MPPT Controller tripping

[lesrollins]

Hi

 

We have a solar set up which consists of 2 x 140 w panels and a 40amp mppt controller, the set up as been running since last year. But twice this year the mppt controller as tripped out. Once I have disconnected the panel cables and the battery cables from the mppt and then reconnect them the mppt resets itself. Any ideas what might cause this to happen and would it be a good idea to put an isolation switch in the panel side to switch it off when travelling, as the alternator is charging the batteries anyway. I have checked the tightness of all the cables and they are okay. Or could there be a fault somewhere but it as only happened twice so far.

 

Cheers

[Chris Pink]

he mppt controller as tripped out.

 

What does this mean exactly?

[The Bagdad Boatman (waits)]

with a wind turbine and alternator controller I fitted a sink shunt to control over voltage charging.

[lesrollins]

What I mean by tripped out is that no current passes through the mppt from the panels to the batteries. I know if any charge is being put in by the panels by looking at the battery monitor. But when there is nothing showing on the battery monitor I have then disconnected everything and then reconnected everything back up. And it seems to reset the mppt controller and allows anything being produced by the panels to start working again.

 

Should I have put an isolation switch on the wiring side of the panels ?

 

Whats a sink shunt ?

 

Cheers

Edited March 29, 2013 by lesrollins

[Chris Pink]

It sounds like a fault in the MPPT controller to me, unless the batteries are absolutely charged.

 

What is the voltage on the battery monitor when this happens?

 

Is it possible there's a wiring fault?

 

What happens when you press the reset button on the MPPT?

 

Should I have put an isolation switch on the wiring side of the panels ?

 

Maybe, not essentially, although it makes turning off the input to the controller easier.

 

 

Whats a sink shunt ?

 

 

 

Irrelevant

 

is this happening when you run the engine? or anything else different?

[BlueStringPudding]

Sure you've got the right sized MPPT controller for your solar panels output (volts and/or amps)? My controller has some sort of switch off thing in it that protects it (allegedly) from too high output from the panels. I wonder if that's what's being triggered in your controller?

[smileypete]

Would be good to know the make and model of the controller, and more about the panels and whether in series or parallel. Most (all?) controllers do not like being connected to panels without the batts connected, so maybe look for an iffy connection between controller and batts.

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

[BlueStringPudding]

Now that's interesting, my controller has recently died, Smiley. Could that have been caused by the batteries being switched off at the isolator switch when the solar panel was producing power?