Highest voltage panel side charge controllers for 12v

oil pan 4 · May 2016

I have the 15 amp Morningstar MPPT, which has a peak OCV of 75VDC if I remember correctly.
I have seen some charge controllers, I believe it was a midnight that went up to 100VDC.
100 volts is fine, 75 might not be enough.
Are the any other charge controllers out there that can take unusually high OCV for plug and play with typical grid tie panel voltages?

mike95490 · May 2016

The 60A morningstar tristar MPPT is rated to 150V as is the Midnight Classic (150+V ) You have to read the specs and local temperature records carefully if you are approaching the limits of these expensive controllers.

vtmaps · May 2016

oil pan 4 said:

I believe it was a midnight that went up to 100VDC.

The Rogue MPPT charge controllers go up to 100 volts. --vtMaps

oil pan 4 · May 2016

I have almost unlimited elevated voltage DC power, only need to syphon off between 10 to 20 amps to keep a small 12v based battery and electrical system going.
That 60 amp Morningstar MPPT would be way over kill, but it would work, no doubt.
MPPT would be preferred since they tend to self limit better than even the higher end PWMs like my 30 amp Morningstar prostar and I don't know of any PWMs that take really high voltage.
The max OCV is about 85 volts and its not coming from solar panels, so I don't have to worry about voltages drifting above the kill threshold because of unusually cold weather and unusually strong sun light.

oil pan 4 · May 2016

I checked out the rogue MPPT controller, that's it right there.
100v input, 20 amps at 12v out, $225, perfect.
I guess the host site does not sell them?

mike95490 · May 2016

WARNING

Most MPPT controllers want to see the "load" of a PV panel (current source) and control things by varying the loading,
THAT WILL NOT WORK if you are using some other source (voltage source) and it tries to dump "unlimited" amounts of current into the controller as the controller is trying to regulate what it thinks is a solar panel. Morninstar and Midnight both have settings for solar or wind in the configurations menus, I don't know if ROGUE will survive the power source you are going to feed it with,
Adding a Series Resistor (ballast resistor) in the "PV" + line will help limit the current into the controller, but you will waste power heating the resistor.

oil pan 4 · May 2016

I will see if I can get the manual for the rogue.

oil pan 4 · May 2016

I found it on page 29 of the owners manual. They warn to never connect the charge controller to a power source greater than 20 amps.
Darn.

mike95490 · May 2016

So, you can size a ballast resistor to the voltage source and limit it to 19A.. What is the source ??

oil pan 4 · May 2016

Its a welding power source.
That's why it has pretty much unlimited amperage at open current voltage greater than 75volts but less than 100 volts.

Photowhit · May 2016

Why?

VeichiElectric · May 2016

I think there are mppt controllers available for this condition. if we get clear about the principle of what is mppt. I find this article online:http://www.veichi.org/solutions/what-is-mppt.html, I'm not sure but it might be useful for u.

BB. · May 2016

You might call Rogue directly... Many times, the 20 amp limit is the fuse/breaker rating for the source. It is not a "functional" issue--Just the capability of fault current management. If you use a 20 Amp breaker/fuse (or, if you have 20 amps continuous current, I would use 20a*1.25=25a minimum fuse breaker+rated wiring), it should be "safe"--Now if the MPPT will function with a DC source load--It should, but I defer to the guys who designed and built the controllers for the final answer.

Technically, we connect all of our house hold appliances to a 10,000 Amp source transformer. It is the fuse/breaker that make it a 15 or 20 amp typical home 120 VAC branch circuit.

There are some secondary effects (building wiring is take into account with the 10,000 amp AIC rating of fuses/breaker--The added resistance "does help" in building wiring limit surge current to breakers);

-Bill

Photowhit · May 2016

Okay, I asked a simple question, of Why?

If you have a welding power source, it must have something creating it. A gas engine? "unlimited" would indicate Household or industrial AC current. Why not charge for the source?

I'm with Mike, and I must be missing something, Since Bill doesn't see this as nuts. A continuous source of Lots of current like a welding supply should just kill ANY Charge controller. One with a dump load might handle 80-90 Amps output at a rated voltage, but welders are designed to arc, lots of DC current. Heck I think welding machines come in both AC and DC versions.... I guess I just don't understand, but would like to... I guess they can be 'dialed down' for the type of arc one wants... but again, why? you have a power source, use it...

I recently went to the Rogue web site, sounds like Marc has made his final round of Rogues as there are viable alternatives being mass produced. Of course my understanding there may not be any better than my understanding here.

oil pan 4 · May 2016

The gasoline engines typically have a 15 amp built in magneto, that usually only makes 10 to 12 amps. That may not be enough power to charging system and energize the exciter field with steady voltage.
This machine is DC only. Welding voltage varies from 90ocv and drops to around 25 arc volts when stick welding and down to 11 to 16 volts tig welding in constant current mode.
In constant voltage mode alternator voltage will go from any where from 18 to 40 volts just depends on the voltage setting for mig welding and will hold pretty close to where it's set.

oil pan 4 · May 2016

Just thought of a couple easy way to drop the voltage on the 3 phase welding alternator.
A trio rectifier or if that is still too high,
Run a single phase bridge rectifier on 1 of the phases (its a delta wound alt).
Then send that power to a charge controller or dc to dc buck controller.
I don't like the single phase idea because of the phase imbalance.

BB. · May 2016

Buck transformers (auto-wound) can be pretty cheap too--Even if you get three of them.

-Bill

oil pan 4 · May 2016

It has to be able to work with 200 to 500Hz AC.
Its a pretty extreme application all around.

Highest voltage panel side charge controllers for 12v

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