Can a EPever tracer3210an handle 600w ?

[sammy29626]

Hi,

I currently have 4 x 100w 18v panels connected to my tracer3210an in my campervan and it all works great.
Its a series and parallel set up. so 2 panels are connected together in series to make 36v and then these 2 sets are connected together in parallel to the charge controller (tracer3210an)

I have recently found out that I can now get 600w in the exact same footprint.
Basically 4 x 150w 18v panels.

Can I just do a straight swap out?
Will my EPever tracer3210an be able to handle the extra juice, or will i need to also get a new charge controller?

Thanks!

 

[DThames]

Your 3210AN will work. Look at the notes in the charging part of the manual. It explains how it will current limit or power limit based on conditions. If enough solar power exists, it will just hit its 30amp limit and do 30amps. I would be sure it can get plenty of air as it will be running at full rated amps under ideal sun conditions. So keep it vertical so the air can move up the fins and don't block them.

 

[sammy29626]

Your 3210AN will work. Look at the notes in the charging part of the manual. It explains how it will current limit or power limit based on conditions. If enough solar power exists, it will just hit its 30amp limit and do 30amps. I would be sure it can get plenty of air as it will be running at full rated amps under ideal sun conditions. So keep it vertical so the air can move up the fins and don't block them.

Okay thanks, I just saw on the sticker on the top of the unit it says: Max.PV Input Power: 390W(12V), 780W(24v) .
... i guess the actual max is 32.5amps - (32.5a X 12v = 390w)

So if i'm supplying it with 36v, the max power is 1170W (32.5a X 36v = 1170W) .....or am i totally missing something?

 

[mikefitz]

The 3210 and panel watts is explained in the instruction manual.

The unit is designed for a maximum output current of 30 amps. Taking into account the typical charge voltages and Internal losses, a panel power input under ideal solar conditions of 390 watts will give an output of 30 amps.
If the panel power were 500 watts the output would be still limited to 30 amps.

The manual suggests that 1170 watts of panels is the maximum allowed for a 12v system, you would still only get 30 amps output.

Where the panel possible power would exceed the 30 amps, the controller loads the panel so only enough energy is converted in the controler to give a 30 amp output.

In a camper typically the actual solar energy into the battery will be lower than the panel stated power, temperature, less than ideal angle, wire and conversion losses, all reduce power, getting 70% of rated would be a good result. Thus overpaneling will give a greater yield with your existing controller.

Mike

 

[DThames]

The 3210 and panel watts is explained in the instruction manual.

The unit is designed for a maximum output current of 30 amps. Taking into account the typical charge voltages and Internal losses, a panel power input under ideal solar conditions of 390 watts will give an output of 30 amps.
If the panel power were 500 watts the output would be still limited to 30 amps.

Okay thanks, I just saw on the sticker on the top of the unit it says: Max.PV Input Power: 390W(12V), 780W(24v) .
... i guess the actual max is 32.5amps - (32.5a X 12v = 390w)

So if i'm supplying it with 36v, the max power is 1170W (32.5a X 36v = 1170W) .....or am i totally missing something?

MikeFitz stated it well. The 30amp is on the battery side.

 

[73powerstroke]

600w

Hi,

I currently have 4 x 100w 18v panels connected to my tracer3210an in my campervan and it all works great.
Its a series and parallel set up. so 2 panels are connected together in series to make 36v and then these 2 sets are connected together in parallel to the charge controller (tracer3210an)

I have recently found out that I can now get 600w in the exact same footprint.
Basically 4 x 150w 18v panels.

Can I just do a straight swap out?
Will my EPever tracer3210an be able to handle the extra juice, or will i need to also get a new charge controller?

Thanks!

600w÷14.4v= 41amps . It'll work but you won't be able to get the 41 amps possible. Personally I would size up since your concern is more power.
400÷14.4v =27.7a
Without the bigger cc your not going to gain much except it should work better in cloudy conditions.
If you're going to go to the trouble of replacing all those panels for 10 amps gain I would probably replace the charge controller And if you think that you're possibly going to add more panels later on or somehow figure out how to get more power I would buy bigger than a 40 amp charge control then.
I didn't future proof my set up and learned that later on lol

 

[DThames]

600w

600w÷14.4v= 41amps . It'll work but you won't be able to get the 41 amps possible. Personally I would size up since your concern is more power.
400÷14.4v =27.7a
Without the bigger cc your not going to gain much except it should work better in cloudy conditions.
If you're going to go to the trouble of replacing all those panels for 10 amps gain I would probably replace the charge controller And if you think that you're possibly going to add more panels later on or somehow figure out how to get more power I would buy bigger than a 40 amp charge control then.
I didn't future proof my set up and learned that later on lol

With fixed mounts, 600w will be available only a couple of hours per day for part of the year. The OP will still get measurably more production with the larger panels. But yes, not the max possible. It all depends on goals and budgets, to replace a charger in such a case. If it ran warmer than I like while maxed out, I would likely replace it as well. But not a requirement to replace just because the panels are oversized.

 

[73powerstroke]

With fixed mounts, 600w will be available only a couple of hours per day for part of the year. The OP will still get measurably more production with the larger panels. But yes, not the max possible. It all depends on goals and budgets, to replace a charger in such a case. If it ran warmer than I like while maxed out, I would likely replace it as well. But not a requirement to replace just because the panels are oversized.

If you're going to replace all of your panels with brand new panels and you're not on a budget not buying a new charge controller would be absolutely silly. A new EP ever 40 amp charge controller is only a $128 on Amazon. If you cant afford that, you can afford to play solar

 

[DThames]

One thing to keep in mind is that even with the 30a controller (approx 400w), when used with a 600w panel set, the amount of time you can get 400w to the charger per day, greatly increases. So you do get some good gain. You would miss the part between the red lines with the smaller charger, assuming you had a load or battery head room to use 100% of available power. Very often we are not using 100% of available power.

Image not to scale but that is a real power profile for my grid tied fixed array. That is what a normal available power curve looks like.

 

[sammy29626]

Thanks for all the great information!!