charge controller recommendation request

My neighbor recently bought an *Ecoworthy 120W solar panel w/charger kit from Amazon to power a **Lithium Power Station that can be used to run a laptop or charge phones or other devices over usb. Her battery charges completely from being nearly dead in 4 or 5 hours on AC power, but in direct sunlight it only charges about 75% after a full day's exposure to the sun (in California with long, clear days). Also she said the charge rate indicator used to read at the highest level but now even in direct sunlight with the solar panels cleaned and soldered wire joints everywhere it never gets above half. She wants to replace the charge controller. I suggested she return the unit but since the wiring is altered (from alligator clips to soldered connections) the warranty is void.
I'd be appreciative hearing any comments on these points:
- a source for a high power resistor I can connect to the output of each panel to measure the power output, each panel is listed at 60W.
- a procedure to test the charge controller
- are these controllers worth repairing if I find that it is defective?
- recommended robust replacements if the controller is found to be bad.
*ECO-WORTHY 120 Watt 12Volt Off Grid Monocrystalline Portable Foldable Solar Panel Suitcase with Charge Controller
https://www.amazon.com/ECO-WORTHY-Monocrystalline-Portable-Foldable-Controller/dp/B01M4NH9ES?pldnSite=1
**SUAOKI Portable Power Station, 150Wh Camping Generator Lithium Power Supply with Dual 110V AC Outlet, 4 DC Ports, 4 USB Ports, LED Flashlights
https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Station-Generator-Flashlights-Emergency/dp/B076PR4TBZ?pldnSite=1
Thanks,
Mike
I'd be appreciative hearing any comments on these points:
- a source for a high power resistor I can connect to the output of each panel to measure the power output, each panel is listed at 60W.
- a procedure to test the charge controller
- are these controllers worth repairing if I find that it is defective?
- recommended robust replacements if the controller is found to be bad.
*ECO-WORTHY 120 Watt 12Volt Off Grid Monocrystalline Portable Foldable Solar Panel Suitcase with Charge Controller
https://www.amazon.com/ECO-WORTHY-Monocrystalline-Portable-Foldable-Controller/dp/B01M4NH9ES?pldnSite=1
**SUAOKI Portable Power Station, 150Wh Camping Generator Lithium Power Supply with Dual 110V AC Outlet, 4 DC Ports, 4 USB Ports, LED Flashlights
https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Station-Generator-Flashlights-Emergency/dp/B076PR4TBZ?pldnSite=1
Thanks,
Mike
Comments
The unit has an on board MPPT charge controller which converts the source power, AC adapter, car battery or solar panel, if the AC adapter works then the controller works.
Probably not worth repairing, they are a disposable type applience.
Since the internal MPPT and BMS would be designed to work with each other modification with another charge controller is something I would not recommend, lithium batteries require very precise charging to prevent damage, not knowing what the BMS requirements are would further complicate matters.
The description says it takes around 8 hours of solar to fully charge, most locations get much less, usually 4 to 5 hours, so it may need a second day to reach full capacity, without loads between or during charging.
Second system 1890W 3 × 300W No name brand poly, 3×330 Sunsolar Poly panels, Morningstar TS 60 PWM controller, no name 2000W inverter 400Ah LFP 24V nominal battery with Daly BMS, used for water pumping and day time air conditioning.
5Kw Yanmar clone single cylinder air cooled diesel generator for rare emergency charging and welding.
How do you have it connected?
Second system 1890W 3 × 300W No name brand poly, 3×330 Sunsolar Poly panels, Morningstar TS 60 PWM controller, no name 2000W inverter 400Ah LFP 24V nominal battery with Daly BMS, used for water pumping and day time air conditioning.
5Kw Yanmar clone single cylinder air cooled diesel generator for rare emergency charging and welding.
https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Station-Generator-Flashlights-Emergency/dp/B076PR4TBZ?pldnSite=1
If I'm understanding this right, you essentially have 2 charge controllers in series (1 with the suitcase thing, and another in the lithium thing). I don't know if that could damage something, but it could certainly mess with battery charging.
