Classic 200 Not Charging Need Help

[ClassicCrazy]

So, I just pulled all the connections between the panels apart, sprayed them with contact cleaner and added dieletric grease... no change. Checked the breaker again, it works, getting 58 volts on a cloudy day before and after the breaker.

I like that idea Mike but have no idea if I can find a resistor up here, definitely not something I have at camp. There is a Radio Shack in town.

Also the diagram I posted is wrong, all 6 panels are wired in series with positive and negative at each end going to the buss bar.

Will call support tomorrow, my work day is over. Thanks again all.

Do you know what the Voc of the panels are ? There is usually a sticker on the back of them with the details.  Are you sure they are all in series ? Because the voltage from PV you are seeing sounds more like three of the panels in series. Six in series would probably be around twice that voltage.
Larry

[boB]

Do you know what the Voc of the panels are ? There is usually a sticker on the back of them with the details.  Are you sure they are all in series ? Because the voltage from PV you are seeing sounds more like three of the panels in series. Six in series would probably be around twice that voltage.
Larry

I just looked at his first post and it looks like his Voc is about 60 volts.

Also, the bus bars when the breaker is engaged shows the 6 to 8 volts that is present on the Classic PV input.   

So I am pretty sure that the Classic is at fault here.  It is kind of strange though that the input is sitting at around 6 to 8 volts.  Usually when they blow, the input is pretty well shorted out.

boB

[Chilkat Weir]

Hi all, finally getting back to diagnose this, been really busy counting salmon and training new workers.

I have the clamp meter that was suggested now and a couple 10ohm resistors.

First off, on a cloudy day today and with the sun much lower in the sky, the new multimeter is reading 110 to 119 volts coming from the 6 panels, never had that much with more sun when I last checked? For amps I am reading .55 to .66 and figure that is low due to the clouds maybe?

When I turn on the Classic, then switch on the PV breaker, voltage from panels drops but not as low as I was getting a couple months ago (6 to 8 volts). The "IN" on the display slowly rises from around 5.0 to 11.5 to 13.4 (battery at 11.6 volts), mostly stays resting but actually had it turn to Bulk MPPT for brief time, so it was charging but showing 0.0 amps. That tells me the problem isn't with the Classic?

For now, I am trying to diagnose the panels to see if one is faulty and we can replace it over the winter. Not sure if this is possible without a sunny day which is rare this time of year. Might have to wait until next year when the sun is overhead and bright.

To test them under load with the resistor, should I be checking voltage or current.

Appreciate and guidance, thanks.

[boB]

It sounds almost as if there is a high source resistance in the solar array ?

Six to 7 volts with nothing connected to the PV input would show up as approximately half battery voltage.  6--7 volts could be that ?

I would check the PV wiring and make sure connections are good. It is possible that one defective panel could allow you to read full voltage Voc (~119V) but have VERY low power or current available. 

The Vmp max power point that the Classic found was right above the battery voltage which kind of also points to high-ish resistance.  0.85 amps is pretty low too I think in Bulk MPPT mode...  Kind of like it was dawn or dusk twilight 

If wiring looks good (and measures good on an Ohmmeter ?), you might want to bypass each panel one at a time and see if it comes to life.  Your Voc is plenty high enough at 119V for a 12 V battery so a bit less voltage should work...  That is, if I understand everything correctly.   

boB