Wanderer 30 Amp 12V Advanced PWM Negative Ground Solar Charge Controller Battery Regulator Compatible with Sealed, Gel, and Flooded Batteries and Wanderer Temperature Sensor

One sentence summary: this charge controller is cheap, simple and works well in my use case (which has nothing to do with solar).My use case for this controller is a bit atypical. I wanted a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for some small electronics (Raspberry Pi, automatic cat feeder, modem/router, etc), but I didn't want to pay hundreds for the typical APC style UPS that came with an unknown inverter and unknown, potentially irreplaceable battery type. I wasn't sure if this device could be used as a UPS (that is, the battery would take up the load quick enough in the event of a power outage), so I just wanted to get something cheap to try it out. Turns out it does work, well.I paired this device with a 120W 12VDC AC/DC power supply. This power supply acts as the solar panel (I may actually use solar panels in the future, but for now I have an AC/DC power supply so that's what I'm using). I hooked up an old motorcycle battery that I had laying around as the battery bank. I hope to upgrade this to an actual AGM battery bank soon, but since my loads are so low this will last for all of the basic few second power outages that would reset my RPi or modem/router. Then to the load side I attached some DC voltage regulators to output the various voltages that I need (5VDC for the RPi, 4.5VDC for the cat feeder, various voltages for the router/modem).Overall this device functions well. I tested it with a 65w load and when the AC/DC power supply cuts out, the battery takes up operation in a quick enough time frame that my electronics don't shut off. There are lots of modes of operation, but I just use the manual one (6 I think?) because my devices need power 24/7. I can't say how well the battery charge functions because the motorcycle battery is pretty old and takes forever to charge, but the controller does charge it and maintain the charge well.So, all in all, this is a good little device. My use is a bit atypical (UPS), but I'm surprised and happy to learn that this little thing functions just fine for my use.EDIT: After having the system in use for a few days, I noticed the battery voltage was a bit low although the controller indicated it was "within range" (single green light). I did some research and learned that charge controllers will NOT step up a low input voltage to a higher voltage to charge the battery. The power supply I have caps out at about 12.99VDC so it looks like my battery will never attain full charge with this supply. I'm doing more research to determine a proper voltage for input supply.

Works great. I went with this units over the others I see with all the features. Back light, how much power is panel putting out, how much battery power do you have, what is the temperature in the battery bay etc. All is that is just a drain on what your trying to do, which is to charge the battery. I mounted this unit in my 5th wheel trailer by the inverter. I did not see the point of running a 20ft cable to the inside of the trailer and a 20ft cable back to the battery. 40ft of cable will cause you to lose a small amount of amperage. I rather have the extra amperage charging the battery. Easy to use and straight forward. Nice to set type of battery.

This charge controller works as advertized BUT, connecting wiring is a bit of a pain.also the unit really doesn't seem to accept wire diameter's large enough for a 30 amp input which is of course it's rating.I an feeding this thing about 20 amps from my panels and had to trim strands off the wire to make it fit in the connector.part two is that the screw for securing wires wire are very small and easy to strip, be careful.God electrical design put not so good on the mechanical part. Have two of these but went with a Instapark unit for the third oneand it is much easier to use.

If you are looking for all the trimmings or running a large household grid tie array, this is not the controller for you. If you are looking to automatically light up the barn on all sides, you will adore this. For small solar power needs, such as rv, cabin, camping, and other plain deployments, this will simply do. In a word, I would peg this controller as "perfectly adequate".I've had this controller for one year, so can attest to its reliability. It has served me, and under non-ideal conditions of some rigour. It has seen the extremes of desert heat and cold. It has ventured to mountaintops and been dusted with grit and grime. And it still works, topping off my two small industrial deep cycle batteries and floating them just as specs detail. I know this because I added an inexpensive, but nonetheless equally hardy, voltmeter into the line.It would have been nice to have that information displayed by the controller itself instead of selecting for photocell options. There is something a bit ridiculous and obsessive about the numerous options for automatic power for lighting. I've never used any of these. But if you need to light that barn or flag pole, you will enjoy this.The unit feels well built on the whole. The enclosure is sturdy. I cracked it open to examine and all was neat, no components cold soldered. But for a unit presumably meant to be mounted outside, there is not even a fig leaf of water resistance. Also, the ports for connecting wires are perfunctory at best. If you planned on using anything better than #10 AWG wires direct to the box, think again. Even at #10, it is a tight squeeze into a somewhat jiggly screw clamp. I've hitherto had no issues with disconnection, but would tie off any wires connected to this.A controller reliably handling 30 amps is at least better than the usual throwaway units supplied by solar power kit scams. If you are building a small system for your rv, on a budget, one could do much worse. You can probably rely on this unit. Faint praise, it sounds, but in a world where disposability is not regarded with the proper shame it should accrue, plain reliability is a rare virtue.