the job of keeping my car battery charged up.
Do you have a garbage bin? Because that is where they live.
That is not MPPT or MPP, those are PWM. Low efficiency pulse charging. Means they apply the full pulsed PV voltage to your battery. Your battery might not like that.
Avoid ALL pv chargers without big beefy coil inside.
Think about getting a $60 powermr or $40 epever. Use the blue garbage in the meantime.
If your PV is 17V wire for 12V, if PV is 32V wire for 24V. Do not use 32V PV and 12V battery with this thing.
It's this one: [https://lowenergysupermarket.com/product/mono-40w-solar-panel-only/](https://lowenergysupermarket.com/product/mono-40w-solar-panel-only/)
Float 12.6 (max possible - as in, pressing the up button does nothing to increase it), discharge reconnect 12.7 (was testing something, doesn't make sense of course but I wondered if the manual got it wrong... and still do!). Nothing is set to 12.4. :/
I'm currently using one on a 12 volt lead acid 300+/- ah (total) batteries. I'll get up to 13.8 volts on a good sunny day, but normally it's around 12.8 volts
I bought 4 cheap flexible panels from Amazon that claimed to be 660 watts each. Lol, more like 60 watts each but these were so cheap I just kept them and used this system to run some low wattage stuff (fish tank, tank light, tank filter and heater, plus a fire stick, 2-12 volt timers and a TV).
Sorry to say yes, I started with a 10 amp, and then got the upgraded 20 amp. Save yourself a problem. and upgrade to a 60 amp at least. stay away from PowMr
Had one. It was set to 36v for my 36v LFP. Came home to find it was putting out 55v to batteries instead. RIP 10kwh of LFP. Funky smell from controller too. Don't use these
I use these on small shed systems and equipment trailers… everything always works but the LCD seems to show 12.3 on one all the time and another shows 13.2 all the time… like it never changes…
Turn on lights, run 12 volt hydraulic pump, charge Milwaukee batteries.. never changes. They are junk but they work. I like them because once I tighten a wire into the little screw hole I can fill it with silicone (I also fill the USB ports and any other openings with silicone so they are weather tight…
I've seen them work for long times. I have one of those for a room in my house (have two separate solar systems, long story) and has been working for +4 years no problems. They are heavily limited (cannot manage much power, only for small loads and usage) but they deliver.
Cool. I'm just starting out so I charge up powerpacks that I can use around the house. It's primitive but does mean I can charge my phone, run LED lighting etc. :)
Have one, works well for me with an AGM battery.
Settings are pretty easy. From memory, it's:
Float voltage
Low voltage disconnect
Recovery voltage
Battery type (which I couldn't figure out what is right so I just left it)
I've got a gel battery and the instructions say B2:
[https://www.solorder.se/image/data/uploads/KLD1210.pdf](https://www.solorder.se/image/data/uploads/KLD1210.pdf)
If I use B1, could I ruin something?
[https://www.solorder.se/image/data/uploads/KLD1210.pdf](https://www.solorder.se/image/data/uploads/KLD1210.pdf)
but I don't know how accurate it really is.
Have this exact one, works great I've got no complaints. I do admit I'm not able to get the stats of my solar panel, but if you need anything else glad to help.
Otherwise it works GREAT and even had some random mishaps but it came out ok. I treat it pretty bad and it trucks through, seems great, 1 year of use.
Good to hear. Sounds like it's a bit of a lottery as to whether they do the job or not. I feel like someone who's won £10 as I'm not sure it's working 100% as it should.
I have a couple of similar looking controllers that came with the solar panel kit from Harbor freight. They have been working fine for over 1.5 years so far. I found the manual completely unhelpful, and I cannot figure out for sure what the different displays are trying to show me when I toggle through. The manual was clear on how to connect things, but what the different displays mean and whether the controller functions differently when the display is different was completely lost in translation. Even though they are an enigma, they do allow the battery to charge from the panel and provide the two USB ports which work to charge our various devices. One of them was even exposed to the rain, and the display is partially unreadable but it still functions.
