Parallel MPPT Charge Controllers in Tiny Space // How to // Solar // RV
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2024
- Can you connect MPPT solar charge controllers together? Yes. Watch this video to learn WHY and HOW TO setup your MPPT solar charge controllers to charge a single battery bank. I'll show you the key components used for this project and how they are all hooked up. Finally, I'll show you the custom rack system I built to hold all of this stuff in my tiny solar compartment.
5:40 Connecting Solar Charge Controllers in Parallel
12:00 Custom Rack Build, Wiring, Installation
PARTS USED FOR THIS PROJECT
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MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT
When to use multiple MPPT solar charge controllers?
The primary reason to do this is when you want to charge a single battery bank from more than one solar array. Each solar array should have its own solar charge controller.
How to make multiple MPPT solar charge controllers work together?
Your system should be setup as follows:
(1) Charge profiles should be the programmed the same for all MPPT solar charge controllers
(2) Solar charge controller outputs should be connected in parallel (all negatives joined together, all positives joined together) and positioned at the same distance from the parallel connection.
(3) Follow manufacturer’s recommendation for combining charge controllers (my Victron controllers need to linked together on the same bluetooth network to become aware of each other). The goal is to make sure all charge controllers switch charging phases together.
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(Update) The LONG AWAITED VICTRON FIRMWARE UPDATE was just released in the Victron Connect App that includes synchronized charging for Victron Solar Charge controllers when using multiple controllers in parallel. Can't wait to update my three controllers tomorrow 👍👍
Is that 1.47? If so, bang on time as I'm about to buy my pair of 100 / 50s. Thanks Tito!
@@MediaFilter I think it's v1.49 -- even better :)
Please make an Updated video!!
And how they are communicating together? Via bluetooth, or VE.Direct? And this option is in the app? Thank you
@@georgmuse VE.Direct. Setup a VE.Direct network through the app, then add each controller to it. It will synchronize charging. Works great.
Brilliant, I'm very green in this field..... this is the best setup description, excellent illustration. Thanx
That's great. Glad to help. My setup has changed a bit since this, but the basic concepts hold true. Victron also has improved the sync feature for their charge controllers.
The whiteboard diagram with the parts on it was just a brilliant illustration. Super clear
Thanks for that feedback. I'm glad the whiteboard helped.
Brian - I know you made this video a few years ago, but it is EXCELLENT! I'm a guy lost in the solar universe trying to hook up an off grid system in the middle of a no-grid wilderness. Thank you very much for your help! Take care.
Glad it was helpful! The parallel controller setup has served me well. The Victron controllers handle it well. Good luck!
Brian I must say you are one creative guy I have seen.. Your just brilliant!
Tito that was so easy to follow. Thank you. I must of watched 4 other videos before I found yours on this subject and none of the others explained it half as well as you. Setting it up on the board as you did made me feel confident that I can set my system up for my caravan with 2 controller's and utilise the my miss matching 12v panels 👍
Great! Glad it was helpful for you.
If I didn't see it with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed that you got all that to fit in that little cubby space, great job 👍😎
You and me both!
White panel was such a wake up call, I have installed and reinstalled my solar system a few dozen times due to upgrades and other reasons, I have drawn in paper and tried to replicate on the wall, never worked.
I wished I had seen your idea first, I would had set up on a board prior to installing, it is brilliant, I feel extremely limited for not thinking of such a simple solution.
Glad to hear it helped. I've done the parallel victron controller setup again in our other rig. Victron manages it very well.
Thank you, I don’t have an RV but I’m am upgrading my solar on the boat, I’ve watched the video on connecting/making your own solar wires and now the various controller panels. It was a great great education. Thanks again.
Dave F. from Cape Cod
This type of setup is more common in sailboats where shading from sails and the mast is an issue. Be sure to add a drip line in your wiring though to keep any leaking seawater from running into your controller. Good luck.
Great great video - very nice layout on the whiteboard - super cool!
Thanks. Glad you liked it!
Great idea with the folding rack !....
Very nicely described and step by step Illustrations. Thanks for sharing.
Glad it helped!
As a teacher, I enjoyed watching your style of demonstrating your project from concept, to design, to mock-up, to build and use. Thank you for your quality work and instruction. Good tip on the 3-in-1 lock and key lube.
Job well done demonstrating the subject
Thanks!
