Victron Energy SmartSolar MPPT Solar Charge Controller (Bluetooth) - Charge Controllers for Solar Panels - 75V, 10 amp, 12/24-Volt

Solar is a great thing. Got sun? Free energy! But there is a learning curve to maximize your investment. Victron is one of the shining brands of solar energy, but top-brands don't always mean top-dollar. I was very happy to find this low-cost charge controller to upgrade my DIY power station to MPPT.Quick lesson: MPPT stands for Maximum Power Point Tracking. That's a neat bit of technology that squeezes out as much energy as possible from your solar panels. Must less expensive charge controllers (even if they SAY they're MPPT) are PWM, or Pulse Wave Modulation. Those devices work, but they do not have the extra efficiency to boost solar charging. In fact, MPPT devices like this Victron get you up to 25% more energy over a PWM charger.Back to the topic: This is indeed an MPPT solar charger, rated at 75 volts maximum, 10 amps maximum. You need to know what your solar panel(s) produce to know whether you can use this charger.It lacks a display, though small LED lights report basic charging functions: Float, Absorption, Bulk. And an intermittent flashing blue light lets you know Bluetooth is connected.Speaking of Bluetooth, yes, it's built-in to the device, you don't need a separate dongle. Download the Victron App, use the passkey included with the paperwork, and you have full access to the charger.You can't run many panels with this, probably no more than two, 100 watt panels in series would be best, though you could add three in series and still be within the 75/10 specifications. Check your panels to be sure.It's a great size for a DIY powerstation. A current pricing you could Frankenstein your own 500 watt pure sine-wave for less than $300.It includes a 20 amp standard blade fuse. I'd recommend have a few more on hand. Don't go lower than 15 amp. 20 amp is the device's sweet-spot. It does feature load ports, but no USB.While it's well built and great value, I do have two minor complaints...The wire outlets are really small. I had to double-crimp my ferrules to get them in. And as is the case with several small charge controllers, the openings to tighten the connections are small. I'm surprised these are flat-head screws, too. So if you don't have a small flat-head screwdriver, you'll need one before you can do anything with this.To be honest, Victron has higher voltage/amperage models for just a few dollars more. But if your needs are small and you don't see upgrading later, this will take care of you.

Received controller yesterday and installed yesterday. It works as described, very nice. Bluetooth works very nice, the available customizable functions are enough for my needs. For the money and what you get, i will never buy another $20 etc. budget controller again. This one is the 75/10 and i did not know the 75/15 was only a few dollars more or i would have bought that one, why not. I use these as battery maintainers on my autos, big boy toys etc., I have been through allot of $20 budget controller that i have no customizable functions, no more of that. I will buy a few of these i think. If i had to give a negative it would be the Bluetooth range you have to be pretty much right next to it, at least that's what i am finding. I have other Bluetooth devices that i get much farther ranges on.

I needed to light a tree in less-than-ideal solar conditions using solar power only (charging a 12V battery). I first tried a 12V solar panel with a PWM controller, but it could not keep the battery charged. I found I needed a more sophisticated MPPT controller, so I purchased this Victron Energy SmartSolar MPPT 75V, 10 amp Solar Charge Controller to replace the PWM controller. It worked with the 12V panel OK, but still not good enough to keep the battery voltage in the "safe" voltage drain zone in the poor and varying sun conditions I had (Winter weather, often in low-angle tree shadow).The SmartSolar MPPT controller documentation recommended a 24V solar panel for a 12V battery. I changed to a 24V panel, and it worked great! Using daily measurements from the MPPT controller (via the Bluetooth VictronConnect app), I found that the 24V panel's voltage kept the PV input voltage often at over 20V even on a cloudy day and/or in the shade of trees. The SmartSolar controller converted the extra voltage to the charging power I needed. Keeps my battery charged at above-minimum voltages even on snowy days! Just what I was hoping for! See my chart for my testing results.

Best Solar Charger in the Market. Simple.