Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

You can tell without needing to open it up by measuring the output and input voltage and current, and knowing the panel specs. Actually, even just in and out current or voltage will give you a pretty good idea, assuming you have a suitable panel for the test, ie Vmp well above Vbatt... and if you dont have one of those panels, you dont really need MPPT, as you are getting near the realm of self-regulating panels, for small systems.

There's a pic of the board on their ebay listing...

Bull

Its supposed to go to standby mode in no sun but remains on if the load is connected. 5 is to allow the user to set more parameters I think for the battery charging, it has a com port for updating software. Gunagulla was correct about the difference in output, measuring amps.
The old one is now dead pic below of the board, chip on the bottom left fried itself.

The reason I do not know so much about the new controller is I am going to do my solar a different way, and so I am not playing with the new one.

Well so far so good with the new controller, it has been going a month now. It has a permanent load on it of an engel fridge and it is also keeping all the rechargable tool batteries charged through an inverter.
My mate also sticks other loads on it but seems to be performing well.

I'm knocking up my own MPPT for my pilot system at home, if there is interest in this let me know and I'll most more info about it as I finish the design. Right now it's about 200W charging capacity as designed.. and it's MPPT for certain.

Hi BW
I used to fool around with bike dynamo running very lightly on an old bike wheel. You just shape blades by bending aluminium flashing over the spokes and because it ends up plenty of foils, it's high torque. You have to put the current through a full wave bridge rectifier to get DC and it will should be able to push enough power to keep a 6 amp/Hr battery charged if you aren't drawing a lot of current from it. Would keep a backup DC air pump charged or rum some leds or something.

Hey BW,
I should tell you the above post is about making a home made windmill...........Duh

I would have taken a photo of it to show you as it was lying around here just a month ago but i tossed when I started clearing room for AP system.

The wife wants another like it coz she thinks it scares birds away from the fruit trees.

It was two wheels high and used a straight piece of steam pipe jammed into the fork stem of an old bike frame and had a tail at the back to keep it facing into the wind.

I might draw one up in MS paint for you.