Hi all i have a redarc bms 30 connected to a roof top solar panel on my motorhome .. when parked in the shade i want to use my portable solar blanket hooked up with its own regulator directly to the battery .. At the moment when vehicle covered i hook up the portable sometimes to put a charge in battery .. the manager 30 picks up the voltage etc no issues but at this point i haven't used it travelling ..
Question .. will there be a conflict with the management system when having both panels in use .. one on roof and portable with own regulator ? or should i bypass the portable regulator when connected directly to battery ?
Thankyou
kgarnett said
09:43 AM Jan 8, 2022
Generally Ok to parallel controllers subject to some precautions as outlined in the article referenced below.
i reckon the simplest of fixes would be to completely cover roof top panel when connecting up the portable panel ... as i said before in storage with cover on .. battery charges no prob .. and bms picks up battery info as normal .... dont realy want to mess about connecting panel to panel etc .. if roof top panel in shade then should be fine !!!
goldenyears said
11:45 AM Jan 8, 2022
goldenyears wrote:
i reckon the simplest of fixes would be to completely cover roof top panel when connecting up the portable panel ... as i said before in storage with cover on .. battery charges no prob .. and bms picks up battery info as normal .... dont realy want to mess about connecting panel to panel etc .. if roof top panel in shade then should be fine !!!
bms has a built in regulator
Mamil said
01:40 PM Jan 8, 2022
Both your solar inputs need to be regulated before going into the battery, so no you shouldn't "bypass the portable regulator when connected directly to battery".
It will be fine to have two regulators feeding the battery at the same time. So no need to cover the permanent panel whilst the portable panel is connected.
However, the portable panel negative needs to be attached to the 'load' side of the Manager 30's shunt, not direct to the negative battery terminal, otherwise the manager 30 will not be able to detect the current going into the battery from the portable panel and it's State Of Charge display will be incorrect.
I did it a bit differently with my caravan. My permanent panel and an Anderson for the portable panel both fed into the solar input of the Manager, after going through switches so I could choose one input, or the other, or both in parallel. In this case I did bypass the solar controller on the portable panel as both are going through the solar controller of the Manager 30. Also, if you are putting two panels in parallel through the Manager solar controller they should be close in voltage characteristics.
-- Edited by Mamil on Saturday 8th of January 2022 02:07:43 PM
Thankyou mamil for your help much appreciated the connection on battery is through an anderson plug from regulator with negative wire going to chassis .. so is it just a matter of disconnecting chassis connection and connecting this to ground on the shunt ? bit confusing ...
thanks again i'll get there !
-- Edited by goldenyears on Saturday 8th of January 2022 03:53:50 PM
-- Edited by goldenyears on Saturday 8th of January 2022 04:02:05 PM
Mamil said
04:25 PM Jan 8, 2022
goldenyears wrote:
Thankyou mamil for your help much appreciated the connection on battery is through an anderson plug from regulator with negative wire going to chassis .. so is it just a matter of disconnecting chassis connection and connecting this to ground on the shunt ? bit confusing ...
thanks again i'll get there !
At some point the negative from the solar has to be connected to the battery negative for a complete circuit to be made, even if this is via the chassis. So, look for where your chassis is connected to negative, and so long as this connection is on the load side of the shunt - no problem, but if it is direct to the house battery negative terminal (or anywhere between the shunt and the negative terminal) then the current flowing in or out of the battery from any negative chassis return items, including the portable solar panels, won't be measured by the Manager 30. It will still work, just that you can no longer trust the SOC readout on the Manager remote. Easiest way to check is plug your solar into the Anderson with nothing else on (charger or load), and see if the Manager remote display shown current going into the battery.
goldenyears said
05:46 PM Jan 8, 2022
mamil connected negative from solar to earth on shunt .. read out on manager gone into calculating mode with regards to battery condition etc will wait and see if goes back to normal ... no battery condition shown .
-- Edited by goldenyears on Saturday 8th of January 2022 05:48:27 PM
Mamil said
09:22 PM Jan 8, 2022
goldenyears wrote:
mamil connected negative from solar to earth on shunt .. read out on manager gone into calculating mode with regards to battery condition etc will wait and see if goes back to normal ... no battery condition shown .
