MPPT Chargers
100w kits come with a PWM charger as standard but an upgrade is advised, and essential for 200w and 300w kits
MPPT chargers typically produce 20% to 30% more charging power from the same panel than a PWM charger (in our experience 20% is realistic). At the bottom of this page is a technical explanation why.
Before we go any further - a heads up - ALL the chargers will charge multiple (dual) leisure batteries - i.e. if you have two leisure batteries linked together - they just get seen as one larger single battery by the MPPT charger. When you see reference to a "dual" or "duo" battery charger - this refers to the fact it can charge multiple leisure batteries AND your starter battery.
Left is the 10Amp 130W MPPT charger with built in LCD display. The black LCD on the right is the optional "external/remote LCD" display. You can buy the charger upgrade with or without the remote LCD which shows the same information as the charger's built in display, but with more information on the screen at one time. It also means you can install the charger in a cupboard and flush mount the remote LCD in the side of a cupboard/wall/surface (the LCD is shown in it's surface mounting box, but it can be removed and mounted almost flush). It links to the charger with one slim network cable.
Victron SmartSolar Bluetooth MPPT
75/15, or 100/20 (for 300w system)
What is different about this charger is that there is no LCD display at all. You can access charging information and configure the charger via your smartphone with the supplied app (iOS & Android) using bluetooth. The charger is highly configurable via the app - right down to how the charging cycle works!
Do you have a lithium power bank like the EcoFlow River or similar? With the Victron chargers you can use the "load" output to charge your power bank as well as it charging your leisure batteries as normal. The Victron prioritises giving your leisure batteries a full charge at least once a day whilst also charging your power bank via the load terminals with any spare power. You can even manually specify the exact minimum voltage the Victron will charge your leisure batteries to before it enables the charging of your power bank, giving you full control of how much priority your camper batteries have when solar charging.
If you want to do this we can supply a female cigar style socket on a cable for you to plug your power bank into.
Epever Duo / Dual Chargers
These chargers will also top up your starter battery!
The Epever DuoRacer series is a dual battery MPPT charger. This MPPT solar regulator will charge both your starter battery and your leisure batter/ies. We stock the 20Amp version, wihich will run a single, dual or triple panel setup happily (note: with 300watts of solar, the charger will discard anything over 260w as that is it's maximum capability - but this is extremely rare). Do be aware that the starter battery charges at a maximum of 1Amp regardless of available solar power - it is meant as a maintenance charge - so this charger is not designed so you can run items off your starter battery when camping, it is meant for people who leave their vans unused for long periods at a time (more than a few weeks at a time) and need the starter battery kept in good order. For regular users, just driving your van keeps the starter battery topped up.
Additionally, you can add a remote MT11 LCD display panel that repeats the information on the charger screen. It comes with a 3m cable.
MPPT Explained:
20% or more extra power from the same panel/s
An MPPT charger works differently from a PWM charger. Solar panels typically produce 12-23volts. The voltage goes down as the sun diminishes, and as the panel gets hot. To charge a leisure battery the volatge of the charger needs to be more than the voltage of the leisure battery - approx 13volts. This is why solar panels produce up to 23volts, so there is some room to play with. We always recommend MPPT chargers with slimline panels as they priduce a higher voltage, which suits MPPT better - you waste less energy.
When a panel is produces, say, 18 volts, a PWM charger "throws away" the spare 5 volts as heat. With MPPT the charger turns the spare voltage into charging current. The voltage lowers but the amperage increases. The upshot is that, in ideal conditions, an MPPT charger can extract an extra 30% charging power from the same solar panel. Ideal conditions are bright sun and low temperatures - which means winter, or bright but cool days - i.e. frequent British Springs/Autumns.
An MPPT charger is the way to extract every last drop of energy from your solar panel and are particularly recommended for ultra-slim panels.
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