I've found that the user manuals for these charge controllers have little information about the "LOAD" output. I like to use this output to power loads, other than power inverters. In fact, I'm using the DC Load output of one of these to power my home's 12V DC loads: czcams.com/video/EhNI3Ui5cYA/video.html I run about 2KWH/day through this output. This method provides low voltage and over current protection for the battery. It also monitors and records DC energy consumption. You could also use this output to power a DC relay to use to turn larger loads, connected to the battery, on and off.
On the main monitoring screen of my MT50 I notice that touching the "OK" button turns the far right load icon on and off when you press the button. Does it make any difference whether this icon is on or off and does it affect how the solar is charging the battery? Is it better to leave this far right load icon on or off during regular daytime charging? Don't do anything fancy with my battery and solar just use the solar to maintain and charge my 200ah battery.
Makes little difference. That DC load output / icon is just an indication that the output MOSFET is turned on. That might consume a fraction of a mA of current, if that, to stay on. I use that DC load output to power all my DC loads (except inverter) that are permanently connected. That has the advantage that if the battery voltage drops below the low voltage set point, the DC load output will shut off and prevent over discharging the battery. Also has the side benefit of being able to monitor the current and energy consumption on those DC loads over time.
The reason I wire my DC loads direct from battery (via car fuse box to fuse individual circuits) is that I don’t have any loads which I need to switch on and off - all my DC loads are stuff which needs to be always available. The loads I do find myself switching on and off are the AC ones run from my inverter, and for this purpose I find the little cheap “smart wifi breaker” products from Tuya unbeatable. These are a smart home device which you join to your wifi then they have an onboard relay which switches the mains output on and off. With this level of control you can set rules according to local weather conditions, time of day, even ambient light levels if you have additional sensors. The onboard relay can be removed to allow your load to be switched by a solid state relay instead (for much lower power consumption while load is on) and on that subject you can even wire 5V DC power direct onto the PCB to bypass the mains PSU stage of the device and reduce the quiescence consumption to a fraction of a watt. For a device costing around $5 direct from China it’s really flexible and helps me scavenge a good few watt hours of consumption which would otherwise disappear in mains device standby consumption.
I'll have to check out that Tuya device. I don't routinely use the DC Load button to turn my DC loads on an off, only did that for a demonstration in the video. It is normally left on all the time. The advantage of using that output for me is that it's set up to shut off if the battery voltage gets too low. It also records the energy consumption of the DC loads over time. I like to keep track of that.
I am trying to adjust my battery voltage parameters according to the guidelines in the user manual for the 12v gel parameters, but for every adjustment I try to make, I get a "para. error" message. Right now it appears all parameters are set for a 24v system.
Assuming you're making changes to the USER battery type, then there are certain limits in those parameters. I cover that in this video (it's about Li-Ion batteries but the same reasoning applies): czcams.com/video/4wt_L2L4W4Q/video.htmlsi=lcr3vH2aNiKanQV_ If setting via the MT-50 display, you may need to run through a few passes of settings as some settings have to be less than other settings, but those settings they depend upon are made later in the pass. Best to make a copy of the parameters page in the manual, work out your values and then figure out which ones need to be modified in which order.
@@The4Crawler Thanks for this. I watched your video. I have the physical copy of the manual as well with all the parameters and rules. According to what I see based on greater than/equal to rules - the first parameter I would have to change would be the lowest parameter setting, the Discharging Limit Voltage to 10.6V. However I still get the para. error. I can't seem to adjust ANY of the voltage parameters in the control parameters.
@@LyndaDawson-ft4cn Assuming you're using the USER battery type, as that's the only one you can typically make changes in. For that parameter, you need to first change the highest parameter then change the 2nd one, if needed, and finally you can change the Discharging Limit setting, assuming you want to increase that: "Under Voltage Warning Reconnect Voltage > Under Voltage Warning Voltage ≥ Discharging Limit Voltage" To do that change, you need to step through the settings menu, change that upper-most setting, save the changes, then re-enter the settings menu, change the next highest parameter, save the changes and then finally you can re-enter the settings menu and change the lowest setting. The reason for this is often, the higher setting may be later in the menu screens, so you have to go to the later menu, make a change, save it and then re-enter from the top.
@@The4Crawler I appreciate your quick response. I'm using USER battery type. When I leave the Rate Voltage at "Auto" - I am able to scroll through all parameters, but can't change a single one, starting with the highest. (But I have tried in every order). I get Para. Error for every attempt. When I change the Rate Voltage is 12v (which is what I want), I can't even scroll past the first parameter which is Over Voltage Disconnect Voltage - because it is set to 32.0. I want to change it to 16.0, but it wont accept 16.0 and also gives an error when I leave it at 32.0 (because I am assuming that is too high for a 12v rate voltage setting. (I am using the MT50 Epever MPPT.)
