It could be plug in or it could be a hard wired fly lead. If the latter, the connection could be inside the van between where it comes in through the roof and the controller.
That’s even worse if the connectors are inside ,I have to remove locker to find the cable coming from the roof ,it’s way beyond me .
I check roof and see what that yields if anything
Erazmus
Craic Addict
Gender: n/a Age: 65 Posts: 307 Registered: 12 / 2015 My Motorhome: Base Vehicle: Fiat Ducato
Check close to or under the panel if possible. A lot of panels come with a short lead with waterproof connections. It might possibly be one of these that had some water ingress which would cause a bad connection.
I eventually acquired a ladder that was tall enough to access the roof.
Nothing obvious that I can see,looks the same as always
Would it be true to assume that it is the controller that’s botched based on the readings / information received from all u guys many inputs .
As there is no lights coming on on the controller at anytime and it seems I have power to the battery and power from the solar panel to the controller all be it not not enough @ 7.5
I’m basing the assumption on the facts above and I can’t imagine that a solar panel would only work at half output in full sunlight ,I would Think the the panel either work or not.
Thanks again to all who helped out .
Stay safe
Smc
Hard to say. Is that controller expensive, I’d try that first, unless it’s very expensive. It’s unlikely to be the panel, if you can see no joints anywhere.
Erazmus
Craic Addict
Gender: n/a Age: 65 Posts: 307 Registered: 12 / 2015 My Motorhome: Base Vehicle: Fiat Ducato
With just 7.5V input from the Solar Panel, it cannot put a charge into your 12V battery. The input voltage has to be higher than the battery voltage for the controller to send a charge.
If the controller is not getting a higher voltage input from the solar than the battery voltage then I don't believe you will have any light on the controller as it will not be supplying a charge. I can only assume this happens when the input voltage drops below the battery voltage as in your case.
I have checked my own controller and once it is dark there is no led light showing. With daylight the orange led lights and turns green with full charge.
To me it looks like a problem with the solar panel due to the low voltage reading. However it would probably be easier to replace the conroller first to be sure. I think they can be got on ebay for around €65.
Without putting a higher input voltage on your controller there is no way of being sure if the controller is o.k or not.
Someone else on the forum may be able to give you further help.
I agree with that, but thinking if it’s set up like one for a house, it will not give full voltage unless it detects the voLtage from the house, or battery in your case. So if the controller is gone, it may not give you your full voltage at the output from the panel
baguette
Eat's Sleep's craic
Gender: Location: Cork Age: 73 Posts: 2828 Registered: 11 / 2011 My Motorhome: Rapido 963F Base Vehicle: Ducato 2.8 JTD Power
The weekend before last we were away with friends who have a caravan, it has a factory fitted solar panel which appeared to be sending no charge to the battery.
Using the old plug it out and back in and see what happens idea I removed the wires going to the battery from the controller. After replacing them the controller sprang to life and you could see the voltage in the battery rising up to the 14.4v charging current.
It seems that perhaps sometimes when a controller will not 'wake up' after a nights sleep disconnecting it and reconnecting it to the battery kick starts it back to life again.
Thanks a lot to all ur guys for all the input and ur time with my problem, I appreciate it .
In light of ur advice it’s looking like a new controller and possibly a new panel which I will not be able to do myself.
I’m now considering perhaps it’s best to investigate a new system with better equipment and more output .
Obviously I need to do research and seek advice in this regard as i don’t want to just replace existing system ,I would rather spend money on something with better performance .
That’s now my current thinking right wrong
Obviously also my batteries which are currently 2 AGM which appear quite good but I don’t know.
I will have to go the a professional company to fix the existing problem which will be a high labour charge plus the parts but I an asking them to fit new system perhaps there isn’t going to much difference in cost terms but big benefit if it’s better bigger system or am talking crap.
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