solar regulator
Submitted: Tuesday, Apr 03, 2012 at 20:17
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dean r2
i have recently bought a folding 120 watt solar panel and am not to sure about the controller/ regulator it came with and weather it is putting out to much power for charging my 85ah deep cycle battery. When i
test the panels output with a multi-meter the panel is putting out 21v in full sun. The specs for the controller are:
Max Power: 120W
Open Circuit Voltage: 21V
Max Power Current: 6.67A
Max System Voltage: 1000V
i am unsure if the panel voltage drops when connected to a battery as i wasnt game enough to try it when it was putting out 21v into a 12v thought i would ask you all for advice first.
If this is to much power can somone help me as to what i need to regulate the power to charge my battery correctly.
Reply By: Battery Value Pty Ltd - Tuesday, Apr 03, 2012 at 20:32
Tuesday, Apr 03, 2012 at 20:32
Hi Dean,
just connect it all togehter and it'll work....soso.
Don't expect long battery life from the solar regulator which came with your solar panel though.
These units are generally not multistage charging capable, which is what you want for a deep cycle battery.
cheers, Peter
AnswerID:
482265
Follow Up By: dean r2 - Tuesday, Apr 03, 2012 at 20:37
Tuesday, Apr 03, 2012 at 20:37
thanks for your reply.
so if i was to buy a multistage regulator/controler that is not to expensive what would you recomend and where could i look for 1 online.
FollowupID:
757515
Follow Up By: Battery Value Pty Ltd - Tuesday, Apr 03, 2012 at 21:07
Tuesday, Apr 03, 2012 at 21:07
Dean,
just follow the link next to our company logo - we sell state of the art units for a small amount of cash.
Sorry I'm not allowed to give you more information, or this reply gets moderated.
cheers, Peter
FollowupID:
757517
Reply By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Wednesday, Apr 04, 2012 at 08:14
Wednesday, Apr 04, 2012 at 08:14
Hook it up to a fully charged battery and see what voltage you get at the battery. The regulator that came with my 120W folding panels regulates to 13.7V - same as the float voltage of your battery. They are a fairly simple cheap regulator. I moved this regulator to the Tvan's panel and hook the folding panels up to the Ctek D250S on the Landcruiser.
AnswerID:
482287
Reply By: energy marty - Thursday, Apr 05, 2012 at 13:44
Thursday, Apr 05, 2012 at 13:44
one of the morningstar range - perhaps a sunsaver - which aren't too expensive would do the trick if you want to change the regulator.
mh
AnswerID:
482371
Reply By: Phil 23 - Friday, Apr 13, 2012 at 09:05
Friday, Apr 13, 2012 at 09:05
Hi Dean,
Wondering if you bought the same panel I bought.
Mine came with a faulty regulator that was putting full panel voltage to the batteries.
A friend bought the same item from same seller in January & had the same issue as
well.
My suspicion is this:-
The panel came supplied with 2 sets of leads attached with alligator clips on each. These were wrapped up in a plastic bag inside the panel.
I think what happened was these leads were all shorted together when I unpacked the panel in the sun & straight out of the box put power into a short circuited regulator.
Reg was a CMP 12. Panels were Rich Solar.
Seller replaced it without a hassel, but in the meantime I bought one from JayCar so I could use the panels over the
Easter holidays.
Cheers
Phil
AnswerID:
482954