Need help with my setup: Renogy Rover 40amp charge controller

[chumpy36]

Hi all,

I have the current setup.

Renogy Rover 40amp SCC
Flexible panels - https://www.amazon.com/Topsolar-Flexible-Solar-Monocrystalline-Bendable/dp/B09B1HJZBR?th=1
2 Lifepo Batteries - https://www.amazon.com/SCREMOWER-Li...llel/dp/B08G8HXNJK?ref_=v_sp_product_dpx&th=1

Panels run in parallel and tested good. Voltage and amps were what I expect when connected together and tested individually. They go from panels thru a cutoff switch then into the Rover. Batteries are connected to rover and batteries power a small 500w inverter and a fuse panel of lights and such.


Problem is, the amps I measure at the panels with a multimeter (roughly 5amps today) never show at the controller. I have the DC home app and the voltage seems correct (around 18v) but the amperage and charging voltage shows .5 amps. It's hot outside but battery says it's at 105f.

I set the charge controller to the generic Lithium setting but I wonder if I need to set up each individual parameter in the BT app? Do I need to get those values from the manufacturer?
Anyone know how I can contact Scremower? I tried going through amazon but their AI thinks I just want to return the product.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[chrisski]

Are the batteries in series or parallel? If parallel, should work; if in series, not enough panel voltage to charge a 24 volt battery.

Also, is the system voltage in the SCC set correctly 12 volts or 24 volts?

If the batteries are charged or nearly fully charged, .5 amps could be normal. Putting a load on the batteries will draw amps.

 

[Mattb4]

Reading the recent comments on Amazon for the flexible solar panels it does not appear good. Just because you read short circuit amps as being OK it does not than translate to actual panel performance.

 

[chumpy36]

Are the batteries in series or parallel? If parallel, should work; if in series, not enough panel voltage to charge a 24 volt battery.

Also, is the system voltage in the SCC set correctly 12 volts or 24 volts?

If the batteries are charged or nearly fully charged, .5 amps could be normal. Putting a load on the batteries will draw amps.

Batteries in parallel. System voltage set to 12. I think the battery was reading 12.61 or so. Dc home app reporting (inaccurate) soc as 85%. So I don’t think the batteries were fully charged?

 

[chumpy36]

Reading the recent comments on Amazon for the flexible solar panels it does not appear good. Just because you read short circuit amps as being OK it does not then translate to actual panel performance.

Any way to check the performance other than what I did? Still doesn’t seem to explain why amps read higher at panels than at scc right?

 

[chrisski]

Batteries in parallel. System voltage set to 12. I think the battery was reading 12.61 or so. Dc home app reporting (inaccurate) soc as 85%. So I don’t think the batteries were fully charged?

I find that the best way to tell when batteries are charged is when charging voltage is reached, amps quickly taper back to nothing. Chargubg voltage should be 13.8 volts or slightly higher. If you're not seeing a voltage like that, I agree something is wrong.

I'd measure the volts at the input to the SCC. Usually there are tw screws to put a mulitmeter across. No voltage, somethign is wrong before there.

I'd then check volts out. If there's no volts, then something is wrong with the SCC, so good volts in a nd bad volts out are a bad SCC, or more likely a setting is wrong. If volts are good out, then something between the battery and the SCC is wrong. Loose wiring, blown fuse, etc. Someone told me about the "halfback method" which is just measuring volts back until you find the problem.

Any way to check the performance other than what I did?

I think you are measuring short circuit amps at the panels, so that should be much higher than what the SCC puts out on an almpst cherged battery. If possible, do you have a charger or power supply you could put the batteries on? Lithium charger, not lead acid charger.

======

I did not read the spec sheet on the Renogy MPPT, but there is a minimum input voltage for that to start working. 18 volts may be enough, 20+ volts definitely would be. Whatever the spec shet says.

You could also put two panels in series to see if this triggers the SCC to work.

 

[chumpy36]

I find that the best way to tell when batteries are charged is when charging voltage is reached, amps quickly taper back to nothing. Chargubg voltage should be 13.8 volts or slightly higher. If you're not seeing a voltage like that, I agree something is wrong.

I'd measure the volts at the input to the SCC. Usually there are tw screws to put a mulitmeter across. No voltage, somethign is wrong before there.

I'd then check volts out. If there's no volts, then something is wrong with the SCC, so good volts in a nd bad volts out are a bad SCC, or more likely a setting is wrong. If volts are good out, then something between the battery and the SCC is wrong. Loose wiring, blown fuse, etc. Someone told me about the "halfback method" which is just measuring volts back until you find the problem.


I think you are measuring short circuit amps at the panels, so that should be much higher than what the SCC puts out on an almpst cherged battery. If possible, do you have a charger or power supply you could put the batteries on? Lithium charger, not lead acid charger.

======

I did not read the spec sheet on the Renogy MPPT, but there is a minimum input voltage for that to start working. 18 volts may be enough, 20+ volts definitely would be. Whatever the spec shet says.

You could also put two panels in series to see if this triggers the SCC to work.

I do have the AC charger that came with the battery. What should I be looking for? Renogy says 9v needed to light up the controller so I'm certainly getting that.

Thanks!

