Customer Reviews

HQRP Solar Power Controller 10Amp 150W with Digital LED Display plus HQRP UV Chain / UV Radiation Health Tester

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For the past few years I used the SunForce 7A charge controller and it worked very well. When I added another panel to my small system I upgraded to this model to handle the extra few amps.

This charger is really a step above the SunForce model in the same price range. It is not simply an "on/off" solid state switch... it controls/limits the current to the batteries to maintain a very precise voltage. When the batteries have been fully charged, it then float-charges at a constant rate. This will keep the batteries much healthier over time than simply cycling between 13.1V and 14.2V. If you are using SLA or Gel-SLA batteries, I think you'll really find this charger is made for these types of batteries.

I like the output load control. A simple push-button on the front of the unit turns the load on/off, and the small "digital LED display" is just a red LED indicating if the load is on. It doesn't give any sort of digital readout like the details above say, however it's not necessary if you have your voltmeter handy.

The LED indicators are sufficient, telling you if the solar system is providing power, the battery condition, and the load state. The wiring terminals seem sturdy and can handle 10-gauge wire which is nice. As others have said, the manual is sort of a joke. It gives you the bare basics but since this is a pretty simple device you don't need a book to figure it out.

Really pretty happy with this unit. I was considering the SunForce 30A charger which is over 2x the price of this unit, but glad I tried this one first.

There was a good week delay before this vendor shipped. The product is very straightforward to hook up, and has reversed polarity protection. The green lights on the unit were indicating my battery was fully charged, yet it was only at 12.2 V (not fully charged at all). As one other person indicated, the low-voltage cut off is fairly low, and your battery would be severely depleted before disconnecting. Having a higher voltage cut off would be much better for the battery. This is basically an entry-level controller, so I figured I'd got about what I paid for. I would certainly not choose as controller for a large array, but for one or 2 panels it should perform adequately. I have yet to check the higher voltage cut off, but is it supposed to kick off at 13.1 V. The maximum input voltage is supposed to be about 14.4 V, and have not seen readings higher than this. There seems to be a lot of "noise" on input voltage, but it gets the job done nevertheless. Again, about worth what I paid for it. This is certainly not a high-end product, but does perform adequately for the price.

I truly enjoy this purchase.
The feature I like most is the ability to use 6mm2(10ga) wire from my solar panels.Where as most controllers only accept 4mm2(12ga) wire.
The item I like the least is the Digital feature. I thought it was a digital read out display,it turns out it is a digital controlled display. This is a minor misunderstanding on my behalf. Still I enjoy the size,price,amp rating,but mostly the wire terminal lugs ability to accept 10ga. wire.
I recommend this product.

While the instructions are minimal - and apparently made by those for whom English is not the first language - the unit itself is first class and an order of magnitude better than the SunForce 7amp controller, which is just an on/off electric switch. My only complaint is that the LEDs are recessed and diffused, and viewable only from directly in front of the unit. I strongly urge anyone considering the SunForce controller to spend another $10 and buy this vastly superior product. It's hard to believe that there is only a $10 difference in price between this unit and the SunForce.

This is a good charge controller unit. It's passable as a low voltage load disconnect but at 11.1v disconnect, your battery is almost completely drained and that is not good for the battery.

But, I've looked around a lot for low voltage disconnect devices, and short of paying almost $100 for a certain unit that can only function as EITHER a charge controller OR a lvd, I have not found any devices that fit both needs together. Shame this unit does not have the adjustability for the low voltage disconnect, then it'd be perfect.

So, until someone produces such a device, I recommend this one for the cheap side of things, and using an LCD or audible alarm to warn when the voltage on your battery drops below 12.1+/- to disconnect it manually so you are not damaging the battery by excessive discharge.

No complaints at all with the controller but the directions should be MUCH better. Having said that, I will be buying from this company again.

It arrived undamaged and well packed. The setup was very easy and the instructions told me exactly the order in which to connect it. Once connected, it started charging right away. Even though it is almost dark outside, it is still charging the batteries from the solar panels. One feature that I like is the ability to turn on and off the load without having to unplug it. I will have to wait to see how long it lasts. Overall it's a very well-designed and easy to use product.

I have a set of small solar panels sending at most 1.3 amps at 18V to this unit. The unit is inside my house controlling a pair of 12V batteries(powering LED lights for a living room at night). It stays room temp, and never heats up(shouldn't given the small current it is dealing with). Sends safe voltage to my batteries (not 18V) and easily dissipates extra energy when the batteries are full. I like being able to turn off the current by the button on the unit when I don't want it on. One issue, when the batteries drain all the way and the sun comes out the controller starts in the powered on position and can waste energy if you are not around to shut it off.

I am now using this with an array of solar panels and it it is working as designed. I have no complaints of this product. Helps maintains the level of charge in my deep cycle batteries and prevents them from getting over charged.

I bought one of these to go with a 20 watt solar panel to keep the coach batteries charged in my Class A RV. If the RV is allowed to sit for periods of time the charge in the batteries will bleed off and a process of sulfation will ruin them. Good 6V golf cart batteries are expensive. I park my RV where there is no source of power to run a trickle charger so I opted for a small solar panel and this controller. The unit seems well constructed and the electrical contacts accommodate fairly large wire size. I used 12 gauge but I also checked the fit of 10 gauge wire and had no problems with that either. The documentation is pretty simple but there isn't much to hooking this thing up - in my case 4 wires, 2 positive and 2 negative. The electrical connections are clearly marked on the unit and you don't even need to read the instructions to install it. I connected it to my batteries that were slightly discharged and this system brought them up to full charge and then backed the voltage off to maintain them at full charge without overcharging. I think this is going to make my RV batteries last much longer and hold a larger charge.