ok so the other day my new panels were charging in full sun around 8 + amps brought it out of the shed for some more maintanance and noticed there was no charge from the new panels , now all connections are good fuses are good even checked them for continuity all good am getting just 2 V and no amps.
any ideas please is it likey that the controller has died
High Woody, have you actually short circuit tested the panel output? If it is even close to the 8.9 amps where the cables enter the controller that just leaves a problem from the controller forward to the battery. If you have a clamp meter, just check if anything is coming into the controller, it could be that you have a load that is equal to or greater than the solar output and the meter only records net going into the battery, not gross coming from the panels.
T1 Terry
Woody n Sue said
06:47 PM Feb 10, 2017
Hi T1 Terry I'm not sure I follow you here but there is no load other than the battery as I have an isolation switch which disconnects the entire van from the battery and the array currant was showing input the other day when I fitted the panels
Woody
dragonfly1 said
06:50 PM Feb 10, 2017
Turn on the isolation switch
Dragonfly1
Woody n Sue said
08:19 PM Feb 10, 2017
Dragon fly tried that no difference
Woody
dragonfly1 said
11:05 AM Feb 11, 2017
Get hold of a multi meter and disconnect the panel wires from the controller turn on to 20 volts and connect across the wires and note reading it should be about 18 volts in full sun now turn the multi meter to 10 amps and connect and it should read about 6 to 8 amps if it tests ok put the wires back on and disconnect the battery wire from the controller and with the multimeter on 10 amps connect to wire with the red probe and the black probe to mineus or earth if no reading it will be the controller
Dragonfly 1
Woody n Sue said
01:46 PM Feb 11, 2017
Thanks Dragonfly 1 I haven't fixed the junction box to the roof yet will be tidier when I do
Woody
T1 Terry said
02:25 PM Feb 11, 2017
OK, with the isolation switch off, what is the voltage coming into the isolation switch and the voltage coming into the solar controller? It should be some where around 23v if nothing is passing through the isolation switch but close enough to zero at the controller, turn the switch on and the voltage should be the same at the controller as it was at the switch. This will confirm you have a circuit from the solar to the switch and from the switch to the controller. Now, if the input voltage to the switch drops below battery voltage when the switch is turned on, there is a bad connection between the solar panels and the switch. If you used the original MC4 connectors that is the most likely place for the poor connection, even though the will plug into each other the depth the internal pin sits in results in the pins barely connecting to each other if there is a mismatch between the manufacturers of each half.
ok so the other day my new panels were charging in full sun around 8 + amps brought it out of the shed for some more maintanance and noticed there was no charge from the new panels , now all connections are good fuses are good even checked them for continuity all good am getting just 2 V and no amps.
any ideas please is it likey that the controller has died
pannels are 155 w short circuit amps 8.9
regulator is 22 amp
Woody
T1 Terry
Woody
Turn on the isolation switch
Dragonfly1
Woody
Get hold of a multi meter and disconnect the panel wires from the controller turn on to 20 volts and connect across the wires and note reading it should be about 18 volts in full sun now turn the multi meter to 10 amps and connect and it should read about 6 to 8 amps if it tests ok put the wires back on and disconnect the battery wire from the controller and with the multimeter on 10 amps connect to wire with the red probe and the black probe to mineus or earth if no reading it will be the controller
Dragonfly 1
Woody
OK, with the isolation switch off, what is the voltage coming into the isolation switch and the voltage coming into the solar controller? It should be some where around 23v if nothing is passing through the isolation switch but close enough to zero at the controller, turn the switch on and the voltage should be the same at the controller as it was at the switch. This will confirm you have a circuit from the solar to the switch and from the switch to the controller. Now, if the input voltage to the switch drops below battery voltage when the switch is turned on, there is a bad connection between the solar panels and the switch. If you used the original MC4 connectors that is the most likely place for the poor connection, even though the will plug into each other the depth the internal pin sits in results in the pins barely connecting to each other if there is a mismatch between the manufacturers of each half.
T1 Terry