[RE-wrenches] PWM Controllers in parallel

[Roy Butler]

Andrew,

That old Trace unit sounds like a very old mercury contactor regulator, 
just a simple on/off regulator with a 200 amp rating.

You most certainly can have 2 or more pwm type controllers on the same 
battery bank, this is very common. You may see
one go to float and the other stay in absorption for a short time 
because there's no way to truly synchronize them but that's not an issue.

You would likely need 3-60 amp controllers to handle that 12 volt array, 
too bad he won't agree to rewire it.

Good luck!

Roy Butler
Four Winds Renewable Energy, LLC


Education is when you read the fine print; experience is what you get when you don’t.

“The less people know, the more stubbornly they know it.”

Although no trees were killed in the sending of this message,
a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.

                 

On 5/7/2024 12:23 PM, Andrew Perkins via RE-wrenches wrote:
> Hello Wrenches,
>                     I have a client who has a large 2000 watt 12v 
> array that he said used to be hooked into an internal solar charger on 
> his old trace. Never seen a trace with one of those in it but he 
> claims it could do 200a. This internal charger has now died and needs 
> a replacement. He is refusing to rewire his panels into a new 
> configuration and their aren't many options for him out there. I did 
> get him a Coleman Aire 400a Charge controller but it is more of a load 
> controller and wants to be able to properly absorb is batteries off 
> the sun. He currently has a c60 running only part of the array and now 
> he is asking about running another c60 in parallel. Not quite sure if 
> this would work or not but my gut feeling says no and there will be 
> problems.
>
> If anyone knows of any controllers that would fit that or if running 
> those in parallel works your advice would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Andrew Perkins
>
> Greenwired
>
> P: 707-923-2001 ext. 100
>
> 1150 #1 Evergreen Rd
>
> Redway, CA 95560
>
> www.greenwired.com <http://www.greenwired.com>
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>
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>
>
>
>
>
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