@@LyndaDawson-ft4cn I've never run into that issue. You might try a factory reset to see if that helps unlock the settings. Otherwise, try contacting Epever support and see if they have any tips. I usually leave my controllers in Auto mode and they seem to pick up the 12V battery settings, even when I was using a 16V lithium battery.
Hi, I have a question about my setup for my offgrid camper. I connected 2 solar panels of 100w in series to an Epever 2210AN with an MT-50 and 1 solar panel of 410w to an Epever 4210AN also with an MT-50. Both are connected to 12V batteries 2x230Ah Ective DC230 AGM deep cycle in parallel. A-Is it correct that both Epever controllers charge the batteries at the same time and B-Which user settings should I use? Thanks in advance!
It's generally OK to connect 2 charge controllers to the same battery bank. Just make sure they're both set to similar charging profiles. These Epever controllers work off the battery voltage, so as the batteries charge up, they'll both see the same voltage and dial back the charging current until they hit float charge.
On my S. controller 6415an. The only "load " that it is carrying is the battery 4ea. 12.8v series/parallel 24v wiring. I can't turn the load off. I really don't understand this load terminology.
The load terminals are usually the 2 on the right side, battery in the middle and PV to the left. All the Load does is turn on power to the Load terminals, basically connects the Load to the Battery. You need to have the Load parameter set to Manual Control as I show in the video. Then you can turn it on and off with the ESC button. But there's no harm is leaving it on. If nothing is connected to the Load terminals then no current flows and no power is used.
Hello i just ordered this unit on amazon and i was windering if i can change the parameters in the epever-AN 40 amp charge controller to charge LIFEFO Battery?
You bet, check out my "User Battery Type" video: czcams.com/video/4XhvwruVEJU/video.html and I have some information on setting up Li-Ion batteries along with some LiFePO batteries in other videos in this play list. Basic idea is figure out how many volts per cell you want for various parameters and then multiply that by the number of series cells and use that total voltage for the "user" parameters.
I have five 100 watt solar panels I have them connected in series I'm getting 117 V but only .02 amps is there a way I can get more amps by programming my charge controller with the mt50 I have a 40 amp EPEVER I have two 100 amp AGM batterys my locations is Alaska Thanks
A few things you might try. First, see what the max. PV input voltage is, some of the EpEver models max out at 100v, while others are OK with 150v. Then, check the connections at the controller. With the PV input, remove those wires from the terminals and then hook up a meter on the high DC current range and check the short circuit current if that's below the current rating of your meter. That way, you're checking all the wires between the panels and the charge controller. Then check for voltage drops between the controller battery + and - terminals and the battery + and - terminals. It might also be that the battery is full charged, or at least charged to the cutoff voltage set in the controller. You can check that in the device params. menu, maybe try some custom settings with the USER battery type.
@@The4Crawler I will try that tomorrow morning and see if I can get my amped up I don't have PayPal is there another way I can buy you a cup of coffee?
Hi sorry to bother you, I am new to solar so I am learning. I have a simple solar 24v kit with 2x batteries, 2x solar panels, 1500w inverter, controller and the MT50. All has been working fine for 2 years but for past couple of mornings the MT50 has shown the decharged battery symbol but when the sun is up everything gets charged and it's back to normal. Is this normal, or does it mean my batteries are shot? I only run a few things on it in the daytime, radio, bike charger and a light at night. Thanks Louise
The state of charge display on these controllers is not terribly accurate. I would check the actual battery voltages, in the morning, with a separate meter and see if they are close to the same and compare the total voltage to that displayed on the MT50 display. Maybe track those voltages over time and see if there's any trend. Check all the wiring connections, maybe something has worked loose.
@@The4Crawler hi thank you very much for getting back to me so quickly with your advice, I really do appreciate it, I'm going to get a battery tester tomorrow and check all the leads, really hoping it's fixable 👍😊 kind regards Louise
Can I use the MT50 to set the charge controller when it’s plugged into my MPPT charger as they would be linked , by the wire .. but can I remove the MT50 once changed parameters ..and will it keep settings in memory of MPPT controller … so basically I set up MPPT by the MT50 ..then , can I disconnect them Thankyou ..
I've found that the user manuals for these charge controllers have little information about the "LOAD" output. I like to use this output to power loads, other than power inverters. In fact, I'm using the DC Load output of one of these to power my home's 12V DC loads:
czcams.com/video/EhNI3Ui5cYA/video.html
I run about 2KWH/day through this output.
