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Post by sammyguy193 on Sept 8, 2019 22:35:52 GMT
Help!? I'm getting max 1 amp, 50w from my two 100w panels whether connected in series, solo, or parallel. I can't figure out what's going on. Setup and BT-1 readouts below. 2 panels in series Single Panel 2 Panels in reversed series
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Post by jsb2000 on Sept 8, 2019 23:02:25 GMT
Perhaps I'm misunderstanding your pictures. You battery is fully charged, yes? You aren't drawing any load current, yes?
So why would you expect to be drawing any significant current from your panels?
Now, if your battery wasn't fully charged and/or you were drawing a reasonable load and you showed me those pictures, I'd suspect a problem.
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Post by bupkis on Sept 9, 2019 0:13:28 GMT
sammyguy193 get a volt meter and test your panels seperately renogy.boards.net/thread/159/solar-panel-troubleshootingyour first two pics show 'MPPT mode' (13.3v battery), this is also called BULK and all available power from the panels goes to charging. Yes, your reading seem off as a 100w panel in good direct sun should make 5A each into the battery. Once the battery gets to boost (aka absorption) voltage (pic 3) then the current should taper as the battery is held at boost voltage set point (temperature adjusted). At first you'll charge at near full panel output (based on sun angle brightness) and then it will taper down to a low current as the controller keeps the voltage constant @ the battery. if the sun is very low or not very BRIGHT that could explain your low numbers.
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Post by tattoo on Sept 9, 2019 1:59:18 GMT
It looks normal to me with a fully charged battery..........
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Post by bupkis on Sept 9, 2019 12:49:36 GMT
I'm thinking one panel is a poor performer. Note pic 1 and 2 where the battery is not fully charged.
Pic 1 in mppt mode, the controller has picked 30v as mppt which is low esp when compared to pic 2 where the controller has picked mppt of nearly 17v for the single panel. Both are showing very low power in mppt mode! low light, bad angle, bad panels?
something happened between pic 2 and pic 3 cuz the controller is now in boost as the battery has reached set pt voltage, ie the battery was charged more than in pic 1 and 2.
test panels and compare BT info to controller LCD.
I see pic 3 has the earliest time, was it first. It looks normal as in the battery is getting very full and the controller is limiting power to keep the battery at set pt voltage (boost).
Pic 1 and 2 with the batt @ 13.3v, you may not have waited long enough for the controller to re scan the panel(s).
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Post by mediadogg on Sept 9, 2019 13:58:39 GMT
I would also check the cables, especially any MC4 connectors. I had a situation a few weeks ago where I had not tightened a connector well, and corrosion caused by moisture lead to to excess heat and voltage loss under load. Once I discovered and fixed it, everything went back to normal. Problems like this can appear normal during low current draw - the corrosion acts like a resistor in series, so the voltage loss and heat build-up rises dramatically with current.
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Post by Admin on Sept 10, 2019 16:21:04 GMT
Help!? I'm getting max 1 amp, 50w from my two 100w panels whether connected in series, solo, or parallel. I can't figure out what's going on. Setup and BT-1 readouts below. 2 panels in series View AttachmentSingle Panel View Attachment2 Panels in reversed series View AttachmentHave you had any progress testing your panels individually? What battery do you have these connected to? -Renogy Team
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Post by mediadogg on Sept 10, 2019 17:24:50 GMT
What is "reversed series"?
And one thing that always drives me nuts. A person will ask for help, get suggestions, and never come back and make clear whether they tired them or not, or whether they worked, or not. Have you checked and tested all your wires and connectors, as I suggested? A poor connection can appear to be fine when measured "open circuit" by a high-impedance voltmeter. You might have to actually examine the connectors for corrosion or test the MC4 screw-on caps to make sure they are tight - maybe even unscrew, re-seat and re-tighten. Not highly common, but obviously you are having an uncommon issue, so the cause is likely to also be uncommon.
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Post by bupkis on Sept 10, 2019 19:22:51 GMT
if you plug panel 1 neg into panel 2 + the reverse would be plugging panel 2 neg into panel 1 +, that's the two ways two panels can be hooked in series.
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Post by mediadogg on Sept 10, 2019 23:31:28 GMT
if you plug panel 1 neg into panel 2 + the reverse would be plugging panel 2 neg into panel 1 +, that's the two ways two panels can be hooked in series. Ok, just wanted to make sure he wasn't talking about revered polarity connection to the CC!
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Post by sammyguy193 on Sept 11, 2019 2:25:39 GMT
Hey. Sorry folks. Thanks for the helpful replies. I amazoned a multimeter, hence the delay waiting to get some more info to post. Both panels are functioning well. Each panel in full sun was getting 19-20v and 5.7-5.91 amps and when connected in series was averaging 39-41v @ 5.7-5.9 amps. I was really impressed to say the least. I discharged the battery last night to 75% and rechecked the charge controller’s readout. Still getting on average 0.1-0.3 amp in either boost or mppt mode with ~40v when connected in series. So if the voltage read at the CC jibes with the multimeter readout at the panels themselves, where am i losing 5+ amps of good honest American current?
I’ve also upgraded all wiring to 8awg today. No change, but it looks downright sexy. The connections are solid with no measurable voltage or current loss from the 2 panels connected in series and the charge controller. Is the CC defective?
battery is a 12v 125AH AGM deep cycle battery from vmaxtanks
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Post by sammyguy193 on Sept 11, 2019 2:41:50 GMT
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Post by mediadogg on Sept 11, 2019 3:50:21 GMT
Hey. Sorry folks. Thanks for the helpful replies. I amazoned a multimeter, hence the delay waiting to get some more info to post. Both panels are functioning well. Each panel in full sun was getting 19-20v and 5.7-5.91 amps and when connected in series was averaging 39-41v @ 5.7-5.9 amps. I was really impressed to say the least. I discharged the battery last night to 75% and rechecked the charge controller’s readout. Still getting on average 0.1-0.3 amp in either boost or mppt mode with ~40v when connected in series. So if the voltage read at the CC jibes with the multimeter readout at the panels themselves, where am i losing 5+ amps of good honest American current? I’ve also upgraded all wiring to 8awg today. No change, but it looks downright sexy. The connections are solid with no measurable voltage or current loss from the 2 panels connected in series and the charge controller. Is the CC defective? battery is a 12v 125AH AGM deep cycle battery from vmaxtanks Love all those specs!!! But wait-a-minute ... where are the 5.7 - 5.91 amps going? How and where are you measuring that current? I guess the multimeter has a current readout with an internal shunt? And then, in series, you are getting the same current at twice the voltage, means twice the power is being absorbed somewhere ... something should be getting very hot: that's over 200 watts! Can you post a picture of your CC connections, showing exactly which wires are going where? Also a picture of your multimeter hookup. Something don't jibe ...
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Post by sammyguy193 on Sept 11, 2019 4:37:20 GMT
Yeah I calculated 200-230watts. I even went on YouTube to make sure I had the multimeter art up correctly. Which, for two 100w panels, I am extremely pleased with the performance. Before I moved one of the panels into full sun as the bottom right corner was shaded by our pear tree, it was pumping out 3ish amps while the one in full sun adjacent to it was at 5.9. Moved it into full sun and amperage increased to 5.7-5.9. We have zero haze. Air quality index of 10.
I’ll post more pics when I get a sec. I can’t figure out where 200w of power is disappearing to. I took college physics for two years. I feel like I’m losing my mind!
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Post by sammyguy193 on Sept 11, 2019 5:09:44 GMT
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