"We had a great time touring Midnite Solar! We had only planned to shake hands and offer praise for Midnite products, but I'm really glad we had a flexible schedule for the day. I enjoyed seeing the new products in development and the active production lines, but what most impressed me was how you've managed to maintain a quirky, real-life work environment while delivering world-class products. That is so cool, and rare. Feel free to use me as a resource if I can be of assistance with product development, or anything else.

Thanks again for giving us the VIP tour and a nice lunch. I hope you'll allow me to return the favor when you're in our area."

Don Clark

"MidNite Solar Goes to NASCAR

(Suniva was hired to make the UPS NASCAR track side cart off grid. Sol Haroon, EE used Midnite charge controllers, E-panel and combiners.)

Hi Kim,

The Suniva UPS trailer is now live! The Charge Controller is working great. Looking forward to connecting up to the Modbus directly.

Will now be doing upgrades to the trailer such as upgrading the Magnum inverter and other items based on further requests.

Will send you a write-up.

Regards,"

Sol Haroon, EE - Suniva, Inc.

"Ryan

Here is a slide show of my 6 KW system totally installed by myself with no help except my wife. It was rather difficult at times as I am rather small(5'-7" and 120 lbs wet and 51 years old) and my wife is about the samesize, so if we could do it anyone who tries can do it. The system went online December 21, 2011 and Midnite Solar's equipment has performed flawlessly. I must also commend Ryan for his excellent support during my installation. All I had to do is send an email and he called me back on the phone and took all the time needed to help out, THANKS AGAIN. Thanks again Midnite Solar your products are great."

Pete

"From the Wrenches list posted by Roy

Hi Chris,

Other than the increased cost for the additional equipment, I like the new high voltage XL.1.

I have one in the field, running for almost one year now. Took about 1 hour to work through the Classic/ Clipper programming but then everything worked perfectly. And no call backs!!! The customer is thrilled with it.

We saved a bunch of money on the smaller wire run and the turbine produces more energy for the client than any of the 14 standard issue XL.1s I have out there....and it's not in as good of a wind resource as some of the others.

So, other than the learning curve on the part of the installer, I see no glitches. And the customer service at Midnite is second to none so even the learning curve is painless.

FYI- I have the Classic/ Clipper at my place now. It's now controlling my legacy Whisper H1500. (The old World Power Tech. unit with the big alternator, not the 1kW SWWP unit).

It sure beats the good old "EZ-Fire" controller.....so far, so good!"

Roy Butler - Four Winds Renewable Energy, LLC

"Hello Robin,

I thought you would be interested to know that your MNPV6HV pre-wired disco was selected over the originally specified Eaton Cutler-Hammer units. The major reasons it was approved by our engineers and the consultants were lower costs with increased safety features. This made your MNPV6HV Disco better than an approved equal due to the built-in MNSPD600 Lightning Arrestor.

We also liked the welded Nema 4X aluminum powder coated enclosure which can have a remote disconnect via your Birdhouse feedback compatible option. The MNPV6HV Disco meets the NEC 2011 codes and into the future, keep up the great work making the industry safer for a reasonable cost.

Many Thanks,"

Tim Yusishen - Solar Solutions - Canada

"Well.... I got the Classic hooked up & programmed. You are right about the ease of programming. I am damn impressed."

Robert Shearer

"Hi Ryan,

I forgot to say thank you for the new unit. I have installed it the day I received it and it is working perfectly. Thank you very much for acting on the issue for the CC so quickly and sending me the new unit.

You and your company are great and have responded to the fastest way that I have seen in many years.

Thank you

Sincerely"

John

"Bob,

Its really cool to see such a dedicated group of people working all hours of the day to produce such a great product.

I'm extremely happy with my MidNite Controller. I had my reservations about the style the company was going with but now I feel the passion you guys are putting into the product and its inspiring.

