I have solar panels on top of my RV to keep a battery charged. I have not been using the RV, so it has been sitting here. The Solar Commander series IV solar battery charge controller was functioning fine until the other day when I noticed none of the panel lights were lit.
I didn't immediately check it out but, yesterday (Tuesday) I decided to check the condition of the battery. I found the battery voltage was less than 1V. There was nothing turned on to discharge the battery that I know of. Then I started checking at the controller. The panels were putting out 19V but, nothing was going to the battery and as I mentioned, none of the panel lights were on.
I saw nothing on a visual check of the circuit board but, my son said he could see a couple of shiny spots when he held the circuit board in the shade.
Please advise, is there any hope for this controller?
Comments
Is there a chance that the battery is drained? The batteries might have reached the end of their life cycle.
To check whether it's the battery or the charge controller, I'd disconnect all battery and load cables; and connect a small load (such as a DC fan, a light) and see whether it would run.
If the controller output works, try charging a different battery for a couple of minutes. (like a car battery- be sure to check the controller specifications for different type of batteries)
If you are sure that the charge controller is broken, the best bet would be to contact the manufacturer's technical support.