BRAVO PRO 30 - 30 Amp Flush Mount MPPT Solar Charge Controller

A 30 amp MPPT controller built to sit flush in a cabinet face rather than bolt to a bulkhead, with Bluetooth already inside it. Rich Solar has renamed this model BRAVO PRO 30; you may still see it listed as BRAVO FLUSH 30 elsewhere. It is the same controller.

Why this controller

• Bluetooth and app control are built in. The surface-mount MPPT controllers in this range need the separately sold BT-1 module to do the same job, which is most of the price difference between them.
• Solar input accepts 8 to 100 V with an MPPT tracking window of 15 to 72 V, so it is comfortable with two or three panels in series rather than being limited to one.
• Battery support is unusually wide: gel, AGM, wet, calcium, crystal, LiFePO4, LTO and LCO, plus a customisable profile.
• Rich Solar quotes 99.5 percent MPPT tracking and 98 percent conversion efficiency.
• IP43, which is better sealed than the IP32 surface-mount units, though still not a weatherproof rating.
• Standby draw is 10 mA, low enough to leave connected over a winter layup.

Installation and limits

• The recommended array is 500 W at 12 V and 1000 W at 24 V, but charge current is capped at 30 amps. On a 12 volt bank that cap is reached at roughly 430 watts, so a full 500 watt array will be clipped in strong sun. That is normal practice rather than a fault, but it is worth knowing the last 70 watts will not always reach the battery.
• Rated IP43. Protected against spraying water, not immersion or road spray. Mount it inside.
• Operating range is -13°F to 122°F.
• The unit is 8.3 x 6.1 x 2.2 inches and weighs 1.8 lb, so it is light enough for a thin cabinet door.
• The external battery temperature sensor and the external digital remote display are both listed as options and are not supplied.
• One inconsistency on Rich Solar's page worth noting: the feature list and product title claim UL1741 certification, while the specification table lists the certification as ETL. ETL is a testing body that lists products to the UL1741 standard, so the two are not necessarily in conflict, but the page states them differently. Ask for the certificate if the distinction matters to your inspection.

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 balance.
• Original purchaser only, and not transferable.