Australian 4WD Action - June 2018

WORDS BY MICHAEL TYRRELL

Solar set-ups don’t need to be complicated – power up with these

top tips and you’ll be hitting the tracks to free camp in no time.

CONTACT

BAINBRIDGE

TECHNOLOGIES

1300 224 683

http://www.baintech.com.au

WHAT’S THE BEST

FIND OUT

MORE

Want to know more?

Head over to

baintech.com.au/allaboutsolar

N

ot all set-ups are

the same, different

fridge/freezer

brands will all have

a different power

draw. It’s important to

understand what the total draw

of your equipment will be as this

will then determine how much

power is required.

PWM OR MPPT?

Both types of solar controllers/

regulators are used to charge

your batteries via solar power.

Solar controllers are essential

when it comes to solar charging,

the Pulse Width Modulation

(PWM) or Maximum Power Point

Tracking (MPPT) regulator will

prevent overcharging and

potentially ruining your

batteries. As the name suggests,

your solar controller/regulator

will regulate the voltage that is

being transferred directly into

your battery.

PWM PROS

A PWM such as the VICTRON

BlueSolar is designed to provide

stable charge by matching the

charge rate to the voltage of the

battery. This means a battery

with low voltage level will

receive approximately the same

charge rate, increasing with the

increase of state of charge.

• Cost effective solution for
  smaller solar requirements,
  as much as half the price of
  an MPPT


• Provides a stable and
  safe charge to your
  battery, reducing stress
  on your batteries


• Requires less power to
  activate, showing itself to be
  more effi cient on small solar
  set-ups under 500 watts

MPPT PROS

• Best choice for higher
  power systems exceeding
  over 500 watts


• MPPT chargers can produce
  a better charge rate up to
  30% more effi cient when
  dealing with larger panel
  arrays on your system


• MPPT will outperform
  a PWM in cold to
  temperate climates

MEASURE

YOUR WATTS

Want to know how much

power your solar panels are

producing? Our Baintech Watt

Meter and Power Analyser

will do just that. Simple to

connect, the watt meter is

connected between your

regulator and solar panels,

via the grey Anderson

connectors. The watt meter

continuously displays volts,

amps, and watts.

THE ULTIMATE

SOLAR SYSTEM

If you’re after a simple plug and

play solar solution to power

SOLAR CONTROLLER

FOR MY SYSTEM?

your adventures, the Baintuff

Solar Blanket with Victron PWM

will provide up to 10amps an

hour in optimal sunny

conditions. Paired with the

PowerTop v3, you’ve built a

stand alone portable power

system that can take you

anywhere. The PowerTop V3 is

built on a 100Ah gel battery. The

PowerTop’s battery is charged

via the inbuilt AC, DC and Solar

inputs using universal Anderson

plug connectors which give you

the fl exibility to access power

how you want.

DID YOU

KNOW?

Your solar panels could be

draining your battery. When

left connected at night, and

without the right MPPT or

PWM it’s possible for

electricity to fl ow backwards

from your batteries through

the solar panels and start to

drain your batteries.

WWW.4WDACTION.COM.AU

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