Thank you ktmrfs... I am moving up fast on the learning curve with your very thorough lab results, as best as the equipment can measure.
As for your PWM and adding cable length once past the controller... One would look at the quality of the connections / size surface areas of the connections, dielectric grease treat them, and the gauge of the wire and the length of the run for additional resistance/voltage loss, as well as connections/oxidation at the battery terminals, due to acidic gases at the battery charging site, in the case of lead/acid vented batteries.
Keep the runs short for cable, the cable fat, and use the best connections you can, within budget, to keep the resistance losses down and your voltage up. No idea how much amperage is lost, but DC current is not kind to it on longer runs... it's why all high voltage long distance high tensions wires are run in A/C, not D/C.
Wish I would have taken more engineering courses in college, both electrical and mechanical, but I had some hard times with Acronyms, greek letters and advanced formulas.
Most important "trick" learned for efficiency is the dart with a suction cup or good old duct tape and a roll of empty toilet paper as a sight tube to optimize angle of panels.
Any one that would like to direct me to PWM threads, losses, and parallel panels and how to minimize losses, it would be greatly appreciated.
Two days ago, I was a complete newbie, and the threads read like Greek on panel brands and how the whole thread went sideways.
Yesterday I was down at Solar Blvd, a 70 mile drive to get some hands on visuals for some sort of portable system... with an idea to upgrade batteries in a bit. Watts is nice, amps are great too, but it takes enough voltage to overcome battery resistance to charge effectively. That 90% charge figure, while dry camping, done enough times, is just not enough... you need to get to 100%. So a 6 amp charger, a quiet Honda Gennie, and popping the covers and looking for bubbles is the acid test for 100% charge. And to think I knew this as a Power Train Technician my first year in college at Sears Automotive testing Die Hard Batteries, doing load tests on them... 600 amps and 10 seconds with voltage not to drop below 9.6V.
Look for the bubbles... and keep distilled water handy, and you should be good to go.
Also agree with you... I drive a long ways with trailer in tow to go fly fishing, so fly tying and fishing comes first, I can dink around with the trailer and electrical charging devices all I want once back home, fishing time is prime time, if my calculations and investment in solar panels are off a bit, the Honda Gennie can always take up the slack. Not afraid to over charge just a bit, boil off some water, and replenish with distilled, just don't make a habit of doing it too frequently. Battery life is short, price is low amortized over 3, 4, 5 or 6 years.
