Testimonials & Product Reviews
Item Reviews
John in St. Louis
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2021-01-14
I have had two Sol Buck-Boost MPPT controllers in service for about six weeks. Each controller manages two 215W panels wired in parallel. These controllers are fully automatic and there is nothing to set or configure (although you must connect the batteries first so they know whether you have a 12V or 24V system). My two Sol's have operated flawlessly, excelling at pulling amps from my panels in their often-shaded locations. Both pre-sales and post-sales tech support gets six stars out of five as I have never experienced such knowledgeable and genuinely interested technical support before. This alone justifies the purchase of the Sol controller, as solar panel systems are complex and subtlety confusing so everyone has questions. That said, the Sol is so robustly over-built that its service life is estimated to be 40 years! Take a serious look at the Sol Buck-Boost MPPT and send them an email for system design advice. They won't steer you wrong! They are also Amateur Radio wise.
shawn
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2020-07-29
Went through various so called “quiet” controllers.
Got this and it was extremely quiet for my electronics.
No interference to anything!!!
Besides that, it performed fabulously.
And finally- QUALITY!!!!!
This is the kind of buy you can expect to last for years.
and take a lot of abuse...
Very impressed.
how often do you see a product this awesome? rarely
Stan R.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2020-07-10
Very quick shipping. Very responsive to pre-purchase questions. Off-grid cabin application running 320 watts of panels. See 25A on full sunlight. Love the scrolling info LCD. Absolutely NO RF noise on AM, HF, or VHF frequencies.
I was so pleased, I ordered a second unit for another 300w of panels.
Alton M.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2020-06-13
I have three Sol controllers on my rv controlling 1080 watts of solar panels. I operate my HF and VHF Ham radios with no noise from the controllers. I chose these controllers for their very low rf noise property. I am very happy with the controllers.
Bill B.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2020-05-12
This is a solidly built controller! I have one of the two I ordered installed. One is in the ham shack behind the radios on the wall. The other is being installed in my RV.
I purchased these because other controllers have EMI that make radio operation near impossible. I am happy to report that my radios do not even know the Sol is on! It is connected to a 315W panel. My deep cycle battery needs to be replaced as it has limited storage capability so the Sol hasn't had a chance to fully drive a charge but so far so good. Since the Sol is within 4 feet, I have the filter on as well. Since I have not experienced any problems, I can only assume it is working as intended.
My morning routine includes getting coffee and watching the LCD as the Sol wakes up with the sun while participating on a local VHF net.
shawn b.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2019-10-18
Unbelievable quality!!!
You DO get what you pay for.
Emailed back and forth and they made sure I gor
the perfect system for my needs.
Excellent support and everything is top notch.
Without question- if you need one get it here.
Also was completely silent for my ham radio rig which was amazing...
Howard P.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2019-05-19
This is the real thing, no hype here.
I purchased the Sol Buck Boost Solar Charger because the ad and the designer said it does not cause RFI.My previous 3 different brands of an MPPT charger claimed to be quiet.The one I bought, I have been fighting with for 3 years because I did not know MPPT chargers make so much RFI that it interferes with my HF radio. I tried snap on ferrites, chokes and any method that might work, to no avail.
Then I found an AD in a QST magazine ,ordered the SOL buck booster MPPT solar charger, which is only 4 feet from my HF radio all is quiet. I added the RF Choke because it’s inexpensive and a good addition,especially if your HF radio is only 4 feet from the solar charger, like mine.You can use it for permanent installation, EMCOM and portable use.
I checked the solar input cables with my RFI meter and they showed zero RFI as well as my HF rig no longer was bothered by a poorly designed MPPT charger.I can now have my batter charging while I am using the HF.
Kudos to the engineer.
pat d.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2020-10-04
I just received 2 more of the 16 amp controllers, I now have 6 of these for various solar applications,4 of these are in daily use for over 2 years, work extremely well, these are the only controllers I would ever use, ive had other name brand ones, just no comparison. Highly recommend.
Paul B.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2020-07-19
The installation was quick and easy. Just know that the instructions don't come with the controller, you need to download them from the DIY Solar webpage. Go to products, and pick your controller. Under "More Information" you will find the download files at the bottom of the page.
I used my multimeter to find the Positive wire coming from the solar panel.
