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profdant139's avatar
profdant139
Explorer II
Apr 06, 2022

Break-even point between cable length and voltage drop?

I have two cables for my portable solar panel – one is 40 feet long, and the other is 70 feet long. (We boondock, and we like to park the trailer in deep shade and put the panel out in the open sun.)...
profdant139's avatar
profdant139
Explorer II
Apr 06, 2022
BFL, that is valuable info! The battery was full when I did this test, so that may explain why the voltage drop was so slight.

I should deplete the battery to a 50 percent state of charge (around 12.1 volts) and then re-try my side by side comparison of the two cables. I suspect that the drop will be more than two percent.

And LittleBill, that's a good idea, but the controller is built in to the portable panel and can't be removed.

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