Side by Side Comparison of: Renogy vs Sun YOBA

Bought this unit to go with my Renogy 100w Solar Suitcase. Renogy's products appear to be quality, although the instructions on their products are a mite skimpy on information.I mounted my controller in a DeWalt case to protect it. See photos-Some things I learned:When installing the mc4 connectors with Renogy's 10awg tray cable, strip the end to install the metal connector but ALSO strip about 3/8" more of only the outer portion of the two part insulation. This will allow you, after you've crimped on the metal connector, to slide the back cap on and then slide the plastic connector (male or female) down far enough so that the two metal pieces will connect properly.Secondly... some complained about the connection at the bottom of the controller. One previous reviewer noted that if you crimp on a spade or male butt connector it makes for a more secure connection. I tried that and it works great... really appreciated the advice. Be sure to slide the spade in toward the top or face side of the hole and then gently snug the securing screw down. If (with the unit facing upwards) the wire or spade slides in towards the back, or lower side of the hole it will be below the securing piece and when you tighten screw it will not hold the wire (loosen the screw and look inside the hole). I believe that those who commented that the wire wouldn't secure in place did not have the wire on the correct side. Don't over tighten. These aren't the lugs on your pickup.I cranked my unit up today and it was working flawlessly! Thanks Renogy for a really solid quality product.... and thanks for your tech support!I will update as I get a few hours on this unit.Update 9/16/17 :Set up at 1:30 pm - clear afternoon started out at 5.9 amps but in a bit leveled out at 5.4-5.6 amps coming from the panel. Voltage leveled out at 13.4 v on the charge side... with17.8 v from the 100w Renogy Solar SuitcaseWe changed out all the lights in the rv to LED bulbsAfter having four - two bulb lights on for approx 1.5 hours last night the solar brought my battery back to 100% in about 15 minutes.Must admit that solar is a bit of a new experience... I have to say I'm impressed with this solar setup from Renogy.

I have had this unit installed about three months to control charging of a deep cycle battery for my irrigation system. The unit it replaced was a Tracer which did well but went out after two years. My understanding is this company bought Tracers design and added changes. By pushing a button you can scroll through the display and see symbols of the different elements of your installation and their values which is pretty neat. For instance the first item shown is a solar panel and it gives the current voltage coming from it. It gives the current going to the battery, battery voltage etc. This unit is both bigger and heaver that the Tracer with a substantial heat sink. I did not have any trouble with the terminal strip but am not a big fan of that design as it can result in loose connections if not careful when tightening the wires. The working temperature rating goes to 113 degrees f. This seems a little low for here in the south where the ambient temperature can go over 100 degrees f. in the summer. When you put it in a box with other devices the temperature can most likely exceed 113 degrees. I installed an attic fan thermostat and a little dc cooling fan and when set at 95 degrees f. it usually runs until night time when the temperature goes down. The unit only comes with a one year warranty and I recommend buying the optional warranty. So far it is working great and keeps my battery charged. Update: on my 5th month with no problems through the summer.

Works as advertised. No problems nor questions after running it for a month now. Startup can be persnickety since it takes a few days to learn sun up and sun down. Call them if you need to because they know it all and can help without hesitation and their suggestion worked instantly, while I was on the phone with them, a phone number which a person actually answered without the usual menu selections processes. They just answered the phone, walked me through the work-around and it was UP!

I've got 6 100w solar panels wired in 24v. Charging 6 105 ah deep cycle batteries 12v. I've got a grid tie inverter running 24h off the battery bank. In the mornings the bolts are at 11.9 or so by lunch the batteries are fully charged.

I have this controller for my 4 -250 watt panels. It works as advertised and charges up my batteries twice as fast as the old cheapie $20 PMW controller.This MPPT Controller is priced cheap but works GREAT!

I bought this controller because I wanted an MPPT device that I could expand my system on. Being 40 amps, I have plenty of room to grow. Installation was a breeze and the manual answered any questions I had such as setting the Work Mode level to 17 so I could just turn on or off the load at my choosing. I can't believe someone would criticize this item for being big and heavy. Good grief, being 40 amps and MPPT requires substantial electronics to function properly and I for one was pleased at the substantial heft and build quality. In fact, my system is built on Renogy panels as well and I am relieved to see this level of build quality in all their products I have acquired. You can't go wrong purchasing this charge controller.

Excellent controller.

Arrived on time and was easy to install and works as it was advertised.

I have just used it for a battery monitor, using it for cumulative amps to the load, voltage of battery, and battery shutoff at a specified voltage. Seems to work great. I am also considering adding a solar panel in the future.

