I did not really see an electrical section so if this is not in the right forum, mods please move it to a more appropriate place.
I tested the KID Marine MPPT controller with two 36Vmp 160W panels in series and parallel, and pretty pleased with it. It handles partial shading very good, with the power output of the panel string reduced approximately 140% in proportion to the shaded percentage in series. Rewiring the two panels in parallel yielded better partial shading performance, however, with power output reduced almost in a direct proportion to shaded area.
It uses a fast timed I-V sweep algorithm to find Vmp and it reacts very fast in my testing, within a few milliseconds to changes in system load and PV output. Idle power consumption is less than 1 watt.
It has pre-programmed charge profiles for flooded, AGM, etc., plus no-float profile for lithium batteries. The charge stage set points and times are adjustable. The controller comes with a BTS. With the optional shunt it will exit absorb stage based on net current to the battery, independent of the timer.
This is a beta controller so it doesn't have all the production features yet, which will be released in future firmware updates. But overall its performance is very much on par with its bigger brother, the MidNite Classic.
I tested the KID Marine MPPT controller with two 36Vmp 160W panels in series and parallel, and pretty pleased with it. It handles partial shading very good, with the power output of the panel string reduced approximately 140% in proportion to the shaded percentage in series. Rewiring the two panels in parallel yielded better partial shading performance, however, with power output reduced almost in a direct proportion to shaded area.
It uses a fast timed I-V sweep algorithm to find Vmp and it reacts very fast in my testing, within a few milliseconds to changes in system load and PV output. Idle power consumption is less than 1 watt.
It has pre-programmed charge profiles for flooded, AGM, etc., plus no-float profile for lithium batteries. The charge stage set points and times are adjustable. The controller comes with a BTS. With the optional shunt it will exit absorb stage based on net current to the battery, independent of the timer.
This is a beta controller so it doesn't have all the production features yet, which will be released in future firmware updates. But overall its performance is very much on par with its bigger brother, the MidNite Classic.