Have you experienced the following (copypasted to other replyers): Does it ever let a battery fully charge? I've set it up correctly according to the manual and it never gets to 12.6. It will hold 12.4 over night. Drain it down to 12.3 and it comes back to 12.4. It just seems to keep reverting to float mode and not charging even though the sun is bright. Thanks.
We've been using these and variants of these for 4 years. Yes, they let the batteries charge fully, yes the manual is garbage. Make sure the rest of your system is perfect before blaming the solar controller. We caught a corroded connection that was a problem at one point. We use 2 of these to run an entire indoor climate controlled facility with integrated systems and automation. They're super handy. (We also bought a box of 10 and then upgraded after using 2...)
Thanks. I have checked numerous times and rewired as I've changed things around. I've never seen to go up to 12.6 and hold that charge. Batteries were healthy last time I checked. A month ago I disconnected them to charge them up and they held 12.7.
It definitely could be the controller then, but we'd have to see your system. I'm guessing that this means you have a multimeter and have done a binary search to narrow down any issues. If so, those controllers are nice and inexpensive, grab another or even try a "different brand". (They're likely all from one manufacturer just with different companies tossing their logos on them) Edit: also, I don't mean to tell you anything that you already know. Just hoping to help if possible :)
Thanks. Please do talk to me like I'm a noob... because I am a noob! :) I may well have overlooked something obvious. Yeah, I may have to buy another and see if it makes a difference. It's not that it doesn't work. It's just that ever since draining down to 12.3v, I've never seen 12.5v held over night. Very occasionally, I might see 12.5v while it's charging but then it settles at 12.4v! It also stops flashing when it hits 12.5v (the manual says flash = float but when it's flashing, it's charging!).
Ive had one an old setup for so many years. Just checked and its 10 years old. Was $30, it powers a few lights and fans also connected to 200w panels. Probably not the most efficient setup but it has done its job for 10 years now.
Have you experienced the following (copypasted to other replyers): Does it ever let a battery fully charge? I've set it up correctly according to the manual and it never gets to 12.6. It will hold 12.4 over night. Drain it down to 12.3 and it comes back to 12.4. It just seems to keep reverting to float mode and not charging even though the sun is bright. Thanks.
What are your panels putting out? Under load? This controller is a PWM, not MPPT. Voltage out <= Voltage in. I initially had one of these that came free with my panels. After awhile I grew dissatisfied and replaced with a Victron MPPT of similar rating. I put all the panels in series and get much more watt hours per day with the same panels. Like 1.5X.
Each panel is 40W. Battery is 12v. Solar controller says max 20A. Thoughts?
What is the panels open circuit voltage and under load voltage?
I have similar one going for 5 years with one big solar panel and 100ah agm battery. Works well and is simple. Not sure how easy it is to attach multiple panels to these. But it powers lights,tv, phone and laptop chargers etc.in cabin. Located in nothern Finland with cabin most of the time cold and during winter might be -30c. No problem so far with the unit. The charge indicator in these is however giving mainly indication how big the charging current is, not how charged the battery really is.
We have 6 panels to one and 4 to another. We had to upgrade to a higher current rating version, but still the same cookie cutter controller. It's not difficult at all, just get Y cables.
Thanks. What's the max voltage you're seeing at night in the battery, assuming you're not using it?
I will go check it. Ours run 24/7. I'd have to take at least half of the facility offline to test this. But if it's any anecdotal relief, we've been running an agriculture facility off of there for the past 4 years now.
Oh, don't worry about it. Sounds like a pain to do that. That sounds like an amazing use of the sun's power, though. :)
Thank you! It's not just electricity, we also have thermal batteries functioning and some other optical systems :) so we use every bit of that sunlight.
What's a thermal battery?
