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I have a 2004 Lance 915 Lite with an Evergreen Solar EC-51 50w panel and a Specialty Concepts ASC controller.
I had pulled my battery (less than a year old) over this past winter, kept it in my shop on trickle charge - full water levels - as I always do. Tested and checked water before putting it in the camper. During a camping trip, the battery seemed to discharge sooner than normal - plugged the camper into the generator (stand-alone) while camping. We started smelling a whiff of hit wire so I shut down the generator. Later still smelled the hot wire - only for a brief moment again.
When I got home, I pulled the battery to give it a charge, found the water levels were super low. My new fancy battery charger kept reading an error after running its full charge cycle. ergg.
I ended up pulling a battery from my boat - put it into the camper and all was fine until I connected the solar lead from the controller, got a big spark. Unhooked and pulled the battery back out.
Long story short - I tested the solar controller output with no load and bright sun - read at 18V (??) -- then I put the battery back in and hooked it up (carefully, maybe dumb?) and found that with a load it read 16V. That seems awful high to me, no?
I'm assuming the controller is out - but as you can probably easily tell, I am nowhere near an electrician (I'm a biologist...). Makes me worry if this is how controllers end their lives. The whole solar unit came with the camper when I bought it - I don't know enough about it.
If the controller is dead, presuming someday I'd like to upgrade the panel to dual panels of more kick - is there a controller I could upgrade to that might work with the panel I have as well as do well for a later upgrade? I hate wasting money I don't have.
go easy on me, I already claimed my ignorance in all this.
Thanks!
I had pulled my battery (less than a year old) over this past winter, kept it in my shop on trickle charge - full water levels - as I always do. Tested and checked water before putting it in the camper. During a camping trip, the battery seemed to discharge sooner than normal - plugged the camper into the generator (stand-alone) while camping. We started smelling a whiff of hit wire so I shut down the generator. Later still smelled the hot wire - only for a brief moment again.
When I got home, I pulled the battery to give it a charge, found the water levels were super low. My new fancy battery charger kept reading an error after running its full charge cycle. ergg.
I ended up pulling a battery from my boat - put it into the camper and all was fine until I connected the solar lead from the controller, got a big spark. Unhooked and pulled the battery back out.
Long story short - I tested the solar controller output with no load and bright sun - read at 18V (??) -- then I put the battery back in and hooked it up (carefully, maybe dumb?) and found that with a load it read 16V. That seems awful high to me, no?
I'm assuming the controller is out - but as you can probably easily tell, I am nowhere near an electrician (I'm a biologist...). Makes me worry if this is how controllers end their lives. The whole solar unit came with the camper when I bought it - I don't know enough about it.
If the controller is dead, presuming someday I'd like to upgrade the panel to dual panels of more kick - is there a controller I could upgrade to that might work with the panel I have as well as do well for a later upgrade? I hate wasting money I don't have.
go easy on me, I already claimed my ignorance in all this.
Thanks!
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