Charge controller for swinging gates. What should I use

Denny

I'm trying to figure out if Morning Star SunSavor SS20L 24 will work on my gate setup I have been having lots of problems with the Aleko LM118 controller. everything has been tested 10 times over. I went to morning star and they have a product selector and now i'm confused. It wants to know: My solar panels are less than 1 amp I think ? Will the Sun Savor work on my gate?

type of regulation: I put PWM, load control

solar current:

Load current:

Load control:

30w solar panel:
Rated Max Power: 20 Watts
Current at Power Max: 0.57 Amps
Voltage at Power Max: 35.2 Volts
Short Circuit Current: 0.64 Amps
Open Current Voltage: 42.2Volts

10w solar panel
Rated Max Power:10 Watts
Current at Power Max: 0.28 Amps
Voltage at Power Max: 35.2 Volts
Short Circuit Current: 0.32 Amps
Open Current Voltage: 42.2Vol

BB.

Re: Charge controller for swinging gates. What should I use

Should be fine... Why the 20 amp version vs the 10 amp version (~$24 cheaper)?

Are you looking to use the LVD (low voltage disconnect) and need the higher current rating? It may help prevent over discharging of the battery (and give longer battery life)... But hopefully a well designed and functioning system will not need LVD.

-Bill

Denny

Re: Charge controller for swinging gates. What should I use

BB. wrote: »

Should be fine... Why the 20 amp version vs the 10 amp version (~$24 cheaper)?

Are you looking to use the LVD (low voltage disconnect) and need the higher current rating? It may help prevent over discharging of the battery (and give longer battery life)... But hopefully a well designed and functioning system will not need LVD.

-Bill

To be honest I don't know what to use. The Sun Savor is what was rec-amended to me and when I mentioned the SS10L 24 he said for 20 bucs more you can get a 20 amp. So why not the 10 amp. And as far as the LVD why would I need that. All I thought I needed was the over discharge. So it won't run the batteries down. Most important is will the Sun Savor work ?? And is there one that you would rec-emend that I could compare it to.

BB.

Re: Charge controller for swinging gates. What should I use

Denny wrote: »

To be honest I don't know what to use. The Sun Savor is what was recommended to me and when I mentioned the SS10L 24 he said for 20 bucs more you can get a 20 amp. So why not the 10 amp. And as far as the LVD why would I need that. All I thought I needed was the over discharge. So it won't run the batteries down. Most important is will the Sun Savor work ?? And is there one that you would rec-emend that I could compare it to.

It is fine... Other than cost, the larger controller is not going to cause any problems.

LVD are a mix of issues... For some things, like an AC inverter--They already have LVD shutdown. The LVD is to protect the inverter (p=V*I, as V drops, I must increase--eventually too much current will overheat the inverter).

For other devices, such as motors, the low voltage will cause the motor to draw too much current/stall/overheat. So an external LVD is not a bad thing.

LVD's are not usually set high enough voltage to disconnect the battery when it is ~50% or more discharged--Deeper discharging is hard on a battery. Many are set to 10.5 / 21.0 volts--pretty much a dead as a doornail battery (and unusually seriously damaged battery).

The controller you are looking at from Morningstar has its set for 11.5/22.0 volts--A seriously but not dead depleted battery--So an LVD in this case may keep the battery from dying on that over discharge day.

And, LVD's, of course, add complexity--One more thing that can "go wrong"/debug.

You have the choice of going through the LVD or direct to the battery bank--I don't have any specific desire for one option or the other.

It is always a good idea to have the proper sized fuse/breaker in wiring that leaves the battery bank to protect against short circuits... In your case, may reduce damage (less burned wire/components), and if you have dry brush in the area, reduce the chances of fire.

-Bill

Denny

Re: Charge controller for swinging gates. What should I use

BB. wrote: »

It is fine... Other than cost, the larger controller is not going to cause any problems.

LVD are a mix of issues... For some things, like an AC inverter--They already have LVD shutdown. The LVD is to protect the inverter (p=V*I, as V drops, I must increase--eventually too much current will overheat the inverter).

