Couldn't resist buying two of those Dirt Cheap, Made in China Solar Charge Controllers..

in #cheaplast month (edited)

When I saw this, I did a double-take...

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...and still couldn't believe what was advertised on Lazada: a 100A PWM/Mppt Solar Charge Controller for only 257.50 Php ($4.46 USD)!

I knew that more than likely, the product was trash, but I figured, "Oh Hell, at least I can tear it apart and salvage what's worth using on other projects."

Since the shipping for two controllers was the same as for one, of course, greedy-cheapo me ordered two!

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At least they were marked as 100A controllers.

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Then the fun began.

According to the user pamphlet, the controllers were not suitable for my LifePo4 battery.

But then it states the choice for selecting Lithium Iron batteries as "B3".

Also notice that it states "Fully 3-stage PWM MPPT charge management".

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I mounted them on the side of my wooden 40 gallon fish tank stand (Folks, definitely don't try that at home!).

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TLDR?

They are obviously NOT MPPT controllers. (Boo!)

They're medium grade 100A PWM charge controllers. (Oh well.)

But...

The buggers actually work! (Yay!)

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They don't have the stellar output and bells and whistles you'd find in medium-high end MPPT charge controllers, but the settings can easily be adjusted to safely charge my LifePo4 battery.

Seriously, 100A adjustable settings charge controllers THAT FUNCTION PROPERLY for less than $5 each?

You won't hear me complaining...

Submitted FYI.

May you and yours be well and loving life today.

JaiChai