Great description and execution, the custom rack is awesome! I am hooking up 12 100w panels in two strings to an 80 amp Epever charge controller powering 4 100 AH lithium batteries going to a 3000w Renogy inverter / charger. It’s powering our juice/smoothie food truck. Your info is the most concise and straightforward I’ve come across and you have a great knack for making things easily to comprehend
Thanks a bunch for the great feedback. I really appreciate it. Sorry it took me so long to respond :)
Hey mate, I actually purchased these MPPT controllers for our sailboat because of your video and descriptive wiring illustration. I knew I would come back here to double check months later when the time came to install them which is now! lol!!! So Thanks mate!
Great! Glad it helped. Cheers.
This is so far beyond what my little mind can compute, but i love to watch your channel because even when it's complicated, i learn some small things that helps me out with something else. Thanks and keep up the great work.
That's great to hear. I just like to get people thinking. Glad you stuck with it :)
Excellent plan. I posted on another video of yours that I was not convinced to go all series. Here you addressed my thoughts.
Excellent!
The best setup desription I have ever heard, thanks heaps !
Thanks for the video. Now I know which charge controller to go for.
Saw this when it was originally posted but came back to take a look. The overhead "live action" diagramming of the system was genius. I used to teach systems that way. Very effective. Lay it out and they will get it. (some eventually) Cool idea with the rack system. Handy for many applications. Happy Trails.
Adaptation... excellent and ingenious use of what space that you had to work with.
Good luck with all your projects!
GOD Bless America!🙏
Thanks Charles!!
Great video, I have figured out how to get 1200 watts on a van roof and this video confirms how I planned to wire them. Thanks for posting this
Wow. That's a bunch of solar on a van. Glad it helped. Good luck with the wiring.
@@RVwithTito thanks it has taken a lot of thought to figure that out so I can run a portable AC unit in the day time
Clever mounting solution btw.
Thanks. It's worked out very well so far.
Really neat and helpful. Thanks.
You're welcome!
Absolute Genius! Brilliant move with the whiteboard too. I have a small off grid setup in my house to run a freezer in the event of a power outage. I am looking to add a 2nd charge controller and panels so that I can recharge quicker.
The new firmware upgrade on the Victron Controllers make it now work even better.
U re so organized. There must be a good brain attached to your neck. I've learn something from this project. Tks.
So nice of you. Glad you learned something!
Totally dig your rack! (LoL) Seriously though, that's an ingenious idea that could be adapted to many other uses as well. 3 thumbs up!
I thought of putting my rack in the video thumbnail, but that would have been total click bait!! :) Hehe.
@@RVwithTito lol
I just upgraded my charge controllers with a voctron 150-70. Its been a game changer as my old charge controller would start to ramp up and down erratically and barely even charge unles it was reset atleast once a day. Now with victron it just works and my batteries never go down below 80%
It will just keep working. Don't forget to keep up to date with firmware updates. They're always making improvements.
Nice video. Very specific and well communicated. I purchased several of the same/similar components. I'm converting an 1986 MCI bus into an RV right now and your diagram with the white board really helped me out. I have 1800 watts of solar panels on the roof and wasn't sure how to hook them all up to two different controllers. Thanks again.
That's great. Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad the video was helpful for you. So far the setup has worked extremely well with all three controllers working together. 👍☉😊
I have been considering doing this. Tito I don't know why people put thumbs down. Great job
Maybe they were watching it upsidedown and meant to do a thumbs up :) Thanks!
Great job designing this set up looks fantastic
Thanks! It's been working very well.
Excellent engineering you did...nicely thought out...thanks a bunch!
You're welcome!
You made a good case for having all matching solar panels at the same orientation : )
Great detailed video with many great ideas. I like the idea of the fan pulling cooler air into that very crowded compartment with multiple heat making devices. I would be tempted to use two fans, one on each vent hole. One drawing cooler air in and the opposite side exhausting the warm air out. Since I live in the southern part of the U.S. that would be a must for me. I was always taught that one of the biggest problems you can have with electronics is HEAT. Stay COOL and keep those great videos coming!
Very Helpful. Thank you.
Very nice job with wiring and fabricating the rack
Nice job! Outstanding project to resolve the conflict issues when using multiple charge controllers on the same battery bank.
Nice one, thanks for making the video
No problem 👍
Great job on your project. That stand you made is look awesome. Congrats on it all working out.
Great video. Ingenious idea. Explained well and good sponsor product. Thx.
Excellent video, install, and thinking
Thanks. I hope it's helpful 👍
Super video, Brian -- I have it bookmarked, so if I ever progress to a solar system similar to yours, I'm ready to rock. Safe travels, my friend.
Awesome. Rock on!
Dude your awesome, very good teacher, so easy to understand.
Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad you found it helpful. 👍😎
From the uk guys thanks for the heads up
Beautiful job on the rack system
Thanks! It worked out well. I was more difficult going in than I anticipated, but it all worked out.
