i just bought a Kings solar blanket and somewhat disappointed that the output only seems to be around 120 (ish)
The blanket is in a perfectly oriented position. Would a better quality controller be a solution to increase the output?
A 160w folding panel I bought from them years ago puts out more power and has a significantly heavier and substantial controller than the plastic one you get with the solar blankets
aastek said
12:03 PM Jun 24, 2023
.
-- Edited by aastek on Saturday 24th of June 2023 12:04:55 PM
Cuppa said
12:26 PM Jun 24, 2023
aastek wrote:
i just bought a Kings solar blanket and somewhat disappointed that the output only seems to be around 120 (ish)
The blanket is in a perfectly oriented position. Would a better quality controller be a solution to increase the output?
A 160w folding panel I bought from them years ago puts out more power and has a significantly heavier and substantial controller than the plastic one you get with the solar blankets
Both my reading & the direct experience of a good friend who purchased a Kings Solar blanket suggests that the output being lower than advertised is to be expected. They are not alone is such sales behaviour. I consider it dishonest & would never buy from them, but plenty of folk are happy to pay cheaper prices in the knowledge that they 'are getting what they pay for"
yobarr said
12:54 PM Jun 24, 2023
Cuppa wrote:
aastek wrote:
i just bought a Kings solar blanket and somewhat disappointed that the output only seems to be around 120 (ish)
The blanket is in a perfectly oriented position. Would a better quality controller be a solution to increase the output?
A 160w folding panel I bought from them years ago puts out more power and has a significantly heavier and substantial controller than the plastic one you get with the solar blankets
Both my reading & the direct experience of a good friend who purchased a Kings Solar blanket suggests that the output being lower than advertised is to be expected. They are not alone is such sales behaviour. I consider it dishonest & would never buy from them, but plenty of folk are happy to pay cheaper prices in the knowledge that they 'are getting what they pay for"
If the OP looks at reviews of this panel he will likely see that many people have been disappointed with its performance.
Solar blankets are useless, IMO, when compared with panels.
On my car I have several Kings products, and most have performed beyond expectations.
Any problems have seen the product replaced without question, but when it comes to electronics (?) it is unrealistic to expect El Cheapo products to perform at the same level as Good Stuff. Cheers
P.S Screen shot from a thread two below this one.
-- Edited by yobarr on Saturday 24th of June 2023 12:58:34 PM
I agree with the basic premise of you get what you pay for, however if a reputable company like Kings advertises a product it should perform close to as advised
Conversely, paying a higher price for a product does not guarantee a much more superb product. Yes generally speaking it may but I have seen prices for a 200w solar blanket which was 2.5 times the price I paid for the Kings. But will that mean I will get 2.5 times the performance
What my original question remains unanswered, is it the controller or the panels themselves that are the weakest link and if it is the controller, would a different controller be the answer
Spoke via telephone, as I am out in the middle of nowhere, to Kings without any real concussion as you only get a sales person who says they know a lot but doesnt
-- Edited by aastek on Saturday 24th of June 2023 01:21:20 PM
Cuppa said
02:20 PM Jun 24, 2023
aastek wrote:
if a reputable company like Kings advertises a product it should perform close to as advised
Conversely, paying a higher price for a product does not guarantee a much more superb product. Yes generally speaking it may but I have seen prices for a 200w solar blanket which was 2.5 times the price I paid for the Kings. But will that mean I will get 2.5 times the performance
What my original question remains unanswered, is it the controller or the panels themselves that are the weakest link and if it is the controller, would a different controller be the answer
Spoke via telephone, as I am out in the middle of nowhere, to Kings without any real concussion as you only get a sales person who says they know a lot but doesnt
-- Edited by aastek on Saturday 24th of June 2023 01:21:20 PM
Not sure what makes you think Kings are a 'reputable' company? They are popular & have done a wonderful job of getting their name known widely over a decade or so. Personally I would say that their reputation is one of being excellent marketers of cheap stuff as opposed to purveyors of quality goods.
You are probably correct that if you paid 2.5 times the price you would not get 2.5 times the performance - however you would very likely get the rated performance, improved reliability & longevity. Kings customers would generally recognise the pay off of spending less & accept that as part of the deal however.
The response you got on the phone is pretty much what I would expect from a marketing/selling company rather than real product expertise.
