Sunforce 60125 50 Amp Pro Series Charge Controller

I bought this unit for a small 4 panel (~30 amp max) system. I figured the 50 amp model would be a good derating margin. So far it seems to be working well (2 weeks). I have only 2 criticisms the LCD menu system is quite cryptic, symbols and dashes that you have to interpret according to the manual (RTFM) I guess it's inherently multilingual, like universal road signs. During normal operation it alternately displays the battery state of charge (relative scale, not volts) and whether the battery is charging, a nice feature. The other thing is that for a 50 amp unit, it is bit physically anemic. I would like to see an extruded aluminum enclosure for something like this, instead of a plastic case, and with heftier connectors. The connectors seem suited for #12 wire at best, anything bigger would be the tail wagging the dog, although as large as #8 is recommended depending upon the circumstances. I used #12 stranded for only a short run (~ 6") then graduated to larger wire. The unit defaults to Gel Cell mode instead of Liquid Electrolyte (liquid is probably more common, since the deep-cycle batteries you'll likely use are liquid) so that is the first setting to check. You might want to turn off the buzzer too, since it will beep when the battery changes voltage (likely to happen anytime you turn on a load!). These settings are saved to Flash so you can shut it off without losing them.

I bought the Sunforhce 50 amp Controller about 2 years ago, but just now installed it on a mini solar station (9 panel 135 watt system. I agree totally with the first reviewer...seems functional, but have not tried it for very long (one week). The cheesy plastic casing looks like it would fall apart if banged, so u have to be careful with it. It has little tiny screws that hold your big fat wire. Also, the unit looks so fragile and one does not think that 50 amps could possibly flow through it without melting it...but, it seems to hold up well (however, time will tell).

The instruction sheet is printed in 6 pt type so wear your reading glasses. And, it is very esoteric so you have to spend a little extra time re-reading and practicing how to use the menu, which is very cryptic...but with a little effort, solvable. One of their competitors, "Morningstar", is very reputable and has a very nice rugged looking unit for half the price, but also half the amps (25 amp unit).

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