That's normal. Any time the Manager has been disconnected from the battery it will go into the calculating SOC mode. You'll need to charge it up to 100% then it will reset and you'll be good from then on.
goldenyears said
07:27 AM Jan 9, 2022
Any particular reason why you separated each panel with a switch ? AND didn't just hook as i have done ?
Mamil said
03:23 PM Jan 9, 2022
goldenyears wrote:
Any particular reason why you separated each panel with a switch ? AND didn't just hook as i have done ?
I wanted both my fixed panel and portable panel to go through the MPPT controller in the Redarc Manager because it's better than the cr@ppy one that came with my portable panels! But rather than having them permanently paralleled into the Redarc, the switches allow me to switch to just one, or the other, or both as the sun and shade conditions change, so the one in shade doesn't drag down the one in sun. So in short - ease of use and maximum flexibility!
goldenyears said
03:38 PM Jan 9, 2022
Using my portable and roof panel togeather do you think there could be any issues regards voltage ? read somewhere shouldn't go over 32volts ... I guess the bms would stop any faults .. now that the portable goes through the shunt .. both panels 150 watt each
-- Edited by goldenyears on Sunday 9th of January 2022 03:39:41 PM
Mamil said
04:14 PM Jan 9, 2022
goldenyears wrote:
Using my portable and roof panel togeather do you think there could be any issues regards voltage ? read somewhere shouldn't go over 32volts ... I guess the bms would stop any faults .. now that the portable goes through the shunt .. both panels 150 watt each
One of the unfortunate limitations of the Manager 30 solar input is that it is limited to 32V which means you cannot use household panels as their VOC exceeds this.
Likewise if you connect two 12V nominal panels in series, their combined VOC will be above 32V.
So, you can only connect your two panels in parallel so the voltage stays the same and the current will double.
-- Edited by Mamil on Sunday 9th of January 2022 04:21:04 PM
yes main reason for portable was for shade conditions only one day i may get another roof panel in parallel .. my portable is an ultra thin panel similar to solar blanket .. i presume the bms has a safety cut off when going over 32 volts ?
yes main reason for portable was for shade conditions only one day i may get another roof panel in parallel .. my portable is an ultra thin panel similar to solar blanket .. i presume the bms has a safety cut off when going over 32 volts ?
Yes, if you try to connect more than 32V to either the solar or DC inputs it will isolate the input, display an over voltage warning, and sound a buzzer.
Mamil said
12:40 AM Jan 10, 2022
goldenyears wrote:
my vehicle
Very nice
wlaughto said
04:35 PM Apr 22, 2025
Old thread I know, but do you mean Battery Sensor when you refer to the Manger30's shunt?
wlaughto said
04:37 PM Apr 22, 2025
Mamil wrote:
However, the portable panel negative needs to be attached to the 'load' side of the Manager 30's shunt, not direct to the negative battery terminal, otherwise the manager 30 will not be able to detect the current going into the battery from the portable panel and it's State Of Charge display will be incorrect.
-- Edited by Mamil on Saturday 8th of January 2022 02:07:43 PM
Old thread I know, but do you mean Battery Sensor when you refer to the Manger30's shunt?
TimTim said
06:28 PM Apr 22, 2025
wlaughto wrote:
Mamil wrote:
However, the portable panel negative needs to be attached to the 'load' side of the Manager 30's shunt, not direct to the negative battery terminal, otherwise the manager 30 will not be able to detect the current going into the battery from the portable panel and it's State Of Charge display will be incorrect.
-- Edited by Mamil on Saturday 8th of January 2022 02:07:43 PM
Old thread I know, but do you mean Battery Sensor when you refer to the Manger30's shunt?
Yes the Redarc Manager shunt is commonly referred to as a battery sensor. I recently had to replace mine but Redarc were kind enough to replace it free of charge even though it was out of warranty.
The Manager 30 is designed for 12V solar systems and has a maximum solar input of 32V. Solar panels must therefore be connected in parallel as in series they will exceed the open circuit voltage limitations. See page 23 of the manual.