Aaron T.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2020-03-01
Installed the Apollo in my Casita Trailer and it charges the battery very well. I haven't checked RFI noise levels but based on other reports I have high expectations.
pat d.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2019-09-17
Excellent controller,i have it hooked up to 4 35 amp batteries in my truck, the mppt does put more amps into the battery. I really like the lcd meter, lots of info, especially when it says "battery full". Would purchase again.
Richard G.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2018-11-15
Excellent charge controller! Installed one in the trailer and went camping. I ran a 991a, 2980, one micro pc running fldigi and one running my sdrplay. The batteries remained fully charged on a cloudy day with a 100W solar panel. I also installed the rf filter and did not hear any noise or clicking on hf. My old pwm charge controller could not keep up and clicked on hf. I just ordered two more Apollo Solar Charge Controllers.
James M.
2018-05-21
After I bought my first Apollo I was pleased with the very low RF noise, and I recently bought a second one in order to handle two 265W panels (530W total) installed on my truck camper with one controller for each panel since I have a 12V system. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the system performed in sub-optimal conditions on my first camping trip with it. My panels are fixed-mounted and tilted about 5 degrees forward on the camper roof, and for convenience I parked facing north so the panels were tilted 5 degrees to the north. The first day was almost entirely cloudy with some rain, yet I collected 140Ah with a peak power of almost 400W. The second day we had some sun but it was still mostly cloudy and I collected 200Ah with a peak power of about 480W. I consider this very good performance given the cloudy weather and poor orientation of the panels. With the surplus of energy I ran the camper's refrigerator on the inverter during the day in order to save propane, and that kept the batteries from getting full so the charge controllers worked all day.
Todd S.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2018-04-27
Great product!!! Worked as it should, I have absolutely no interference with my HAM radios. I emailed support and asked several questions and they responded quickly and answered all of my questions.
Robert M.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2018-03-27
I don't have the system permanently installed yet but initial testing seems to be a wonderful informatively unit. The only issue is the scrolling of the data could be a little slower so easier to read and write down if need be. Great unit. Well built and solid.
James M.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2018-01-02
My Chinese charge controller generated so much RF noise that I could not operate my radios while it was charging. In comparison the Apollo is vastly quieter, and what little RF noise it does generate is very broadband (loosely speaking, white noise) which is much less obtrusive than the nasty harmonic spikes I was getting from the Chinese controller. I was able to suppress the minimal noise from the Apollo by adding RF chokes to both the PV and battery leads, using 6 turns through #43 ferrite torroids because that's what I had on hand. With those in place I see no perceptible RF noise from the Apollo on any ham band so I'm very satisfied.
John in St. Louis
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2021-01-14
I have had two Sol Buck-Boost MPPT controllers in service for about six weeks. Each controller manages two 215W panels wired in parallel. These controllers are fully automatic and there is nothing to set or configure (although you must connect the batteries first so they know whether you have a 12V or 24V system). My two Sol's have operated flawlessly, excelling at pulling amps from my panels in their often-shaded locations. Both pre-sales and post-sales tech support gets six stars out of five as I have never experienced such knowledgeable and genuinely interested technical support before. This alone justifies the purchase of the Sol controller, as solar panel systems are complex and subtlety confusing so everyone has questions. That said, the Sol is so robustly over-built that its service life is estimated to be 40 years! Take a serious look at the Sol Buck-Boost MPPT and send them an email for system design advice. They won't steer you wrong! They are also Amateur Radio wise.
shawn
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2020-07-29
Went through various so called “quiet” controllers.
Got this and it was extremely quiet for my electronics.
No interference to anything!!!
Besides that, it performed fabulously.
And finally- QUALITY!!!!!
This is the kind of buy you can expect to last for years.
and take a lot of abuse...
Very impressed.
how often do you see a product this awesome? rarely
Stan R.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2020-07-10
Very quick shipping. Very responsive to pre-purchase questions. Off-grid cabin application running 320 watts of panels. See 25A on full sunlight. Love the scrolling info LCD. Absolutely NO RF noise on AM, HF, or VHF frequencies.
I was so pleased, I ordered a second unit for another 300w of panels.
