Solar Regulator
Submitted: Friday, Aug 17, 2012 at 06:06
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Greg W4
Has anyone installed a CM30 series regulator? I have fitted 2 x 130 watt solar panels to my caravan via a CM2024Z solar regulator. Connection from the panels and also to the battery is OK but it's the 3rd connection that has me beat. Apparently it's to read battery use and my assumption is it would have to be connected in line (series) to achieve that reading but there is no 12v power to the caravan when connected that way. Do you have any ideas?????
Reply By: olcoolone - Friday, Aug 17, 2012 at 09:05
Friday, Aug 17, 2012 at 09:05
How come your using two regulators?
The connections are
1) To house battery.
2) From solar panel.
3) To the load your running of the house battery.
4) Temp probe.
5) To computer.
Number 3 is the one I think your referring to...... all you loads are picked up of these's two wires ( positive and negative), this enables the controller to display via an inbuilt current shunt how many amps your drawing from the house battery when you have something running.
The power comes from you house battery through the controller then out of the controller to your lights, fridge, TV and what ever else you have.
If you don't use these two load wires and pick up directly of the house battery, the controller will still function as per normal but will not display how many amps your drawing from you loads.
AnswerID:
493036
Follow Up By: Greg W4 - Saturday, Aug 18, 2012 at 16:24
Saturday, Aug 18, 2012 at 16:24
Thanks for that reply. The way you describe the hook up from the battery through the regulator then to the 12v appliances is the way I thought it should be done also but when connected that way there is no 12v output from the regulator to the appliances????
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Reply By: Nomadic Navara - Saturday, Aug 18, 2012 at 22:35
Saturday, Aug 18, 2012 at 22:35
Is this the regulator you are using? -
Site Link - It's one of a series that is not straight forward to use. If you scroll down you will see a handbook (yes it is labelled as different model but they are the same circuitry.)
You may notice that the positive sides of the circuits are the ones that are earthed and not the negative side. These were designed for the communications industry (telephone companies) where positive earthing is common place. However you can use them in a van for a negative system. However you must decide which negative terminal you are going to earth and leave the other two floating. Your 12 V lighting system may have the negative line earthed, if so the battery and solar panel negative lines must be floating. If your battery is being charged from the tug then the battery must be the only thing earthed.
The above applies if you want to use the inbuilt monitoring system and state of charge (SOC) readout. If both the the battery and house 12 V system can not be isolated from the chassis earth you can not use the load terminal and thus the monitoring of SOC and most other meeter readings will not be available to you either.
There is also another problem with these regulators. The SOC metering will not work if you charge the battery from your tug or from a battery charging. The only current that is metered is the current coming in through the solar input and out the load terminal. The current charging or discharging the battery is not metered, is calculated from the metering in the other two circuits. If you put a battery charger or a load directly on the battery, these currents will not be metered by the controller and thus the monitoring will not take that into account. These and similar controllers are a copy of the Steca or Plasmatronic regulators. They all work the same. For more on them read
Site Link
AnswerID:
493147