Thanks"

Bob

"Good morning,
After six months of functioning of l 'ensemble 5 panels of 210 W in series with the controller of load MIDNITE CLASSIC 200 and 4 batteries in series of 12 volts 150 AH. - I am very satisfied with performances of CLASSIC 200 - assemblage was easy as well as its linking electrical - The menu is simple d 'utilization to enter parameters

IN CONCLUSION PRODUCED EXCELLENT

Mes 73 QRO de DANIEL F1ACU à KH7RQ, K7IQ ET à RYAN

Good holidays of noel and all my congratulations for 2013

--------------------------

Bonjour,
Après six mois de fonctionnement de l'ensemble des 5 panneaux de 210 W en serie avec le controleur de charge MIDNITE CLASSIC 200 et 4 batteries en serie de 12 volts 150 AH.

- Je suis très satisfait des performances du CLASSIC 200

- Le montage a été facile ainsi que son raccordement electrique

- Le menu est simple d'utilisation pour entrer les parametres

EN CONCLUSION UN EXCELENT PRODUIT"

Daniel THIEL - FRANCE

"How can i thank you for all your support even on Sundays you are supporting.

My best wishes for you.

Thanking you.

Mohamad."

MOHAMAD HAMIEH

"I recently purchased one of MidNite's pre-wired combiner boxes. I must say, pretty awesome and painless if your using MC4 connectors. I'm sure I paid a decent amount for it vs making my own but simplicity/ease of use got me this time.

I only have 2 strings so I used an open string to connect an existing MC4 cable to my inside connection. For me it was click click click done.... Painless and perfect.

Thanks MidNite and NAWS!"

TBR

"I thought I would share this experience with everyone, although it is at my expense. But I will add no body is perfect ! The only people who never make a mistake never do anything anyway.

I had a new small 12v install with 450 watts of PV and was fitting a Classic 150 using the clients old 12v Inverter charger Everything else was new.

On completing of the system everything connected as soon as I fired up the array the Classic would start charging but then went to arc fault.

The Inverter charger behave OK when inverting and charging. I checked all my connections again and again and everything checked out. I disable the arc fault setting in the classic and hey presto everything proformed as it should . Done sorted OK.

About 4 weeks later I got a call from my client saying that the Classic was dead . He was local so I was up the following day. A test of the system found that the classic was not getting its Battery feed. Positive side was OK but the negative side was open. Back system checking through the negative side found the culprit a connection that I assumed was a good bond it was not and failed. Attaching a new bond cable direct from the negative lead cured the problem . System restored arc fault turned back on system Ok.

So the lesson to be learned is if the Arc Fault from the classic appears (default factory value) Before you reduce sensitivity or disable it, please check everything on both polarity's. The Classic was bang on the money !!

Im still saving up for my Flir Thermal Imaging Camera to assist in signing off system installs. Which would have detected this .

But as I said Classic 1 Installer 0."

Nigel

"Midnite Solar Controller Installation Report

Site: Taveuni, Fiji Islands
System Type: Standalone Solar System with Diesel Backup
System Summary
Solar Array: 3.5kW, comprising of 20 x 175W 24V BP Solar Panels
Solar Array Details: Array 1 - 5 strings with 4 panels each
Solar Controller: Midnite Solar Classic 200 66A MPPT
System Nominal DC Voltage: 48V
Battery Bank: 700Ahr @ c100, comprising of 8 x 6V 700Ahr Gell Exide Batteries
Inverter/Charger: Selectronis 7.5kW 48V
Generator: Olympian 7.5KVA 230VAC Single Phase

Programming & Installation Report of the Solar Controller
- The main reason we chose the Midnite solar controller for this installation was because of its wide PV input open circuit voltage range. This enabled us to install 4 x 24V panels in one string which was required for this installation
- Programming of the controller was very simple. The setup wizard made programming very easy.
- Its advanced features such as PV Arc fault protection, VOC limits and programming parameters such as Latitude and longitude settings, wiring size, breaker selection, voltage drop calculation certainly proves its claim of providing increased flexibilty and features when compared to other MPPT range controllers"

Clay Energy - Taveuni, Fiji Islands

"Just now took the time to try the Sizer. WOW, very fast to enter data ... works great. The best string sizer that I've seen.

