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victronlfs avatar image
victronlfs asked

No! Not Another "Is My SmartSolar MPPT 100/30 Working" Question (Solved!)

Just a quick disclaimer, I've read the manuals, searched the FAQ's, searched online, etc. I'm familiar with the need for the Solar Panels to be at least 5v higher than the battery. So now, I honestly believe something is up with my Amazon purchased MPPT. The house battery simply won't charge. I hope the pictures will tell the story. For background, I'm using a Goal Zero Boulder 200 panel. I'm connecting to a 130ah deep cycle battery installed in my van. These screenshots were taken within min's of each other. I ran a lot of devices to drop my house battery voltage so I could "force" the charger to start. I even ran my 3-way fridge on the battery for a while. For a very brief moment the solar wattage would occassionaly rise to 1, and then quickly drop back to zero.

I attached the SmartShunt photo with hopes it would show the 130w being used to power the fridge. It may still be helpful.

Looking for some kind of confirmation one way or the other. Thanks

Update: 7/31/2020

First, thanks to the folks who tried to help me troubleshoot.

I received the new MPPT yesterday and connected it this morning. I connected to the battery & noticed something I hadn't seen with the first MPPT. The "bulk" light started flashing, even before I connected the panels. Next I connected the panels and then opened the VictronConnect app. I was getting 113 watts! Huge improvement over the zero with the previous device. I moved the panels slightly and was able to get 122 watts. Mind you, at the time of this, the sun was still just rising, so I expect that will increase a bit until the heat of the day takes it's toll.

There's no doubt in my mind that I had a "bad" charge controller. The replacement did NOT come from Amazon. I got it from the vendor directly. So, sometimes it's user error and on rare occassions - it really is a bad device.


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9 Answers
ejrossouw avatar image
ejrossouw answered ·

@VictronLFS New installation? Have you done the usual checks? Panel polarity checked correct with multimeter? Fuse between battery and panel ok? Try replacement as fuses can appear ok, but degraded. What charge profile are you using? What version is your firmware? Often problems are traced back to loose wiring, fuses etc. Back to the basics I am afraid.

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victronlfs avatar image victronlfs commented ·

Yes new install. I believe I've done the appropriate checks. The fact that the app shows the solar panel & battery voltage confirms connectivity (at least in my book). There is no fuse between the battery & the panel, only the MPPT between the two. When I launched the app after downloading it & connecting to the MPPT, I had to do two firmware upgrades, so I'm going to assume for the moment that I'm current. If I had loose wires, I'm under impression I wouldn't be able to see the battery & panel voltage.

BTW, I have same results on different batteries.

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dgnevans avatar image
dgnevans answered ·

Silly question but under settings for MPPT can you confirm that Charger Enabled is switched on.


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victronlfs avatar image victronlfs commented ·

Not silly at all, and it is. I've toggled it a few times.

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victronlfs avatar image
victronlfs answered ·

I reviewed Victron's policy for getting support. Since I purchased from Inverters-R-Us via Amazon, I called IRU. Nice folks! We ran through everything and about the only thing they could think of was if my two 100 panels were in Series instead of Parallel the charger wouldn't work. Goal Zero is pretty vocal about never exceeding 22v going into the Lithium batteries and my own testing backs up that I was not getting more than 22v. So, they are shipping me out a new one today. More to follow.

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ejrossouw avatar image ejrossouw commented ·

Thank you for the update. They make no sense as the battery will be charged at 14.2V when used in a 12V setup. You will be fine using them in series. Is your deep cycle battery Lithium? What is the exact model and make?

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Trina avatar image Trina commented ·

I agree that doesn't make any sense with your screenshots either.

You show a 12v base battery and 20+/- volts and still no amps. Mixed wiring in your PV panel internal or coming out.

You should be able to custom set the battery per specs and the MPPT should just work

-IF you have the "charger enabled" in the settings tab

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the-doon avatar image
the-doon answered ·

Can you got to settings and then open the battery page and post a screenshot of that page.

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victronlfs avatar image victronlfs commented ·

Here you go.

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Trina avatar image
Trina answered ·

The first shot of your MPPT shows two wires reversed (at least in labels on your 100/30 -is the (+) really on that side?), if you are using red for positive....[edit: actually mine is the same just looked. Weird]


However IF you are positive your 200w panel puts out amps (you certain it's working? No other panel you can try?)

Then

I'd start with a multimeter test in and out from PV to MPPT to battery. Something reversed (if the panels have current/amps in direct sunlight) would give you voltage but no current (amps)


-and you have shunt on ground and to the correct side from MPPT?


Sometimes these imported panels or cables are either reverse-colored or mislabeled (esp. from Amazon which is 99% made in China these days by people who often know nothing about what they are making, they just need a job, and QC is 1-in-100 gets glanced at)!

If that doesn't solve it a battery settings issue would be the next step. You would have no (0%) current flow if something reversed or a bad panel or incorrect battery base voltage.

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victronlfs avatar image victronlfs commented ·

Yes, the shunt is on the ground. I attached the negative battery clamp before & after the shunt, but there was no change either way. The MM test confirmed roughly 22v from panels to MPPT. But there was zero voltage coming out of the MPPT to the battery (that is, when I briefly disconnected the battery). When the battery was connected, and I put the test leads on the MPPT for battery side, the MM displayed the battery voltage (as expected). And yes the battery in the android app is set to 12v. I also confirmed polarity.

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the-doon avatar image
the-doon answered ·

Definitely a weird one, be interested to see if the new panels fix the problem. No problem with them in series as I have 3 x 150W panels in series to one of mine. Series may actually be better for you as that wire going to the panels looks pretty small. What length of wire are you using between the controller and the panels? I had a quick look at the panels you have, so did you just cut the plug off and extend the wire? There’s no electronics inside the junction boxes on the back of the panels is there? No built in regulator that I couldn’t see in the photos I saw.

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victronlfs avatar image victronlfs commented ·

I'm not getting new panels, I'm getting a new MPPT 100/30 which arrives tomorrow. The GZ 200 panels charge my Goal Zero Yeti 3000 & Yeti 500x just fine. The Boulder 200 briefcase doesn't come with a controller because it connects to the built in MPPT via Anderson Power Pole (Yeti 3000) or a APP to 8mm adapter (500x). Until the proper cables arrive, I made a quasi adapter to connect the panel to the Victron MPPT. Same on the other side, quasi adapter to connect from Victron MPPT to the house battery. No cutting of any of the original equipment.

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zills avatar image
zills answered ·

I found this thread today while troubleshooting my Victron MPPT 100/20 . Nearly the same problems, good voltage and no current. Many of the screen shots are the same.

Purchase from Amazon and was past the return date. I called the product support people at Amazon and told them the problem. Surprisingly they are sending me another with no hassle.

My original box looked a little beat up, I bet someone had the same problem and just returned it and back on the shelf it went.


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Trina avatar image
Trina answered ·

Thanks for updating as Solved.

Good to hear!

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peter-libretto avatar image
peter-libretto answered ·

So what was the fault and how was it resolved? We have the same with 3 x 100/30 mppts in parallel connected to their own panel, battery and panel voltage but no current?

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