Club 80-90 Forums

Anyone used one of these? Seems to be a solution to charging a main battery from a leisure battery using your solar panels.
http://www.vanbitz.com/product/battery-master/
G

Just an update ppl,
After many emails they have now said they will replace the panels, should be shipped Tomrw.
Thanks all for the help on this.
G

I was thinking of the lines of, I'm a member of various motorhome forums and will let everyone know how bad their panels/service is if they don't do something bla bla bla.
G

I've been in touch with the seller again and sent the photo above shoeing the multi meter. They agree they are not working but now say I've voided the guarantee on the one because I've opened it! They want a pic of the other one with the multi meter connected to the plugs, only prob is I've cut the ...

Mmm well spotted I will take a look to Tomrw, it might just be the way they are layed out. I'll take a look and report back
Thanks again
G

Solder joint is expanding and contracting with the sun causing continuity to break. You will have to work around the panel to find the breaking point. Start with the meter on a track near to the junction box and move away from it on the track for the opposite polarity and mark where you lose voltag...

Looks like the same panel I had, the tracks run on top of the aluminium backing sheet with the cells, and the whole lot is encapsulated in plastic. Looks like you have the multimeter on the terminal that the write connects to, try to find the metal tape that enters the top of the box and test for v...

The connector box is mounted on the top of the panel, it's a semi flexi panel designed to be stuck down with sicoflex for eg. The tracks come up from the panel under the box and inside. You can't get access to the underside of the box. I would have thought that even if it was a dry joint that puttin...

Also it's bonded to roof. I know you can't see any cells as they are bonded to a sheet of aluminium.
Today no voltage from either panel and yesterday 18v from each panel when tested?
Thanks
G

No the panels are still on the van,

Just put the multi meter directly on the bars that the wires are solder to and had no voltage at all on both panels yet yesterday they were working?
Any one got any ideas as I'm a bit stumped tbh?
Thanks
G

Mine looks as if it's the same material (hard)
I'll get the dremmel out and start with that I think and see how it goes.
Yes I agree there doesn't seem to be much in the way of solder on it by the looks!
Cheers
G

ethelred the ready wrote: I think I should have another cup of tea, my brain isn't working.

How did you clean the potting compound out so you could get at the wires?
Cheers
G

Yes, I think I will go right through it when I get a couple of hours.
Thanks
G

I went out to the van to start testing the panels and thought I'd re-connect the " solar panels in" wire back to the control unit and it's now working? The van hasn't moved since parking it up yesterday so no chance that I've moved any wiring but now it's working again?
G