Issue with 330 watt panels and PowMR BSC6048 60a charge controller

[romanvm]

Hey all,

New to Solar, trying to get my setup going. I have a mppt PowMR BSC6048 60a charge controller with 2 330 watt 36v panels (voc 41.31) and Timeusb LiFePO4 12V100Ah Battery.

PowMR Solar current is showing 13v and is blinking, (according to the manual, it indicates “overcurrent”). I don’t see anywhere in the instruction where I can adjust voltage for solar PV input.

Does this mean PowMr is not capable of handling voltage over 12v for PV?

See attached for specs on above equipment.

Thanks for your help! ??

 

[sunshine_eggo]

That's a PWM controller. You're trying to us a 60 cell panel with it.

The controller works by shorting the panel voltage to battery forcing the panel to operate at battery voltage, thus your performance of that panel will never exceed:

14.6V / 33.81V * 330W = 142W

The manual foolishly indicates 100V max PV, but that's only meaningful with a 48V system, which it can handle.

You should be using a 36 cell "12V" panel with a Voc around 20-24V.

In order to charge a 12V battery with that panel, you need a MPPT controller.

 

[romanvm]

That's a PWM controller. You're trying to us a 60 cell panel with it.

The controller works by shorting the panel voltage to battery forcing the panel to operate at battery voltage, thus your performance of that panel will never exceed:

14.6V / 33.81V * 330W = 142W

The manual foolishly indicates 100V max PV, but that's only meaningful with a 48V system, which it can handle.

You should be using a 36 cell "12V" panel with a Voc around 20-24V.

In order to charge a 12V battery with that panel, you need a MPPT controller.

You are right… the “100V max PV” is why I even got it ?, pretty misleading to say the least, going back to the seller..

I’m looking at this one, thoughts?

https://a.co/d/e1j5nM0

Also, what I am using this setup for is as an “extended battery” for my Bluetti ac180 (with 2x 12 to 36v step up booster for faster charging). The way it stands now I have to manually connect 12v battery to Bluetti to top it off and then keep charging again via solar.

This is a bit annoying as I have to constantly “manage” it and be on top of it. Wondering if there is a way to “automate” this process with out intervention. Any suggestions on how to possibly do this? Is there a way to have solar going into Bluetti and DC to the 12v battery to charge and then back to Bluetti after charge drops to a certain level…? Part of my ignorance if this thought is completely out of whack ?

PS: I am planning on adding 3 more 12v batteries for total of 4 and can run it as a 48v setup if that makes a difference.

Your help is very much appreciated by this newbie sir! Thank you!

 

[Tomthumb62]

You are right… the “100V max PV” is why I even got it ?, pretty misleading to say the least, going back to the seller..

I’m looking at this one, thoughts?

https://a.co/d/e1j5nM0

Also, what I am using this setup for is as an “extended battery” for my Bluetti ac180 (with 2x 12 to 36v step up booster for faster charging). The way it stands now I have to manually connect 12v battery to Bluetti to top it off and then keep charging again via solar.

This is a bit annoying as I have to constantly “manage” it and be on top of it. Wondering if there is a way to “automate” this process with out intervention. Any suggestions on how to possibly do this? Is there a way to have solar going into Bluetti and DC to the 12v battery to charge and then back to Bluetti after charge drops to a certain level…? Part of my ignorance if this thought is completely out of whack ?

PS: I am planning on adding 3 more 12v batteries for total of 4 and can run it as a 48v setup if that makes a difference.

Your help is very much appreciated by this newbie sir! Thank you!

Sunshine_eggo I'm sure will have his own input (listen to him - he knows his stuff!)

I don't know about that specific charge controller. Could be fine, could be a piece of junk. If you want a "buy once, cry once" charge controller, then Victron is a good choice (as are others like Outback or Morningstar). I've since learned that the ONE place to spend your money on better components is the charge controller. You can get a Victron SmartSolar 100/50 (100 max PV input, max 50A output) for under $300 (call in your order and ask if they have a coupon, you'll get at least 10% off and free shipping and their customer service is excellent). The SmartSolar models have built-in Bluetooth, which allows you to change settings and see current and historical production data (their app is excellent). You can go cheap on most other things except for wiring/connectors.

As for putting 4x12v batteries in series for 48v, I would not recommend that. It's a nightmare to try to keep them balanced with each other, or you can buy (added expense/complexity) a device that will automatically keep them balanced for you. You're so much better off simply buying a 48v battery that won't have any balance issues, because it's a single BMS for the whole battery instead of 4 individual BMS's who don't know how to talk to each other in cheap batteries like the TimeUSB. Or build your own battery with 16 lifepo4 cells (16 in series) and a quality BMS to save a bit of money. But the rackmount EG4 or the SOK or even the Chins are pretty inexpensive these days ($1200-1700 for a 100Ah 48v battery, aka 4800Wh (watt-hours) ). Or you could DIY a 48v battery for the same price that would be 200-300Ah, but then YOU are the warranty if anything goes awry.

 

[Partimewages]

I have read post after post about solar equipment. The biggest thing I've learned is spend and buy once unless you have a ton of time to invest in tinker fix and other related blue smoke. There may be other manufacturers out there but the Blue Victron is as well supported and available as you will find.

 

[Tomthumb62]

I have read post after post about solar equipment. The biggest thing I've learned is spend and buy once unless you have a ton of time to invest in tinker fix and other related blue smoke. There may be other manufacturers out there but the Blue Victron is as well supported and available as you will find.

Every other post from me lately is me saying, "AVOID RENOGY!" I wasted so much money and TIME (that I can never get back) dealing with the Renogy stuff and their customer service. The customer service people are super nice and friendly but are limp to actually do much of anything about issues and simply kept me in a loop of repetitive questioning. Apparently Will Prowse used to recommend them, but he has since removed them from his list of recommended products on his website because their quality and service has gone downhill in the last few years. Eventually their marketing campaigns will not be able to overpower the roar of the complaint choirs from those whom they have taken as suckers, like me. And once the roar of the complaint choirs dies out, people will simply stop talking about them and they will either cease to exist or will be sold off to some bigger company who buys them for a penny on the dollar. That said, I hope that Renogy gets their act together, as they have the sexiest/coolest-looking solar devices currently on the market, IMO. Would be a shame to let those cool looks go without anything to back it up.

 

[Tomthumb62]

There may be other manufacturers out there but the Blue Victron is as well supported and available as you will find.

Agreed. My Victron products just WORK and work very well and their Bluetooth functionality is excellent. My only complaint (I'm only half joking here) is their looks. Looks like a 5-year-old boy from the Netherlands designed it. Like a Blue Blimp. Like, "hey we're so good on the INSIDE that our outside looks will bore you and make you balk at our prices because we don't look like a swimsuit model". But dollar-for-perfomance/reliability/features/support, Victron is a very good deal. I don't think everything they sell is a good deal (their lifepo4 batteries are insane $$$$$ and the BMS is an extra $700) but the things I've bought (all 12v stuff) is excellent.