Blue Sky Charge Controller September 09, 2024, 10:32:50 pm I’m pretty sure that this controller is compatible with lithium batteries but could someone please confirm that?
Re: Blue Sky Charge Controller Reply #1 – September 10, 2024, 12:30:02 am Hi Greg. The Blue Sky Energy controller works fine. Up to about 30 Amps. Solar Boost 3000i, I stands for current, 3000 for 30 Amps. You can on a really sunny day exceed 30A, but it will shed that extra current. Solar arrays rarely acheive their rated 'nominal' current. You do need to reprogram the output voltage, which can be done by following instructions available on the internet. A few other settings change also. ( no equalization, no stage charging, the LiF BMS handles that.) All done by pushing buttons. It keeps those changes even with power off. RonB 2 Likes
Re: Blue Sky Charge Controller Reply #2 – September 10, 2024, 10:50:24 am Thanks, Ron, just needed a sanity check!The reason I’m asking is that Quality RV Solar near Sacramento gave me a quote and they don’t want to use the Solar Boost controller. They want to use a Victron BlueSolar Smart MPPT 10/30 controller instead which would add additional cost.
Re: Blue Sky Charge Controller Reply #3 – September 10, 2024, 11:22:27 pm Greg, ask Dan why he prefers the Victron and why he prefers not to use the Solar Boost controller. That can start the discussion.
Re: Blue Sky Charge Controller Reply #4 – September 11, 2024, 12:01:36 am Greg, performance is the key, and likely the Victron unit has more bells and whistles or may integrate more seamlessly with other equipment they want to install. However, either unit will likely perform exactly the same as far as feeding maximum power into charging your battery bank and running on-board systems. Certainly, if you already have the Blue Sky unit, stick with it. If you need to buy a charge controller, ask why he would justify the higher price...Steve
Re: Blue Sky Charge Controller Reply #5 – September 11, 2024, 02:08:29 am Hi Greg, the Victron controller is bluetooth eqiuipped, the BS 3000i isn't. You would still need a battery management system. I used a BalMar monitor with a bluetooth ability. (not enabled yet) easy enough to look at the monitor panel in person. RonB
Re: Blue Sky Charge Controller Reply #6 – September 11, 2024, 12:23:07 pm Joel, Steve, and Ron, thank you for your responses. I’ve been communicating with Jim Reshatoff who I believe is the father of the owner. I did mention that, to my knowledge, the Solar Boost is compatible with lithium. His reply was that they’ve had issues with using existing components in the past so don’t like to do that. We left it at that.
Re: Blue Sky Charge Controller Reply #7 – September 11, 2024, 12:36:44 pm As Ron pointed out, the Victron "Smart Solar" controllers are equipped with BlueTooth, which means they can be read and programmed from any Apple or Android phone, tablet, MacOS or Windows computer. What's more, the Victron Connect software, which is regularly updated, gives you easy access to very detailed information, presented in a readable way--see screenshots below.This is very useful in understanding how your solar system works. For example, in the second screenshot below, the white portions of the bars indicate time spent in bulk charging, while the gray portions are time in float. (On the "2 days ago" bar, you can just see the very short absorb time--absorb isn't needed for LiFePO4 batteries.) And if you hover over one of the bars, it'll show you exactly how many hours and minutes were spent in bulk, absorb, and float. The history display extends to the past thirty days. You can also see, below the bars, such useful information as the maximum and minimum battery voltages for each day, the maximum yield and total watt-hours from your panels for each day, and so on. As I said, it's really useful stuff. The Blue Sky controllers are well made and do their job, but they don't give you any of this... not to mention the ability to quickly check your system's status while sitting at the breakfast table, or save the data to your computer. The extra cost is well worth it, if you want to understand what's going on. 2 Likes
Re: Blue Sky Charge Controller Reply #8 – September 11, 2024, 12:56:39 pm Thanks, Andy. Appreciate that! Ron, I would also have them install a shunt-based battery monitor.
Re: Blue Sky Charge Controller Reply #9 – September 11, 2024, 07:25:10 pm Unless you are into tracking a lot of interesting but mostly unnecessary information, staying with the well-proven Blue Sky 3000I will be the cheapest (by far) way to proceed. The 3000i is already installed in its own box, located in an easy-to-see location, and will provide the same overall results as the Victron, controlling up to 500 watts of solar panels. Our LD has 560 watts of panel and the 3000i handles it fine.The Victron controller will need all new wiring and be hidden somewhere, it will not fit in the Factory location. The only way to see the solar charge levels is to use your phone to check. IMO. having the readouts for the various devices in an easy-to-see location is useful and all that most of us need. The Victron’s readouts are only available on Bluetooth. I would add a Victron battery monitor, located near the existing 3000i’s readout.If you plan on adding more Victron equipment, including a remote readout panel, the Victron controller does make better sense.I get the feeling you are not interested in increasing the total bill by several thousand extra dollars. With many RV electrical improvements, the labor may be as much or more than the cost of the parts. With labor costs at.$150-200 an hour, the total can add up fast, unless you are the DIY type.As for the installer wanting to change it because of previous problems, the Blue Sky 3000i has been on the market for many years with few reported issues on the Forum. There are many off-brand solar controllers on the market, these may be what the installer was referring to. Larry 4 Likes
Re: Blue Sky Charge Controller Reply #10 – September 11, 2024, 08:50:35 pm All good points, Larry. If the 3000i is already there, even if you have to reprogram it for LiFePO4, it's by far the least expensive way to go. Yes, it will provide the same overall charging performance as a Victron controller, and it's a proven design. I'm a strong believer in having as much information as I can get about what my electrical system is doing. But my needs may not be yours. If you want something that "just works," the 3000i will do it, while giving you the basic information you need.
Re: Blue Sky Charge Controller Reply #11 – September 11, 2024, 09:17:37 pm Quote from: Larry W - September 11, 2024, 07:25:10 pmThe Victron controller will need all new wiring and be hidden somewhere, it will not fit in the Factory location. The only way to see the solar charge levels is to use your phone to check. IMO. having the readouts for the various devices in an easy-to-see location is useful and all that most of us need. The Victron’s readouts are only available on Bluetooth. I have one place & display for all my Victron devices, in addition to my phone. My 850 watts of solar was way beyond the 3000i capacity, so replacing was the only option.If you’re considering expanding your solar in the future, might as well prep for that now. But for 500 watts, the 3000i is just fine.
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