This method provides low voltage and over current protection for the battery. It also monitors and records DC energy consumption. You could also use this output to power a DC relay to use to turn larger loads, connected to the battery, on and off.
On the main monitoring screen of my MT50 I notice that touching the "OK" button turns the far right load icon on and off when you press the button. Does it make any difference whether this icon is on or off and does it affect how the solar is charging the battery? Is it better to leave this far right load icon on or off during regular daytime charging? Don't do anything fancy with my battery and solar just use the solar to maintain and charge my 200ah battery.
Makes little difference. That DC load output / icon is just an indication that the output MOSFET is turned on. That might consume a fraction of a mA of current, if that, to stay on.
I use that DC load output to power all my DC loads (except inverter) that are permanently connected. That has the advantage that if the battery voltage drops below the low voltage set point, the DC load output will shut off and prevent over discharging the battery. Also has the side benefit of being able to monitor the current and energy consumption on those DC loads over time.
@@The4Crawler Thank you for your reply. 👍
The reason I wire my DC loads direct from battery (via car fuse box to fuse individual circuits) is that I don’t have any loads which I need to switch on and off - all my DC loads are stuff which needs to be always available.
The loads I do find myself switching on and off are the AC ones run from my inverter, and for this purpose I find the little cheap “smart wifi breaker” products from Tuya unbeatable. These are a smart home device which you join to your wifi then they have an onboard relay which switches the mains output on and off. With this level of control you can set rules according to local weather conditions, time of day, even ambient light levels if you have additional sensors. The onboard relay can be removed to allow your load to be switched by a solid state relay instead (for much lower power consumption while load is on) and on that subject you can even wire 5V DC power direct onto the PCB to bypass the mains PSU stage of the device and reduce the quiescence consumption to a fraction of a watt. For a device costing around $5 direct from China it’s really flexible and helps me scavenge a good few watt hours of consumption which would otherwise disappear in mains device standby consumption.
I'll have to check out that Tuya device.
I don't routinely use the DC Load button to turn my DC loads on an off, only did that for a demonstration in the video. It is normally left on all the time. The advantage of using that output for me is that it's set up to shut off if the battery voltage gets too low. It also records the energy consumption of the DC loads over time. I like to keep track of that.
I am trying to adjust my battery voltage parameters according to the guidelines in the user manual for the 12v gel parameters, but for every adjustment I try to make, I get a "para. error" message. Right now it appears all parameters are set for a 24v system.
Assuming you're making changes to the USER battery type, then there are certain limits in those parameters. I cover that in this video (it's about Li-Ion batteries but the same reasoning applies):
czcams.com/video/4wt_L2L4W4Q/video.htmlsi=lcr3vH2aNiKanQV_
If setting via the MT-50 display, you may need to run through a few passes of settings as some settings have to be less than other settings, but those settings they depend upon are made later in the pass. Best to make a copy of the parameters page in the manual, work out your values and then figure out which ones need to be modified in which order.
@@The4Crawler Thanks for this. I watched your video. I have the physical copy of the manual as well with all the parameters and rules. According to what I see based on greater than/equal to rules - the first parameter I would have to change would be the lowest parameter setting, the Discharging Limit Voltage to 10.6V. However I still get the para. error. I can't seem to adjust ANY of the voltage parameters in the control parameters.
@@LyndaDawson-ft4cn Assuming you're using the USER battery type, as that's the only one you can typically make changes in. For that parameter, you need to first change the highest parameter then change the 2nd one, if needed, and finally you can change the Discharging Limit setting, assuming you want to increase that: "Under Voltage Warning Reconnect Voltage > Under Voltage Warning Voltage ≥ Discharging Limit Voltage"
To do that change, you need to step through the settings menu, change that upper-most setting, save the changes, then re-enter the settings menu, change the next highest parameter, save the changes and then finally you can re-enter the settings menu and change the lowest setting. The reason for this is often, the higher setting may be later in the menu screens, so you have to go to the later menu, make a change, save it and then re-enter from the top.
@@The4Crawler I appreciate your quick response. I'm using USER battery type. When I leave the Rate Voltage at "Auto" - I am able to scroll through all parameters, but can't change a single one, starting with the highest. (But I have tried in every order). I get Para. Error for every attempt. When I change the Rate Voltage is 12v (which is what I want), I can't even scroll past the first parameter which is Over Voltage Disconnect Voltage - because it is set to 32.0. I want to change it to 16.0, but it wont accept 16.0 and also gives an error when I leave it at 32.0 (because I am assuming that is too high for a 12v rate voltage setting. (I am using the MT50 Epever MPPT.)
