Morningstar ProStar PS-30 30A PWM Charge Controller without Display GEN 3Write a review

I bought 2 of these and am very pleased with the ease of connection and the display. Peter at Alt-E was great to assist me in figuring out my needs. We had many calls before my purchase. He also gave me some ideas to look at going forward.

Installed this in my RV to control 2x120W panels. Works like a charm!

THE PRODUCT WORKS WELL, AND SEEMS TO LET MY BATTERIES CHARGE BETTER THAN A NO NAME BRAND THAT I PURCHASED A YEAR AGO ,AND DIED. I AM SO FAR VERY PLEASED. ASK ME AGAIN IN TWO YEARS.

Pros:
-uses bare-wire connection lugs so you don
t need crimp connectors
-battery-type selector is a rotary switch
-ambient temp sensor is well protected from damage
-very well built

Cons:
-no indication of charge mode! (Subtracted one star)
-falls back from float to accept mode under some cloudy/overcast/intermittent sunlight conditions. (Subtracted one star)

I assumed the PS30 was just the big brother to the Sunsaver I have - same software with bigger output FETs and heat sink. I was wrong. This model requires a voltmeter to tell what mode it
s in - the led blinks once it starts regulating but you can
t tell if its in accept, float or equalize mode. This hides the fact that in one day it can fall back into accept mode presumably because of intermittent daylight. That overcharges the batteries and oils off electrolyte.

The version that comes with a voltmeter won
t be much of an improvement if its a tiny LCD you have to get right up on to read. I
ve never seen one aside from the ad.

I would not recommend this controller.