I bought 3 Voltx 200 watt panel (from Aldi) and tested each against two Victron 175watt 12v panel which I know perform to specifications. I found under the same conditions and that is after the panels had warmed up the Victron 175w panel was putting out 149 watts (85% of stated output) and the Voltx was outputting 164 watts (82% of stated output) (note this was an Autumn day so not 1Kw/m2 that we get in summer) For the regulator to start working at full capacity I had to switch on two 100watt lamps and wait till the battery started discharging otherwise I would have had a false reading. All Voltx panel displayed the same result as did the two Victron panels. Although this was a rough test I would say the Voltx does what is says it does.
Aldi currently have them for $229.00 and was going to buy one however, after watching your review and seeing the output of about half of what I would expect from a 200 watt blanket, $229.00 is just not worth the money.
Watts are a far more standardised method of measuring output - whilst thinking in Amps is OK for a specific given setup, the moment you try and use that data from/against someone else's setup it's almost meaningless unless you know their background data as well as their Amps. Amps are only relevant based on the specific voltage in use, it's the job of the controller to convert all your Watts into useable Amps based on your setup. If you're confused, you would divide the Watts in the test by the Volts for the system in use - so if your Volts are different it won't be the same. Not to mention that some systems will make all the calculations off the 'nominal' voltage of 12V so that their Amp readings will appear to be higher than real life. That being said, if you want a rough estimate, for most AGM applications the Voltage will be about 12.5V when charging and for most LiFePO4 applications the Voltage will be maybe roughly 14.4V when charging. So in this instance "Old Faithful" would put 5.6A into an AGM or 4.9A into a Lithium, and the VoltX would put 9.2A into an AGM or 8.0A into a Lithium. . But ultimately it's the same amount of power being put into the battery for each panel, your controller just does the job for you, which is why Watts are more meaningful than Amps.
Hey Craig, I appreciate your uploads. I want to upgrade to a better blanket than my current one. I too, as mentioned by melbournesubtropicfruits9474, am more interested in amps than watts. would you have the amp stats for your tests or could you do a comparison again. voltx vs itechworld vs old faithful
I'll try to remember to do that in future video's, but the quick math is Watts / Voltage = Amps. eg. 167w / 13.3v = 12.55 amps. So the 300w / 13.3v = 22.55 amp. The voltage will vary depending on state of charge, 14.2v in absorb for example.
ALDI has them for $229 / VOLTX 200w as of now March 2024 : not sure if I should get one as I have two 120AH LIFEPO4 batteries & I need a good panel or two run charge them … what’s anyone’s thoughts?
I bought 3 Voltx 200 watt panel (from Aldi) and tested each against two Victron 175watt 12v panel which I know perform to specifications. I found under the same conditions and that is after the panels had warmed up the Victron 175w panel was putting out 149 watts (85% of stated output) and the Voltx was outputting 164 watts (82% of stated output) (note this was an Autumn day so not 1Kw/m2 that we get in summer)
For the regulator to start working at full capacity I had to switch on two 100watt lamps and wait till the battery started discharging otherwise I would have had a false reading. All Voltx panel displayed the same result as did the two Victron panels. Although this was a rough test I would say the Voltx does what is says it does.
Great video.
What are you using to have that display ? Love how it looks.
Its a Victron Touch 50 run via a Victron Cerbo GX
Seems a common theme that "blankets" are not up to their specs, in your tests.....I need to watch more.
blankets are never as efficient as a fixed or folding panel, so for a solar blanket it's doing okay.
Hi Craig, what brand is the "old faithful"?
I bought the 200W Voltx at Aldi Macarthur Square NSW marked down to $159.99. There were a few there.
Aldi currently have them for $229.00 and was going to buy one however, after watching your review and seeing the output of about half of what I would expect from a 200 watt blanket, $229.00 is just not worth the money.
What were the amps for both as i more look at amp output than watts - also like to see you test the Exotronic 200w folding panel? thanks
Watts are a far more standardised method of measuring output - whilst thinking in Amps is OK for a specific given setup, the moment you try and use that data from/against someone else's setup it's almost meaningless unless you know their background data as well as their Amps. Amps are only relevant based on the specific voltage in use, it's the job of the controller to convert all your Watts into useable Amps based on your setup. If you're confused, you would divide the Watts in the test by the Volts for the system in use - so if your Volts are different it won't be the same. Not to mention that some systems will make all the calculations off the 'nominal' voltage of 12V so that their Amp readings will appear to be higher than real life.
That being said, if you want a rough estimate, for most AGM applications the Voltage will be about 12.5V when charging and for most LiFePO4 applications the Voltage will be maybe roughly 14.4V when charging. So in this instance "Old Faithful" would put 5.6A into an AGM or 4.9A into a Lithium, and the VoltX would put 9.2A into an AGM or 8.0A into a Lithium. . But ultimately it's the same amount of power being put into the battery for each panel, your controller just does the job for you, which is why Watts are more meaningful than Amps.
Hey Craig, I appreciate your uploads. I want to upgrade to a better blanket than my current one. I too, as mentioned by melbournesubtropicfruits9474, am more interested in amps than watts. would you have the amp stats for your tests or could you do a comparison again. voltx vs itechworld vs old faithful
I'll try to remember to do that in future video's, but the quick math is Watts / Voltage = Amps. eg. 167w / 13.3v = 12.55 amps. So the 300w / 13.3v = 22.55 amp. The voltage will vary depending on state of charge, 14.2v in absorb for example.
ALDI has them for $229 / VOLTX 200w as of now March 2024 : not sure if I should get one as I have two 120AH LIFEPO4 batteries & I need a good panel or two run charge them … what’s anyone’s thoughts?
I just bought one yesterday for $230.