You will have to make a decision yourself about spending more money on another solar controller, but I feel that unless you do so with the thought that it might be a worthwhile purchase which you can use with a better quality solar panel if it doesn't improve your Kings Blanket sufficiently, that there is a good chance that you will simply be throwing good money after bad.
Apart from it being a cheap product from Kings, I'm also not a fan of solar blankets & prefer solar panels. The lightweight/easy pack up aspects of blankets rarely seem to translate to performance, & even those which get close to their stated wattage seem (to me) more bother than they are worth.
Either cut your losses (my recommendation) or get another Kings blanket which together with the one you have should provide tour expected output - at least for as long as it keeps working.
TimTim said
03:38 PM Jun 24, 2023
aastek wrote:
i just bought a Kings solar blanket and somewhat disappointed that the output only seems to be around 120 (ish)
The blanket is in a perfectly oriented position. Would a better quality controller be a solution to increase the output?
A 160w folding panel I bought from them years ago puts out more power and has a significantly heavier and substantial controller than the plastic one you get with the solar blankets
You should expect about 80% or higher, or 160W depending on conditions and location. Also your battery should not be fully charged or you ned to be drawing more current from your battery than what your blanket can produce to get an idea of the output.
A better controller would be an MPPT but it will not increase the wattage of the panel of if it does it would be minimal. It will, depending on the state of charge of your battery, increase the current to the battery.
I recently bought a Kings to test and promptly returned it. I had to fight them but I got my refund. There were 3 others on the test trolly and another sat on the counter which I can only assume that they had been returned.
I have tested many solar panels and a few blankets and undertaken lots of research. In the end I settled for a 200W Exotronic suitcase panel that weighs about 11Kg. In summer it was producing over 200W and as recently as today in Brisbane i was getting 166W. So 83% of output. I expect that figure to increase as I head north.
Save your money and take it back. Take a few screen shots of the output as evidence.
Good luck
Tim
Are We Lost said
04:49 PM Jun 24, 2023
Cuppa wrote:
Not sure what makes you think Kings are a 'reputable' company? They are popular & have done a wonderful job of getting their name known widely over a decade or so. Personally I would say that their reputation is one of being excellent marketers of cheap stuff as opposed to purveyors of quality goods.
Exactly what I would say. My personal belief is that buying a Kings solar blanket will be more costly in the long term than paying a lot more for a quality product. You only have to see how many comments there are about failures to have an excpectation of a short life.
For some strange reason solar panel sellers seem to get away with grossly over rated specs. It is common in the industry. Tim Tim suggested 160 watts actual output would be possible. I have never used one, but from what I have read that may be optimistic.
To answer your question about putting on a better controller, it may help a little, but I believe not much. I would not put more money into it, although if you get a decent controller that could be used with a decent replacement panel. Buy a controller big enough for 2 panels and keep the Kings blanket to supplement the good panel when needed. At least you have not spent a lot of money.
-- Edited by Are We Lost on Saturday 24th of June 2023 04:51:20 PM
aastek said
06:38 PM Jun 24, 2023
Many thanks to everyone that replied to my question
That has been a great education. I really needed to have this nutted out for me as I have had to transition from a three way fridge (fridge died on route ) to a Bushmans 12 volt fridge and having to manage my new power usage and production
I will take the advice and return these panels and purchase a quality set as mentioned by Yobarr
dorian said
10:46 AM Jun 25, 2023
What voltage are you measuring at the input and output of the controller? That will tell you if it is an MPPT type.
Jaahn said
11:18 AM Jun 25, 2023
Hmm my comments !
A friend of mine had several Kings products used on her MH and in my opinion none of them were of good quality and underperformed. Eventually all were replaced by other better items. So I agree with the others who said they are good marketers !
When i want some portable solar I have used a couple of solid panels wired together with a decent cable to a controller near the battery. I have used several 70-80 watt panels in the past, which are easily handled and stored. Cheaper too ! Recently I set up a pair of second hand 50W panels in series for 24V to be used for charging a mobility scooter, with a PWM controller. If the panels have separate plugs they can be easily assembled and moved and stored etc.
If you use one big panel it is heavy to handle, ackward to move around and difficult to store anywhere.