Alton M.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2020-06-13
I have three Sol controllers on my rv controlling 1080 watts of solar panels. I operate my HF and VHF Ham radios with no noise from the controllers. I chose these controllers for their very low rf noise property. I am very happy with the controllers.
Bill B.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2020-05-12
This is a solidly built controller! I have one of the two I ordered installed. One is in the ham shack behind the radios on the wall. The other is being installed in my RV.
I purchased these because other controllers have EMI that make radio operation near impossible. I am happy to report that my radios do not even know the Sol is on! It is connected to a 315W panel. My deep cycle battery needs to be replaced as it has limited storage capability so the Sol hasn't had a chance to fully drive a charge but so far so good. Since the Sol is within 4 feet, I have the filter on as well. Since I have not experienced any problems, I can only assume it is working as intended.
My morning routine includes getting coffee and watching the LCD as the Sol wakes up with the sun while participating on a local VHF net.
shawn b.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2019-10-18
Unbelievable quality!!!
You DO get what you pay for.
Emailed back and forth and they made sure I gor
the perfect system for my needs.
Excellent support and everything is top notch.
Without question- if you need one get it here.
Also was completely silent for my ham radio rig which was amazing...
Howard P.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2019-05-19
This is the real thing, no hype here.
I purchased the Sol Buck Boost Solar Charger because the ad and the designer said it does not cause RFI.My previous 3 different brands of an MPPT charger claimed to be quiet.The one I bought, I have been fighting with for 3 years because I did not know MPPT chargers make so much RFI that it interferes with my HF radio. I tried snap on ferrites, chokes and any method that might work, to no avail.
Then I found an AD in a QST magazine ,ordered the SOL buck booster MPPT solar charger, which is only 4 feet from my HF radio all is quiet. I added the RF Choke because it’s inexpensive and a good addition,especially if your HF radio is only 4 feet from the solar charger, like mine.You can use it for permanent installation, EMCOM and portable use.
I checked the solar input cables with my RFI meter and they showed zero RFI as well as my HF rig no longer was bothered by a poorly designed MPPT charger.I can now have my batter charging while I am using the HF.
Kudos to the engineer.
pat d.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2020-10-04
I just received 2 more of the 16 amp controllers, I now have 6 of these for various solar applications,4 of these are in daily use for over 2 years, work extremely well, these are the only controllers I would ever use, ive had other name brand ones, just no comparison. Highly recommend.
Paul B.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2020-07-19
The installation was quick and easy. Just know that the instructions don't come with the controller, you need to download them from the DIY Solar webpage. Go to products, and pick your controller. Under "More Information" you will find the download files at the bottom of the page.
I used my multimeter to find the Positive wire coming from the solar panel.
Aaron T.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2020-03-01
Installed the Apollo in my Casita Trailer and it charges the battery very well. I haven't checked RFI noise levels but based on other reports I have high expectations.
pat d.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2019-09-17
Excellent controller,i have it hooked up to 4 35 amp batteries in my truck, the mppt does put more amps into the battery. I really like the lcd meter, lots of info, especially when it says "battery full". Would purchase again.
Richard G.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2018-11-15
Excellent charge controller! Installed one in the trailer and went camping. I ran a 991a, 2980, one micro pc running fldigi and one running my sdrplay. The batteries remained fully charged on a cloudy day with a 100W solar panel. I also installed the rf filter and did not hear any noise or clicking on hf. My old pwm charge controller could not keep up and clicked on hf. I just ordered two more Apollo Solar Charge Controllers.
James M.
2018-05-21
After I bought my first Apollo I was pleased with the very low RF noise, and I recently bought a second one in order to handle two 265W panels (530W total) installed on my truck camper with one controller for each panel since I have a 12V system. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the system performed in sub-optimal conditions on my first camping trip with it. My panels are fixed-mounted and tilted about 5 degrees forward on the camper roof, and for convenience I parked facing north so the panels were tilted 5 degrees to the north. The first day was almost entirely cloudy with some rain, yet I collected 140Ah with a peak power of almost 400W. The second day we had some sun but it was still mostly cloudy and I collected 200Ah with a peak power of about 480W. I consider this very good performance given the cloudy weather and poor orientation of the panels. With the surplus of energy I ran the camper's refrigerator on the inverter during the day in order to save propane, and that kept the batteries from getting full so the charge controllers worked all day.
