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Post by rabird on Mar 20, 2018 16:54:04 GMT -8
so what, tell us something not know to the masses.
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Post by rabird on Mar 18, 2018 18:26:59 GMT -8
the purpose of the controller is to prevent overcharge. Keeping a voltage of 13.2 or whatever 24/7 is the best way to store batteries, solar tries to do this. Another method of storage is let the batts self discharge to 12.5 and then fully recharge, this could be monthly or every few months depending on the temperature.
I'd suggest you leave the system connected and let some sun shine on the panel during storage. Each day (most sunny days!) in storage the controller will let the battery get to 14.4v or whatever spec is for some period of time and then revert to float of 13.? keeping the batteries ready to go. The controller adjust these set pts based on temperature.
Set the controller to the type of battery (flooded, gel, Sealed/AGM) and let it do its thing. If flooded check the fluid level from time to time.
ya don't need a fuse on the panel side with just 1 or two panels, the controller/battery side should be fused 30A (30A controller) or less. 10 gauge wire calls for max of 30A fuse.
The controller gets its power from the battery, hook it up first so it can boot and determine you have a 12v system, it is ok to disconnect one wire if you do need to disconnect.
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Post by rabird on Mar 17, 2018 12:01:37 GMT -8
I'd fuse for wire size, your wire size is 12g so fuse for 12g.
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Post by rabird on Mar 16, 2018 4:54:29 GMT -8
I would not worry about it! The suitcases are designed to just hook to the batt and viola
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Post by rabird on Mar 15, 2018 11:01:55 GMT -8
renogy-store.boards.net/thread/288/connection-order-suitcaseI believe the real reason is PWM may not require it. MPPT certainly does. Generally one connects the controller first, this allows the controller to get power and determine if it is a 12v or 24v system. See the link above for what admin said at that time, might call em and ask! If I had a suitcase I would likely turn it away from the sun, plug in or connect clips, then turn the panel to the sun.
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Post by rabird on Mar 15, 2018 5:54:09 GMT -8
Having multiple charging sources is not an issue.
For one panel this is no need to fuse panel to controller. Fuse controller to battery based on wire size or controller amp rating which ever is less.
Most controller manuals warn of connection/disconnect order. This is more an issue with MPPT controller vs PWM controller. Controller is connected to batt first and then the panels are added, disconnect the panels and then disconnect the battery. Just be aware that the switch may momentarily disconnect going from 1 to 2 to both!
Not sure what an ACR is, is it some sort of battery isolator?
I would likely hook the controller to the same spot the alternator connects to the batts.
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Post by rabird on Mar 14, 2018 4:05:25 GMT -8
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Post by rabird on Mar 9, 2018 17:29:27 GMT -8
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Post by rabird on Mar 9, 2018 17:25:26 GMT -8
parallel, ie ya can hook the extra suitcase to the PV input on the the controller along with the wires of the other suitcase.
A short pigtail form the controller with some sort of plug and corresponding mating plug on the extra suit case and ya just plug it in when ya use both suitcases.
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Post by rabird on Mar 7, 2018 13:38:54 GMT -8
pure DC! just like a battery, at night it is just battery power. The load feature is not meant for inverter use. It seems to me it is intended for dusk to dawn use or some sort of timed nightly event.
@an RV forum one guy argues to use the load feature and the associated display that shows the amps/ah usage, for small loads that is ok until ya plug in your RV and its converter/inverter/charger pumps too many amps through the load terminals to the battery!
Just hook your loads to the batt, the same batt terminals you use to charge em.
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Post by rabird on Mar 4, 2018 13:22:39 GMT -8
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Post by rabird on Mar 3, 2018 5:43:14 GMT -8
at one time I had a 10A viewstar and with a cable and PC used the software to capture the below, if ya look close ya see PV and Batt V are the same until batt V get to 14.4v and then PV volts goes up as this on/off process starts/continues, ya can then see the controller go into float of 13.?v and the on/off continues since little power is needed to hold 13.?v at the battery, now this is with no load and varying light conditions. By definition I consider it 100% when it went to float.
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Post by rabird on Mar 3, 2018 5:19:28 GMT -8
On a 12v system and PWM, pv volts should be about the same as battery volts during bulk charging. During boost (aka absorptiion) PV volts displayed will be greater than battery voltage, during boost the controller connects and disconnects form the battery very fast to limit power to the batt to maintain say 14.4v (or 14.8v!). this on time and off time varies, the on times get shorter and the off time longer to taper power to batt as the current tapers cuz the controller is trying the keep the batt @ say 14.4v. The batt can not take as much power without the voltage rising as it gets fuller and fuller. The on time, PV volts = Batt v, or 14.4v. during the off time pv volts=Voc (~20v). There is no power @ Voc when ya measure a panels voltage with no load. Below is my visulization of 50% on / 50% off from a 4A panel yielding 2A and an average PV volt of Voc and batt v, as current tapers the PV volt display will rise to almost 20v! A battery monitor has a lot more 'brain' than the SoC displayed on these controllers, it account for energy into the batt and energy out of the battery and has some logic of how much extra in is needed to get back to 100%, say 120%., and reset from time to time when the batt is FULL. You need to become the battery monitor, how different loads lower the batt v differently ... Dynamic system changing all the time! In any event ya want to FULLY charge the batt regularly for long life, ideally daily but at least ever couple days or so. This may mean you have to limit use, charge from another source or whatever it may take. resting voltage is an estimate of SoC. and that means charging or discharging batt v only means something to YOUR gray matter after some observation cuz just a voltage reading is meaningless not know how much load or charge may be going on.
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Post by rabird on Mar 2, 2018 18:06:56 GMT -8
I look at battery voltage 1st thing in the morning when there is no charging or load. I consider 12.2v ~50% which I try not to go below. 12.3 ~60, 12.4 ~70, 12.5 ~80, 12.6 ~90 and 12.7 ~90.
During charging the voltage goes up to mid 14v and stays there for a while so there is no way to know, even med 14v the battery could be 80%, 90% or near 100%, it is impossible to tell.
Under a load the voltage drops so that voltage can mean nothing. A big load drops the voltage more!!.
These controllers have a State of Charge algorithm (SoC) which is meaninless as best I can tell!
Then there is temperature which changes everything!
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Post by rabird on Feb 23, 2018 17:13:29 GMT -8
Note in my link the 50v on page one is in BOLD cuz they screwed up.
For a 12v system it is mute for a 24v system Voc would be higher than 25v, two 12v panels inseries would have a Voc of 44V or so.
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