Hi, I have just purchased a BlueSolar MPPT 75/10 charge controller; very happy to upgrade and replace a horrible generic PWM controller.
I’m wondering what the default charge algorithm is on this unit?
Specifically: Will it select a safe default for a 12V Lead-Acid battery if I just ‘wire it in place of the old unit’ without programming it in any way.(connecting the battery first of course).
For context;
I’m on a budget so have not brought a mppt controller head or bluetooth dongle. (yet)
My small sailboat has two 37W monocrystalline panels on the cabin, and a simple 65Ah lead acid deep cycle boat battery.
Load is generally light, most of the time just a 12V pc case fan on the main cabin vent. I’m planning on removing the jumper from the programming port so that I am always in ‘max battery life’ mode. The navlights and troll motor are direct from the battery.
I’ve read through the manual (online) and if this is documented I managed to miss it. The manual spends a lot of space discussing how to create custom charge profiles without really clarifying what the default inbuilt ones are
I believe the default for this charger should be safe for your battery, assuming it is a VRLA / AGM 12V lead acid battery. If you want to get the most life out of the battery, you’ll want to access the settings and adjust the profile.
Are they wired in series? Since the MPPT needs Vbat +5V on the PV side in order to start. So with 12.5V resting voltage of a lead-acid battery, the PV needs to produce at least 17.5V in order to start the tracking process.
The default battery preset should be Gel Victron deep discharge (2) with absorption at 14.4V and float at 13.8V
Not currently, but they will be for the new controller. Voc is given as 30V for each, so well under 75V for the pair. I left them parallel for the PWM unit, Vmp is 18.75V, and I can see that serial makes more sense for a MPPT controller.
I will be accessing the settings eventually; I’m a arduino/micropython hobbyist; I’ve got a whole box of USB UART adapters. I’ll be able to get connected and do setup via the app and my laptop later, but right now I want to wire it up and walk away knowing that I’m not damaging the battery.
Later in the season, when I get a break from caring for parents with dementia, I’ll crimp a connector and cable up and run the webapp on my laptop and and do a proper job. But right now I want to spend my private time sailing the boat, not fiddling with tech
I’ve seen some interesting arduino/esp remote display projects for these controllers on various sites (hackaday, github en co.) and will probably go the DIY route for a display/monitoring system. I really don’t need, or want, a bluetooth app as my interface.
and was already thinking that serial would make better use of the panels together, thankyou.