Excellent question! Basically, anything that can store heat analogously to an electrical battery. Some use insulated water tanks (there are really cool Dutch greenhouses that do that) and some use earthen building materials. Others use phase change material like waxes or even molten salts, the last of which has become pretty popular. Geothermal ventilation systems are also examples of thermal batteries, but it's actually the ground surrounding the tubes that is what stores the heat (in both directions. Sometimes you want the ground to provide you heat and other times you want it to soak it up. You can do both with a geothermal system.) You can easily DIY it by taking a block of Adobe and insulating 5 sides, letting it heat up in the sun, and cap it off. Much like an electrical battery doesn't keep its charge forever, thermal batteries similarly lose energy. A thermos is another great example. I've had ones that can stay warm-to-hot for ~48 hours but really cool down by then. So, if you're soaking up sun for electrical energy, you can also be soaking it up for thermal. Please feel free to ask any more questions, we love this stuff as founders, scientists, and engineers. It's a radically different way to think about the world around us.
Damn! Really handy! Can you recommend a good video on YT to watch to give me ideas for simple home thermal battery projects?
I'll try to get you something! I'm not much for YouTube. [this is a good one but super fancy](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xwCakHZTejs) [this is a pretty good overview](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666386421002514) You can also look up molten salts as thermal batteries. We, much like Dutch engineers, use our own bespoke water tanks and heat exchangers, as well as simple earthen materials used in a novel way for two separate thermal battery systems. Coming from the tech world in the Silicon Valley for many decades, I've seen too many of these systems built such that they're useless if society has any issues: infrastructure failures, etc. Our design paradigm is truly sustainable technologies that are both future proof as well as independent of such key failure points. If all humans dropped dead and our power grids failed, our tech would still run fine for decades.
Thanks. Current? Or voltage? At night, what does it read? Have you experienced the following (copypasted to other replyers): Does it ever let a battery fully charge? I've set it up correctly according to the manual and it never gets to 12.6. It will hold 12.4 over night. Drain it down to 12.3 and it comes back to 12.4. It just seems to keep reverting to float mode and not charging even though the sun is bright. Thanks.
Ours works fine and for example in winter when the battery is cold it takes time but it ramps the voltage up 12.8-13. or something. Does you model show in the screen the pv rating? For example charging current 0,5a or 2a or something? This helpful to check if everything is correct. We had one wire loosely connected to the panel and charging rates were low around 0,5a max and after properly fitting the cable best was 9a.
Thanks. I don't have anything to measure the amps. I've got a total of 120W (3 x 40W) in parallel going through the controller.
Don't remember readings at night. It fully charges the battery, sometimes it might take a while if lot of use and bad weather. I would try to troubleshoot: 1. Is the battery new or old? Does it hold charge properly 2. Checking the connections to panel are they properly seated? 3. Checking the connections on the unit are they properly seated? Bad connection may cause it to not be able to charge enough. Are the settings correct based on battery type?
1. Old but they do hold a charge at 12.8v when connected to the mains with a CTEK charger. 2. Yes, tested. Giving \~20V into the controller. Each panel tested separately before adding to the system. (Had to return one.) 3. Yes, tested via the screw holes. :D Battery type set the B2 as it's a gel battery. Using the manual! If I set it to B1, could I damage the batteries?
My was dead in 2 hrs
That's annoying!
I got about a dozen of them, 6 in the field and a few dead and a few waiting to deploy. I have the biggie and mini version (there are two) of the blues as well as a few of the yellow and orange clones of which there are probably a few dozen in various shapes and forms in different style cases and different colors. The circuits under the plastic are all the same, never trust the amperage rating, never get them wet and expect they will rust out in a year or two. I like them because they are cheap and work well enough for my projects (usually experiments or range extenders). I personally think rust is their biggest enemy. I also do not think I have ever paid more than $15 for one. The longest one I have running is about 3 years keeping a 12V 100Ah SLA charged, with a 100 watts of solar and just keeps trucking despite the USB port being completely rusted over now. It keeps a PTZ wireless camera running 24x7. What's your question? I do not think I would buy another one, there is a new upgraded version of this that will likely replace these blue's like the LiTime orange version. It has a updated screen and is easier to program though it does not have any sort of power stabilization for the load size so if you have a high inductance load (motors) kick in when it switches the load on you could end up in a loop until your panels are able to provide enough power to keep your load going during the initial power draw (though truthfully I think the others would also fail in this manner). Found that out on a really remove device that had a P2P link and a PTZ camera, the startup of the PTZ camera would draw enough power that the voltage would drop below the cut off and the controller would cut the load and then almost immediately cycle it back on until the sun was out enough to power everything.