-- Edited by TimTim on Tuesday 22nd of April 2025 09:59:45 PM
wlaughto said
09:23 AM Apr 24, 2025
TimTim wrote:
wlaughto wrote:
Mamil wrote:
However, the portable panel negative needs to be attached to the 'load' side of the Manager 30's shunt, not direct to the negative battery terminal, otherwise the manager 30 will not be able to detect the current going into the battery from the portable panel and it's State Of Charge display will be incorrect.
-- Edited by Mamil on Saturday 8th of January 2022 02:07:43 PM
Old thread I know, but do you mean Battery Sensor when you refer to the Manger30's shunt?
Yes the Redarc Manager shunt is commonly referred to as a battery sensor. I recently had to replace mine but Redarc were kind enough to replace it free of charge even though it was out of warranty.
The Manager 30 is designed for 12V solar systems and has a maximum solar input of 32V. Solar panels must therefore be connected in parallel as in series they will exceed the open circuit voltage limitations. See page 23 of the manual.
So to be perfectly clear, external solar panel controller -ve needs to be connected as per the attached?
No! The arrow shown is incorrect in that is just the fixing screw for the shunt reader and it is also on the incorrect side of the shunt. Connect your solar controller battery negative to the large nut terminal where it says to vehicle common ground, or to where that cable connects to vehicle chassis. Connect your solar controller battery positive directly to your + battery terminal.
Generally if your battery and shunt are external the best method is to make up an external Anderson connection connecting as above. Then just put short lengths of cables with Anderson connectors (pigtails) on your solar controller for the battery and solar panel connections. Always connect your solar controller to the battery first allowing it to read the battery voltage then connect your solar panel.
Good luck
Tim
-- Edited by TimTim on Friday 25th of April 2025 04:03:46 AM
-- Edited by TimTim on Friday 25th of April 2025 04:08:40 AM
Hi all i have a redarc bms 30 connected to a roof top solar panel on my motorhome .. when parked in the shade i want to use my portable solar blanket hooked up with its own regulator directly to the battery .. At the moment when vehicle covered i hook up the portable sometimes to put a charge in battery .. the manager 30 picks up the voltage etc no issues but at this point i haven't used it travelling ..
Question .. will there be a conflict with the management system when having both panels in use .. one on roof and portable with own regulator ? or should i bypass the portable regulator when connected directly to battery ?
Thankyou
Generally Ok to parallel controllers subject to some precautions as outlined in the article referenced below.
https://www.portablesolarexpert.com/can-you-connect-charge-controllers-in-parallel-yes-heres-how/
Ken
i reckon the simplest of fixes would be to completely cover roof top panel when connecting up the portable panel ... as i said before in storage with cover on .. battery charges no prob .. and bms picks up battery info as normal .... dont realy want to mess about connecting panel to panel etc .. if roof top panel in shade then should be fine !!!
Both your solar inputs need to be regulated before going into the battery, so no you shouldn't "bypass the portable regulator when connected directly to battery".
It will be fine to have two regulators feeding the battery at the same time. So no need to cover the permanent panel whilst the portable panel is connected.
However, the portable panel negative needs to be attached to the 'load' side of the Manager 30's shunt, not direct to the negative battery terminal, otherwise the manager 30 will not be able to detect the current going into the battery from the portable panel and it's State Of Charge display will be incorrect.
I did it a bit differently with my caravan. My permanent panel and an Anderson for the portable panel both fed into the solar input of the Manager, after going through switches so I could choose one input, or the other, or both in parallel. In this case I did bypass the solar controller on the portable panel as both are going through the solar controller of the Manager 30. Also, if you are putting two panels in parallel through the Manager solar controller they should be close in voltage characteristics.
-- Edited by Mamil on Saturday 8th of January 2022 02:07:43 PM
Thankyou mamil for your help much appreciated the connection on battery is through an anderson plug from regulator with negative wire going to chassis .. so is it just a matter of disconnecting chassis connection and connecting this to ground on the shunt ? bit confusing ...
thanks again i'll get there !
