Bought 320w panel today from FB Marketplace... may be regrets.

[Rogue]

Panel looks new. Has no cosmetic damage and still has the corners on it. I did notice that one corner of the aluminum frame is open a bit but doesn’t look like it affects anything.

Sicker on back of panel says:
Make: (no brand name)
Model #: SSB-320-126
Max Power: 320w
Open-Circuit Voltage: 42.04v
Voltage at Pmax: 34.36v
Short Circuit Current: 9.77a
Current at Pmax: 9.32a
Max system voltage: 1000v
Fuse rating: 20a

My reading direct from panel in full 1:30pm New Mexico sun were maxed at...
6.7 amps
38.8 volts
= 260 watts

did I get hosed or are these acceptable readings from this panel?

Paid $140. Anyone know this panel? Can’t find any info. Says made in USA on it though.

thanks! (Learning more every day)

 

[Bud Martin]

How did you go about reading the current and Voltage at the same time?
Did you short the two wires of the panel together and then use clamp on DC Amp meter to read the short circuit current?

 

[Rogue]

How did you go about reading the current and Voltage at the same time?
Did you short the two wires of the panel together and then use clamp on DC Amp meter to read the short circuit current?

Just used a multimeter off the poss/neg and set the meter to read dc volts and then amps. Did I mess something up here? Still new to this. Thanks for the quick response.

 

[Bud Martin]

Testing PV Modules - SunWize | Power Independence

Leading-Edge Autonomous Power Solutions

www.sunwize.com

Voc = within 10%
Isc = within 20%
You are not testing in the lab condition so you cannot expect it to show as printed on the sticker.

 

[Whinny]

You did it right...
Was the panel square to the sun during the test and was there any shading on the panel at all? Even a small corner.....
Measure the panel, find the square feet-I think it's somewhere around 14 1/2 watts per foot you should expect

 

[Rogue]

You did it right...
Was the panel square to the sun during the test and was there any shading on the panel at all? Even a small corner.....
Measure the panel, find the square feet-I think it's somewhere around 14 1/2 watts per foot you should expect

Yes I has it angled directly toward the sun. Buuutttt, I did still have the small corner protectors of it. I’ll take those off and check again tomorrow.

do I need to short circuit the panel by connecting the pos/neg and then test again?

 

[Bud Martin]

Yes I has it angled directly toward the sun. Buuutttt, I did still have the small corner protectors of it. I’ll take those off and check again tomorrow.

do I need to short circuit the panel by connecting the pos/neg and then test again?

No, since you using your Meter in DC Current measurement mode (with the correct input jacks of the meter, I.E. 10A (depend on your meter) input port and the Common input of the meter). in this test setup it basically short the panel together inside your meter.
What brand of meter is it any way?

 

[Rogue]

No, since you using your Meter in DC Current measurement mode (with the correct input jacks of the meter, I.E. 10A (depend on your meter) input port and the Common input of the meter). in this test setup it basically short the panel together inside your meter.
What brand of meter is it any way?

It’s crenova?? Not the best. I have a couple older ones I’ll try as well. See if they match up. Have a Klein clamp meter coming this week.

I opened up the port covers on the back, or tried to and they are super high quality filled with silicone. I can see the wires are soldered to a small board. Looks quality and new. Maybe rejects from the production line?

 

[Rogue]

Here’s a picture of the back. Has 3 ports but one is not being used. Haven’t seen that before but again, I haven’t seen much.

 

[Rogue]

Testing PV Modules - SunWize | Power Independence

Leading-Edge Autonomous Power Solutions

www.sunwize.com

Voc = within 10%
Isc = within 20%
You are not testing in the lab condition so you cannot expect it to show as printed on the sticker.

So 20% lower is normal?

 

[time2roll]

So 20% lower is normal?

If the corner protectors were covering part of the active panel it could have the effect you measured. Even a small amount of shade has a big effect.

 

[chuckjob]

So 20% lower is normal?

Hello, did you ever find out who the manufacturer was and have you had success or???

 

[HRTKD]

It looks like that sticker is covering up another sticker.

I paid $185 for 320 watt panels this time last year from a local vendor. If yours come close to the ratings, I would call it a win.

 

[spoonhonda]

I just found some listed locally here in Spokane Washington. Same non-brand specs label pictured in the Facebook ad. I messaged the seller and he sent me this picture with silfabsolar.com on the junction box.

I don't understand why these sellers are not listing who the manufacture is. Seems kind of sketchy.

 

[Roqm]

I just found some listed locally here in Spokane Washington. Same non-brand specs label pictured in the Facebook ad. I messaged the seller and he sent me this picture with silfabsolar.com on the junction box.

I don't understand why these sellers are not listing who the manufacture is. Seems kind of sketchy.

They often dont list manufacturer as the warranty is void with manufacturer, also new sticker is supposed to reflect current specifications of the panel....lets say they were swapped out for new models or swapped because some had issues or a recal..there are other reasons but this is the usual.