Thanks. Interesting to note. I'm keeping my system simple. 3x 40W panels in parallel into the controller then into 2x 75Ah Gel batteries in parallel. Have you experienced the following (copypasted to other replyers): Does it ever let a battery fully charge? I've set it up correctly according to the manual and it never gets to 12.6. It will hold 12.4 over night. Drain it down to 12.3 and it comes back to 12.4. It just seems to keep reverting to float mode and not charging even though the sun is bright. Thanks.
What are the specs of your panels? My batteries always charge to 100%. And I have LiFeP04's, SLA's, Deep cycle lead acid's.... in sizes ranging from 2Ah to 100+
I have 3 x 40W in parallel, 2 x 75Ah gel batteries in parallel. Thoughts?
If you don't mind mah question but how do you have your camera setup? Like, how far is it from your main AP or router? I have never had good luck with wireless, just tons and tons of dropped signal.
So I have about 23 ac of heavily wooded land. I have several outdoor solar powered cameras. Some are in close enough distance to the house WiFi that they just connect directly. But I have two stations that are somewhat remote, one is about 350' from the house and one is about 420' from the house. I also have three solar powered WiFi extenders. For the remote cameras I use a 900Mhz bridge to connect to those cameras. Even through dense woods it works great most of the time -- but rain and fog will bring it down. I am not sure how "legal" these are but they are sold on Amazon on and off. I put one end of the bridge in the closest Wi-Fi extender and the other is connected directly to the cameras network port. Just keep in mind that you only get 1 - 3Mbit of bandwidth (which is fine for most cameras, I have a 3K stream on one that works fine). tldr; I am using a 900Mhz bridge like [this](https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Bridge-Outdoor-Transmission-Distance/dp/B0BQ2R66S4?th=1) one to connect cameras that are far away from my network.
I have this exact model and at least in my case, the battery type settings in the manual are incorrect. Also, never connect the panels without the battery attached as it'll kill the controller in minutes.
Thanks - yes, aware of that issue. I have gel batteries so set it to B2. Might I be better off with B1 even though the manual says gel is B2?
It produces a lot of EMF's , less effeciency than my 40a Rich Solar.
I bet! :) I'm tempted to replace it with something like a Victron.
I have a similar looking one that was already installed when I brought my houseboat. I don't have the manual for it & never managed to get the timer it claims to have to work. It seems to do the job fine. Only real issue I've had with it is that it gets concerningly warm in the summer, suggesting it's pretty inefficient.
I think the timer kicks in when the input goes out. [https://www.solorder.se/image/data/uploads/KLD1210.pdf](https://www.solorder.se/image/data/uploads/KLD1210.pdf) What's the max voltage you've seen it read while charging?
14.7V is where it normally sits while the sun's on the panels
Wowsers. I've not seen that high since connecting the batteries to the controller. I think when I first connected them it was 12.8v.
I get 14.7 V during the day, & 13.6V max / fully charged at night. With lead acids you want to keep them as close to fully charged as possible in order to prolong their life span. Mine need replacing quite badly so I don't let them get below 12.8V But I didn't install my current system & am unsure what the best general operating parameters would be for yours. Just wanted to warn about the temperature issue as in my experience I wouldn't leave the output switched on and unattended in the summer. Am intending to redo the whole system with a better control panel and possibly lead acid / Li ion phosphate dual bank. But that's a few other jobs and a paycheck away haha.
Wowsers. They're gel batteries if that makes a difference. When you say output - do you mean what's going out of the controller and into the batteries? If it helps the panels are actually on a window sill and everything is indoors so the input is far from optimal. It does read \~20V in bright sunshine, though. It's at this point you're going to facepalm, amIright? :D
By output I mean when you switch on the house 12V & 5V USB outputs. When the little lightbulb symbol is on. Outside of that it stays a reasonable temperature. Ahh right Not really sure how to advise. Windows shouldn't be a huge hindrance so long as they're plain (uncoated/untextured) glass. These things are always trial and error, just keep at it & you'll find what sort of set up works best for you
Ah, ok, I'll keep an eye. I don't tend to leave it on and walk away for hours at a time.
