Portable Solar Panels

[SP1971]

On mine i have float at 13.7 Discharge Reconnect at 12.6 Diacharge Stop 12.3 Workmode 24 Battery Tipe B01
I have a 12 V 95 AMPH Enertec Deepcycle battery.

[kilimanjaro]

On mine i have float at 13.7 Discharge Reconnect at 12.6 Diacharge Stop 12.3 Workmode 24 Battery Tipe B01
I have a 12 V 95 AMPH Enertec Deepcycle battery.

Thanks @SP1971. I have the Enertec 80Ah deep cycle battery. So quite similar. (When I bought this they didn’t have larger in stock and I couldn’t wait)

The reason for asking these questions is because I got an alarm on the NL remote monitoring console. At that point in time, the voltage was showing 14.7V and the monitoring console only goes up to 14.2V. I believe the alarm goes off at 14.4V.

So my main concern is should I be limiting the voltage (as you have done) - one would assume that the charge controller has “safe” settings at default but I’m worried that’s not the case.

[280iNyati]

On mine i have float at 13.7 Discharge Reconnect at 12.6 Diacharge Stop 12.3 Workmode 24 Battery Tipe B01
I have a 12 V 95 AMPH Enertec Deepcycle battery.

My settings;
Float : 14.2V
Discharge reconnect : 12.3
Discharge stop : 12.0V
Workmode 24
Battery type B01

I'm using the NL Grey Box with monitor and it has never exceeded 13.8V when connected to the Solar panel and controller

[kilimanjaro]

Thanks @280iNyati. Right now, my controller has gone haywire and I can’t change the settings. I can’t seem to reset it either.

I don’t have much confidence in this controller because this morning it was dead - and I got the panel swapped out. Now on my second one and the controller is unresponsive.

[SP1971]

Thanks @280iNyati. Right now, my controller has gone haywire and I can’t change the settings. I can’t seem to reset it either.

I don’t have much confidence in this controller because this morning it was dead - and I got the panel swapped out. Now on my second one and the controller is unresponsive.

Hi Kili. Exact reason why i fitted 2 x BH plugs to my MPPT controller. Had the same issue when i initially set mine up for the first time. Now it works 100% after the mod! I first connect BH to my battery and then connect the 2 BH on the MPPT. When i disconect to pack up and go home i first disconnect the 2 panels and then the BH connected to my battery. Safari Centre assisted me to fit the 2 x BH plugs on my MPPT. Was just over R200 for parts and labour.

[woogs]

I see the Eiger Cruiser seems to be out of stock at the moment.
Has anyone tried these Red-E panels? Red-E 200W Foldable Solar Panel | Portable Power | Solar Power (campandclimb.co.za)

Besides the price, are they pretty much the same or better than the Eiger Cruiser? I'm wondering how quality feels like compared to the Eigers.

[280iNyati]

Hi Kili. Exact reason why i fitted 2 x BH plugs to my MPPT controller. Had the same issue when i initially set mine up for the first time. Now it works 100% after the mod! I first connect BH to my battery and then connect the 2 BH on the MPPT. When i disconect to pack up and go home i first disconnect the 2 panels and then the BH connected to my battery. Safari Centre assisted me to fit the 2 x BH plugs on my MPPT. Was just over R200 for parts and labour.

As from other discussion on the forum; the above is more or less the correct sequence to connect

Connect the PWM / solar controller to the battery 1st
Make sure all settings are correct
Then connect the controller to the solar panel

This means that you need to slightly modify / change off the shelf combo's to work as above

[Peter Betts]

I have never had any Probs from my Portable Flexopower Mojave 240 W Panels >> Plug and Play

[AceVentura]

Let's ignore manufacturers' test results under ideal (maybe lab?) conditions which remind be rather like the miles per litre motor industry fuel economy tests! I have never achieved what was claimed for my car.

What I have learnt since camping with solar from 2011 is that the quality of the solar panel cells varies depending on the price and brand. The panels are designed at a price point and I would not expect the cheaper panels with less expensive components to perform as well. Redarc mentioned earlier for instance is an expensive brand with very good performance and maybe an unfair comparison.

Overall most consumers don't know what they are buying and seemingly rely on test ratings. One of the companies which does disclose the info is Sunpower - a colleague recently bought one of their panels and it stipulated the cell technology - "Maxeon GenIII Me3bin solar cells" - he knew he was buying excellent performance! (https://us.sunpower.com/company/history).

Some sellers specify two ranges - their top and then an economy range. Flexopower - a long time solar supplier in South Africa - for instance has its top Mojave panels and then the Namib series.

The other grey area with portable panels is that few of the sellers spec what their IP (waterproof) rating is! Can you leave them out in the rain even for a short period? What happens if you go for a walk and it rains? I was intrigued the other day to find that EcoFlow is actually specifying that its 160W panel is waterproof! -
"due to a seamless, one-piece design, making it ideal for outdoor activities like camping and hiking." Most of the EcoFlow panels are rated IP68. You will find that some companies will say "can withstand harsh conditions" without detailing what this implies!


Overall before buying solar do your homework and consult widely among our forum.



.

