Morningstar mppt 45...thoughts?

bobdog · July 2011

Just curious what folks thing of the new Tristar MPPT 45 by Morningstar? Those that have them and those that just have opinions are welcome. Thanks.

niel · July 2011

Re: Morningstar mppt 45...thoughts?

i don't know if i'd call it new, but i guess that would be relative and a matter of opinion.

as far as the controller goes it is probably a very good product. although i don't own one, i have had other morningstar controllers and can say they are good. the problem i see with morningstar on the tristar line is that they get you with extras that will wind up costing quite a bit after all is said and done. that's just my opinion of course and some instances may make it very appealing for a bare bones install or if other products are used in conjunction with the cc that would make the extras unnecessary. this is another instance where the consumer needs to be educated to a point and do some homework to see if it is the right one for you.

waynefromnscanada · July 2011

Re: Morningstar mppt 45...thoughts?

I don't have the MPPT 45, but do have a Sunsaver MPPT (15 amp) and like it so much that I have the MPPT 60 on order. Being used to the Outback MX-60, I was highly delighted with how fast (about one second flat) the Sunsaver does and completes it's sweep, where the MX-60 sometimes seems to take almost a full minute as it appears to sometimes struggle, trying to pin down the best point. And even then, there are times when it locks on an improper point until the next sweep. The Morningstar Sunsaver is far faster, just no comparison, and has always locked on the best point consistently. I'm expecting the same from the MPPT 60. Not saying I'm unhappy with the Outback, just that it has a few quirks the Morningstar doesn't. On the other hand, the Outback has extensive user adjustable settings which are really great.

Cariboocoot · July 2011

Re: Morningstar mppt 45...thoughts?

I believe the new Outback FM series doesn't do the "sweep" thing anymore. Like the Rogue and the Midnight Solar they readjust continually. It's a much better method, in my opinion.

That's not to say the old system doesn't work, but like Wayne said - they sometimes get confused. :roll:

Slappy · July 2011

Re: Morningstar mppt 45...thoughts?

dont have the 45, but I do have the MPPT60, no complaints, so far no lock ups.(4 months)... also have the prostar-30 which is also been great. so far 2 morningstar products with no complaints, even for a new user (2 yrs and going) just had to upgrade to the MPPT60, 'cause of more panels added.

stephendv · July 2011

Re: Morningstar mppt 45...thoughts?

I have the morningstar mppt 60 and so far it's done what it says on the box. The 60 has ethernet and can be programmed using the most cumbersome software tool known to mankind- but it does work.

Can see the MPPT adjusting very quickly to changing conditions and the data logging feature and web interfaces are quite nice. One feature which it doesn't have is the 'end amps' to define when absorb should finish. I think the outback and xantrex mppt have this feature, which IMO is quite neat.

Another minor quibble is that even if you bought the display unit for it, you can't program the device through the display - you have to do it through an attached PC or through the jumpers.

mike95490 · July 2011

Re: Morningstar mppt 45...thoughts?

I've got the 60A and have reprogrammed it for longer absorb times. Works fine

bobdog · July 2011

Re: Morningstar mppt 45...thoughts?

mike90045 wrote: »

I've got the 60A and have reprogrammed it for longer absorb times. Works fine

i noticed that the cc does have a time setting for absorb and was confused by that. i would've thought the time for absorb would be determined by the batteries needs and thus automatic. how would you determine ahead of time how long you should absorb?

stephendv · July 2011

Re: Morningstar mppt 45...thoughts?

bobdog wrote: »

i noticed that the cc does have a time setting for absorb and was confused by that. i would've thought the time for absorb would be determined by the batteries needs and thus automatic. how would you determine ahead of time how long you should absorb?

Through trial and error :cool:
Actually you can use 2 different absorb times for the 60 (don't know if it applies to the 45, I assume it does). You can set a standard absorb time to be quite short, say 2 hours. Then it has an extended absorb time which is only triggered if the battery voltage drops below a certain level, so you can program it to absorb for the standard 2 hours + another hour if the voltage drops below 12.5V the previous night for example.

Cariboocoot · July 2011

Re: Morningstar mppt 45...thoughts?

The Outback controllers "count up" from when Bulk charging begins to when Absorb Voltage is reached, and use that time as the length for Absorb (with the additional option of maximum time limit and/or Absorb end Amps). In theory you could watch your MS MPPT on a few days and time how long it takes for the batteries to reach Absorb Voltage and use that as a starting point for setting fixed Absorb times.

Nothing is perfect. :roll:

bobdog · July 2011

Re: Morningstar mppt 45...thoughts?

Thanks for all the help and responses. I've decided to go ahead and buy the Tristar MPPT 45 CC for my upgrade. It seems to fit with my system and based on my good experience with my Morningstar Prostar 30 cc and others as well, it seems like a good buy. Thanks again for your thoughts.

Tim

Morningstar mppt 45...thoughts?

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