MPPT solar controller: Morningstar Prostar v Tristar

[mitiempo]

Originally Posted by Copacabana

You might want to consider the Blue Sky 3000i (about US$270). It is programmable, displays a lot of data like voltage at panel and battery, amps out of panel and amps into battery etc. They are also designed to be used in parallel with multiple panels (they communicate data between them). Just another option to consider. As I don't have a battery monitor, I will probably go with this controller for the data it can give me on the state of my batteries.

The display will not tell you the state of your batteries. It will tell you how many amps are going in and voltage only - a lot shy of a battery monitor.

The Blue Sky 3000i is also inappropriate for the op as its maximum input voltage is 50 compared to the Victron 100/30 maximum voltage of 100.

http://www.blueskyenergyinc.com/uplo...Data_Sheet.pdf

[Jill on Maya]

Originally Posted by mitiempo

The Victron 100/30 will handle 100 volts open circuit voltage and 440 watts of panel(s) in a 12 volt system. Hence the product designation. I am a Victron distributor.

https://www.victronenergy.com/upload...-100-50-EN.pdf

The link is to the specs of both the 100/30 and the 100/50 controllers.

The quoted specs in the link above don't include the Input Voltage. Below are the specs of the Victron 100/30 on the Australian dealers online shop. It says Max PV Input Voltage 100 V and Input Voltage of 9 - 40 V. I don't pretend to know what that means but it raises the strong possibility that the controller would not handle in an optimum way the Vmpp of 54.7 V that is our PV panel spec.

It would be great if you or someone else could explain what the input voltage 9 - 40V refers to if not the voltage range that the controller will input.

Victron Energy BlueSolar 12-24V 100/30 MPPT Solar Charge Controller
Electrical Characteristics (Solar Charge Controller)
Max PV Input Voltage 100V DC
Max PV Input Watts 440W/880W
Max PV Input Current 30A DC
DC Characteristics (Solar Charge Controller)
System Voltage 12/24V DC
Input Voltage 9-40V DC
Charge Current 30A DC
Battery Type Gel, AGM, Flooded, Lithium
Absorption Charge Voltage 14.40/28.80V DC (Adjustable)
Float Charge Voltage 13.80/27.60V DC (Adjustable)

[mitiempo]

Originally Posted by Jill on Maya

The quoted specs in the link above don't include the Input Voltage. Below are the specs of the Victron 100/30 on the Australian dealers online shop. It says Max PV Input Voltage 100 V and Input Voltage of 9 - 40 V. I don't pretend to know what that means but it raises the strong possibility that the controller would not handle in an optimum way the Vmpp of 54.7 V that is our PV panel spec.

It would be great if you or someone else could explain what the input voltage 9 - 40V refers to if not the voltage range that the controller will input.

Victron Energy BlueSolar 12-24V 100/30 MPPT Solar Charge Controller
Electrical Characteristics (Solar Charge Controller)
Max PV Input Voltage 100V DC
Max PV Input Watts 440W/880W
Max PV Input Current 30A DC
DC Characteristics (Solar Charge Controller)
System Voltage 12/24V DC
Input Voltage 9-40V DC
Charge Current 30A DC
Battery Type Gel, AGM, Flooded, Lithium
Absorption Charge Voltage 14.40/28.80V DC (Adjustable)
Float Charge Voltage 13.80/27.60V DC (Adjustable)

The 9-40 volts is not a specification from Victron. It does not appear on the Victron site nor does it appear in the 100/30 manual

https://www.victronenergy.com/upload...R-DE-ES-SE.pdf

(page 11 for specs)

It definitely does not refer to maximum solar voltage which is 100 volts DC. I sell, we distribute, and I install Victron solar controllers. I have not seen that specification on any solar controller from Victron.

If you are still not sure email Victron themselves. Could just be a mistake from the Australian distributor. They seem to have created their own specifications instead of using the Victron literature.

sales@victronenergy.com

[Jill on Maya]

Originally Posted by mitiempo

The 9-40 volts is not a specification from Victron. It does not appear on the Victron site nor does it appear in the 100/30 manual

https://www.victronenergy.com/upload...R-DE-ES-SE.pdf

(page 11 for specs)

It definitely does not refer to maximum solar voltage which is 100 volts DC. I sell, we distribute, and I install Victron solar controllers. I have not seen that specification on any solar controller from Victron.

If you are still not sure email Victron themselves. Could just be a mistake from the Australian distributor. They seem to have created their own specifications instead of using the Victron literature.

sales@victronenergy.com

Thanks for prompt response. I will email Victron now - and report back for the benefit of others following this thread.

[mitiempo]

Originally Posted by Jill on Maya

Thanks for prompt response. I will email Victron now - and report back for the benefit of others following this thread.

Wouldn't hurt to ask the Australian distributor its meaning as well. May be a mistake that nobody has pointed out.

Let us know what happens.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Jill on Maya

It would be great if you or someone else could explain what the input voltage 9 - 40V refers to if not the voltage range that the controller will input.
Input Voltage 9-40V DC

I suspect the "input voltage" of 9-40v refers to the battery side of the controller. So the nominal system voltage is 12 or 24v and the maximum permitted operational voltage on the battery side is 9-40v. This is a perfectly adequate range for a 12 or 24v battery system. On the solar side the maximum permitted voltage is 100v (and the unstated minimum would be 0v or negative).