If you use flooded type batteries (golf cart or marine type bats) the specs are to charge them daily at 14.6-14.8 volts to keep them in good working order and to keep the Sulfates from building up on the battery plates. This unit is NOT an MPPT type but is as close as it gets to one. Keeps my bank of 8 golf cart batteries fully charged using 4 100 watt Renogy solar panels. I set the PV disconnect at 14.7 volts which is something you can not do with lesser controllers...

I hooked this up a month ago. It has good information about the system and it is functioning very well.

My first charge controller was taken out by a lightning strike (as were half the electronics in the house) which was impressive considering that this isn't tied to the grid in any way. This unit looks exactly the same as the other, has the same inputs, same menu functions, accepts the same battery temp sensor... it's everything at a lower price.

Very good MPPT charger. Have several for a few years and still working. The only issue are the connector - could be engineered better and wish it showed more information about current/voltage coming in and battery condition.

So far so good, I replaced a non MPPT controller and get more power to the batteries.All the timer options are a bit confusing.

This appears to be the same china no name Tracers with a Renogy logo on it.I gave this unit 4 stars due to the missing screws on the pcb (only 1 of 4 had the screws in it), the sever lack of serviceability on the 3 fuses, and capacitors, and the incredibly bad thought they did by potting the capacitors. This is the worse thing I have seen done! If there is a failure, the top can not vent through the safety release, and the walls can not expand. If it gets to rupture pressure, it will explode and destroy the board!! This is not from Renogy, this was done by the manufacture. If you use this correctly and had good batch of capacitors this should not be an issue. PWM does stress capacitors. I was not able to get ratings off of them to see if they oversize them to compensate for this.Other than those issues.. I do like this unit. The surface area for cooling looks very well. Inspection of the surface mount components looks to be of good quality. I did not find any cracked or still having the beads in the joints. The board has a nice even conformal coating which will make this board have much longer lifespan. The transistors have full electrical isolation from the shell, very nice touch. The mounts on them are isolated as well and have a locking material on the heads to prevent them from backing out.Another thing I really like was the negative buss bar to all 3 ground terminals. It is very thick and tall. This bar will handle 40 amps with no problem all day long. This also allows me to use any ground point at any time. In the pictures it appears if the wire was to tall it would short positive to negative, this is not the case.. With the case on, it has a built in plastic bar that goes right down to the board to prevent this from happening.The MPPT is very fast and precise on this unit. Having 2 c.c. power supplies I watched it hunt. It was very fast in finding the max current and voltage. It also kept searching after locked. The search was very small deviations and did not affect its performance. When a 3rd c.c. power source was attached it found the MPPT point and locked quick and kept searching. This units MPPT is the fastest and most accurate I have seen. The small deviations for search after lock appears to be +/- .3V - */-.25AI did get the head unit for this, so I can not advise on how hard it is to program though the case buttons.Remember... This is 40 amps max not a 1000 watt max, with 12 volt system it is good for 500 watts, with 24 its 1000 watts. The manual recommends 800 watts max solar though.

It's good but should have more info display

Simple but works.

I install it without any problem, I am glad it has a 20amps DC load connector. I use it to prevent the battery to drain too much as it will cut off the battery when it reach to 11.1volt. the inverter I have is Xantrex Prowatt 1000 which has low battery cut off volt hard set on 10.5volt which will kill the batteries in quick time. I am glad tracer has this feature. I only wish this charge controller has logs for the amount wattage it collected, I guess it only come in the expense versions.

This is a good charge controller for a small kit. If you really want to build something serious you need an mppt controller

The unit works great. The only "complaint" I have is that the screen is difficult to read when viewing off-angle. Unfortunately, where I have mine installed it's almost impossible to look straight at the face of the display. All in all though, it's doing a great job of regulating the charge on my accessory battery. It's definitely more than I needed for my setup, but for the price I don't think you can beat the quality. I had to replace my previous unit (BlueFire PWM) which failed after only a handful of months in service.

Set it and leave it. This controller is easy and a sure thing for keeping my battery bank charged.

Awesome product for the money is a very good value fully programmable solar charge regulator work perfectly for what I wanted it to do and was easy to set up and install

What I ordered and as advertised

Works great! Very easy to install. The only thing I dont like is that the item didn't come with temperature probe that monitors battery from over charging.