Just read this. I have this “delamination” problem with my Flexopower Namib 240. I have only used it on 5 camping trips over 12 months since I’ve purchased it new, directly from Flexopower. Could this be a waterproofing issue

[AceVentura]

Just read this. I have this “delamination” problem with my Flexopower Namib 240. I have only used it on 5 camping trips over 12 months since I’ve purchased it now, directly from Flexopower. Could this be a waterproofing issue

[AceVentura]

[Dogbert]

I see the Eiger Cruiser seems to be out of stock at the moment.
Has anyone tried these Red-E panels? Red-E 200W Foldable Solar Panel | Portable Power | Solar Power (campandclimb.co.za)

Besides the price, are they pretty much the same or better than the Eiger Cruiser? I'm wondering how quality feels like compared to the Eigers.

Great News, the Cruisers have landed and will be in the shops next week!

[kilimanjaro]

On mine i have float at 13.7 Discharge Reconnect at 12.6 Diacharge Stop 12.3 Workmode 24 Battery Tipe B01
I have a 12 V 95 AMPH Enertec Deepcycle battery.

My settings;
Float : 14.2V
Discharge reconnect : 12.3
Discharge stop : 12.0V
Workmode 24
Battery type B01

I'm using the NL Grey Box with monitor and it has never exceeded 13.8V when connected to the Solar panel and controller

So Andrew from Enertec advised me to use the following values which I’ll drop here for comparison:

Bulk: 14.4 - 14.8V
Float: 13.6V
Cut-off: 11.8 - 12V

[kilimanjaro]

Thanks @SP1971. I have the Enertec 80Ah deep cycle battery. So quite similar. (When I bought this they didn’t have larger in stock and I couldn’t wait)

The reason for asking these questions is because I got an alarm on the NL remote monitoring console. At that point in time, the voltage was showing 14.7V and the monitoring console only goes up to 14.2V. I believe the alarm goes off at 14.4V.

So my main concern is should I be limiting the voltage (as you have done) - one would assume that the charge controller has “safe” settings at default but I’m worried that’s not the case.

This is what the default values were on my Eiger 200W folding solar panel:














So just a warning to adjust the values because they could be different to the defaults specified in the 2-page manual on the C&C product page.

[kilimanjaro]

Thanks @280iNyati. Right now, my controller has gone haywire and I can’t change the settings. I can’t seem to reset it either.

I don’t have much confidence in this controller because this morning it was dead - and I got the panel swapped out. Now on my second one and the controller is unresponsive.

Just an update, I visited C&C again today. By now the branch manager, JP, knows me very well. He saw for himself that my controller was misbehaving and could no longer be programmed. They swapped out my controller, since they were out of stock of the Eiger 200W folding solar panels.

Initially we could change settings and then the (swapped) controller also started misbehaving. JP took it inside, out of the sun, and we were able to change the settings again.

So all’s well that ends well - and a bit of PWM controller experience for me. At least I know my setup now before heading into the bush soon.

[kilimanjaro]

My next question, is whether or not I should get one of those Lumeno 200A “power analyser” / energy meters. Not cheap at R455.00 RRP.

https://www.lumenoled.co.za/product/...olt-amp-meter/

Considering that a Victron SmartSolar 75/15 is R960.00, I’m a bit on the fence on which route to go.

On the one hand I will be able to observe Amp, Volts, Watts and Watt Hours. The meter also accumulates and stores the data. All at half the price of a Victron MPPT with Bluetooth.

On the other hand, I will still have a cheap PWM controller with unknown lifespan and reliability.

What say you all?

[Chris8d]

My next question, is whether or not I should get one of those Lumeno 200A “power analyser” / energy meters. Not cheap at R455.00 RRP.

https://www.lumenoled.co.za/product/...olt-amp-meter/

Considering that a Victron SmartSolar 75/15 is R960.00, I’m a bit on the fence on which route to go.

On the one hand I will be able to observe Amp, Volts, Watts and Watt Hours. The meter also accumulates and stores the data. All at half the price of a Victron MPPT with Bluetooth.

On the other hand, I will still have a cheap PWM controller with unknown lifespan and reliability.

What say you all?

That's easy, Victron.
Rather get something else to worry about on your trip than worrying about is it charging, is my fridge cold.....

[Graeme McConnachie]

I am totally happy with my Eiger foldable panels, work brilliantly with my "A" frame stand (see post 132), but I didn't like the controller
that it came with. Couldn't work out the settings etc, bought another (about R300) now sorted.

Reading this thread has taught me that you attach controller to battery first, then the panels. This may be the reason
I changed the controller!

Cheers
Graeme

[JLK]

Just read this. I have this “delamination” problem with my Flexopower Namib 240. I have only used it on 5 camping trips over 12 months since I’ve purchased it new, directly from Flexopower. Could this be a waterproofing issue

Doesn't look good, I would take them back?

[kilimanjaro]

I’ve now done extensive testing on the Eiger 200W folding solar panel and can confirm the following:

1. The bulk/absorption charge specification for the PWM controller is undocumented and I don’t know what the ceiling is - but this is a problem. It cannot be set anywhere.

2. The 3 stages of the PWM controller are also undocumented.

3. By observation it seemed that the bulk charge voltage was in the range of 14.4 - 14.8V but it is exceeding this and reaching 14.9 - 15.0V. (Photograph above) This is over the spec of my Enertec 80Ah lead acid battery so the controller will damage my battery.

4. As a comparison, Victron MPPT controllers bulk charge at 14.4V.

5. I’ve had discussions with C&C about all of this and, while I can’t advise the general public, I am asking for another controller - hopefully the MPPT that comes with the solar blanket.

Edit:

Just an update, I’ve had very good service from both C&C and Eiger Trade. Eiger are dropping off a MPPT controller for me tomorrow.