The term "input" is a little confusing when referring to solar controllers. At night the solar controller is receiving a input voltage and current from the battery, but during the day the solar controller is delivering an output current to the battery. Thus the battery side can considered an "input" or "output"

The above problem does create some issue when using polarised circuit breakers in solar circuits. Most marine DC circuit breakers are non polarised so it is rarely an issue.

I think the Victron controller should be fine for the Sunpower panels. The Victron controllers seem great value. The only criticism is that the solar start up voltage is quite high, but this is only a concern with "12v" panels.

[Sailshabby]

I've had my Blue Sky 3000i for several years now, running two Kyocera 135 panels. No issues, good info. FWIW...

[Copacabana]

Originally Posted by mitiempo

The display will not tell you the state of your batteries. It will tell you how many amps are going in and voltage only - a lot shy of a battery monitor.


http://www.blueskyenergyinc.com/uplo...Data_Sheet.pdf

I wasn't saying the controller was a battery monitor. I said I didn't have one on my boat! All I need is the voltage and amps into the batteries to keep track of what's going on with my batteries.

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by mitiempo

The 9-40 volts is not a specification from Victron. It does not appear on the Victron site nor does it appear in the 100/30 manual

https://www.victronenergy.com/upload...R-DE-ES-SE.pdf

(page 11 for specs)

It definitely does not refer to maximum solar voltage which is 100 volts DC. I sell, we distribute, and I install Victron solar controllers. I have not seen that specification on any solar controller from Victron.

If you are still not sure email Victron themselves. Could just be a mistake from the Australian distributor. They seem to have created their own specifications instead of using the Victron literature.

sales@victronenergy.com

I believe the 9 - 40V is in reference to the battery bank voltage. It can charge a 12v bank that's fallen as low as 9v, and a 36v bank up to 40v.

[mitiempo]

Originally Posted by socaldmax

I believe the 9 - 40V is in reference to the battery bank voltage. It can charge a 12v bank that's fallen as low as 9v, and a 36v bank up to 40v.

That makes sense - still a spec that is not in any of Victron's literature that I can find, and I know it pretty well.

[Jill on Maya]

Explanations from Socaldmax and Noelex77 and comment from Mitiempo are reassuring that the Victron Bluesolar 30/100 would be up to the job. Thank-you for your input.

However we are still attracted (like fireflies to the light?) to the Morningstar Prostar MPPT 25/120 with built in meter. Our best install position suits the combined Morningstar unit rather then the Victron with separate gauge, our preference (ambience) for the light grey Morningstars in preference to bright blue Victrons and unless Morningstar has sacrificed longevity for market pressure to reduce size and add features, one would expect their most recent addition to the range to be an improvement electronically.

The extra dollars will be quickly forgotten if the reliability, efficiency and ease of programming and monitoring meets expectations. But there's the rub - we have so far not found any information that gives the reassurance we would like about the quality of this new offering from Morningstar. I am still hoping to elicit something from CF.

[GILow]

Jill, you might get the info you need from either a camping/Rv site or one of the alternative energy sites such as the ATA here in Oz.

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by Jill on Maya

Explanations from Socaldmax and Noelex77 and comment from Mitiempo are reassuring that the Victron Bluesolar 30/100 would be up to the job. Thank-you for your input.

However we are still attracted (like fireflies to the light?) to the Morningstar Prostar MPPT 25/120 with built in meter. Our best install position suits the combined Morningstar unit rather then the Victron with separate gauge, our preference (ambience) for the light grey Morningstars in preference to bright blue Victrons and unless Morningstar has sacrificed longevity for market pressure to reduce size and add features, one would expect their most recent addition to the range to be an improvement electronically.

The extra dollars will be quickly forgotten if the reliability, efficiency and ease of programming and monitoring meets expectations. But there's the rub - we have so far not found any information that gives the reassurance we would like about the quality of this new offering from Morningstar. I am still hoping to elicit something from CF.

It's a fairly new unit from MS, there might not be too many people who have bought it, and it could take a while for people to be able to speak to it's reliability.

One thing that disappoints me about nearly all of the expensive solar controllers is that even though they are expensive, they are built fairly cheap. For example, in the marine environment corrosion is your biggest enemy. The connectors that the wires go into on most of these look like they're zinc plated or uncoated, a potential source of power loss and heat as resistance increases over time. Yet there's a cheap $100 MPPT controller that uses gold plated connectors, the only metal that is corrosion resistant. Surely if they can mfr the unit with gold plated connectors and turn a profit for $100, the other mfrs that are charging $500 and up can spend a few extra cents and also use gold plated connectors.

[mitiempo]

Originally Posted by socaldmax

One thing that disappoints me about nearly all of the expensive solar controllers is that even though they are expensive, they are built fairly cheap. For example, in the marine environment corrosion is your biggest enemy. The connectors that the wires go into on most of these look like they're zinc plated or uncoated, a potential source of power loss and heat as resistance increases over time. Yet there's a cheap $100 MPPT controller that uses gold plated connectors, the only metal that is corrosion resistant. Surely if they can mfr the unit with gold plated connectors and turn a profit for $100, the other mfrs that are charging $500 and up can spend a few extra cents and also use gold plated connectors.

Many are tin plated copper. Same as the wires that should be attached to them.

The gold is good marketing but are the circuit boards inside all gold? Otherwise a wasted endeavor.

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by mitiempo

Many are tin plated copper. Same as the wires that should be attached to them.

The gold is good marketing but are the circuit boards inside all gold? Otherwise a wasted endeavor.

The circuit board is comprised of almost all SMDs, and the entire board is covered in a thick layer of conformal coating. Again, much better than I've seen in the $500 solar controllers.