ALLPOWERS 20A Solar Charger Controller Solar Panel Battery Intelligent Regulator with USB Port Display 12V/24V

This was a great solution to power my Ham radio VHF/UHF rig. It was the cheapest component in my power setup. The Wiring cost more than this controller. My goal was to have a portable solar power system to operate my radio on a day to day basis and to be able to set up in the field for public service and emergency communications. So far it looks as though this will satisfy my goals admirably. My setup: AllPowers 20amp controller 35 AH Lead Acid AGM Battery. 2 surplus 12 Volt 20 Watt panels wired in Parallel. Yeasu FTM-400D Hook-up was straightforward I used 12 Gauge wire to connect the Battery and 14 Guage to connect the panels and the radio. I used the AllPower MC4 connectors on the Panel and Battery connectors. Hoooked up the Battery First then the Panels and Load. No configuration was required on the controller. The terminal connectors are small and arguably lightweight. I found that trimming only about a 1/4 inch of the insulation off. and ensuring that the terminals were opened all the way made the termination process very easy even on the fine stranded 12 gauge wire. The controller isn't Weatherproof, It needs to be protected from the direct sunshine and moisture. My battery and controller are stored in a covered box to protect it from the elements and to allow portability. The Controller charges up to 14.2 volts and then went to 13.7 Volt float. At 90 F (32.2 C) The temperature of the controller only goes to 35C. Keeping the unit out of the sun keeps it pla\enty cool enough My 40 Watt panels are laying flat on a patio roof and provides. 2.1 amps under full sun. 1.5 under cloud cover. My radio has a 0.5 amp load when receiving. While transmitting under full load there is a 10.5 amp draw.

I have purchased five of these. I overloaded one of them (my fault) and damaged it beyond repair. I learned not to try to use one of these when they have been damaged, you can damage other components of your system by doing so. The rest have operated flawlessly charging a Lithium (LiFePO4) battery. I really like them other than the fact that they don't yet make a 30 amp model that supports Lithium batteries. I installed the first one back in 2019 so I have significant experience using them. Only one of them had a minor defect but was still usable. Fortunately it just happened to be the one that got burned up by overload because I had 400 watts of panels attached to it. I learned not to do that again. I have 300 watts of panels attached to the other ones and have not had a problem so far even though that is slightly over their capacity. I highly recommend these guys, they are relatively inexpensive work horses. I am using tw0 of them on 18v 20 amp dc power supplies for grid backup with no problems.

I would have given it 5 stars, but I apparently received a defective unit. The "Load" connections quit working after two months. However, customer service was great. They asked for a description of the problem and a few pictures, then informed me they would be sending a replacement. Note that the charging circuitry works great. Just the load connections failed. Great price, fast delivery and prompt customer service. Can't beat it! Revision - After they agreed to replace the unit, I wrote the initial review PRIOR to receiving the replacement. After I wrote the review, customer service sent another email stating that there wasn't a problem with the unit afterall and that it just wasn't set up properly. The unit IS set up properly according to the included instructions AND the day prior to the failure, it was working properly. I am taking away another star based on this. If customer service actually sends a replacement, I will consider going back to four starts, but dealing with problematic customer service sucks! Revised 03-27-2019 Customer service did finally come through and send me a replacement. The new unit is working as advertised. As such, I am raising the rating from 3 stars to 4.