-- Edited by goldenyears on Saturday 8th of January 2022 03:53:50 PM
-- Edited by goldenyears on Saturday 8th of January 2022 04:02:05 PM
At some point the negative from the solar has to be connected to the battery negative for a complete circuit to be made, even if this is via the chassis. So, look for where your chassis is connected to negative, and so long as this connection is on the load side of the shunt - no problem, but if it is direct to the house battery negative terminal (or anywhere between the shunt and the negative terminal) then the current flowing in or out of the battery from any negative chassis return items, including the portable solar panels, won't be measured by the Manager 30. It will still work, just that you can no longer trust the SOC readout on the Manager remote. Easiest way to check is plug your solar into the Anderson with nothing else on (charger or load), and see if the Manager remote display shown current going into the battery.
mamil connected negative from solar to earth on shunt .. read out on manager gone into calculating mode with regards to battery condition etc will wait and see if goes back to normal ... no battery condition shown .
-- Edited by goldenyears on Saturday 8th of January 2022 05:48:27 PM
That's normal. Any time the Manager has been disconnected from the battery it will go into the calculating SOC mode. You'll need to charge it up to 100% then it will reset and you'll be good from then on.
Any particular reason why you separated each panel with a switch ? AND didn't just hook as i have done ?
I wanted both my fixed panel and portable panel to go through the MPPT controller in the Redarc Manager because it's better than the cr@ppy one that came with my portable panels! But rather than having them permanently paralleled into the Redarc, the switches allow me to switch to just one, or the other, or both as the sun and shade conditions change, so the one in shade doesn't drag down the one in sun. So in short - ease of use and maximum flexibility!
Using my portable and roof panel togeather do you think there could be any issues regards voltage ? read somewhere shouldn't go over 32volts ... I guess the bms would stop any faults .. now that the portable goes through the shunt .. both panels 150 watt each
-- Edited by goldenyears on Sunday 9th of January 2022 03:39:41 PM
One of the unfortunate limitations of the Manager 30 solar input is that it is limited to 32V which means you cannot use household panels as their VOC exceeds this.
Likewise if you connect two 12V nominal panels in series, their combined VOC will be above 32V.
So, you can only connect your two panels in parallel so the voltage stays the same and the current will double.
-- Edited by Mamil on Sunday 9th of January 2022 04:21:04 PM
yes main reason for portable was for shade conditions only one day i may get another roof panel in parallel .. my portable is an ultra thin panel similar to solar blanket .. i presume the bms has a safety cut off when going over 32 volts ?
my vehicle
Yes, if you try to connect more than 32V to either the solar or DC inputs it will isolate the input, display an over voltage warning, and sound a buzzer.
Very nice
Old thread I know, but do you mean Battery Sensor when you refer to the Manger30's shunt?
Old thread I know, but do you mean Battery Sensor when you refer to the Manger30's shunt?
Yes the Redarc Manager shunt is commonly referred to as a battery sensor. I recently had to replace mine but Redarc were kind enough to replace it free of charge even though it was out of warranty.
The Manager 30 is designed for 12V solar systems and has a maximum solar input of 32V. Solar panels must therefore be connected in parallel as in series they will exceed the open circuit voltage limitations. See page 23 of the manual.
https://cdn.intelligencebank.com/au/share/yE9N/zJpl/9yy72/original/BMS1230S3+Instruction+Manual.
-- Edited by TimTim on Tuesday 22nd of April 2025 09:59:45 PM
So to be perfectly clear, external solar panel controller -ve needs to be connected as per the attached?
So to be perfectly clear, external solar panel controller -ve needs to be connected as per the attached?
No! The arrow shown is incorrect in that is just the fixing screw for the shunt reader and it is also on the incorrect side of the shunt. Connect your solar controller battery negative to the large nut terminal where it says to vehicle common ground, or to where that cable connects to vehicle chassis. Connect your solar controller battery positive directly to your + battery terminal.
Generally if your battery and shunt are external the best method is to make up an external Anderson connection connecting as above. Then just put short lengths of cables with Anderson connectors (pigtails) on your solar controller for the battery and solar panel connections. Always connect your solar controller to the battery first allowing it to read the battery voltage then connect your solar panel.
Good luck
Tim
-- Edited by TimTim on Friday 25th of April 2025 04:03:46 AM
-- Edited by TimTim on Friday 25th of April 2025 04:08:40 AM