Thanks! Vic"

Vic

"I wanted to let you know that you have some absolutately wonderful folks working for you, which I’m sure you already know. I particularly want to mention Ayla who went above and beyond last week to help me fix an issue that was totally my fault.

A customer had ordered an MNPV6-Disco-AC, but I shipped him an MNPV6-Disco by accident. On top of that, the customer didn’t check his order for a week, so it wasn’t until they got to the jobsite and had the inspection scheduled that they noticed the problem.

Ayla was so great, helping me not only get them the right parts, but also working hard to find a way to get everything to him at the jobsite early this morning so they didn’t have to reschedule the inspection. And she was very polite and professional throughout the whole thing. She really knows how to provide top-notch customer service.

And since I’m here, I’ll just say that Walter is always great to work with as well.

Hope you are doing well."

Alana

"Hi there. After watching several of your product videos on YouTube, I can say we have no doubt that we want to use Midnight solar products for our project here - you guys are so cool!"

Christine Harbour - Trowbridge, Wiltshire - United Kingdom

"The 150 $ price reduction, will make the Classic Lite a very attractive proposition on its price per amp power handling alone it knocks the rest into the corner with a single punch, with PC Software interface included as standard. Not mentioning Upgradable Firmware, Harvest Yield , Ethernet,USB as standard 3 Operating Voltages and Hyper VOC"

Nigel Dawson - www.prismsolar.eu

"Aloha Gentlemen, Thank you for what I believe was the best presentation hosted by Inter-Island Solar. Your discussion and classic charge control presentation was very informative and motivated quite a few installers to further their knowledge in PV.

You are both an asset to the renewable energy industry and keep alive the roots and foundations on which the industry was created.

Please let me know if there is anything I can assist you with in the future.

Mahalo"

Mark Nifong - Inter-Island Solar Supply Maui

"Your help has been a blessing. Thanks so much for the response. I ran all week end under a load. I have three small 8 Cu.FT. freezers running on all 8 cylinders and am very satisfied with the results. We had two days of somewhat cloudy and hazy conditions, yet my system supported the load and kept my battery bank at full charge. This week I'll be adding additional load to see what the maximum is it will handle. Will stay in touch. Many thanks!"

Mike

"I've had this set up for a few weeks now, and it works totally awesome. This is not a voltage-based "dump". The Classic is smart enough so that it will only turn on the water heater if there is excess power available from the RE system for the particular charge state it's in.

In Bulk MPPT I never see the water heater come on. But once it gets to Absorb voltage the Classic looks at what the batteries are taking for current vs what it determines is available from the panels. If there's more power available than what is being used by the bank it activates the Aux port and we start heating water. In the initial stages of Absorb when the bank is still pulling up to 80 amps it will cycle the water heater on and off to maintain the Absorb voltage. As the bank gets charged up it leaves the water heater on more. At the end of the Absorb stage the water heater is on all the time.

I have the ending amps for Absorb set at 30 amps. So when the batteries are pulling 30 amps it drops into float and finishes the last 5% of the battery charging. Once in float the water heater is always on until the stat kicks it out at 190 degrees.

The solar Classic interacts beautifully with the wind Classics. Even if there is little or no solar power, if the wind system gets the bank up to the Absorb level and holds it there for the max Absorb time set in the solar Classic, it activates the Aux1 port and starts heating water with wind power.

Both of our 55 gallon water heaters are up to 190 degrees by mid-afternoon for the whole last two weeks. We have so much hot water heated with free electricity (well, not "free", when you figure in equipment costs, but still.....) that my wife has been using her dish washer just to use it up and cool the water heaters down a bit so we don't get burned when we take a shower or something.

