anyone use a wellsee mppt solar controller

[wingman1776]

i bought 4 of the 35 watt  sun solar panels for 42 bux a piece. So I was looking at  charge controllers for them would like to buy an outback but just not enough money. I seen these wellsee mppt controller's on eBay. They are very reasonable in price. I searched the board found nothing on them.  I would like  mppt controller anyone know any thing about wellsee or have a suggestion ?

[ghurd]

Sometimes you get what you pay for.
My experience is if it is only available on ebay, or direct from China, then that's not something I should have spent money on.

Why MPPT for 4 x 35W panels?
Be better off buying 2 more 35W panels.  Cheaper, and get more power per day.  50% increase (always), instead of 30% (sometimes).
G-

[rogeriko]

Dont bother I have one here I bought from china just to check it out, I connected my 2 40 volt panels in series and they charged the 48 volt batteries at 5.5 amps then I put in the Wellsee controller and still they only charge at 5.5 amps. I have never seen a mppt function at all. the 2 panels should be charging at about 8 or 9 amps if it was a true mppt controller.

[wingman1776]

I was thinking the mppt would give me the max i could get and I hope to upgrade the system as I can afford it. thanks for the answer about the one you got guess i save my money. Was looking at a BZ I have seen not so good comments about the when I searched the board. Maybe I just get a gurd controller and dump the extra till I can get good mppt controller. Anyone got good suggestion ?

[ghurd]

I have been pretty happy with the Blue Sky MPPT 2512iX controllers (even though they are 12V and 12V out),
but the MorningStar MPPT was not available when I installed the 2512iX's or I would have probably went with those.

If you want to go with the ghurd controller and only solar, can set it up without a dump load.
Pretty inexpensive option.
G-

[movinout]

I just bought and installed a WELLSEE WS-C2460-60A charge controller.  I have 480 watts, (40A) of panels.  The unit is easy to install but that is as far as the good goes on this product. 

Superficially the box is nice and compact, small heat sink, might be a problem in the summer, but the membrane buttons are cheap and clunky, I do not think they will last.  The having a integrated display and not just a couple of light is nice. 

Now the bad news.  IT DOES NOT WORK.  Set the set point to charge to, I am not using the load feature so don't care about that feature, but did put a small load 0.25A anyway.  The battery charges up nice, that is when the PWM kicks on (not really a PWM unit only comes on at near top of charge.)  Battery reaches set point and unit shuts off charging, and that is end of story.  Unit locks up, usually in off mode, display stops toggling the Volt, Amp, Load, and just says WELLSEE.  Some times it locks up and the current stays on and overcharges the batteries.
I proceeded to jack around with settings and stuff to no avail.  Have to restart several times a day until I buy a new controller.  WELLSEE no help, and for a $100 item, who is going to ship back to China for $40 postage.  I did discover in reading the specs the input voltage is 17V for a 12 V system.  My panels put out 23V Open circuit.  I loaded up the panels to a dump load to reduce output to 17V and the unit seems to work that way but that requires me dumping about 25% of my panel power to a dead load before the controller.  This is not the MPPT unit but I wouldn't buy one of them either after this mess.  I ate this piece of trash and ordered a Trace unit (should have in the first place $200 like my wife told me to do)

I sure am glad the green thing is a hobby for me, wont save any money at this rate.

[wingman1776]

Thanks for the replies. I decided to pass on the wellsee controller. I did buy a rouge mppt controller and another 180 watts of panels from sun electronics. The rouge had a great review on northen Arizona form. I will post how it works for me in nother thread. My plans to get the system up has been delayed. The house I rent has been posted up for sale and it looks like I may have to move   

[commanda]

I can confirm that these things are a con. I have a WS-MPPT15. Voltage and current in equals voltage and current out. It does whistle audibly, maybe 16KHz. And it does have a dinky little air-cored inductor between input positive and output positive.  And a 555 in a little potted up box tacked onto the board with 3 leads. 2 of those leads are obviously power, 3rd is the 555 output which goes to a fet, which in a round-about way connects input negative to output negative. But the inductor is way too small to do anything at the switching frequency employed. And there appears to be no control over the pwm either.

Hey. At least it was cheap.

Amanda

[ghurd]

The manufacturing company responsable for We'llsee also makes electrically powered magnetic therapy devices.
G-

[DamonHD]

Like NMR scanners or like dowsing rods?  B^>

Rgds

Damon

[ghurd]

One company, 3 websites (that I know of).  wellsee,cc and bgzly,com and last but not least 027bl,com (my personal favorite)
Lucky me, I am on their email list.
G-

[DamonHD]

Oh, the people I bought my LiFePO4 battery and 100Wp panel from stock Wellsee controllers...  %-P

Rgds

Damon