I guess I didn't understand the function of the timers for controlling the on/off time for the load. Your charge controller's load function is made to operate a yard light or some other night light.This is not a bad idea but, you are limiting the use of your product. I would suggest an additional mode of operation. One that would control the load during day light operation. When the solar panels are capible of charging the battery's and/or feeding the load.I use solar panels to operate a small 24v/10a pump at a remote local to water my cattle. The pump only operates about 2 hrs a day in full sun. I use a battery back up to keep the tank full when the sun is not shining. I need your product to 1) charge the battery's when sun light is available, 2) operate the load (my pump) during daylight hours when both solar and battery power is available. Thus reducing excessive battery charge and discharge cycling (increasing battery life).With this additional function you increase the usability of you product and its value to your customers.

Works as advertised, however only putting the stars because the terminal posts snap off the board too easy when tightened. The first one I snugged broke off and I had to use my soldering iron to rob one of the night light ones (which I never use) to replace it. Wish I could find one that was a true pass through when load is detected at the batteries. This one is merely a fancy charger. Takes three days to fully charge 400ah worth of battery bank from 10.5 volts.

First one didn't function as it should . Renege replaced it and second works fine. I wouldn't buy again thoughts for the price there are better options.

The programable load stopped working, returned it.

Great if you don't mind how long it takes to recharge offline batteries but I have 6 - 12volt 125ah batteries run a 24v system that I need to run 24/7 off grid. Since I had this installed about 3 weeks ago, my SOC has been around 50%. Some days I have to shut down my inverter and let the batteries charge up. I have a lot of power coming from my panels at least 15amp but this CC gives 1 ~ 6amps max while my batteries are at 12.50v. most of the time it trickles at 0.9 amp which is so inefficient.

The only poblem is no instruction manual for hook up or programming came with it

DISPLAY DOESN'T SHOW ALL VALUES, I HAVE SENT A REQUEST TO SELLOR, NO RESPONSE

Very simple and easy to read, but didn't lost long dew to a lightning surge.

i purchased 2 of these for 2 different systems. the design and functions provided are awesome. now,,,the pros: great design with lots of function. large readable display. able to switch off and on the load depending on the battery level.the cons: on one after a week the load only provides 11v at full battery charge and with full sun on panels??? initially it provided voltage of battery. therefore 3 stars only. on the other the panel input doesn't show it is charging even tho it is charging.i still use both to control panel input for charging battery but dont use load features.so great design but undependable.

Maybe I got a lemon but it does not work! I am inputting 8 amps at 50 volts and getting no more than 10 amps out even when the batteries are at 12.0 volts. Wires are 10 gauge. It does well at blocking any drain at night. Living in Central America, I did not receive the unit in time to return it under warranty. Next time I will spend much more and get am Outback unit.

Died after 2 hours of use! I have a smaller Renogy MPPT unit that charges the batteries in my off grid solar powered workshop and that one works great. This one on the other hand installed and set up fine, worked fine for 2 hours and then just quit, deader than a doornail. No output to any terminal, no lights, reset button didn't work, disconnecting and reconnecting everything didn't work - just plain dead. Returned for a refund.

I needed this model to charge up my battery bank better than the PWM controller. By mid-morning it had done just that, but I couldn't get any power out of the load contacts. the LED display kept doing funny stuff like repetitively blinking, and changing the settings automatically. After reading another review here, I concluded the orange button is poorly constructed and was sticking so the controller never got out of setup mode.

Used this charge controller in an unheated location in the northern U.S. Beware that the small orange button will stick when the temp drops below freezing. It cause the load on the controller to get shut down and the controller continuously cycled through the settings as if the button was terminally stuck down. Not the best quality.

sent it back. said it was a 40 amp, but did'nt do what my 30 amp will do.

The Good:Great price for an MPPT controller. This unit has coaxed out pretty close to full rated wattage from my panels.The Not So Much:However this is the second unit I've had. The first one did not come close to meeting their published charging voltage specs. The second one is doing much better but still does not meet specs.I had an ongoing dialogue with Renogy about this controller undercharging my batteries and I guess they have blown me off they haven’t answered my last email. Oh well.Update 2015-05-27:After a year of using this controller it has been a mixed success. It is not a bad controller overall but one of its defects is a is a deal breaker to cause me to change my rating to 2 stars.I don’t downgrade my rating lightly because I think these reviews are important. I use them to decide whether to buy or not.I don’t recommend buying this controller because of 4 things.1. The un-adjustable set point (after temp compensation) at 14.2 for Boost mode is too low to sufficiently charge a flooded type battery.2. When my controller reaches the Bulk Mode set point (14.2) it does not hold it for 120 minutes per spec it starts dropping right off to the float voltage of 13.2. I believe this is the biggest reason for undercharging.3. Running the batteries down to 10.9 volts does not trigger Equalization Mode.4. The new Tracer model 4215BN $225 (with meter) is out and is adjustable. I plan to buy it instead.The good news:It looks like the new model Tracer 4215BN is the answer. An adjustable controller is a flexible controller.It's possible mine is defective no way to know since Renogy won't answer.