Very interesting setup. It makes a lot of sense. Thanks for sharing it.
Excellent use of limited space. I love how you think outside the box. (Well inside a small box this time.) I've got a decent battery bank installed, but haven't got the solar set up yet. Your ideas will help me get the most out of it thru planning. Multiple controllers! I like it.Thanks.
Sounds like you're proceeding in the correct order. It's really about the batteries. Thanks for the sharing your comments! Got to get outside the box to figure out what goes in the box :)
Thank you! I’ve been looking for a video like this for a long time. Awesome!
You're welcome. Hope it helped you out.
Just what I was looking for..
Great system, nice install configuration
Thanks!
Awesome video Brian, great idea to mock-up the charge controllers in the garage first makes it a lot easier. I have a unisolar panel on my RV as well and I believe it is mono crystalline so far it's been working great for about 3 years now.
I think I've had mine for about 5 years now. I've never had an issue with them. They just take up more space. It's the newer 100 watt semi-flex panels I'm very careful with.
William, most Uni-Solar panels are/were amorphous. Perhaps all. That seemed to be there "thing". You will likely get many many years out of a Uni-Solar panel barring any physical damage. I am trying to fit four of the long-narrow Uni-Solar panels to my cargo trailer but some idiot installed vent covers down the middle. I wonder who that was...
That's good planning. That is a very tight space for all that equipment. Funny how those older thin panels are doing better than the new mono panels.
Awesome video Brian. I have been thinking about upgrading my Pwm controller and this video was very informational. It was very valuable to learn about the networking feature
Hi Jorge. Yeah the networking feature works pretty well and is designed so that of their devices can communicate wirelessly.
Very nicely presented!
Great set up with the victory controllers. Nice job.
Awesome job Brian you always seem to come up with the coolest ideas. Mike
Thanks Mike!
Totally makes since to me. Didn’t get how many batteries you are charging but I have a idea to do that same setup.
I've got four 225Ah six volts for 450Ah total. Here's a video about them th-cam.com/video/WyRy7kAyTHE/w-d-xo.html
Pretty awesome feat of engineering that rack!
Nice work I am going to be doing a change up my self I am running 2880 watt thought only one classic 150 I am not use my panels to there full use great job .
Thanks. Good luck with your change up. Working good for me so far.
Oh and a great parts list too. Thanks again!
You're welcome!
Great install. I find controllers run cold until suddenly bulk charge under load. Then they cook, especially the victron models. Just have a computer fan set up on the lighting circuit and you can time the fan on/off.
Wow! Great job, Thank you very much!
Another great video Brian (aka Tito lol)! I was thinking how all this needed was a couple tv commercials and it could air on the DiY cable channel.
Thanks, this so timely for me since I’m now contemplating how I want my solar system on top of my limited space class b. My current thinking is being able to expand stacked panels. This two controller setup allows exposed panels to continue to charge and when unexposed panels get expanded, they can join the party.
Glad to help. That's how I initially got started down this path. It was to use my portable setup with my primary setup. Good luck!
Why not just parallel the panels to one charge controller?
@poet in a paper bag I was replying to the point the op made of having stacked panels. If the panels are wired in parallel then they can run of the same controller while one panel is shaded by the other. If they were in series it would not work
@poet in a paper bag Sorry you've lost me. I'm not referring to the video. Only to this comment. I was assuming Nofear2trek was talking about having 2 new panels of the same size stacked, so only getting power from one while driving. Then expanding them when parked. So I couldn't see the need for 2 controllers if wired in parallel.
@poet in a paper bag Why are you replying to me talking about the video again after I made it clear my comments had nothing to do with the video?
Thank you Tito, for presenting one of the most informative videos that I have seen about charge controllers and an ingenious rack mounting system for your charge controllers. When you have the time, can you do a video about your battery cable crimper? Such as the gauges of cable/wire lugs it will crimp, 2, 00, 000, 0000 gauge cable. Thanks.
Thanks so much Mark for the feedback. I may do that. I've used the hammer crimper and this one. It has several selectable sizes. I can't remember if it goes up to 4/0 but it might. You can check the amazon specs, but the sizes are metric. I wrote the conversion with a sharpie on the handle so I know which mm matches which AWG size.
Thanks, really helpful and clear. Great ideas.
Own it like a BOSS. You do a fantastic job of design, build, and explanation of the steps taken to be set up and rolling. Great video, demonstration with diagrams, and a genius rack system. Q, inside that compartment door edge I see foam wrap, what is that for? Great job, I always look forward to getting notifications for your channel.