I have used various relay type voltage based controllers to do this, from Coleman Air ones to Morningstar RD-1's. This is the first time I have had a smart enough controller to properly charge the bank, and use the excess power to operate a water heater without using PWM schemes for "dump". The PWM schemes are fine, but it requires an SSR and driving water heater elements at part of their rated power with PWM does not provide efficient water heating. Using a simple contactor and powering the element at it's full rated 2,000 watts @ 240 volts is about 95% electrically efficient, and it works to actually get LOTS of hot water.

If we get some poor power days, our two water heaters can store enough hot water for about five days if we cut back on the excess use (like the dish washer) before the water gets too cold to take a comfortable shower. And on a good we can heat them both from well temp to 190 with this system in one day. I have figured out that it takes about 36 kWh of power to heat both of our heaters from well temp to 190.

I have to giggle with this system. When all the energy saving folks are promoting turning the thermostat down in your electric water heaters to save on power, we got ours cranked to the Max. And when we turn on the faucet we get hot water with a good head of steam on it"

Chris Olson

"We received six of the twelve charge control panels today. WOW, they are everything we wanted and then some. When the batteries arrive later today we will wire a panel and watch it work. Great job to all. Thank you for the hard work."

Lex Paine - Project Manager - Federal Services LLC

"That battery capacity meter that you sent is REALLY nice! It's my wife's new monitoring tool so she can see at a glance how bad she's got the bank sacked - got it mounted right on the kitchen wall by the cupboard."

Chris & Kristin Olson - Barron, WI

"FINALLY! New system is online. The pair of Classics are purring along quite well. Each Classic has its own "identical" array. Amazing how well they share the common battery bank. Almost always identical power (within a few watts) of each other. This is without any Master/Slaving.

Excellent Documentation. Very happy with this setup. Am very jazzed with all that is included in each Classic -- Removable Front panel/Display, dual Aux outputs on each (even an Aux input!) etc. A very comprehensive package at a very reasonable price.

Most here know all this and more, but ... The Classic is the best CC by far! And, all of this with great support as well. THANK YOU MidNite! Vic"

Vic

"By the way I am very impressed with the quality of the unit and all of the thought that was put into the branding of the unit and packaging. I am proud to own the Classic 150 and I can see myself buying another one."

Darren Caruso

"We still got good wind tonight but it's tamed down a bit from what it was earlier. It's averaging 9-10 m/s right now and supposed to die down further tonight. But I'm happy with it - it had a good first day's run on the tower - 10.1 kWh since 10:00 AM. What's really cool is that I ran a permanent Ethernet cable from the Classic to my home network wireless router. I downloaded a thing off Midnite Solar's website that lets me access the Classic over my network with my laptop. I can sit right in my easy chair and watch my turbine's performance on gauges and stuff on my laptop. Never had anything like that before and it's cooler than hell."

Chris

"Robin- These videos are quite informative, in fact after watching I am emailing Walter next to order some lightning arresters to replace my grey useless ones. Good job on the videos, even better job on the products! Cheers, Jason"

"Thanks for sending these links. I hadn’t seen the Power Time videos yet. It’s a fun concept, and very informative. Great features on the disco product line. The SPD comparison is super interesting. I’ve always suspected that the gray products were about as effective as a rabbit’s foot. However, maybe a rabbit’s foot would work better?"

David Brearley

"These videos are quite informative, in fact after watching I am emailing Walter next to order some lightning arresters to replace my grey useless ones.

Good job on the videos, even better job on the products!

Cheers,

Jason"

Jason Stone - Harness the Wind

"Happy New Year Robin -- you guys keep up the great work! As far as I'm concerned you're the Apple of the solar world."

Ron Young - earthRight Products

"Regarding the pricing of the Classic: to me, the Classic is a great building block. It is not static. Many other manufacturers of CCs seem to get something shipping, and then only do bug fixes (and some other CCs seem to have serious BUGS, (like the XXXXXXXXX!).

