60 Amp MPPT Solar Charge Controller

The only controller in this Rich Solar range that handles 36 and 48 volt banks as well as 12 and 24. It detects system voltage on its own and will take up to 800 watts of array at 12 volts, 1600 at 24 volts, 2400 at 36 volts and 3200 at 48 volts. If you are building past a couple of kilowatts, this is where the range stops being an RV product and starts being a cabin one.

Why this controller

• 150 volt maximum PV input, well above the 100 volt ceiling on the 20, 30 and 40 amp models. That extra headroom is what lets you run longer series strings and thinner wire over a long roof-to-battery run.
• Sixty amps of charge current, enough to bring a large bank up in a single good day rather than over a weekend.
• Rich Solar quotes tracking efficiency up to 99 percent and peak conversion efficiency of 98 percent. Both are peak figures, not what the unit averages across a day.
• Works with sealed, gel, flooded and lithium batteries, and will recover an over-discharged lithium pack.
• Terminals accept conductors up to 11 mm, which is what a 60 amp charge circuit actually needs.
• Cast aluminium body, passively cooled, no fan.

Installation and limits

• The PV voltage ceiling moves with temperature: 150 V at 77°F but 145 V at -13°F. String sizing has to be checked against the coldest morning of the year, because panel open-circuit voltage climbs as temperature drops.
• Charge current is 60 amps but the load output is still only 20 amps, the same as the 30 and 40 amp models. Do not size a DC load circuit against the headline number.
• Rich Solar does not publish an ingress rating for this model, although the smaller units in the range are rated IP32. Treat it as an indoor or sealed-compartment device until Rich Solar states otherwise.
• Operating range is -31°F to 113°F.
• At 11.2 x 8.1 x 3.7 inches and 7.94 lb this is a noticeably larger and heavier unit than the 30 and 40 amp models. Check your panel space before ordering as a drop-in replacement.
• Bluetooth monitoring runs through the RS232 port and needs the separately sold BT-1 module.

Warranty

• Rich Solar covers MPPT controllers for two years.
• The term is prorated: full replacement in year one, then 50 percent coverage in year two with the customer paying the rest.
• Original purchaser only, and not transferable.