How To Test Solar Panel Regulator

As most solar panels are 12 volts the solar panel test methods are basically the same.

How to test solar panel regulator.

Voltage drops in the negative line. Make sure that the alligator clips are in the right port to find the. Voltage drops in the positive line. That being done connect the solar panel to the controller and also the controller to the solar batteries.

Set the meter to above 200 vcd to ensure you get the most accurate reading possible. Touch the multi meter s red positive lead to your solar panel s positive wire. Re connect the solar panel directly to the battery without the regulator. Solar current should be constant.

To ensure that you don t blow your device s fuse set the maximum amperage sensitivity to well above your expected reading. Panel disconnected from the controller. Solar panel open circuit voltage i e. To test the regulator.

Some exceptions may apply based on panel type. In doing so the battery pulls the solar panel down to its voltage let s take a typical 12 5 volts for the battery voltage. Measure operating current as described above. Disconnect the positive cable that is.

Solar panel voltage controller input controller output and battery voltage. Testing solar panels for volts to test solar panel voltage output put your solar panel in direct sunlight set your multi meter to the volts setting and. Testing the voltage simply touch the solar panel leads with the multi meter probes matching their corresponding polarity red to red black to black. I recorded current three times during testing and calculated the average.

To test solar panel amperage output put your solar panel in direct sunlight set your multi meter to the dc amps setting. The diagram shows a typical iv curve for a 60w solar panel which plots the behaviour of its voltage horizontal axis and current vertical axis left. Measure the operating current by connecting the ve from the multimeter to the positive. Set the measurements of the multimeter to dc amps.

The blue line also shows power output in watts vertical axis right. Open circuit voltage can vary depending on your solar panel but the readings we are usually looking for are in the range of 15 to 23v. You will want to ensure that you place the positive to positive and negative to negative when attaching your multimeter to the connection on the back of your solar panel.