{"product_id":"bravo-waterproof-8-8-amp-waterproof-pwm-solar-charge-controller","title":"BRAVO Waterproof 8 - 8 Amp Waterproof PWM Solar Charge Controller","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is the smallest and cheapest sealed controller Rich Solar makes, and it is aimed squarely at keeping one battery topped up in a place that gets wet: a trailer, a gate opener, a boat left on a mooring. At roughly half the price of the Waterproof 10 for only twenty percent less current, it is the sensible pick if the job really is one small panel and one battery.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWhy this controller\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e8 amps of solar input on a 12V battery. That is one nominal 12V panel, and a modest one.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIP65 housing with corrosion-resistant terminals and a conformal coating on the board. IP65 means dust-tight and protected against low-pressure water jets. It is not an immersion rating, so despite the product name, do not submerge it.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNight-time draw is only 2mA, lower than the 5mA of the larger units in the range. That matters on a battery you leave connected all winter.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBattery chemistry is set with a DIP switch, covering flooded, AGM, GEL and LiFePO4. The 15.5V equalisation stage applies to lead-acid; set the switch correctly so it does not run on lithium.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOver-voltage, short-circuit, reverse-polarity and thermal protection, with charging shutting down at 149F.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRich Solar's title calls this the number one waterproof solar controller. No ranking body or publication is named anywhere on the page, so treat that as advertising rather than a finding.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWhat you give up against the Waterproof 10 and 20\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNo port for an external battery temperature sensor. The larger units in this range have one; this one compensates internally at -24mV per degree C and that is all. If your battery sits somewhere much hotter or colder than the controller, step up a model.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSmaller M4 terminals taking 12 AWG rather than the 10 AWG of the bigger units, so cable runs need to be short.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSlightly higher minimum operating voltage at 9V rather than 8V.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRich Solar publishes only a single photograph of this product, so there are fewer angles here than on the rest of the range.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMounting and wiring\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRead this first: the controller uses a common POSITIVE grounding scheme, the opposite of the negative-chassis convention on most vehicles. Confirm how your system is bonded before wiring.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eArray open-circuit voltage must stay below 25V DC, with a normal window of 15 to 22V. That is a single 12V panel. Check Voc at your coldest expected temperature, because cold weather raises it.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e12V systems only. There is no 24V mode.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThis is PWM, not MPPT. The panel is pulled down to battery voltage rather than having the excess converted, so expect noticeably less than the panel's nameplate output.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMounts vertically to a flat surface with the three supplied spacers and self-tapping screws.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA California Proposition 65 warning applies to this product.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWarranty\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRich Solar's published warranty on charge controllers runs two years and is prorated: full coverage in the first year, 50 percent in the second.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClaims are handled by Rich Solar directly. Register the product and keep your invoice.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"RICHSOLAR","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46392691425430,"sku":"RS-PWM8","price":10.39,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0676\/5291\/1254\/files\/12V8AMP.jpg?v=1785893148","url":"https:\/\/sunenergydepot.com\/products\/bravo-waterproof-8-8-amp-waterproof-pwm-solar-charge-controller","provider":"sunenergydepot.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}