Didn't work after 1 week.

Received and installed unit as per instructions. I have 4 x 100w Renogy panels in parallel feeding system. This Rover replaces the former Wanderer charge controller.Wired it up and started it in morning and let it run all day as I practiced scrolling through menu and comparing it to my calibrated Fluke meter and other hardwired meters for bench testing.Later that evening wanted to mount it more securely and also formally ground the unit. Good grounding is of course basis of all good electrical install devices, etc. Had studied the reviews and comments on this controller and don't felt like there was ever any definitive grounding literature?Regardless, I seen what was obviously a factory grounding point on the back of the metal cooling fins and frame of the device (pic attached)...prepped a #10 vs green for grounding and got an electrical arc at moment of attachment to grounding bus.Checked my 30a fuse and it blew as expected. Replaced, and started diagnosing.The threaded and tapped machine screw and hole give clear continuity between the screw point (the FRAME) ....they present right on 14v dc where the system voltage is now...The 14v volt reading is consistent with the 14v reading on the bat+ terminal. I can confirm that the frame appears to be energized with the battery voltage vs the input of dc from the of array (20+ v) at moment...and there is continuity between bat+ and the screw with a simple continuity check....The metal body appears to be powder coated or heat enameled painted or some such application that effectively insulates it?Another simple continuity check along the body of the device yields nothing even when directly contacted by probe tips....again...the products inherent electrical insulation is the paint?Is this a defective device perhaps or....I just feel it was designed this way by intent? Is there some rationale or explanation?The reviews and website literature and resources seem vague and contradictory and dated.Is it possible to get some contemporary info on grounding schematics for installers?Fortunately the device is sitting on an insulated platform (on top of plastic battery covers...ie; insulated electrically...as per included pic...). Trying to get some feedback on the matter and maybe seller in particular and other users can confirm?It has obvious potential to be shock hazard.In process to contact seller for refund/exchange. The only other overt flaw I found is when wiping dust from LCD screen it has traces and remnants of....like Etch a Sketch tracks on screen for a moment then disappear? Perhaps a more rigid material or simple glass sacrificial lens would protect the delicate digital screen from simple routine dust removal? Seemed a cheaper component compared to the rest of the unit overall. Functions perfect as per literature as far as I can tell. Just suspect as a grounding hazard...

My 9 year old Xantrex C35, 35 Amp charge controller failed just as I was starting an extended vacation on my 50 foot solar powered houseboat (read my article in Houseboat Magazine, The Joys Of Free Power) so I replaced it. But then I realized that maybe I should have bought an MPPT controller, so I tried the Rover. On a sunny day my 500AH bank hits Bulk (14.4V) around 10AM, and by 11PM I have completed the absorption phase and the C35 takes me to 13.5V. This Renogy unit never got me to the full Bulk voltage, and I spent all day cooking my batteries at 14.4 Volts, just below the default Bulk setting for flooded batteries of 14.8V. Then I used the menu option to set it to Sealed batteries but then it cooked my batteries all day at 14.2V, never getting high enough to satisfy the controller that I was in the absorption phase. Speaking of Menus, the menu options never let me get to any other options, and I tried the included USB-RS232 cable and downloaded their software and could not get into the unit with my PC. The Renogy software required a password, which I could never figure out and I never got a reply from Renogy Customer Service despite opening a ticket with them. Either the firmware isn't fully implemented or it's just a really bad design. Never using these guys again.

After exactly a year this solar controller does not control much of anything, the output voltage to the batteries climbs erratically and over charges the batteries. I had to disconnect it and go back to my simple old reliable controller from. Very disappointing. It did work for the first 3 months of use and then sat on my boat which was stored dry. There was no sign of water or other damage.

This is the second unit that I ordered from this company and when it was delivered the box was not in a sealed condition and there were no instructions included inside the box. I was suspicious that perhaps this unit was a returned unit but it looked to be in good condition otherwise so I took a chance and installed it anyway without complaint. Now, after only a few weeks of actual usage, the unit failed when I was present at the equipment. I heard a pop sound inside the unit and all of the LED lights immediately extinguished. I measured normal input voltage of 79 volts at the PV solar terminals and 13.5 volts at the battery terminals, so I knew I had power going into the unit, but nothing coming out. I have tried to return for warranty coverage which is supposed to be 1 year from the purchase date last April, but the system will not let me return it either! Frustrated!