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. The compartment used to be a battery tray (original battery), before I put walls on it to enclose it. There's still a small gap and the door, so I've got pipe insulation there. I think it's time to replace that with something nicer.
Hi Brian, I agree with RedRoofRetriever. Great demonstration. At my novice level I was able to understand you. Great Job! - Lucy
Awesome. Thanks Lucy!
Noticed you have a Victron BMS-712. I've setup mine to allow for disconnect / reconnect of my inverter from my lithium batteries, should low SOC, high or low voltages and tempurature be detected. I've also disconnect the solar charger from the batteries on high / low tempuratue. Just needed to add a few medium and a single high current relays. Victron was the only solution I could find that could be configuted the way I wanted to protect my $5150 investment in lithium batteries.
Great video thank you!
This is a really great way to teach🙏👍🏽
Nice Job, love your parts list
Great! Thanks.
3-IN-ONE... The holy trinity of lubricants! :D
Yeah. It's good stuff.
Thank you...Tito...I like your video...👍👍👍👍👍
Great video Tito. Thanks very much!
I was just thinking last night that a new video must be coming soon😀
That rack worked out great.
Looks like you can get to every terminal.
I have got to get a fantastic fan ordered and installed.
I could use a camera guy...😉
Haha. I could always use a camera guy :)
Interesting piece of work Tito, thank you for sharing it with us, a truly inspiring and inventive solution! ... 👍🏻 🧐 🐍
Glad you liked it :)
Wow...nice job! Apparently these controllers are designed to be used in this manner yet I believe it could be a mistake to hook up several "old-school" controllers in parallel. Check with the manufacturer of your particular controller. Also, Uni-solar panels will often outperform many panels in shady conditions or if the shade of your antenna (for example) falls across one or more panels. I have four very long Uni-solar panels and although not as flashy as many newer panels...they really work well. Thanks for the video.
Excellent info, Tito - this answers a big question that I have had about my new RV, I have the Victron battery monitor and will look at the MPPT controllers - thanks! I am going to look for you on Patreon...
Great Phil! Glad to help answer those nagging questions. I appreciate the support, but I'm still on the fence about Patreon. Would love to have you join us on RVwithTito.com for free @ www.rvwithtito.com/subscribe
thats a cool setup,,gave me ideas,,thanks for the vid,
Wow this is a great video. Nice work on the project!
Couple of comments.
The fuse in the 75/15 is a reverse polarity fuse only, apparently. Victron still recommend a fuse on the positive to the battery, at least in my research.
Also, I couldn't tell, or maybe I missed it, but are you measuring temperature at the battery? The temp in that enclosure probably a few degrees off what it is at the battery so any temp compensation might be out.
Thanks for sharing this video with us. Love the workmanship.
very neat
Really impressive interesting video well done
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
Nice rack and install. Ijust think it would be more cost effective to match the pv panels correctly.
My system has certainly evolved over time. Of course, if I were building a system from scratch, I would certainly go with matching panels.
Nice setup. Love it.
Another great video Brian, I had seen another video on youtube by a ham radio operator show thin film panels outperforming monocrystalline panels (with same watt ratings) overall. thin film does work better in shady conditions. 2 cents.
Yes. Interesting huh? I saw someone else do some experiments that showed that thin film is receptive across a broader frequency spectrum vs mono cells. It confirmed what we were all seeing.
wish unisolar hadn't gone out of business and that thin film was more available and cheaper here in US. ($/W: funny since manufacturing cost is less than crystalline cells)
Agreed.
Thank you, Brian!
I like your detailed drawings. Very nice video, but I will still probably pay someone to do my electrical work.
It's certainly important to know your limits. I hope you learned something from the video though.
This has been hands down the most informative video I have seen. You cleared up lots of questions I had. Maybe one more you can answer that you may have addressed in another video (which I will be going through after this comment). When hooking solar batteries in parallel does it increase the maximum input amps? For example the battery I'm starting with has a max input of 60 amps. When I add a 2nd one to the bank is it now a max input of 120 amps?
Yes. In parallel, the battery voltage stays the same and the current (amps or Ah) are added.
Thanks Bryan
The thin film may be a cigs chemistry, they will output more in low sun, but mono panels will shine , in direct sun! The cigs work well in shade, and not effected as much as mono and poly panels, I wouldn't mind adding a small array of the cigs tech panels, to add more power in early and late day sun.
FEAT OF ENGINEERING. nice job
I was told the older style panels work better in lower light situations than the newer one but the newer ones really shine when the sun is shining.
