Hi, I've been a fan of Will Prowse for a long time but I never actually tried to put together an off grid system. Then I saw the "milk crate" videos he did and I thought i'd take a stab at trying to construct the $620 system. But, i did change it slightly, I used a SOK 100A battery instead of the Ampere Time 12V 50A. I thought that battery would be better if I wanted to upgrade. So, I put everything together just like in the video except for the USB charger that I thought I didn't really need. Also, I haven't hooked the panels up yet (I got 2 100W Rich Solar panels.). But, once I finished the connections I noticed that the Rich Solar Charge Controller did not turn on. Can you take a look at my wiring and see if I missed something? Thanks!
Milk Crate First Try
- Thread starter Frazzled
- Start date
12VoltInstalls
life passes by too quickly to not live in freedom
What is the voltage on the battery right now?
I’d probably not double up in the SCC fitting but go straight from charger to bat neg(-).
I’d probably not double up in the SCC fitting but go straight from charger to bat neg(-).
chrisski
Solar Boondocker
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2020
- Messages
- 5,172
Recommend checking the 25 amp fuse. If that’s good, try hooking the SCC directly to the battery to see if it turns on.
If the SCC turns on, the fuse or fuse block or wiring is bad. Most likely thing I see wrong is the wire from the SCC to the fuse block is not tightened down correctly or the crimp attaching it to the fuse block has a problem.
If the SCC does not turn on, and a light is supposed to come with the battery attached and no solar input as indicated in a manual, than I suspect the SCC is bad.
If the SCC turns on, the fuse or fuse block or wiring is bad. Most likely thing I see wrong is the wire from the SCC to the fuse block is not tightened down correctly or the crimp attaching it to the fuse block has a problem.
If the SCC does not turn on, and a light is supposed to come with the battery attached and no solar input as indicated in a manual, than I suspect the SCC is bad.
Thanks! That's great advice! Let me check that and I'll report back.
I'm sorry but I'm such a novice I don't know how to check the battery voltage, I thought I'd be able to do that with the SCC. Not doubling up on the SCC is a good idea, it does seem tenuous. I'm checking the fuse then I'll report back.
It wasn't the fuse it was actually the connections to the SCC, I had put the leads behind the connectors not in front. I'm such a dummy! But, the SCC is on now! Thanks!
Turns out it was my bad wiring to the SCC connectors, I had just put the wires in there sloppily. SCC now turns on! Thanks!
