Wiring diagrams for the SmartSolar controller show the negative PV going to the negative of the solar panel. My caravan has had the solar panels prewired and the negative goes to the caravan chassis/battery. The positive from the solar panels went to an old mppt controller which I’m replacing with the SmartSolar controller. Is it ok to use this common negative on the PV negative side of the controller or do the solar panels negative need to be wired directly to the controller?
Hi irgator, welcome to the Victron forum!
I would prefer to wire the PV negative directly to the MPPT negative, not via the caravan chassis.
Routing PV power via a chassis could mean power loss/resistance, and you want to prevent this.
Thanks for the reply and yes I agree. My question still remains though - can I connect the PV negative on the controller to the common negative? Just want to make sure I don’t damage the controller.
can I connect the PV negative on the controller to the common negative?
No, it must be kept separate.
Sorry let me elaborate, the negative from the solar panels must be kept separate from DC/AC negative.
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Thanks!
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