Jaahn
-- Edited by Jaahn on Sunday 25th of June 2023 11:21:15 AM
TimTim said
09:50 PM Jun 25, 2023
aastek, like you i was recently contemplating a solar blanket to supplement my roof solar. After reading of the failures of both the low and high end solar blankets I gave the idea away. My son has an Ecoflow 160W and whilst a nice blanket and very good quality I just do not see that it is good value. Battery World have the Ecoflow 9.5 kg 220W on special for $599 and so do a few other places. Paying more money may get you better quality panels that will last longer but does not mean you will get the full output stated.
I?m more than happy with the output of my 11kg 200W Exotronic suitcase style panel although the catches could have been better. If ppl think they are too heavy then it is easy to seperate them as two panels with their own connectors. The other alternative is as Jaahn suggested buying seperate panels but I liked the fact that the Exotronic panels have Trina cells.
This is the best output I achieved in probably ideal conditions.
Just remember, that even if there is a clear blue sky there are many atmospheric conditions that the naked eye cant see that will affect the output.
Good luck in what ever way you go.
Tim
-- Edited by TimTim on Sunday 25th of June 2023 09:52:16 PM
I?m more than happy with the output of my 11kg 200W Exotronic suitcase style panel ...
Input = 19.71V x 11.13A = 219.37W
Output = 16.03V x 13.70A = 219.61W
That's better than 100% efficiency.
Whenarewethere said
06:16 AM Jun 26, 2023
dorian wrote:
TimTim wrote:
I?m more than happy with the output of my 11kg 200W Exotronic suitcase style panel ...
Input = 19.71V x 11.13A = 219.37W
Output = 16.03V x 13.70A = 219.61W
That's better than 100% efficiency.
"I'm more than happy with the output", is the technical terminology for what is actually going into the batteries.
I think 'happy' has the same meaning as actual figures!
A bit like my 120 watt set up with typically 9 amps going into the batteries with a midday setup in bulk charge & up to 11.2 amps with water cooling the panels. With that I'm "happy"
Jaahn said
04:06 PM Jun 26, 2023
dorian wrote:
TimTim wrote:
I?m more than happy with the output of my 11kg 200W Exotronic suitcase style panel ...
Input = 19.71V x 11.13A = 219.37W
Output = 16.03V x 13.70A = 219.61W
That's better than 100% efficiency.
That is being a bit unfair and pedantic ! Close enough is OK in this situation.
The problem IMHO is the silly accuracy that these metering devices pretend to have and then use in the read out. They are not precision meters and should not pretend to be so ! But keeps the punters happy for sure !! I would venture to say that the all the figures shown are not accurate to 4 significant figures and probably less than 3 if the system was analysed. But do not let the facts get in the way of good story.
Jaahn
-- Edited by Jaahn on Monday 26th of June 2023 04:09:26 PM
dorian said
04:48 AM Jun 27, 2023
Jaahn wrote:
dorian wrote:
TimTim wrote:
I?m more than happy with the output of my 11kg 200W Exotronic suitcase style panel ...
Input = 19.71V x 11.13A = 219.37W
Output = 16.03V x 13.70A = 219.61W
That's better than 100% efficiency.
That is being a bit unfair and pedantic ! Close enough is OK in this situation.
The problem IMHO is the silly accuracy that these metering devices pretend to have and then use in the read out. They are not precision meters and should not pretend to be so ! But keeps the punters happy for sure !! I would venture to say that the all the figures shown are not accurate to 4 significant figures and probably less than 3 if the system was analysed. But do not let the facts get in the way of good story.
Jaahn
I would expect that the efficiency of the regulator would be 90 - 95%, or am I being too conservative? It seems to me that something is not right, but what? Even if the meter were wildly inaccurate, I would still expect it to be proportionately so. In other words, if all the voltage and current readings are in error by 10%, then the actual input power would differ from the real input power by 21%, and the actual output power would differ from the real output power by 21%.
Whenarewethere said
06:38 AM Jun 27, 2023
I haven't seen one figure whether good or bad for what is going into the batteries with kings panels. I take it people couldn't be stuffed measuring anything these days. Which is surprising with all the cheap tools available.
I could say I am happy with the fuel economy of my car. But the comment is less useful than a dog's landmine!
Do people stilll actually measure anything these days? Even with a cheap meter there would be some tangible statement.
