Outback FlexMax 80 vs Midnite Classic 150

[Bongiovi]

Hi guys. I am a newbie here on this forum. I hope I am not breaking any rules by posting this thread. Anyhow, I am just setting up my first solar system which is comprised of 6 x 100 watt Eco-Worthy mono glass panels run into a combiner box. I just bought an Outback FlexMax 80 but it hasn't arrived yet. I was watching a few videos last night on the Outback, and I'm starting to wonder if I should return it and buy a Midnite Classic 150 instead. Can anyone here share your thoughts and experiences with these two products and help direct me in one way or the other? I chose the Outback as I plan on expanding my initial system in the future and didn't want to have to purchase a different charge controller. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[SunSeeker]

I have been wondering the same thing.

 

[snoobler]

They're both very high quality units. Your decision should be based on which unit meets your specific needs best.

I don't know if the Outback has it, but the Classic as a nice cold-panel over-volt feature. If you have a normal Voc at say 140V on a 150V controller, and the panels get cold with a voltage spike, the Classic goes into a standby mode and waits for the voltage to settle (panels heat up). With my Victron, bad stuff happens. Not sure if the Outback has that feature.

Only important if you want to max out your panels in series. If cold panel voltage spikes are a risk for you, you'd want to keep the VoC limited to about 120V on a 150V rated charge controller.

 

[SolarQueen]

As snoobler said, both are great quality products. Outback does not have the cold over-voltage protection, but with six 12V panels in series, unless you are at the north pole, you will never get cold enough for voltage to be a problem. The Outback FM80 can handle 80A output, the Midnite Classic can handle 96A. You didn't specify what voltage battery bank you have, so I don't know wattage limitations for your systems. For example, if it is a 12V system, the Outback can handle 960W, the Midnite 1152W. Twice as much for each for 24V battery bank, 4x as much for 48V. What brand inverter do you have? If Outback as well, it's nice to have them talk to each other, but not required. Not an option with Midnite. Unless there is a specific feature you are looking for that the Classic has, I'd stay with what you have.

 

[snoobler]

To second SolarQueen, there is a CRAPTON of positive staying within a particular ecosystem of a brand. Having all of my Victron stuff interface with each other makes me giggle at random.