Trouble Choosing a MPPT Charge Controller.

[Bongos2k]

I have 2 panels, both 300Watts Specs as follows
MPP Voltage = 32
MPP Current = 9.4
Open circuit voltage = 39.8
Short circuit current = 9.98
Max system voltage 1000v

I already have a 12volt inverter, and battery setup of 311.8 AH at 12V with things running on 12V as well.

I am not worried about getting every Watt i can out of the controller, and have no issue over paneling its rating if allowed. IE: 14.4V @ 30 amp output =432W but 600W of panels.(40Amp would be a bit better in my situation) Throwing some energy away as *heat?*(I assume) but having more panel for when its cloudy.
From my research , the Renogy Tracers and Commanders and such do not list on their site as being able to go over their rating - BUT - The actual manufacturers of the product list it being fine by up to 3X the rated amount before frying the controller.
I have no plans to ever update the system to 24 or 48 volts and buy new equipment . This is a camp with a set amount of things that need to ever be powered.

Please help me choose/recommend me an acceptable MPPT charge controller for my 600W of panel .It's other requirement is the ability to handle the 39.8x2 Voc, + the leeway for the -55F temps that are possible. My budget is only around 200 dollars, but something of amazing quality and that is Ideal i could go to about 300. I do not wish to spend 500 dollars.
Thanks for any assistance you all can give , as i am in a rush to get this setup by next week and my head is spinning doing all the planning.

[Mike90250]

You are stuck, Something has to give. I've not found quality and cheap together,
For your situation I'd suggest the Midnight Kid http://www.midnitesolar.com/pages/kid/index.php
or the
Morningstar Prostar 40 http://www.morningstarcorp.com/products/prostar-mppt/

[Bongos2k]

You are stuck, Something has to give. I've not found quality and cheap together,
For your situation I'd suggest the Midnight Kid http://www.midnitesolar.com/pages/kid/index.php
or the
Morningstar Prostar 40 http://www.morningstarcorp.com/products/prostar-mppt/

None of the cheaper devices will handle the extra input without burning up?

[Bongos2k]

You are stuck, Something has to give. I've not found quality and cheap together,
For your situation I'd suggest the Midnight Kid http://www.midnitesolar.com/pages/kid/index.php
or the
Morningstar Prostar 40 http://www.morningstarcorp.com/products/prostar-mppt/

None of the cheaper controllers can handle the input without burning up or flipping out and shutting off?

[Bongos2k]

None of the cheaper controllers can handle the input without overheating or going nuts and shutting off?
I had looked at the Kid - but it was a bit pricy and told me my setup was rated 1.4 which is excessive.
I liked the stats and promises on those morningstar's . Just not the 465 dollar price.

[B-17]

The MidNite Kid provides a solid unit, with very good people behind the product, plus it is made in the U.S.

[Brian53713]

I've had luck with Victron energy blue solar mppt. They seem to be respected company, tons of marine and off grid items. Claim to have a good warranty. And a cool Bluetooth dongle, to monitor the system. Also tons of things to read about online, and very quick technical back ,up online. I was tempted by the Renogy mppt also. I have not read a bad thing about victron energy.

[Bongos2k]

I've had luck with Victron energy blue solar mppt. They seem to be respected company, tons of marine and off grid items. Claim to have a good warranty. And a cool Bluetooth dongle, to monitor the system. Also tons of things to read about online, and very quick technical back ,up online. I was tempted by the Renogy mppt also. I have not read a bad thing about victron energy.

The 100/30 i had found for 227 dollars i think? Looked very good when i looked earlier. The dongle for bluetooth being about 55 dollars made me roll my eyes a little and almost forget about them until you mentioned it.

That puts it's total to about 280 or so - so in line with that Midnite Kid.
The extra 50V input makes does leave upgrade comfort for moving to 24v and adding a 3rd panel (even though i know i never will unless i receive a free 24v inverter )
I like the idea of the extra headway , as it does regularly get to -35F easily in the winter many times. Sometimes even -15 in September.
The Kid already has a nice easy looking display, so no need to buy other junk. Looks like i could put a small computer fan on the heatsink as well.
The one video i saw on it , had no fuse in the "LOAD CLIPPER" slot. Is this something i need to purchase separately ?

[PNPmacnab]

2) A PV array with a higher sort circuit current may damage the controller

That line really bothers me. Many of these controllers are really shy on the input capacitors. These capacitors are the storage medium that saves the energy between the on pulses of the FET . Like any component they will heat up when they see a lot of current. A caps temperature rating is generally for about 4,000 hours and then they begin to fail. We built a legacy product that one customer used 24 hours a day. He was complaining about them failing after two years like clockwork. I checked the mfg spec and that life was dead on with the calculation. Cheap controller could start to fail after 3-4 years. One solution is to add external capacitors to help carry the load. That line in their spec tells me their efficiency drops at high power and they use the solar panels as a current limiter. Extra caps will blow this unit up. Note: as long as the caps don't short out the controller will still work. It will just be PWM then. And they hope you won't notice that.

[Mike90250]

None of the cheaper devices will handle the extra input without burning up?

You might have to burn through 3 or 4 cheap units before you find a brand that is robustly engineered to not burn up. The good ones, when they start to
overheat, begin to limit output amps to a safe amount, and then reduce that if it gets hotter, to preserve itself.

[Brian53713]

Does anybody have any experience with Victron energy controllers? Or know of any experience to speak of? They seem to have a wide array of heavy duty looking equipment. They appear to have a five year warranty on the items I've looked at. Are they one of the respected brands? Or very common in the USA at all?

[Sunking]

You want cheap here is cheap and will work Wire both panels in parallel and use a 20-amp PWM Controller. You get what you pay for.

[Brian53713]

I feel I am using Victron mppt effectively. Still the question is there, does anyone have any experience with these heavy duty looking line of products. With tons of support to make it look even more attractive.

[Mike90250]

I feel I am using Victron mppt effectively. Still the question is there, does anyone have any experience with these heavy duty looking line of products. With tons of support to make it look even more attractive.

What does their support say? I don't think Victron has much market share in the USA yet.

[B-17]

Victron is just another name for a low grade Chinese product. Not anything I want to use in my home or even outbuildings.
Until the Kid was completed, there were no good options in small MPPT controllers, now there is... let's support the corrageous US engineers

[Brian53713]

If you haven't looked at the heavy duty technical stuff that they offer on their website, you're not doing anybody a favor by bad-mouthing this heavy duty stuff. 40 Years of power supply equipment, and a great reputation they seem to have.