On the other hand, the Classic seems to be a canvas, that the engineers at Midnite continue to paint great new functions onto. And believe that this will continue for some time to come. There is just no other manufacturer of MPPT CCs that I know of that has this commitment to product function extension.

AND, the Classic is just a small amount of $ more than the others, that, IMHO are seriously lacking in capability.

Whatta I know? .. But I sure love my Classic 150. Will need more of them this year.

Thanks Midnite for all the great products and support. All the best for the new year. Vic"

Vic

"Another Kudos
Hi Ryan, they don't pay you enough yet. You and the tech support dept. are very high quality stuff. That probably indicates a regard for getting it right by Robin and the guys at Midnite.
Ron"

Ron

"Yes, I have my distrust of electronics too. But the more I tested and learned about how the Classic works, the more I like it. It took me a long time to even convince myself to try it, and I came up with every excuse I could think of why it wouldn't be any good. But, frankly, this is no cheap Chinese controller slammed out with substandard components in it. This thing is built like a tank and it's pretty obvious boB didn't cut any corners on designing it. So I'm learning to trust it because it's the coolest thing I've ever played with."

Chris & Kristin Olson - Barron, WI

"Hello Ryan-----could you please thank Mario and everyone else who had a hand in the quick repair of my customer's Classic 250 returned for warranty work. It is now back in service and all is good. This is the kind of manufacturer support that I always expect and rarely get in this industry. You may rest assured that I will remember this at future order time. This is WAY more important to me than price point or any other consideration . Please forward this to anyone else who might be interested, and thanks for your good work!"

Nick Houser - Off Grid Services - Powell River, BC

"I had to "kludge" together my small off grid cabin system (<500W of PV) and the outback PSDC stuff was just so overkill. I almost died when I saw your E-panel, it is perfect. Can't say enough about your clever and utilitarian designs. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!"

Anthony

"Man this equipment looks like something out of Alien the movie. Awesome looking. Has quality look that I have not seen before. Especially the E-panel, talk about a nice finish on it. Everything was very well packed with plenty of documentation. I can't wait to hook it all up! Thanks Again!"

Robert

"After letting your marketing booklet hang around for several days, I finally decided to read at least the introduction, then found out what a great story you both have to tell and I read it cover to cover! I really enjoyed reading the history of the inverters and pre-wired panels you have been associated with, and I assure you I go back far enough to have installed at least one of every single one you listed!"

Jeff

"I've been busy lately, but I wanted to report that my Classic 150 controlled wind turbine system continues to work great. It's been relatively calm the past 2 weeks, but today we've got some good wind blowing through. They are predicting gusts up to 30mph today and supposed to stay windy tonight. My Classic 150 works so well that I don't have to pay much attention to it these days. The wind blows, the wind turbine spins, and the Classic just does it's job without complaining. That's the way it should be!"

Edward

"Hi Robin,

Just received all the equipment I've ordered. Frankly, the Midnite/Magnum stuff is of high grade quality. Keep on with the good work!!!"

Marc Beauvais

"I'm a semi-experienced amateur, and it does take application and self study to be sure. For me learning the "lingo" and what is and what is not, standard practice is crucial. Your equipment is obviously well thought out and based on real experience. Everything I get just reinforces that impression. My plan is to make it visible in my home because it is a very clean industrial design."

Mike

"Thanks man... I really appreciate it! Love your products... the E-Panel is amazing."

Trent

"I thought I was the only solar guy who was (still) "open 24 hours". Now I see why you call it "Midnite Solar". Your answers are understood and my quote to the prospective customer is now complete. Thanks again!"

Mick Abraham - Abraham Solar

"Robin,

I ended up spending time on your site this evening and I'm really impressed. I know that as a meager mechanical engineer I'm easily impressed but I worked on the manufacture of various equipment over a dozen years and your group is doing very clean work. Also, your documentation is top notch which I'm not used to finding in most industries. So, for what it's worth - great job."