Excellent construction project with great planning for a small area. Vectron MPPT controllers are the best with setup/data to Android or IOS devices. U need another video with charging results. Please fix Broken URL link to Amazon for purchasing product U used.
Thanks. Fixed. Here's the correct link: rvwithtito.com/parts/rv-solar-power
Brian, I learn a lot from your videos, thank you!. I have some concerns about this one though. Firstly, the Victron charge controllers are designed to be mounted vertically for heat dissipation. I think your rack is great, but perhaps the orientation of the charge controllers should have been different. Secondly, there is a serious issue when you connect and disconnect the wires to the PV array. There are very few switches that are designed to disconnect high voltage (higher than 60v) DC current. Your inline breakers are not rated for voltages above 60v (which is ok if you aren't using them on the PV side of the charge controller). It takes much heavier switches to deal with the arcing potential from DC current than it does for AC current (because AC current is 'off' 60 times per second). The MC4 connectors are not designed to connect or disconnect when the circuit is under power, which it always is because you can't turn off the sun. Doing so will damage the connectors and damaged connectors will add impedance to the lines. A google search for 'DC disconnect solar' will find some options, but they are not cheap. Thoughts? Thanks again for making these videos.
Agreed. Those inline breakers are only 12V. If he’s bringing in multiple solar arrays in series-parallel (which is typical in larger systems), the voltage is going to be much higher. He did list a 32amp, 250v DC breaker in his parts list, however, anyone watching this video won’t know to use that in lieu of the inline breaker. He should remove the in-line breakers from the parts list at a minimum.
How did you measure the improvement over using just one controller? And what was the improvement? Great video, very ingenious thanks.
Given that there are different types of panels on each string (and controller) there would be power losses connecting them together. The panels on each string should share the same voltage/current characteristics. Mine do not. Another benefit of have separate controllers is that each is unaffected by the other in a shading or other degraded state.
319 volt solar panel at 100 watts, will solar charge controllers in parallel work ? Can 7 60 amp mppt charge controllers in parallel handle that high voltage?
Im going to buy 1 more victron charge controller for a seperate array that will be mounted permanently on the roof. At the moment i have 1850 watts of panels that are ground deploy with aluminum angle ground mounts. I think 4 kw of solar and 30 kw of battery should keep the wifes hairdryer running lol
She must have a really big hair dryer :)
Nice job in such a tight space. I'm close to installing a Victron 100-30 solar controller, Iota 55 amp converter/charger and a 1000 watt inverter in my pass through storage and was worried about space and I have a 48" x 18" panel to mount everything on. You make me feel good about my plan, because I'm also using DC breakers on each device to bus bars and some nice thick 2/0 cable to my battery bank a few feet away.
You didn't show it, but hopefully you are installing the BMV-712 battery monitor with a battery temperature probe because it can share battery temperature across the Bluetooth network with the charge controllers.
Yes. I know about the BMV-712, but I am going to be doing something different for battery monitoring. Right now I have a TriMetric battery monitor and will be trying something new soon (can't reveal it yet). The charge controller's are very close to the battery bank and run about the same temperature so I think I'm good for temperature compensation for now. I wish there was a way to add a temp sensor without the BMV monitor, but I think the Victron controllers work on ambient temp by default. Thanks for the feedback. It's much appreciated. I'd love to hear about your system when it's all setup. Cheers!
They do sell a battery temp monitor that is Bluetooth only. It's fairly new and a little more expensive than the one that connects to the BMV series of monitors.
www.amazon.com/Victron-Energy-Smart-Battery-Sense/dp/B07BN7WVB9/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1533484919&sr=8-15&keywords=victron
Perfect! Exactly what I need. I'm ordering one today. Thanks.
Wait.....I see you have the BMV-712 at the 18:00 mark in the video...?? I installed one as well (working on that video and Battle Born batteries)
Nope. It's not a BMV-712. It's just the MPPT controller panel. I've had it for a while and keep it in there so I can plug it in to each controller as needed to get readings or do some setup without needing bluetooth. It looks alot like a BMV-712 though (costs about $50)
Victron controllers have wire connection holes designed for 4 AWG. Did you break off wires to reduce your 2 AWG wire size down to 4 AWG? Dp you recommend using Straight Solid Pin Terminal Connector, Compression Connector Type, #2 Awg Cable To #4 Pin Wire Range (available on Amazon)
The max I put into my Victron controller is #6AWG. I've also been using ferrules crimped on the ends for a nice fit.
@@RVwithTito I went back to your video. You did mention 6 AWG into controllers but 2 AWG to battery bank. So for controller output connections did you use ferrules?
@@rskarlsson I haven't gotten to them all yet...just some.