This is a 4 panel 100 watt system, each panel is 25w. I think I paid about $150 for the system in 2017. It comes with a charge controller. The charge controller has 2 inputs (+ and -) for the solar panels, 2 connections for output, and 2 connections for the 12vdc battery. It comes with a connector to hook the 4 PV panels together to then hook into the charge controller. Charge controller shows if the panels are charging or not, and shows the current voltage of the battery. It does show charging amps but only to 1 decimal place. The controller display is always on, which I'd like to change, I'd like to be able to turn it off when not in use, however LCD screens use very little power so I'm not real concerned about it.
These seem unusual as they use SAE connectors.
I have 3 panels in the south facing window of my house, indoors. Thus they panels are nearly vertical, and don't get optimum sunlight but they still work. They just are not that efficient as one Renogy 100w panel could replace all 4 of these panels.
This has been running about 2 years. I haven't had any problems with it but I did seal all the PV panel edges with silicone myself. I don't trust the factory sealant, and in fact I don't see any sealant on the outside.
I did use one panel outside all summer in 2019 to run a bubbler for my pond after I sealed the PV panel. It worked great. Since the panel was oversized for the pump it would run even on cloudy days. Small panels I tried just would not run this small 5w pump on cloudy days. I also used a boost/buck convertor between the PV panel and the air pump which also worked great and prevents the pump from burning out from over voltage. I get my boost/buck convertors from Aliexpress, but only because I know how to do basic repairs on them. And I weather proofed the boost/buck very carefully myself. The most common problems I find with Chinesium goods are dry or loose solder joints, or solder joints which came apart, which are easy to fix.
If you want to try a smaller PV system and have room for the 4 panels, this might be a good, inexpensive starter kit. Harbor Freight also sells a multiplexer to hook more panels together. It looks like a flat 1" high disk with many inputs and one output.
These seem unusual as they use SAE connectors.
I have 3 panels in the south facing window of my house, indoors. Thus they panels are nearly vertical, and don't get optimum sunlight but they still work. They just are not that efficient as one Renogy 100w panel could replace all 4 of these panels.
This has been running about 2 years. I haven't had any problems with it but I did seal all the PV panel edges with silicone myself. I don't trust the factory sealant, and in fact I don't see any sealant on the outside.
I did use one panel outside all summer in 2019 to run a bubbler for my pond after I sealed the PV panel. It worked great. Since the panel was oversized for the pump it would run even on cloudy days. Small panels I tried just would not run this small 5w pump on cloudy days. I also used a boost/buck convertor between the PV panel and the air pump which also worked great and prevents the pump from burning out from over voltage. I get my boost/buck convertors from Aliexpress, but only because I know how to do basic repairs on them. And I weather proofed the boost/buck very carefully myself. The most common problems I find with Chinesium goods are dry or loose solder joints, or solder joints which came apart, which are easy to fix.
If you want to try a smaller PV system and have room for the 4 panels, this might be a good, inexpensive starter kit. Harbor Freight also sells a multiplexer to hook more panels together. It looks like a flat 1" high disk with many inputs and one output.
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