PROS: * Inexpensive * Two USB ports * Display screen * 12v and 24v * Supports multiple battery types * Very customizable * D2D Dusk to dawn (unexpected feature I really like) CONS: * PWM Pulse Width Modulation rather then MPPT * Connectors are a little small (It will fit 10 Gauge wire but just barely This is a PWM controller but for the money you save buying this controller rather then an expensive MPPT controller you could buy an extra 100 watt solar panel. For instance a Renology 20 amp MPPT controller is around $100 more. My last 100 watt panel cost me $108 delivered. The more expensive MPPT controller might be a better choice if space is extremely limited and you need to squeeze out every watt. For the rest of us this is a pretty good choice. The display: It's not the worlds greatest screen and I wish it had a back light but I have terrible vision and I can still see it just fine. If you mount it somewhere dark bring a flashlight. The default screen shows battery voltage, battery level, and whether the battery is charging. Buttons scroll through other information like charging amps, load amps, temperature of controller, and optional settings. The USB ports: These are convenient. I have charged my phone with these ports quite a few times. They are rated to deliver 3 amps combined. You won't be fast charging with these ports but they work fine. 12v / 24v: I won't go crazy explaining this but 24v can be better with long cable runs. I use 12v with short runs for convenience. This controller will do either. If you need 48v they make a controller that does that too. Supports multiple battery types: I use lead acid but you can also use Lithium Ion, and LIFePO4(Lithium Iron) For portable use Lithium Ion and LIFePO4 can save weight! Customizable: I won't go into every setting here but you can change things like cutoff voltage, charging voltage, low voltage reconnect, and turn short circuit protection on and off. D2D Dusk till dawn: I wasn't expecting this feature. This allows the controller to automatically turn on things like lights as soon as the sun goes down. If you want to set up outside lights this feature works great. I have been using this feature for solar night lights that actually work. This would be great for lighting a cabin, remote shed, or a long driveway. I was going to subtract a star because the manual didn't contain details on some advanced features but when I contacted the company they quickly responded with an updated copy of the manual. The updated version explained some features I previously didn't understand.

I ordered one controller for my new 100 watt solar charging station. It didn’t work so I ordered a new one thinking I might have done something wrong. I emailed the customer service and the rep was extremely polite and helpful. The second controller worked fine and the company is replacing my initial purchase. They honor their warranty. So far everything is working like it should. The one issue is that I have to disconnect the 3 connections to change out the battery since the directions state the battery is the first to connect and the last to disconnect. Update: we just had a flooding storm and the solar panel, batteries, and controller (inside a water tight box) were under 2 feet of water. When the water receded, everything was covered in mud. After washing off everything the system was operating just like new. Amazing to me the controller didn’t short out.

I liked the price but .. after installing the unit I found that the battery voltage it displayed is wrong. I verified this using two different volt meters. I posted a question to the vendors website and got an out of office message. Having the wrong voltage is bad when chrarging batteries. Second, I set the maximum charge voltage for 13.7v and it is currently charging at 14.2v. Not good, could be dangerous, causing serious overcharging condition. Other than that it works fine. I'll be returning unless someone from all powers sets me straight in the event that i'm doing something wrong. If so, I'll update my review. Update ** I tried resolving this with the vendor but there was either a language barrier or they just do not care enough to stand behind their product. I explained the situation in several email exchanges and the vendor just won't acknowledge the problem or doesn't understand the technical issues I have relayed to them. Either way, its going in the trash. ** BEWARE ** for those of you who posses a voltage meter I would highly recommend you test how your charge controller is functioning instead of just plugging it in and thinking all is fine. The Allpowers unit I bought here is supposed to enter 'float' mode when the battery voltage reaches 13.7 VDC, that is the default setting from the factory BUT it does not. It continues charging until the battery reaches an unsafe level of charge which will begin to boil the acid within the cells and off gas dangerous fumes. You may not even be aware this is happening until it is too late and your batteries are ruined (best case) or they explode (worst case). Please be careful!

TL:DR Works for 3s lithium! One of the few that does at this price range. Timed setting doesn't work right. 24 hour works well. Customer support wasn't good. Would recommend IF you want 3s lithium and are okay with 24 hour or dusk/dawn. Full review: I specifically chose this charger because it could do 3s lithium. Most chargers that can do lithium are standardized for 4s and those large standalone lithium batteries. You could tell by the voltage range (14+ volts) is too much for 3s but just right for 4s. This product lets me reuse my 3s battery packs that were salvaged. I've been using this for a couple of months now and it's mostly worked well. The only issue I had, which is unresolved, is the timing function doesn't seem to work right. If I set it to 6 hours, then it would shut off seemingly randomly and it may or may not start up later on. It was very unreliable and unpredictable. I figured a workaround which was to unplug the solar panel and then plug them back in but that is unacceptable for a solar charger. This plus the lack of support is why I took 2 stars off. When I asked the seller, they asked me to make a video recording of it... I'm not going to record the charger, a watch or clock, and a light for 24+ hours.! Before anyone asks, I tried to see if the # of hours correlated to when it shuts off but since it doesn't always turn back on, it was not worth exploring this problem. With the 24 hour setting, it is on all the time. This is not ideal but it is more acceptable. The charger turns on if voltage of battery is above a specific voltage. it then turns off when voltage is at or below a specific voltage. This cycle continues everyday, reliably. My second choice would have been a much more expensive charger that has custom settings. I would have had to manually set the voltages. I was not looking forward to this because if the settings ever get reset, I'd have to find the numbers and figure out how to program them back in. This is why this AllPowers charger was my first choice. Notes: 3S = 3 cells in series, typical voltage range is around ~9-~12 volts. 4s = 4 cells in series, typical voltage range is around ~12 to ~16 volts

