Programing mppt controller

[NYSail]

Basic electrical question. So just bought a Victron MPPT 100/50 smartsolar controller to replace my Renogy that appears on its way out. Was considering programing it here at home prior to hooking it up at the boat. Wire to my car battery…….. seems easy enough but dont want to damage anything…… am I missing anything??

thanks
Greg

 

[dlochner]

Unlike the old Balmar ARS-5 and 614, the Victron controllers with blue tooth are easy to program if you have all the parameters. If you want to stand in the garage over the engine that would be OK too. The controller will not forget the settings when it is unplugged.

Once you install the controller, sequence is important. The controller gets power from 2 sources the battery and the panels. If the panels are connected first the controller will look like it is working, i.e., the LEDs light up and the data is available on BT, however, it is a charade and it will not output any power. The controller must be powered up from the battery first and then connected to the panels. If the power is ever cut off to the controller it must be restored before the panels are connected. The easiest "switch" for the panel is a blanket over the panels.

 

[NYSail]

Unlike the old Balmar ARS-5 and 614, the Victron controllers with blue tooth are easy to program if you have all the parameters. If you want to stand in the garage over the engine that would be OK too. The controller will not forget the settings when it is unplugged.

Once you install the controller, sequence is important. The controller gets power from 2 sources the battery and the panels. If the panels are connected first the controller will look like it is working, i.e., the LEDs light up and the data is available on BT, however, it is a charade and it will not output any power. The controller must be powered up from the battery first and then connected to the panels. If the power is ever cut off to the controller it must be restored before the panels are connected. The easiest "switch" for the panel is a blanket over the panels.

Thanks…… figured it would be fine just hate to let ignorance ruin a good thing! And yes I looked at a few YouTube’s and setting the controller up seems quite simple. Have all the parameters. Thanks for the hook-up sequencing….. saw that in the manual. I have a breaker from the panels before the controller so I can easily shut down if doing maintenance.

again thanks for the input!

Greg