"I am happy with ..." Please bury it like cat! It's a waste of everyone's time.
goldenyears said
04:04 PM Jul 22, 2023
with all solar panels they never put out whats advertised ! i also have a kings 200 watt but never get that .
i just bought a Kings solar blanket and somewhat disappointed that the output only seems to be around 120 (ish)
The blanket is in a perfectly oriented position. Would a better quality controller be a solution to increase the output?
A 160w folding panel I bought from them years ago puts out more power and has a significantly heavier and substantial controller than the plastic one you get with the solar blankets
.
-- Edited by aastek on Saturday 24th of June 2023 12:04:55 PM
Both my reading & the direct experience of a good friend who purchased a Kings Solar blanket suggests that the output being lower than advertised is to be expected. They are not alone is such sales behaviour. I consider it dishonest & would never buy from them, but plenty of folk are happy to pay cheaper prices in the knowledge that they 'are getting what they pay for"
If the OP looks at reviews of this panel he will likely see that many people have been disappointed with its performance.
Solar blankets are useless, IMO, when compared with panels.
On my car I have several Kings products, and most have performed beyond expectations.
Any problems have seen the product replaced without question, but when it comes to electronics (?) it is unrealistic to expect El Cheapo products to perform at the same level as Good Stuff. Cheers
P.S Screen shot from a thread two below this one.
-- Edited by yobarr on Saturday 24th of June 2023 12:58:34 PM
Yobarr
I agree with the basic premise of you get what you pay for, however if a reputable company like Kings advertises a product it should perform close to as advised
Conversely, paying a higher price for a product does not guarantee a much more superb product. Yes generally speaking it may but I have seen prices for a 200w solar blanket which was 2.5 times the price I paid for the Kings. But will that mean I will get 2.5 times the performance
What my original question remains unanswered, is it the controller or the panels themselves that are the weakest link and if it is the controller, would a different controller be the answer
Spoke via telephone, as I am out in the middle of nowhere, to Kings without any real concussion as you only get a sales person who says they know a lot but doesnt
-- Edited by aastek on Saturday 24th of June 2023 01:21:20 PM
Not sure what makes you think Kings are a 'reputable' company? They are popular & have done a wonderful job of getting their name known widely over a decade or so. Personally I would say that their reputation is one of being excellent marketers of cheap stuff as opposed to purveyors of quality goods.
You are probably correct that if you paid 2.5 times the price you would not get 2.5 times the performance - however you would very likely get the rated performance, improved reliability & longevity. Kings customers would generally recognise the pay off of spending less & accept that as part of the deal however.
The response you got on the phone is pretty much what I would expect from a marketing/selling company rather than real product expertise.
You will have to make a decision yourself about spending more money on another solar controller, but I feel that unless you do so with the thought that it might be a worthwhile purchase which you can use with a better quality solar panel if it doesn't improve your Kings Blanket sufficiently, that there is a good chance that you will simply be throwing good money after bad.
Apart from it being a cheap product from Kings, I'm also not a fan of solar blankets & prefer solar panels. The lightweight/easy pack up aspects of blankets rarely seem to translate to performance, & even those which get close to their stated wattage seem (to me) more bother than they are worth.
Either cut your losses (my recommendation) or get another Kings blanket which together with the one you have should provide tour expected output - at least for as long as it keeps working.
You should expect about 80% or higher, or 160W depending on conditions and location. Also your battery should not be fully charged or you ned to be drawing more current from your battery than what your blanket can produce to get an idea of the output.
A better controller would be an MPPT but it will not increase the wattage of the panel of if it does it would be minimal. It will, depending on the state of charge of your battery, increase the current to the battery.
I recently bought a Kings to test and promptly returned it. I had to fight them but I got my refund. There were 3 others on the test trolly and another sat on the counter which I can only assume that they had been returned.
I have tested many solar panels and a few blankets and undertaken lots of research. In the end I settled for a 200W Exotronic suitcase panel that weighs about 11Kg. In summer it was producing over 200W and as recently as today in Brisbane i was getting 166W. So 83% of output. I expect that figure to increase as I head north.
Save your money and take it back. Take a few screen shots of the output as evidence.
Good luck
Tim
Exactly what I would say. My personal belief is that buying a Kings solar blanket will be more costly in the long term than paying a lot more for a quality product. You only have to see how many comments there are about failures to have an excpectation of a short life.
For some strange reason solar panel sellers seem to get away with grossly over rated specs. It is common in the industry. Tim Tim suggested 160 watts actual output would be possible. I have never used one, but from what I have read that may be optimistic.
