Victron Energy SmartSolar MPPT 100V 20 amp 12/24/48-Volt Solar Charge Controller (Bluetooth)

With only 175w of solar panels on my "Solar Shed", I've never wanted it to offset my normal house mains supply, but I did add 816Ah of flooded lead acid battery capacity and a 2.5 Kw mains inverter so that I could keep the fridge, freezer and some LED lights going for a couple of days if we ever get power cuts. On the weeks when the power is solid, I use the "Solar Shed" to do a couple of washing machine loads, and run the electric lawnmower. This has all worked fine in the summer but the old PWM controller that arrived with the panels, was struggling in the winter. So when it also developed an intermittent fault last week, I started researching a better replacement.The Victron unit is far superior in every respect. Firstly, it harvests about 15% more power at low light conditions than the PWM unit could, and secondly it is amazingly configurable, via its Bluetooth driven link with an App on your smartphone (see pics).I was particularly pleased to see that it can automatically run an equalisation charge at a voltage of your choice for a defined period after a user configurable period of days that can be over some weeks or months. It also allows you to just run one manually - ideal on a nice sunny day when the batteries are already "Floating" and you just want to get the Specific Gravities of all 18 cells to be nice and uniform.I have three top tips for you if you want to invest in this top quality controller:-A). Read the manual and pay careful attention to polarities when you connect the load, battery and PV positives and negatives. The battery is different, see..B). When you download the APP and run it for the first time, it will automatically request access to Bluetooth itself and "find" the controller - Pass-Code is "000000" (Six Zeroes)C). If you don't want the load to be "Permanently on" (The default), then you will have to install and run the App, go to "Settings" (The wee Cog) and change it to "Permanently off".

Image on the product, along with the price reflects that it should be the 100/50 model. However, I received 100/30. Which costs aprox £80 less than what this is listed at.

I bought this solar controller to replace an old PWM controller. I first bought one from Epever, but the voltage measurement was off by 0.10 - 0.15V, which might not sound like much but when it comes to battery charging it is quite significant. So returned it and went for Victron instead.It allows you to select from a number of battery types, or a user setting where you specify the individual charge settings. Voltage measurement is accurate.It does not have a display, just a few leds to indicate the charge process: bulk, absorption or float. Further detail can be found in the app, which gives detailed info, including historic values.There are two features I particularly like:1. When using solar on a motorhome like I do, there will be extended periods where the van isn't used, so the batteries will be fully charged. Most controllers, however, will still go through the normal 3 stage charge cycle every day, pushing unneeded current in to the detriment of the battery. The Victron has an option where it checks the voltage of the battery at the beginning of the day. If it is high enough it takes it as the battery being fully charged, and reduces the time spent in the absorption part of the charge cycle.2. Most controllers, once entered into float, will stay there no matter how much charge you take out subsequently, thus not using the full capacity of the solar panels to replace the used charge. The Victron can be set to restart the charge cycle if needed (when you have used enough to drop to a certain Voltage).So, overall very happy with the product.

I had no power. The nights were long and dark. The lord Victron came and within 30 minutes my USB devices could be charged!Like a Christmas Miracle Victron came into my life and resurrected my 0V battery to life (under volt protection) as mentioned in the spec sheet.I recieved the device in the picture. Not the lesser one as a previous reviewer mentioned.The Bluetooth is super easy to set up. I just selected LiFePO4 in the settings and now I know my battery is safe!

Dead easy to install just 4 wires, connect the batteries first, then the panels. Love the Bluetooth function so I can see what's happening with the panels and how the batteries are charging on my phone or pad, it's an essential feature. Stores the history for the last month so you get a good idea how the system is performing. This is very useful as you can move your panels or tweak the system to get the best results! Works straight out of the box with nearly any battery but also completely programmable for Uber geeks! Cannot recommend it enough!