Ian Trask - Balance Technology

"We are currently installing your E-Panel model MNE250XW. I would like to say that this thing is a work of art it looks like you guys really have pride in what your making. Keep at it good work!"

John Ewing - Mondamin, Iowa

"Thanks Robin,

You guys are awesome. Even your Ryan S in Maine has been helping me on another forum and even offered to rewire the thing for me"

Bob

"Did one FW250 and that was it. No space for bus bars and it can be an issue remebering each bit you need to order for a job. Also, the breakers are not supposed to be mounted facing up or down in order to work properly so that means the install has to run vertically up the wall or be on a shelf where the inverter led indicators are not visible. E panel wins hands down even outside the USA!"

Bruce Geddes - PowerOn - New Zealand

"We've looked at both, and the E-panel wins every time for single inverter installs where space and cost are issues. (Midnite includes cables, and breakers, and lots of extra goodies, while Outback keeps leaving more things out). Midnite's E-panel and battery box make for a very clean Grid tie w/ battery backup system. We just couldn't fit systems in such small spaces before."

R. Walters

"Hi,

I just spent the weekend installing my epanel for the outback inverter and FM80...what an amazing product you have built. Having both units on the door is fantastic. I must tell you, the way your system cleans up my install is simply amazing. I had stuff spread across (2) 4x8 sheets of plywood before and now it all fits on 1. Thanks so much for making such high quality products!"

Lowell Slyter - Aurora SD

"Hi Robin,

I just got done with an installation that included the use of your XW e-panel. It worked great and helped keep things pretty clean. Thanks for all of your help!"

Matt Sherald - PIMBY: Power In My BackYard

"I am very aware that I am consuming a great deal of your valuable time. It was never my intent that you should validate my work, and I am extremely appreciative of your lending your expertise. If there is anything I might do for you- beyond giving you my business- I would appreciate it if you would let me know."

Peter Lotz

"Thank you Robin. Great products, great service. Keep up the good work!"

David Gribben - Science Center at San Antonio

"Robin:

Thanks a bunch! You are a class act! I am former VP and GM of a very big company and I used to be very, very interested in customer service. Your attention to the problems of one small and ignorant customer is very impressive and I appreciate it."

Bruce Overson

"I think I just sold out of the last one (Big Baby electrical box) and will sell more of these... What a great product."

Maverick

"Hi Robin,

I love the quality. Obviously lots of time was spent forseeing how these things (E-Panels) would be installed and used. It has provisions for litterally EVERYTHING and makes wiring very simple. It also has to be the most compact solution available, and not a bad price either (even list price). Another fine product Robin! http://dieukhiendien.com"

Randy

"I completely agree with Chris here. The Midnight Solar E-Panels are far superior, in my opinion, to the OutBack FW-250 boxes, and by the time that you add up all of the needed parts to make the FW-250 boxes work (cables, wire, breakers, shunt, etc.), they are about the same cost. The E-Panels are much easier to install and service. They also come with a shunt, whereas with the FW-250 boxes, if you need a shunt, you have to mount it on the inverter, below the top cover. This only works with the vented inverters, as the “turbo” cover on the sealed units don’t have the clearance. On top of that, the shunt ends up only about 2-3” from the negative battery post, and is a hell of a hassle to connect with 2/0 or 4/0 cable."

Brian Teitelbaum

"Great job! Once again, when you touch something, you are going to change the market & be well ahead of the curve!"

Greg Pitz

"This is a good family response to a new company, where else in the world would a new product get so much customer support than this. Guys at Midnite you are very fortunate to have an customer base which is willing you on. Im a loner in Spain but I still like the fact that I can chat with real people at a real company fixated on its customers. Tto this I say thanks to Mary, Walter and Eric, oops Robin as well !!! Sorry bob you only warped me to hyper space, Ryan I appauled you as the flak carrier who stands up in all weather. Keep up the good work. I'll maybe a distributor one day. PS The SPD,s are selling well. Good Fortune Midnite."

Nigel