@@LyndaDawson-ft4cn I've never run into that issue. You might try a factory reset to see if that helps unlock the settings. Otherwise, try contacting Epever support and see if they have any tips. I usually leave my controllers in Auto mode and they seem to pick up the 12V battery settings, even when I was using a 16V lithium battery.
Hi, I have a question about my setup for my offgrid camper. I connected 2 solar panels of 100w in series to an Epever 2210AN with an MT-50 and 1 solar panel of 410w to an Epever 4210AN also with an MT-50. Both are connected to 12V batteries 2x230Ah Ective DC230 AGM deep cycle in parallel. A-Is it correct that both Epever controllers charge the batteries at the same time and B-Which user settings should I use? Thanks in advance!
It's generally OK to connect 2 charge controllers to the same battery bank. Just make sure they're both set to similar charging profiles. These Epever controllers work off the battery voltage, so as the batteries charge up, they'll both see the same voltage and dial back the charging current until they hit float charge.
On my S. controller 6415an. The only "load " that it is carrying is the battery 4ea. 12.8v series/parallel 24v wiring.
I can't turn the load off.
I really don't understand this load terminology.
My system is up and running but I like to know everything that is going on.
You can't repair if you don't understand how it works.
The load terminals are usually the 2 on the right side, battery in the middle and PV to the left. All the Load does is turn on power to the Load terminals, basically connects the Load to the Battery. You need to have the Load parameter set to Manual Control as I show in the video. Then you can turn it on and off with the ESC button. But there's no harm is leaving it on. If nothing is connected to the Load terminals then no current flows and no power is used.
Thank you
I am going to look at my controller a little closer.
Hello i just ordered this unit on amazon and i was windering if i can change the parameters in the epever-AN 40 amp charge controller to charge LIFEFO Battery?
You bet, check out my "User Battery Type" video:
czcams.com/video/4XhvwruVEJU/video.html
and I have some information on setting up Li-Ion batteries along with some LiFePO batteries in other videos in this play list. Basic idea is figure out how many volts per cell you want for various parameters and then multiply that by the number of series cells and use that total voltage for the "user" parameters.
@@The4Crawler thanks!
I have five 100 watt solar panels I have them connected in series I'm getting 117 V but only .02 amps is there a way I can get more amps by programming my charge controller with the mt50 I have a 40 amp EPEVER I have two 100 amp AGM batterys my locations is Alaska Thanks
A few things you might try. First, see what the max. PV input voltage is, some of the EpEver models max out at 100v, while others are OK with 150v. Then, check the connections at the controller. With the PV input, remove those wires from the terminals and then hook up a meter on the high DC current range and check the short circuit current if that's below the current rating of your meter. That way, you're checking all the wires between the panels and the charge controller.
Then check for voltage drops between the controller battery + and - terminals and the battery + and - terminals. It might also be that the battery is full charged, or at least charged to the cutoff voltage set in the controller. You can check that in the device params. menu, maybe try some custom settings with the USER battery type.
@@The4Crawler I will try that tomorrow morning and see if I can get my amped up I don't have PayPal is there another way I can buy you a cup of coffee?
Are you running a load on the system?
This system is a power on demand type system.
Did you ever solve the issue? I am seeing same issue
Hi sorry to bother you, I am new to solar so I am learning. I have a simple solar 24v kit with 2x batteries, 2x solar panels, 1500w inverter, controller and the MT50. All has been working fine for 2 years but for past couple of mornings the MT50 has shown the decharged battery symbol but when the sun is up everything gets charged and it's back to normal. Is this normal, or does it mean my batteries are shot? I only run a few things on it in the daytime, radio, bike charger and a light at night. Thanks Louise
The state of charge display on these controllers is not terribly accurate. I would check the actual battery voltages, in the morning, with a separate meter and see if they are close to the same and compare the total voltage to that displayed on the MT50 display. Maybe track those voltages over time and see if there's any trend. Check all the wiring connections, maybe something has worked loose.
@@The4Crawler hi thank you very much for getting back to me so quickly with your advice, I really do appreciate it, I'm going to get a battery tester tomorrow and check all the leads, really hoping it's fixable 👍😊 kind regards Louise
Can I use the MT50 to set the charge controller when it’s plugged into my MPPT charger as they would be linked , by the wire .. but can I remove the MT50 once changed parameters ..and will it keep settings in memory of MPPT controller … so basically I set up MPPT by the MT50 ..then , can I disconnect them Thankyou ..
Yes, that should work.
Do you have a video on the BT device?
Sorry, I've not had a chance to test out that device.