Before I purchased this I was hesitant due to the numerous bad reviews. It sounded like it would be a huge headache and filled with problems so I took my time and investigated everything. I have determined why those reviewers thought this was a bad buy and I want to help YOU understand what they did wrong and why these issues won’t be issues for you. The first issue I want to address are the wire connectors. Many reviewers say that the wires come right out and can’t stay in. Let me tell you the problem, if you look at the photo I took of the connectors you’ll see that there is a little metal square that moves up and down when you turn the screws, you want the wire inside that square and when you tighten the screws it moves that square up and tightens the wire. Many reviewers are simply sticking the wire in under the square and trying to tighten it down on the wire. Next numerous reviewers complain that 10gauge wire doesn’t fit well... if you read the specifications you’ll notice it is only rated for at largest 12 gauge, so obviously it won’t fit well... also you shouldn’t need 10 gauge wire if you are staying within the rated amperage. Speaking of rated amperage, this device is only rated to constantly manage 80% of its maximum amperage which is 16amps. Another reviewer mentioned that he had it set to float charge at 13.7v and that it was charging at 14.2v... he said he called support and there was a language barrier... well I actually think there was a comprehension barrier since the instructions state when charging LifePO4 batteries once the battery is full the device switches to float mode and it will charge at 14.2v for 2 hours and then continue at 13.7. These are default settings. The next are all the reviews complaining of the unit getting hot and overheating... sometimes this could be a legitimate failure, but more than likely the majority are due to mounting them incorrectly. If you refer to the photos you can see that the device is made to distribute heat out from the metal plate on the back of the unit. It specifies that there needs to be space above and below for airflow. I would go as far as to say that if you mount this inside a box you could have trouble and you also should not mount this in the sun. Mount this in a place the heat can escape from the rear of the unit. Make sure you read the directions and follow them. The unit is a cheap option but not a bad option. It is not weatherproof by the way... crazy how many people ask this... it shouldn’t even be used in high humidity. If you want something cheap and easy shoot for this. If you want bells and whistles go spend $200 on an MPPT.

Fait le taf depuis un an sur un Cc dans lequel je vis. Couplé à une lifepoe4. Les usb sont pratiques mais évitez de mettre deux tel totalement déchargés en même temps car la charge usb au bout d’un moment se met en sécu. Un bon point au final car cela évite la surchauffe et la casse.

This is the best and accurate Solar Charge Controller you can obtain; don't waste your money on cheaper solar controllers that are inaccurate and poorly built, buy AllPowers for a top quality build! I am not being paid for this review; only posting an honest review!

usato anche come mantenitore/caricabatterie funziona molto bene, da impostare per il tipo di batteria che deve alimentare

I highly recommend this product, as it has consistently delivered optimal performance throughout my 1.5 to 2 years of use.

I like the quality construction (inside it) and the features. The adjustable voltage setting to have the loads shut off is nice. Same for the adjustable setting to have the loads energized again. Having two current readings; one from the solar panel and another for what is being drawn off the battery is nice. I bought this to replace the bare bones controller that came with a Coleman 100W 12V panel. Nothing wrong with it but it has no display, was non adjustable and had questionably sized wire compared to the heavy wire from the panel. For the price I might buy another for my cottage system. The manual is good. The print was small for my old eyes so I had them email me the PDF manual. Now its on my phone where I can find it and zoom in to read it (or print full size). I would probably change the menus/buttons a bit if I was programming it but that is just being persnickety.