 

[Tomthumb62]

Those terminal screw connectors on that Rover controller are a bit tricky easy to think you got the wire installed properly when you actually don’t. Try disconnecting the wire panels first, then battery, then reconnect in the reverse order.

 

[chumpy36]

Those terminal screw connectors on that Rover controller are a bit tricky easy to think you got the wire installed properly when you actually don’t. Try disconnecting the wire panels first, then battery, then reconnect in the reverse order.

I’ll try that today

 

[mikefitz]

Your batteries when fully charged with nothing connected should read 13.4 volts, perhaps slightly higher.
A reading of 12.6 volts is a battery at a very low state of charge, or a battery where the BMS has entered protection mode.
The Renogy default setting is not ideal but should not be the cause of your problem.
Do the batteries charge with your other charger? And do they power loads?

 

[Mattb4]

Any way to check the performance other than what I did? Still doesn’t seem to explain why amps read higher at panels than at scc right?

Reading amps through short circuit on DMM does not give you voltage. Therefore you are not getting a wattage amount for panel. Once you hook them to your SCC you can see both voltage and amperage as it loads the panels and thus wattage. W=VA

There are testers that can hook to solar panels that give you indication of actual wattage.

As I mentioned there are many reports that these panels are fairly bad quality.

 

[Tomthumb62]

Hi all,

I have the current setup.

Renogy Rover 40amp SCC
Flexible panels - https://www.amazon.com/Topsolar-Flexible-Solar-Monocrystalline-Bendable/dp/B09B1HJZBR?th=1
2 Lifepo Batteries - https://www.amazon.com/SCREMOWER-Li...llel/dp/B08G8HXNJK?ref_=v_sp_product_dpx&th=1

Panels run in parallel and tested good. Voltage and amps were what I expect when connected together and tested individually. They go from panels thru a cutoff switch then into the Rover. Batteries are connected to rover and batteries power a small 500w inverter and a fuse panel of lights and such.


Problem is, the amps I measure at the panels with a multimeter (roughly 5amps today) never show at the controller. I have the DC home app and the voltage seems correct (around 18v) but the amperage and charging voltage shows .5 amps. It's hot outside but battery says it's at 105f.

I set the charge controller to the generic Lithium setting but I wonder if I need to set up each individual parameter in the BT app? Do I need to get those values from the manufacturer?
Anyone know how I can contact Scremower? I tried going through amazon but their AI thinks I just want to return the product.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Yeah the 1 star reviews of those panels are truly awful. I would return those.

Instead, get the 100W Sunpower flexible panels. I’ve bought three from sunpoweredyachts.com and I like them a lot. Better constructed than my other flexible panels. In full sun, they produced better than my rigid panels! But that was the short circuit test but in real life, since they’re flat on a roof and the rigid ones setup on the ground angled to the sun, the rigid rightfully produce slightly better. If you do purchase, use code rvwithtito or rvwithtito10 for I think 10-20% off.

I won’t waste my money on other flexible panels now that I’ve discovered the quality that the Sunpower ones exhibit. My first flexibles were $125/ea and the Sunpower are $160/ea, so the price difference is a no brainier since I only need a few panels.

That said, while I think the Sunpower are great panels, rigid are best and cheaper (per watt of production) if you can make them work for your application.

 

[chumpy36]

I went back to the boat this morning and may have found the problem. One of the connections to the PV input on the rover was loose enough to pull the wire out. I secured it and retested (see pics attached). Still think these panels may be shit. They were in good light and producing only about 25 watts. I've seen about replacement. Not sure if they will as it's been since May that I bought the panels.

The power on the batteries HAD come up. The voltage was reading 13 when I got there today vs. 12.6 yesterday so I don't think BMS is in protect mode.

Anyone know what I should set up the charging parameters to be for this battery? It says charging voltage is 14.6. Here are the settings for the lithium setting on the rover.

Thanks for all the help. I guess I should try new panels. Everyone else like the sunpowers?

Renogy has a flexible near that price as well for 100w.

 

[Tomthumb62]

One of the connections to the PV input on the rover was loose enough to pull the wire out.

I have this problem pretty much every time I connect the PV wires to the Rover. Need to give a solid pull on the wire once the screw is tightened to make sure the wire doesn’t pull out.

I recently added ferrules crimped to the end of the wires and it makes it much easier to get the whole wire inside the terminal without a strand or few catching.

 

[Tomthumb62]

I went back to the boat this morning and may have found the problem. One of the connections to the PV input on the rover was loose enough to pull the wire out. I secured it and retested (see pics attached). Still think these panels may be shit. They were in good light and producing only about 25 watts. I've seen about replacement. Not sure if they will as it's been since May that I bought the panels.

The power on the batteries HAD come up. The voltage was reading 13 when I got there today vs. 12.6 yesterday so I don't think BMS is in protect mode.

Anyone know what I should set up the charging parameters to be for this battery? It says charging voltage is 14.6. Here are the settings for the lithium setting on the rover.

Thanks for all the help. I guess I should try new panels. Everyone else like the sunpowers?

Renogy has a flexible near that price as well for 100w.
View attachment 166396View attachment 166395

Make sure to change the High Voltage Disconnect to lower than default, 14.6v or lower is good.

Here are my settings at the moment, but still fiddling:

 

[chumpy36]

Thank you for that!