If the lithium thing is designed to be hooked up to the solar panels directly, I'd try doing that and see what happens.
If the 12v suitcase controller is seeing ~5v at boot, it may not be in a happy place.
Main daytime system ~4kw panels into 2xMNClassic150 370ah 48v bank 2xOutback 3548 inverter 120v + 240v autotransformer
Night system ~1kw panels into 1xMNClassic150 700ah 12v bank morningstar 300w inverter
What is the voltage requirement and limits for the battery? There isn't much info in the link here. Sounds like you might be better off buying the optional solar panel from the battery maker.
2.1 Kw Suntech 175 mono, Classic 200, Trace SW 4024 ( 15 years old but brand new out of sealed factory box Jan. 2015), Bogart Tri-metric, 540 ah @24 volt AGM battery bank. Plenty of Baja Sea of Cortez sunshine.
Second system 1890W 3 × 300W No name brand poly, 3×330 Sunsolar Poly panels, Morningstar TS 60 PWM controller, no name 2000W inverter 400Ah LFP 24V nominal battery with Daly BMS, used for water pumping and day time air conditioning.
5Kw Yanmar clone single cylinder air cooled diesel generator for rare emergency charging and welding.
I disconnected one of the solar panels, then blocked off portions of some of the cells with black construction paper to lower the output current, just by experimentation we got the charge indicator on the battery pack to flash exactly the way it does when it's charging from the 120VAC adapter. My reason for doing that was that the banks of solar cells are wired in series, so limiting the current coming through one or more of them will limit the current coming from the whole panel, and since I don't have an ammeter, getting the charge indicator to act similarly to the way it acts on the AC charger seemed like a good first step for proof of concept. I guessed that there are two banks of series cells so I blocked off parts of one group of cells on each one to try to limit the current through each set of cells. The owner is bright and understands the series current concept, so she'll take construction paper and tape with her on her camping trips to adjust the charge rate.
My question now is - is it advisable build a 1.8A current limiter to go on the output of the solar panel so we can stop messing around with blocking off parts of the solar cells? (1.8A so I'm not at the max spec'd 2A input current).
When hooked up to ac power the adapter charge rate indicator acts normally, when hooked up to the solar cells the charge indicator appears to go into a charge - turn off - charge - turn off kind of loop.
I guessed that we were overdriving the batter charge controller so I disconnected one solar panel, and blocked off sections of solar cells on the connected single panel to reduce the current. By trial and error I could replicat the battery charge indicator behavior.
I blocked off cells because if I understand it correclty, some solar panels have cells or banks of cells wired in series, so limiting the current in one section will limit the currnet of the whole panel. This appears to be the case based on the batter charge indicator behavior.
My questions now are
- is it possible that the battery charger could be overdriven by 6.24A 30V?
- is it time to build a 1.8A current limiter so we don't have to use construction paper?
If the current limiter sounds good, does anyone have suggestions of where I can find plans for one, schematic, parts list?
Buy a 12V deep cycle battery ~ 45ah and use with the Ecoworthy, that way both devices are working as designed and two sources of power would be available, the latter being of greater capacity.
Second system 1890W 3 × 300W No name brand poly, 3×330 Sunsolar Poly panels, Morningstar TS 60 PWM controller, no name 2000W inverter 400Ah LFP 24V nominal battery with Daly BMS, used for water pumping and day time air conditioning.
5Kw Yanmar clone single cylinder air cooled diesel generator for rare emergency charging and welding.
|| Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
|| VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A
solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,
What do you think of something like this to cover part or all of the panel as needed?
12"X48" Light Black Headlight Fog Light Taillight Tint Viny Film Sheet Sticker
https://www.ebay.com/itm/12-X48-Light-Black-Headlight-Fog-Light-Taillight-Tint-Viny-Film-Sheet-Sticker/360764909679
Thank you for your suggestions.