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Post by griffinkip on Sept 29, 2016 6:45:04 GMT -8
Sorry for the potential of this being a very dumb question... Are there charge controllers that are also chargers? On an off grid setup with solar, I will likely need some additional/suplemental charging of the batteries. Is it OK to use a standard battery charger/Generator without going through the charge controller or is it possible for the generator/charger to be setup to "use" the charge controller?
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Post by rabird on Sept 29, 2016 11:11:05 GMT -8
you can certainly use multiple chargers at the same time.
just hook the charger to the battery and plug it into the generator leaving the charge controller/solar connected.
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Post by Admin on Sept 29, 2016 12:03:15 GMT -8
Hello Griffinkip,
You are able to use multiple sources to charge a single battery bank without the batteries being affected in any way. We do not have a charge controller that can accept an AC input for additional charging. Although, there are products called inverter chargers that have a similar function to what you are referring to.
Best regards,
CMAX
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Post by rabird on Sept 30, 2016 5:35:48 GMT -8
an inverter charger is an inverter and a charger (converter).
The inverter does not charge, it DISCHARGES batteries!!!
Stand alone charger is all that is needed to charge a battery when 120v power (utility or generator) is available.
RVs generally have a converter that has charging capabilities. While towed the vehicle alternator can charge in combo with solar.
Dumb or smart, chargers connect directly to the batt and do not employ the charge controller. Multiple charging sources can be used at the same time.
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Post by spiderbob on Oct 2, 2016 19:55:25 GMT -8
In my RV, I have solar, converter, TruCharge2, diesel generator and the engine altenators (2). All are hooked into the system, and all run through a shunt to my Battery monitor, so I get a reading that works with all methods.
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Post by rabird on Oct 4, 2016 7:18:03 GMT -8
spider, what 'reading' do ya get when you are 'making' 5A and using 5A?
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Post by spiderbob on Oct 4, 2016 10:25:16 GMT -8
Come on rabird, there is not a "single" gauge that will do as you are asking, however, it is not impossible, but would have to be set up with a duel system or perhaps a logging system as I have, called data logging, so as to diagnose system problems. This logging process will read the last 5 days and log to history, daily maximum battery voltage, minimum charging amps, percent of overcharge achieved, (you need to put more back than you take out) the most recent charge/discharge cycle, (close to what you are asking), its length, charge efficiency, minimum battery % full and minimum voltage level for each cycle.
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