Todd S.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2018-04-27
Great product!!! Worked as it should, I have absolutely no interference with my HAM radios. I emailed support and asked several questions and they responded quickly and answered all of my questions.
Robert M.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2018-03-27
I don't have the system permanently installed yet but initial testing seems to be a wonderful informatively unit. The only issue is the scrolling of the data could be a little slower so easier to read and write down if need be. Great unit. Well built and solid.
James M.
VERIFIED PURCHASE
2018-01-02
My Chinese charge controller generated so much RF noise that I could not operate my radios while it was charging. In comparison the Apollo is vastly quieter, and what little RF noise it does generate is very broadband (loosely speaking, white noise) which is much less obtrusive than the nasty harmonic spikes I was getting from the Chinese controller. I was able to suppress the minimal noise from the Apollo by adding RF chokes to both the PV and battery leads, using 6 turns through #43 ferrite torroids because that's what I had on hand. With those in place I see no perceptible RF noise from the Apollo on any ham band so I'm very satisfied.
Being an avid hunter and also a ham radio operator I thought I would combine my favorite hobbies by install an IC-7000 in the "Hunting Camp". The Camp is located in the woods far from most common RF noise sources. I was disappointed when I turned the radio on and found a very high level of noise spread across the hf bands. A 200 watt solar system used to provide 12 VDC lighting turned out to be the problem. No surprise there, Ha Ha. After some online research I found information about Rob's solar charge controllers and after reading reviews I thought it could be the answer to my problem as well. I placed an order and in a few days I had the controller and an RF filter in hand. After installing the charge controller I was very pleased by the fact that all previous noise was gone. At that particular time the background noise level on the IC-7000 s-meter reading was down to zero and did not increase when the charge controller was turned on. I did however detect a very slight increase from the speaker when the controller was turned on but it was so low I consider it to be insignificant. Thank you Rob for taking the time to design and provide a Ham friendly solar charge controller. When placing the order I had a problem with the final step of the process but with Rob's quick and courteous response to an email for help my order was completed.
Thanks again Rob. Great Product!
John
N8BFL
Thanks again Rob. Great Product!
John
N8BFL
We have been trying for over a year to find out exactly what products we needed to get solar power at our hunting cabin. We were very fortunate to get Rob’s name and contact info. Rob answered all of our questions, made great recommendations and explained, in detail, how to hook it all up. We went with 2 of the Apollo Charge Controllers from Rob and the other components that he recommended.
These Charge Controllers are Awesome and so is Rob. Everything went just as he explained and we are now fully powered and off the grid!! Thanks for everything Rob!!
Jeff Gebert
Brentwood, TN
These Charge Controllers are Awesome and so is Rob. Everything went just as he explained and we are now fully powered and off the grid!! Thanks for everything Rob!!
Jeff Gebert
Brentwood, TN
Hi Rob,
Got it working without any issues, charging my 12V 35/85A AGM battery. I added an input and output LED meters for now, and I am planning to add additional circuity to switch one of the meters for current measurement.
I also checked for RF Noise around the 100 Khz range with my Flex 6300 with a Pixel Loop antenna. Barely saw the signal above the normal background noise.
Thanks for an excellent product,
Javier
Got it working without any issues, charging my 12V 35/85A AGM battery. I added an input and output LED meters for now, and I am planning to add additional circuity to switch one of the meters for current measurement.
I also checked for RF Noise around the 100 Khz range with my Flex 6300 with a Pixel Loop antenna. Barely saw the signal above the normal background noise.
Thanks for an excellent product,
Javier
At Last! A Low RFI Solar Charge Controller.
I have now installed two of these devices.... one for home and one in our Club's new Emergency communications trailer. Our first attempt at solar power for our Comm trailer was a disaster having installed an Amazon purchased Renogy system. It radiated strongly not only in the HF spectrum, but also up through VHF as well. ARES Communications were nearly useless with that system if we left the solar charging system on.
After days of searching the Web I stumbled across DIYSolarforU and contacted the owner.... an individual who himself had been so concerned witht RFI from Solar Charge Controllers that he designed his own system. I ordered one Apollo MPPT charge controller to evaluate and was flabberghasted by the drop in RFI..... it was practically undetectable unless we put our antenna a few feet from the controller. It was quickly installed in place of the errant Renogy charge controller and our new Comm Trailer has now become very useful.... anywhere in the spectrum. We are using it with 200W of Solar Panels.
