Agreed.
I don't think, without close user interaction, the cheapowatt would be good for anything but top charging on a bank that can't accept more than the cheapowatt can handle, and the absolute max appears to be 36 amps.
My first 2 tests I was moving the trim pot a lot. I'd estimate that when first started, the trim pot was less than half way up when output exceeded 36 amps and the buzzing began. I kept it just below the buzzing, and as the battery voltage rose, amps tapered, and I'd adjust the trim pot higher to keep it just below 36.2 amps. Eventually the trim pot was maxed out, the battery was taking less than 36 amps, and eventually the battery voltage rose above my desired 14.7v at which point it required dialing back the trim pot.
This close user interaction is obviously unacceptable every single recharge. I am not sure that having a pair of them with a diode separating them would really solve the issue either, as initially hungry batteries could likely still max out both units. I know my depleted AGM could easily accept 72 amps. I've seen my flooded 31 take 75 alternator amps. But of course the amps accepted at this level would be of shorter duration, perhaps short enough duration that the cheapowatt will not release the magic blue smoke.
Now the Megawatt or some Meanwells which incorporate current limiting could be another story. If a battery can accept way more the MW can produce, but the MW limits current protecting itself, then one could in theory set the desired ABSV, turn it on and walk away, and it will feed the maximum amps it safely can right at the current limiting overload protection mode. A timer and some estimation and one might come back and find a battery that is very close to full charge, and future recharges can be dialed in a bit closer with a self wound timer.
I want to fix my cheapowatt. I've grown to respect the little SOB, but I know even if the new transistors do allow it to function again, my relatively small depleted batteries would still allow it to smoke itself again no matter how much heatsinking or ventilation I can add to it, as it incorporates no current limiting but will just give itself a heart attack producing 125%+ of its rating. it should also be noted that my wiring between cheapowatt and battery is heating up a lot. Proper size wiring would likely make the overloading issue even worse.
So it will allow me to do a fast bulk charge, if I am willing to sit there and baby sit it. I guess since when I do have grid power available I generally do not have a time limit, I could set it to float voltage then hook it to the battery, and initially it will max out, but probably taper to below max amps relatively quickly before it smokes itself, and the battery will charge much much slower. But it could be a set it and forget it, but perhaps it would need days to get the SG to the max and on an unloaded battery.
If I do get it operational again next Monday, I'll have to test the above paragraph.
but Ideally I'd have a current limiting MW I could just set to my desired ABSV, attach to battery and let it go.
And one other thing I am curious about, concerning my screwy 31 that needs 14.9 Absv and a 15.3v finish when on 200 watts of solar, what this battery needs when recharged at a higher cheapowatt rate. I checked SG the day after a cheapowatt charge and the SG was maxed out, and before, it usually required 16v for a while after holding 15.3v for a while to accomplish this max SG. LendinG credence to the faster charge rate being more effective than low and slow that is always espoused as being best for a battery, if one has all the time needed to reach full charge.
I really like the small physical size of these power supplies. Since i have relatively small capacity i can make one of these units work for me, but those with larger capacity banks still need a bulkier bulk charger and employ one of these power supplies after the other charging source decapitates Absorption voltage and duration, if/when a 100% recharge is desired.
Perhaps with the right diode incorporation, these power supplies can add to the bulk amps of the other decapitating bulk charger and just take over automatically when the decapitator, decapitates.
Again there is nothing automatic with these, no set it and forget it, and this eliminates them from contention for usage by all but those willing to monitor them to some degree or another.