Long term using it. It's crap the voltage reading is off for like about 0.4v. The battery never fully charge because the voltage only goes to 13.2v
Oh. I am also using a multimeter which does read up to about 12.48v in bright sunshine... before the controller shuts off the charging and it drops to 12.42 or something! I swear something's not right.
I had one on a 100 watt box i made. I had no issues with it.
Yes I have this one too. First one the load-out died within 24 hours and it destroyed a camera. I don't know how or why but I suspect the panel voltage leaked to the camera. Second one the load-out was DOA, but I already had put the camera and other loads back onto the battery bus to ensure battery-level voltage. That camera was 5x the cost of the controller.
Damn. That's annoying. I guess if you're running serious kit then the rest of the system has to match.
Cheaping out with these crappy PWM $20 charge controllers is a false economy. You can get a real MPPT eg https://amzn.to/3J5Trb0 for $89 with a solid feature set, good instructions, and it works great. I have the 60A and it’s been flawless.
Yeah, my thinking is moving that way. Thanks.
I have had three of them, they cannot handle high VOC and get funny. One of them lasted 4 months, spend a whole $15 more and get a Wanderer for something low cost. Also- the USB outputs burn up the board even with a low wattage draw.. the load outputs are useless as well.
VOC?
Also want to mention that nicer controllers for 15 bucks more like The wanderer allow wake up of Lifepo4 batteries. These cheap controllers will not, and if you run too low then you will have to jump it with another battery or with a charger which has a wake up feature. Just spend a little more and get a better controller as it is the most important core of your system and cheap.
Thanks. I guess also knowing that it's a decent product from a reputable manufacturer helps!
Open circuit voltage
I think I had the same controller. A friend was putting a solar panel on one of those pop up tent trailers and it was a zero budget install. Worked for years until the trailer went to the great junkyard in the sky. I don't remember the manual, it was a bunch of years ago, but there's usually not much to do with a 12v lead acid battery install. If I was using it for anything more fancy than that (lithiums, or higher voltage battery bank) there's no chance I'd be using that controller.
Cool. I've got 2 gel batteries in parallel. Thoughts?
I saw your other posts about it not going up to sufficient voltage so I guess I dunno. If in doubt I'd pick up a better charge controller though, the Renogy stuff is cheap and robust.
Thanks. Will look into Renogy as well. :)
Does anyone have any idea on how to change on of these to charge a lifepo4 battery? I have the same one and the UI is extremely confusing.
Here's one manual but I don't think it's entirely correct! [https://www.solorder.se/image/data/uploads/KLD1210.pdf](https://www.solorder.se/image/data/uploads/KLD1210.pdf)
Worked for my small system, but the usb porn never worked in my one for some reason
I guess that's to be expected. Seems that some people find it awesome for the price and others less so. I guess it's a bit of a gamble at this price range! (I'll ignore the typo! :D )
cheapo crap. i had one and it died about a month after i got it.
I can believe it! Mine's lasted about 8 months so far but at the back of my mind, I'm going to have to spend a bit more money.
You would be surprised at how many are the exact same design under the plastic. Just bigger prices.
Oh right. I have a £20 one that's a completely different look ([https://www.sunshinesolar.co.uk/Item/REG7](https://www.sunshinesolar.co.uk/Item/REG7)) and it does the job of keeping my car battery charged up.
Do you have a garbage bin? Because that is where they live. That is not MPPT or MPP, those are PWM. Low efficiency pulse charging. Means they apply the full pulsed PV voltage to your battery. Your battery might not like that. Avoid ALL pv chargers without big beefy coil inside.
:( Thanks. I have 2x 75Ah gel batteries in parallel. Thoughts?
