12 volt lights on a 24 volt system?

JRRNeiklot wrote:
If I upgrade my 500 watt solar system to 1 kw, I will need to either upgrade my solar charger or convert it to 24 volt..

You're going to need a much bigger controller.. amps wise! Like an Outback 80.

GENERAL COMMENT

The ability to use much smaller, much less costly wire is a hard-to-resist siren song. 48-volts punches through marginal connections better than 12. Fifty six volts is the standard base charging voltage. But 56 volts needs respect. It pays to keep this in mind. I learned some rather sharp and abrupt lessons when I started working on paralleled Trace 5548 systems.

I use one of these:




It's made by Victron, costs about $100. It's a DC/DC converter with variable output. I keep my coach at 12.5v all the time. Real nice because there's no big voltage spikes.. ever.

24v is real nice.. I'm planning on upgrading to 48vdc.