Solar Panels..Again!

Hairy

Amps is a measurement of current. The only way you can get any multi meter to measure amps is to put it in line between the power source and the appliance using the power

In other words between the solar regulator and the battery or the battery and the appliance (fridge etc)

Leave the earth wire as untouched and break into the positive wire and using the probes on the multi meter allow the current to flow in one of the probes into the multi meter and then out back through the other probe and then connect that to the other end of the positive circuit that you broke into to complete the circuit

Make sure the multi meter is on amps and be ware that some of the cheaper multi metrs may only measure up to 10 amps

As for your batteries I reckon they are stuffed

Hairy,

Sounds like you have a few issues.

First - how to measure amps. Warning -This is a very quick way to damage your meter if you get it wrong. Amps are a measure of the FLOW of current, so you want those amps to flow through the meter. If it is set up to measure amps though and you accidentally connect the meter leads to the battery terminals, the huge current flow WILL kill the amps capability and probably the whole meter. For this reason, after you've measured current, always change the meter back to volts, exactly as in your photo.

How to do it - set the switch to the 20 A= position (pointing due west) and move the red lead to the "A" terminal on the left hand side. To measure the current flowing from the solar panel to the battery you should connect the red meter lead to the positive (red) lead from the panel, and the black meter lead to the POSITIVE side of the battery. The negative (black) panel lead goes direct to the negative side of the battery. After you've made your measurement, move that red meter lead back to the V terminal (as shown in your photo) so as to avoid accidentally damaging the meter. (And switch the meter back to volts to avoid confusion.)

I would expect you to see a bit over 2 amps from the 40W panel and about 4.5 amps from the 80 watt one.

Your voltages at the batteries are a worry. Are they 12 volt batteries??? If they are, you should be seeing over 12 volts at the terminals, and with the panels connected, over 13 volts. (Unless they are very very dead.)

Final warning - after every current measurement, always move the red lead back to it's voltage terminal!!!!!

Hope that helps,

Cheers

John

Watts = volts x amps as you say. BUT - the panel's highest wattage (which is where the spec is taken) is at about 17 to 18 volts, not the 13-14 volts you'll see when charging.

The picture is bluury but looks like you have the dial on DC volts you need amps...roughly 180 deg from where it is now....the Dc is the dotted line the AC is a ~

I think your batteries might be stuffed because after a couple of hours of charging they should be at at least 12+ volts and should also be showing similar reading during charging

let them rest for half an hour and they should be at least 12+ volts
after that

what Mainey said is same as me I just assumed that bit was logical where "to break in"

The Blurriness is not the Camera, but is actually the way Hairy sees things normally after 18 Burbons