To answer your question about putting on a better controller, it may help a little, but I believe not much. I would not put more money into it, although if you get a decent controller that could be used with a decent replacement panel. Buy a controller big enough for 2 panels and keep the Kings blanket to supplement the good panel when needed. At least you have not spent a lot of money.
-- Edited by Are We Lost on Saturday 24th of June 2023 04:51:20 PM
That has been a great education. I really needed to have this nutted out for me as I have had to transition from a three way fridge (fridge died on route ) to a Bushmans 12 volt fridge and having to manage my new power usage and production
I will take the advice and return these panels and purchase a quality set as mentioned by Yobarr
Hmm my comments !
A friend of mine had several Kings products used on her MH and in my opinion none of them were of good quality and underperformed. Eventually all were replaced by other better items. So I agree with the others who said they are good marketers !
When i want some portable solar I have used a couple of solid panels wired together with a decent cable to a controller near the battery. I have used several 70-80 watt panels in the past, which are easily handled and stored. Cheaper too ! Recently I set up a pair of second hand 50W panels in series for 24V to be used for charging a mobility scooter, with a PWM controller. If the panels have separate plugs they can be easily assembled and moved and stored etc.
If you use one big panel it is heavy to handle, ackward to move around and difficult to store anywhere.
Jaahn
-- Edited by Jaahn on Sunday 25th of June 2023 11:21:15 AM
aastek, like you i was recently contemplating a solar blanket to supplement my roof solar. After reading of the failures of both the low and high end solar blankets I gave the idea away. My son has an Ecoflow 160W and whilst a nice blanket and very good quality I just do not see that it is good value. Battery World have the Ecoflow 9.5 kg 220W on special for $599 and so do a few other places. Paying more money may get you better quality panels that will last longer but does not mean you will get the full output stated.
I?m more than happy with the output of my 11kg 200W Exotronic suitcase style panel although the catches could have been better. If ppl think they are too heavy then it is easy to seperate them as two panels with their own connectors. The other alternative is as Jaahn suggested buying seperate panels but I liked the fact that the Exotronic panels have Trina cells.
This is the best output I achieved in probably ideal conditions.
Just remember, that even if there is a clear blue sky there are many atmospheric conditions that the naked eye cant see that will affect the output.
Good luck in what ever way you go.
Tim
-- Edited by TimTim on Sunday 25th of June 2023 09:52:16 PM
You can always buy 2 panels, add some hinges & latches to hake your own setup, even to suit the space you have available.
I only had a small space so used six small panel.
Input = 19.71V x 11.13A = 219.37W
Output = 16.03V x 13.70A = 219.61W
That's better than 100% efficiency.
"I'm more than happy with the output", is the technical terminology for what is actually going into the batteries.
I think 'happy' has the same meaning as actual figures!
A bit like my 120 watt set up with typically 9 amps going into the batteries with a midday setup in bulk charge & up to 11.2 amps with water cooling the panels. With that I'm "happy"
That is being a bit unfair and pedantic ! Close enough is OK in this situation.
The problem IMHO is the silly accuracy that these metering devices pretend to have and then use in the read out. They are not precision meters and should not pretend to be so !
But keeps the punters happy for sure !! I would venture to say that the all the figures shown are not accurate to 4 significant figures and probably less than 3 if the system was analysed. But do not let the facts get in the way of good story.
Jaahn
-- Edited by Jaahn on Monday 26th of June 2023 04:09:26 PM
I would expect that the efficiency of the regulator would be 90 - 95%, or am I being too conservative? It seems to me that something is not right, but what? Even if the meter were wildly inaccurate, I would still expect it to be proportionately so. In other words, if all the voltage and current readings are in error by 10%, then the actual input power would differ from the real input power by 21%, and the actual output power would differ from the real output power by 21%.
I haven't seen one figure whether good or bad for what is going into the batteries with kings panels. I take it people couldn't be stuffed measuring anything these days. Which is surprising with all the cheap tools available.
I could say I am happy with the fuel economy of my car. But the comment is less useful than a dog's landmine!
Do people stilll actually measure anything these days? Even with a cheap meter there would be some tangible statement.
"I am happy with ..." Please bury it like cat! It's a waste of everyone's time.
with all solar panels they never put out whats advertised ! i also have a kings 200 watt but never get that .