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D**D
good value & good for battery recharge and maintenance
I was offered reimbursement for the cost of this product in exchange for writing a review but there was no suggestion or pressure for the review to be positive. In order to give a valid review I did the following automotive battery test protocol: The battery is a Napa Legend #7525, rated at 770CA and 625CCA; purchased 05/06/2019. Other than when the vehicle is being driven, the battery is always kept on a "smart" multi-stage maintenance AC powered charger. In order to simulate a situation in which the battery had been accidentally discharged by something like leaving a dome light on all night or longer, I turned on the headlight/taillight combination and monitored the battery voltage until it came down to 12.3V, which is approximately a 60% depth of discharge. I then removed the battery from the vehicle, and shifted it to an area with unobstructed sunlight from early morning to late afternoon. This guaranteed that there could be no "phantom load" from the vehicle electronics which might affect the test data. The solar panel and controller were connected according to the written and pictorial instructions, set for the AGM battery type, and the charging process started. This test was done over the period of 9:20 AM on 6/30/2021 through 10:20 AM on 7/3/2021, with controller readout monitoring and charting done multiple times over the course of each day. Within one minute of connecting the solar panel (Important Note: the instructions say to connect the controller to the battery first.) the controller readout showed 1.4 amps / 12.5V. During the test period I periodically shifted the orientation of the panel for ideal solar input, so this is not typically what would be done if the setup were being used routinely for battery float voltage maintenance on a daily basis with the panel in a fixed position. Because I had deliberately discharged the battery beyond the normal overnight self-discharge I wanted to accelerate the re-charge period. Over the course of the first day the amps fluctuated between 1.1A and 1.5A, and the voltage increased from the 12.3V starting point to 12.9V at 6:00 PM. On the third day the 11:00 reading was 0.9A and 14.4V for a short period. The online tutorial I checked says that 14.4-15.0V peaks are acceptable during the bulk charging stage, with 12.9-to-14.1V being the ideal final float voltage. By 9:20 and 10:20 AM on 7/3/2021 the controller readings had stabilized out to 0.9V and 13.7-13.8V. At that point I interpreted it as the final float voltage, and ended the test. Although some of the charging readings didn't seem to follow a strictly linear progression through Bulk-Absorb-Float, I assume that the programmed charging algorithm of the controller was following moment-by-moment parameters for the best balance between rate of charge and minimization of an overcharge. Realistically, this kit is not intended for routine rescue of excessively discharged batteries. The test I did was intentionally subjecting it to a load well beyond routine maintenance charging for vehicles that may sit unused for extended periods, and only need the charger to offset the normal small daily self-discharge that all lead-acid batteries exhibit. I'm satisfied with the performance of this kit, and will now use it for battery maintenance on a vehicle that has been on an AC-powered maintenance charger. It will be nice to eliminate the extension cord. The only improvement I'd like to see would be a bit heavier gauge battery clips, although this is a minor issue. They are quite adequate for the amperage that the panel is capable of producing. There are separate instruction sheets for the panel and the controller, with a lot of duplication of both written and pictorial information - between the two it is fairly straightforward how to set the system up, including the options of having a simple resistive load like a light bulb and/or an inverter to power small AC devices. Overall I think the value/price balance is good. UPDATE: This is ~ 6 months after putting the kit into service. The controller started showing both a solid red "low battery" light, and blinking red " over discharge" light. My voltmeter readings with the controller leads disconnected indicated that the battery voltage was within a normal range, and when I took the battery to Napa their test device indicated no problem with the battery. I also had opened up the cell caps under the label on top of the battery, and saw that the electrolyte level in all six cells was the same, and not low. After giving this info to Sun Energise customer service they sent me a replacement controller for no charge. When I was ready to install this new controller, and saw that its default battery type setting is AGM I realized that I'd made a mistake in setting up the original controller, which I'd left in the AGM setting back in June. Back then I'd just assumed the battery was the AGM type because there was nothing on the battery labelling that indicated the type. My main clue now was having seen liquid electrolyte in the cells, which means it is the flooded type. Duhhh. Just to make sure, I did an online search of data for this specific Napa battery code number, which confirmed it is a flooded type. With that new realization I again contacted customer service, admitted my mistake, and said I wanted to test the original controller with it set correctly to the "flooded" type of battery. For the first day the indicator lights stayed in solid & blinking green, but on the second day the solid red and blinking red lights appeared again. So, I hooked up the new controller, set to "flooded," and for the last 16 days its battery lights have stayed green, and the readout has been staying at 12.3 - 12.5V / 0.0 - 0.2A. So, my final conclusion is that the original controller did in fact become defective after a ~ half-year in service as a float voltage maintainer. I've passed all this on to customer service, and asked if having had the original controller in the incorrect (AGM) setting was the likely cause of the malfunction. There's something else to pass along here, as long as I'm blabbing about hookup details: The instructions say never to connect the controller to the solar panel without also being connected to a battery. And it explains that the reason is to avoid a possible high open circuit voltage that could damage the controller. I would have phrased the instructions differently, to say, "ALWAYS CONNECT BATTERY FIRST!" along with the rationale re high open circuit voltage.
