All in one solar controller and monitor

[bike4mee]

Is there such a thing as a all in on solar controller and monitor?? I have a Sunsaver controller for my roof panel. It works good except I cant add wires for my portable panel I use when in the shade.
I still have the 4wc light panel as a monitor (ya I know old tech)
Is there a all in one controller/monitor that I can control 2 panels and get readings on battery strength and solar input. I'm dreaming i suppose

 

[Vic Harder]

Not as far as I know. And there is a reason. MOST of the solar controller stuff out there is designed for larger solar arrays that will have multiple controllers, and multiple battery banks. Makes sense to keep the devices separate so the end installer can get the appropriate number of each.

 

[bike4mee]

So what your saying is I should get a separate controller for the portable panel. Then have it going directly to the battery. Thats what I thought but was hoping for the all in one

 

[Vic Harder]

So what your saying is I should get a separate controller for the portable panel. Then have it going directly to the battery. Thats what I thought but was hoping for the all in one

Not necessarily. If your Sunsaver has enough capacity to accept another panel, you can use just one controller. Which Sunsaver do you have? Which panels?

 

[bike4mee]

Hey
I have a BZBRLZ 100w foldable solar panel. It supposed to have the controller built in. So can I go directly to the battery and bypass the controller?

https://generatorsgeeks.com/product/bzbrlz-100watt-solar-panel-charger%EF%BC%8Cfoldable-18v-12v-solar-panel-kit-with-dual-output5v-2-1a-usb-18v-4-3a-dc-outdoor-portable-solar-charger-suicase-for-generatorcamping-fishing-rvboat/

My controller is a Sunsaver 10L

 

[Vic Harder]

No, not with that BZBRLZ anyway. It puts out a steady 18V, and your batteries could get cooked. You need to treat the output of that rig as if it was a raw solar panel, and feed it into your controller.

Your sunsaver can only handle 10A of input current. That portable puts out 5.5A max. What size panel do you have on the roof now? If also small, you could hook the two panels up in parallel to your controller.

Next question, how many AH are your batteries? Assuming a small 100AH, and if they are at 50% SOC, the best your sunsaver can do is 10A, that would take 5*10= 50AH = 5 hours to recharge your batteries under IDEAL conditions.

You might want a beefier controller and more solar....

 

[bike4mee]

Thanks! My roof panel is old but probably 100w. The 1 battery is a 12v (not sure the Ah)
The electric jargon is a little overwhelming, but I think the solution is the get a larger amp controller. Maybe one that has 2 input slots so I dont have to stack wires. What size controller? Do you recommend one that also has a digital readout of battery condition? like


Renogy Voyager - 20A Negative-Ground PWM Controller Waterproof Solar Charge Controller w/LCD Display and LED Bar

 

[Vic Harder]

That Renogy is a nice little solar controller. The display can be misleading though.

What it (or any other controller) does NOT have is a sophisticated way of measuring the actual SOC of the battery. That requires a monitor with a shunt, like the Victron BMV712.

Before you run out an buy another controller, ponder how often you will deploy both of your panels. The two together will exceed the 10A input on your existing Sunsaver 10L. According to your manual, section 4.4, it will STOP charging until the input current drops below 10A.

So yes, you will want a bigger controller, or even two controllers. Plus that battery monitor to really know what's going on with your battery.

 

[ClimberRob]

It sounds like you are only running your portable when your roof panel is fully shaded. Correct? If so, you can just hook the portable up to your existing controller on an as-needed basis; as long as you are aware that you are likely to fry the controller if both panels are cranking out simultaneously.