I’m not an electrical engineer but I do know a fair bit about solar and charge converters. (Worked for a solar install company for years)
General rule of thumb is…
Pwm chargers will do for the odd weekend away, charging the 4x4 second battery but won’t hold a candle to a decent MPPT.
Cheaper panels (pretty much everything on eBay) will overstate their wattage by about 30%. You can still end up with a decent watts/$ result but if you buy a 300 watt panel, expect a 200 watt panel. Most won’t have a wattage labeled on the panel despite advertising one. I have personally bought and tested a few models.
More expensive panels will have a far superior waterproofing, meaning the chance of water causing corrosion internally is a lot less. Not a huge concern for panels that only spend say 4-6weeks a year in the weather but still….
Best setup is a proper MPPT mounted next to the battery and a high volt (18ish +) line between it and the panel. Works well in low sunlight and will be a world of difference from a standard camping panel setup.
General rule of thumb is…
Pwm chargers will do for the odd weekend away, charging the 4x4 second battery but won’t hold a candle to a decent MPPT.
Cheaper panels (pretty much everything on eBay) will overstate their wattage by about 30%. You can still end up with a decent watts/$ result but if you buy a 300 watt panel, expect a 200 watt panel. Most won’t have a wattage labeled on the panel despite advertising one. I have personally bought and tested a few models.
More expensive panels will have a far superior waterproofing, meaning the chance of water causing corrosion internally is a lot less. Not a huge concern for panels that only spend say 4-6weeks a year in the weather but still….
Best setup is a proper MPPT mounted next to the battery and a high volt (18ish +) line between it and the panel. Works well in low sunlight and will be a world of difference from a standard camping panel setup.
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