M**N
Works as expected!
I purchased this Sun Energise 100W solar panel a few days ago to replace the original solar panel on our T@B 320S. The original panel had been damage by hail two years ago and finally failed. The sole task of the original panel was to keep the house battery charged and i decided to use this new panel the same way.The new panel arrived in a Amazon carton which had been crushed along one edge. That made me nervous, but Inside I found the original carton was not damaged. The panel itself also appeared to be undamaged so I would say the packaging was adequate.Installation was very easy as I was able to re-use the four corner screws from my first panel. Connections are the industry standard and the cables were more than long enough to meet my needs. I did add a small washer to the grommets as a way to stiffen up the attachment point. The panel is quite flexible and easily matched the curved roof profile of the RV. (See photos)I use a Victron Smart Solar Controller to manage the system charge. On its first day this panel generated 92 watts and ran up to 6 amps. It was a clear sunny day. Only time will tell how this panel will perform or last. So far it has met all of my expectations.
D**M
Nice complete solar charging kit
I was looking to purchase up a small portable solar setup when I came across this combination package on Amazon. Next spring I intend to set up mobile chicken run so I can free range my birds in multiple locations in the yard. This 30 watt solar charger seems like it should work perfectly for my needs so I can relocate my battery powered electric fence as neededThe solar panel itself is about 14"x24" and about 1" thick with a glass top and nice aluminum frame. It has a nice long cord for connecting to the charge controller, and it uses standard 2 pin 12V DC connectors that are commonly available. The frame is also pre-drilled to accept several types of optional mounting brackets that are shown in the instruction manual.The charge controller is fairly compact in size with a plastic housing and an aluminum, heatsink on the back. There are 3 clearly labelled connectors for the panels, the battery, and your 12V load. A nice feature about this controller is that it's water resistant, unlike the one I already own for my barn lights.Finally the kit includes 3 sets of wires. Each wire is terminated with the 2-pin connectors that plug into the controller. One wire has bare ends so you can connect it to the load in your system (the electric fence in my case). The other 2 cables are for your battery. One has plastic alligator clips that you can clip directly to your battery terminals for a temporary set up, and the second one has ring terminals so you can bolt them directly to the battery lugs for a more permanent solution.I was excited to see that the system is easily expandable. In addition to the optional mounting brackets I mentioned earlier, there is also an optional 5-way splitter which allows you to connect 5 panels in parallel for even more charging capacity. The instructions also say that may use multiple 12V batteries in parallel if needed, too.I live in the northern USA, and it's midwinter right now with a bunch of snow, and very few hours of weak sunlight, so unfortunately it's not a great time to do a full outdoor test to see how much current the panels will produce in full summer sun. But that said, I have hooked the system up to a small battery in my workshop to test it as best I can. Even under my shop lights everything seems to be working and I'm getting some small amounts of charging even off the indoor lighting (see photos).I've bought a 20W panel from this company in the past, and it works great for LED lighting in my small barn. One nice thing is that the 20W (old) and 30W (new) panel are the same height, and have the same mounting holes. (see photos), meaning it should be easy to create an array of multiple panels if I ever decide to combine them into one system.I'm really excited to get this fully set up in the spring, helping to guard my chickens so I can load up my freezer!!
D**Y
So far so good
Used jt 2 camping trips so far, kept my 100ah batter charged enough to keep me going for the weekend
P**.
Seems durable, time will tell it is.
Power delivery 55 watts on clear day at 2:30 pm, the 23% efficiency claim seems high. Side by side a newpowa 100 watt panel with a smaller area gave 59 watts.
Trustpilot
1 day ago
2 weeks ago