The product supplied comes as a bare circuit board -- no housing, but at this price it was well worth it. We simply mounted it on the trailer wall and covered the unit with a home thermostat plastic guard to prevent any damage to the unit . The clear plastic housing allows easy view of the solar charge parameters which scroll slowly on the LCD on board display while allowing reasonable ventilation ... not that this unit gets very warm to any extent. Given the small size of the circuit board, one should easily find numerous housing possibilities for this unit if you need to protect the board.
The only thing I could fault on this product is the terminal connectors, built for #12 wire max and seemingly in my opinion a bit delicate for this application. After notifying DIYSolarforU about this concern I was quickly advised that newer and more substantive terminal blocks were found and would be in place for subsequent production run of this product. The proprietor of this company is extremely responsive to customers!
I am very pleased with the two units I have set up, and anticipate ordering more in the future. Ed
I have now installed two of these devices.... one for home and one in our Club's new Emergency communications trailer. Our first attempt at solar power for our Comm trailer was a disaster having installed an Amazon purchased Renogy system. It radiated strongly not only in the HF spectrum, but also up through VHF as well. ARES Communications were nearly useless with that system if we left the solar charging system on.
After days of searching the Web I stumbled across DIYSolarforU and contacted the owner.... an individual who himself had been so concerned witht RFI from Solar Charge Controllers that he designed his own system. I ordered one Apollo MPPT charge controller to evaluate and was flabberghasted by the drop in RFI..... it was practically undetectable unless we put our antenna a few feet from the controller. It was quickly installed in place of the errant Renogy charge controller and our new Comm Trailer has now become very useful.... anywhere in the spectrum. We are using it with 200W of Solar Panels.
The product supplied comes as a bare circuit board -- no housing, but at this price it was well worth it. We simply mounted it on the trailer wall and covered the unit with a home thermostat plastic guard to prevent any damage to the unit . The clear plastic housing allows easy view of the solar charge parameters which scroll slowly on the LCD on board display while allowing reasonable ventilation ... not that this unit gets very warm to any extent. Given the small size of the circuit board, one should easily find numerous housing possibilities for this unit if you need to protect the board.
The only thing I could fault on this product is the terminal connectors, built for #12 wire max and seemingly in my opinion a bit delicate for this application. After notifying DIYSolarforU about this concern I was quickly advised that newer and more substantive terminal blocks were found and would be in place for subsequent production run of this product. The proprietor of this company is extremely responsive to customers!
I am very pleased with the two units I have set up, and anticipate ordering more in the future. Ed
Arrived as predicted. Installed Wednesday night and watched it come alive Thursday morning. I *LIKE* the 14v / 19v between day/night, BTW.
Despite the rain and overcast, I got 8-10 watts which was enough to keep the various night lights on throughout the house. When the rain stopped, the power level came up enough to trickle charge the battery. P-P of 46 watts and 4.65 A/H. Not bad for such a totally overcast crappy day.
Today has been AWESOME! Battery terminal voltage is up at 14.3 V, 3.75 to 4 A, 54 W, 86 P-P, and 17 A/H. The battery has been fully replenished and all loads (LED lighting in the kitchen and livingroom) are being sustained. Sweet :)
"The world is once again turning on greesed rails" (Cannery Row).
Thanks again!!!
--- Jay Nugent WB8TKL
Ypsilanti, MI
Despite the rain and overcast, I got 8-10 watts which was enough to keep the various night lights on throughout the house. When the rain stopped, the power level came up enough to trickle charge the battery. P-P of 46 watts and 4.65 A/H. Not bad for such a totally overcast crappy day.
Today has been AWESOME! Battery terminal voltage is up at 14.3 V, 3.75 to 4 A, 54 W, 86 P-P, and 17 A/H. The battery has been fully replenished and all loads (LED lighting in the kitchen and livingroom) are being sustained. Sweet :)
"The world is once again turning on greesed rails" (Cannery Row).
Thanks again!!!
--- Jay Nugent WB8TKL
Ypsilanti, MI
Contact us at: DIYSolarForU@gmail.com