For other devices, such as motors, the low voltage will cause the motor to draw too much current/stall/overheat. So an external LVD is not a bad thing.

LVD's are not usually set high enough voltage to disconnect the battery when it is ~50% or more discharged--Deeper discharging is hard on a battery. Many are set to 10.5 / 21.0 volts--pretty much a dead as a doornail battery (and unusually seriously damaged battery).

The controller you are looking at from Morningstar has its set for 11.5/22.0 volts--A seriously but not dead depleted battery--So an LVD in this case may keep the battery from dying on that over discharge day.

And, LVD's, of course, add complexity--One more thing that can "go wrong"/debug.

You have the choice of going through the LVD or direct to the battery bank--I don't have any specific desire for one option or the other.

It is always a good idea to have the proper sized fuse/breaker in wiring that leaves the battery bank to protect against short circuits... In your case, may reduce damage (less burned wire/components), and if you have dry brush in the area, reduce the chances of fire.

-Bill

New Controller should be here today or tomorrow. Best price in town or out of town in my case. Ordered the 10 amp through NAWS. Thanks for every ones help. Unit is running so my gates are working in temp mode. Again Thank you all

Denny

Re: Charge controller for swinging gates. What should I use

Denny wrote: »

New Controller should be here today or tomorrow. Best price in town or out of town in my case. Ordered the 10 amp through NAWS. Thanks for every ones help. Unit is running so my gates are working in temp mode. Again Thank you all

Well got the new controller. Has been a couple weeks now everything is working, batteries are charging, gates are working 100%. The Morning Star controller is a fine piece of equipment, I'm happy. Again I would like to thank everyone for there input.

elesaver

Re: Charge controller for swinging gates. What should I use

What brand of gate opener do you have? I had had one which was wonderful but lightning ruined the board beyond repair. I'd be interested in another but they all seem to be pricey. Maybe you've found a good one at a reasonable cost? By the way, make sure you have good ground on your opener. If I knew then what I know now...yada yada. :-)

inetdog

Re: Charge controller for swinging gates. What should I use

elesaver wrote: »

What brand of gate opener do you have? I had had one which was wonderful but lightning ruined the board beyond repair. I'd be interested in another but they all seem to be pricey. Maybe you've found a good one at a reasonable cost? By the way, make sure you have good ground on your opener. If I knew then what I know now...yada yada. :-)

Mighty Mule seems to be a pretty well accepted brand, the parent company is GTO (Gates That Open, !). You can find the actuators, controls and remotes at Home Depot and on Amazon, but I can't say how they compare to other prices.

elesaver

Re: Charge controller for swinging gates. What should I use

Thanks for the Mighty Mule reference. I have looked into those but they don't have a very good reputation...at least from my research. Perhaps I need the exercise of getting into/out of the vehicle to open the gate! :-) It's only a pain when it is pouring rain. :-(

Vic

Around here, all of the Mighty Mules have broken in about a year, or even less.
The Apollos seem to go forever ... knock, knock. FWIW, Vic

Denny

Well it has been 6 months since I got the charge controller. My gate has stopped working again. This time I had good voltage from the load side of the controller but when I try to read the volts at the panel (circuit board ) I got like 5.4 volts. Sooo I thought it was the circuit board..Replaced circuit board. Unit will work during the day but stops working for the morning gate open. My charge controller has all the lights blinking. Unhooked everything when I re-hooked it will work til night. 27.6v battery side, same on load side. When it stops working the controller lights all are blinking. Figure maybe the controller.

BB.

It is possible a failed controller (or even corroded solar panel wiring) let the battery go dead. You fixed the wiring/controller--But battery is still close to non-functional?

Can you justify an inexpensive DC current clamp DMM (like this one from Sears)? If the battery is not accepting much charging current (but at nominal charging voltage), and the loads are normal/battery voltage collapses, then I would guess that the battery is dead.

-Bill