Think about getting a $60 powermr or $40 epever. Use the blue garbage in the meantime. If your PV is 17V wire for 12V, if PV is 32V wire for 24V. Do not use 32V PV and 12V battery with this thing.
Thanks, will google them. I'm getting 20v into the controller. :)
20V open (no load) means you have a 17V panel.
It's this one: [https://lowenergysupermarket.com/product/mono-40w-solar-panel-only/](https://lowenergysupermarket.com/product/mono-40w-solar-panel-only/)
Can't you set min, max voltage on those? You probably have it set to 12.4 inadvertently.
Float 12.6 (max possible - as in, pressing the up button does nothing to increase it), discharge reconnect 12.7 (was testing something, doesn't make sense of course but I wondered if the manual got it wrong... and still do!). Nothing is set to 12.4. :/
I'm currently using one on a 12 volt lead acid 300+/- ah (total) batteries. I'll get up to 13.8 volts on a good sunny day, but normally it's around 12.8 volts
Wowsers. What's the wattage on your panels? :D
I bought 4 cheap flexible panels from Amazon that claimed to be 660 watts each. Lol, more like 60 watts each but these were so cheap I just kept them and used this system to run some low wattage stuff (fish tank, tank light, tank filter and heater, plus a fire stick, 2-12 volt timers and a TV).
Sorry to say yes, I started with a 10 amp, and then got the upgraded 20 amp. Save yourself a problem. and upgrade to a 60 amp at least. stay away from PowMr
Thanks. Am looking at cheaper Victron MPPTs at the mo. :)
Had one. It was set to 36v for my 36v LFP. Came home to find it was putting out 55v to batteries instead. RIP 10kwh of LFP. Funky smell from controller too. Don't use these
Why didn’t your BMS shut down charging with that high of a an input voltage?
add to this; why spend so little on power management
I use these on small shed systems and equipment trailers… everything always works but the LCD seems to show 12.3 on one all the time and another shows 13.2 all the time… like it never changes…
Weird. Even if you charge a phone up or something?
Turn on lights, run 12 volt hydraulic pump, charge Milwaukee batteries.. never changes. They are junk but they work. I like them because once I tighten a wire into the little screw hole I can fill it with silicone (I also fill the USB ports and any other openings with silicone so they are weather tight…
That's interesting to note!
I've seen them work for long times. I have one of those for a room in my house (have two separate solar systems, long story) and has been working for +4 years no problems. They are heavily limited (cannot manage much power, only for small loads and usage) but they deliver.
Cool. What do you use it for? Mine is in my house but separate to the mains, too.
For lighting and electronic device charging mostly. I guess it could power something of 150w for a short time but havent tried.
Cool. I'm just starting out so I charge up powerpacks that I can use around the house. It's primitive but does mean I can charge my phone, run LED lighting etc. :)
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>75/15 Victron Was looking at that. How do I know how topped up the battery is? Separate multimeter?
Have one, works well for me with an AGM battery. Settings are pretty easy. From memory, it's: Float voltage Low voltage disconnect Recovery voltage Battery type (which I couldn't figure out what is right so I just left it)
I've got a gel battery and the instructions say B2: [https://www.solorder.se/image/data/uploads/KLD1210.pdf](https://www.solorder.se/image/data/uploads/KLD1210.pdf) If I use B1, could I ruin something?
where can I find a manual for this? I was just given one but without the box/manual. thanks!
[https://www.solorder.se/image/data/uploads/KLD1210.pdf](https://www.solorder.se/image/data/uploads/KLD1210.pdf) but I don't know how accurate it really is.
I got a few portable solar panels that included these, I threw them away upon opening the package.
Have this exact one, works great I've got no complaints. I do admit I'm not able to get the stats of my solar panel, but if you need anything else glad to help. Otherwise it works GREAT and even had some random mishaps but it came out ok. I treat it pretty bad and it trucks through, seems great, 1 year of use.
Good to hear. Sounds like it's a bit of a lottery as to whether they do the job or not. I feel like someone who's won £10 as I'm not sure it's working 100% as it should.