SmartSolar 150/85
MPPT solar charge controller. 85A output, max 1200W @ 12V, 150V PV. VE.Can form factor.
The reference run on this page is 3 m one way, sized against ABYC E-11. Your own run will differ, and the canvas sizes that one.
Wiring diagram
The drawing shows where the feed, the return and the fuse land on this part. The starter uses the same reference circuit and sizing assumptions. Read the installation notes for manufacturer requirements before adapting the runs.
Build it out
Open the canvas with SmartSolar 150/85 already placed, then add your batteries, charging, distribution and loads around it.
Every cable you draw there is sized against ABYC E-11, from the same tables as the reference on this page.
Technical reference
The catalog facts for this part, which terminal takes what, and the hardware you'll want around it. Check the nameplate on your own unit before you order.
3 m reference run
12 V system
Sized against ABYC E-11. Boats built to UK or EU rules answer to ISO 13297 — check these figures against it before you build. The design current is the unit's rated output. The length is one way; voltage drop includes an equal-length return. The shared starter uses 3.048 m (10 ft) runs unless a shorter run is stated. These are example assumptions for you to adapt to your own installation.
Check stud sizes, fuse type, run length and how warm the space gets against the gear you actually have before you order.
Catalog connection points, current direction and planning limits. Check the manufacturer's pinout and connector ratings before installation.
PV +
pv-pos
positive · input
PV −
pv-neg
negative · input
BATT +
batt-pos
positive · output
BATT −
batt-neg
negative · output
Field notes
What we've read and heard about installing this exact part. These are notes, kept apart from the numbers Crimp works out.
MPPT solar charge controller for a large array, charging a 12 V, 24 V or 48 V battery at up to 85 A. Nominal PV power is 1200 W on a 12 V bank, 2400 W on 24 V and 4900 W on 48 V. It carries VE.Can as well as VE.Direct and Bluetooth, so up to 25 controllers can be daisy-chained for synchronised charging and read individually by a GX device; the same unit is also sold without Bluetooth. The Tr version takes screw terminals, the MC4 version two pairs of MC4 connectors.
The PV side connects to the array, whose total short-circuit current must stay under 70 A. On the MC4 version no single connector pair may carry more than 30 A, since both pairs feed one tracker — a bigger array is split across them, or combined with splitters, rather than forced into one input. The battery side goes to the bank through its own fuse; at 85 A this is a heavy run, and the 35 mm² (AWG 2) battery terminals are sized for it. Keep the controller close to the bank so the battery run stays short, and let the array side carry the distance. Connect the battery first so the controller detects the right voltage; 36 V banks are the exception and have to be selected by hand.
Two limits get read as one. The voltage ceiling is 150 V absolute maximum in the coldest conditions, and only 145 V for start-up and normal operation — a panel's open-circuit voltage climbs as temperature falls, so a string that measures comfortably under 150 V in summer can exceed it on a winter morning. The current ceiling is 70 A of short-circuit current, and it is the one people miss when a 12 V bank's 1200 W ceiling tempts them into parallel strings: four strings of modern high-current panels reach 80 A to 90 A of Isc while the wattage still looks fine. More array power than the controller can use is harmless — it limits its own output. More short-circuit current than 70 A can damage it. Put panels in series first to raise voltage and cut current, then check both numbers separately.
Verified against the manufacturer's documentation (rev. 2022-09), checked 2026-09-04. Manufacturer documentation →
Method & provenance
The manufacturer publishes some of these numbers and Crimp works out the rest. It's worth knowing which is which.
From the maker
Manufacturer, model, ratings and which terminal does what come from the catalog. A newer revision, or the nameplate on the unit in your hand, can say something different — when it does, the nameplate wins.
ABYC E-11
Sized against ABYC E-11. Boats built to UK or EU rules answer to ISO 13297 — check these figures against it before you build. The run length and the current above are what drive the result. Crimp doesn't know how warm your space gets; draw the cable inside an engine-bay zone on the canvas and it sizes for the heat.
Next step
It lands on the canvas already placed. Add what it connects to, and every run gets its wire and fuse as you draw.