Solar for keeping batteries topped off.

Sam Spade wrote:

Boon Docker wrote:
IMO temperature compensation is not really necessary.

I agree with that.

But regardless of the subject, it seems that there will always be "purists" in the crowd that insist that anything short of perfect is not acceptable. :)

I dunno'. The objective here is to keep charge into a electrochemical reaction, i.e. a battery. By controlling the rate of charge, you're controlling that chemical reaction. If the voltage is too high, electrolyte begins to boil off and plate shedding occurs. If it's too low, sulfation starts and can become hardened to limit the capacity. With a solar controller, it's a special situation since power is only available during the day.

I know my temp comp will swing about .5 V between seasons. There are more discussions about lesser converter voltage differences.