BZ500 works best at 48 Volts input.
The MPPT500 is a great charge contoler for a stand alone solar panel system. It is one of the few that not only boosts the current going into the batteries but also will fully top off the batteries without overcharging and boiling them off. Other charge controlers that have MPPT and Absolute float voltage contol that gradually ruduces the curent as the batteries top off cost twice as much per watt and dont come with the 5 year warrentee. I have 1680 watts being controled by four (4) MPPT500 units from a mix of different size panels running either a 2 pannel series/Paralel or a 3 panel series/paralel (24 volt(35 volt)/36 volt (47 volt)) of 12 volt panels (nominal 17.6 volt outputs each) and the MPPT coverts the voltage automaticly to the 12 volt RV type system I have and boosts the current by taking the extra 3 volts over the 14.6 needed and convering the raw power to more amps to the batteries. Other shunt type charge controlers can not convert. They just shunt the panels and disconect the battery when the average voltage goes above 14.1 Volts and that happens when the batteries are only 70% full. Wasted energy!
MY four MPPT500 units are used parallel and do not interfear with each other so the only limit to how much wattage you want to use is the Number of MPPT Units you wish to connect to the batteries and the total watts of penels you install. I limit the input at 420 watts each system to reduce the heat the charge controler produces.
My fist unit failed after 4 years when the plastic screws that heat sink the diodes melted and fell to the bottom of the controlers box and they lost their heat sink. BZ products replaced the unit and they told me to series the panels instead of parraleling all the 12 volt panels because that reduces the input current and makes the MPPT portion more efficient with their new software programed to be most efficient closer to 48 volts. I also took a 2 watt 3 inch computer fan and wired it on a separate solar panel of 15 watts to run when the current started to flow above 3 Amps and I placed it on the Left Diode Side of the box to help cool the enclosure that acts as a heat sink. Now they run very cool and I am very pleased with the Product.
They are not designed for wet locations so I would not recomend one for a sail boat or other water craft but for and RV or home, they are a great way to start your low cost solar panel system and if you get a great deal on solar panels that have 70 to 80 volt outputs that would normally be series for on on grid system, just paralel a couple of panels to the MPPT500HV and use the higher voltage and convert to 12,24 or 48 volt battery system. Remember, If you series 4 12 volt panels you will get an input voltage of 70.4 Volts, not 48 volts. The MPPT500HV is designed for up to 100 volts top end input, the MPPT500 is designed for 48 Volts or 3-12 volt panels in series for top performance but will work with them all paraleeled at 17.6 volts if you do not have a long lead in run like I did (over 50 feet)
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