Glad I bought it through Amazon Prime. The power button was defective on arrival. The remote control unit would turn it on and off but the menu would just keep scolling until I fiddled with the button to get it to stop, This was purchased as a replacement for an identical unit bought 9-months prior, not bought on Amazon, that I am still trying to get EPSolar to replace directly. Since they don't have a US office, all warranty is through the China office, I have had no luck getting them to replace the first failed unit.Recommendation - Spend the extra money and buy a better quality product... or plan on going through a couple before you get one that works.

This 40 amp Tracer CC is has been a true learning experience over the PWM CC it replaces.My PWM has done an admiral job on top of providing me with loads of useful information and power with its output and input power customization options of which the Tracer has no such features.This lack of control if it works could be acceptable   if its accurate and does perform.At this point the power readings it has been displaying have not inspired confidence especially when the batteries are charged 110 percent yet the Tracer shows only 49 percent charged while input voltage according to my multimeter is 21.7 volts while the Tracer shows only 14.7.Charging with the PWM was accurate and when I kicked the power up you could always hear the battery start bubbling immediately.... not so with the Tracer because I can' t change the power configuration, it just putts along doing its own thing in its own good time which often simply was not enough.In the end if I disregard the funky readings all seems to be well with the batteries but the thing that bugs me is if they missed as they did on the accuracy of the readouts and a complete lack of adjustablity....where else did they slip up?Ultimately I was after getting more efficiency out of my systems output but at this point under the best of conditions I simply am not seeing it when you consider the additional expense of  $185.00 and the complete lack of power tuning and poor accuracy.With all considered the Tracer has not shown itself superior in any respect to what I had, so it has been returned.Final note: Before buying I did contact Renogy Technical support to see if it had these features and they simply didn't know so I decided to find out for myself.I live Off Grid and most of us Off Gridders do enjoy a more technical challenge, that's just how we are so for the masses or beginners this CC would be just fine.

Purchased one, wired it in, it never would work at all. The screen would never turn on. Returned it and bought a second one. When I wired the second one in, the screen lit right up, it was simple to program and seemed to be working just fine. After leaving it overnight, I found the screen dead on the second one as well. I guess I should have expected it with cheap chinese junk.

Bought as a back up. I used this one as a replacement for a really cheap controller last Tuesday. Batteries at full charge. Then they ran down. Controller shut off. My have been a loose connection. Reconnected and charged batteries to 80%. 1.3 volts output to the load. Put a fully charged battery to the controller and still only had 1.3 volts. This one is junk. Not saying the Renogy is much better. Just changed one of them out for the same issues. It was 2 months old and a replacement for another one the quit for the same reason.

did not work, had to send it back. dont waste your money

Too many buttons hard to keep it set right

It does not read battery voltage accurately. The controller was reading my batteries were 14.7 volts, but when I checked with 3 different volt meters, the batteries read about 12.5 volts. The controller would not charge the batteries. Of course when I went to return, I happened to be 3 days past the 30 day limit, so I had to buy another brand controller.

I purchased this Charge Controller as a budget alternative to the Renogy PWM Wanderer, which lacks an LCD, because I wanted more feedback about the voltage and amp hours I was receiving from my PV setup. I was tired of having to plug in my multimeter to get this info.Setup was simple, just connect the battery, and then the PV wires like my old controller. Unfortunately, after several days, I have come to the conclusion that this charge controller simple doesn't work.The PV "charging" indicator simply never indicating a charge was going to the battery, even though the battery would be recharging. (as indicated by increasing resting voltage on my multi-meter). It also never registered an Amp Hours coming from my PV, either, although clearly they were or my battery wouldn't have been charging.Through the day at random times, this charge controller would change to an intermittent "unhappy face" indicator, which is supposed to indicate a fault of some kind. However, after thoroughly investigating every connection in my system, twice, and even re-stripping reconnecting some wires "just in case", I was unable to find any fault. Nor did I ever register one on my multimeter. Pushing the reset button would always make the charge controller go back to "happy face" indicator, but the controller still did not ever indicate that my battery was charging.I thoroughly perused the "manual" (piece of paper) about fault conditions and there is nothing on there to indicate what might be happening. I finally concluded that this charge controller just doesn't work, or isn't very robust. In the end, I had to switch back to my Renogy PMW controller. It's working fine, charging along merrily as it always has, charging when it should, floating when it should, and shutting off current when it should. Without fault conditions.Sorry Sun YOBA, I don't know how I could possibly give a better rating, given my experience here.