Just Starting Solar Research
Man, there's a lot to read and digest with possibly installing a small solar panel. I very recently replaced my original 1-stage converter/charger with the Progressive Dynamics PD4600 series conve...
Forum Discussion
Mitch, you don't need a meter. If you are really into these things, get a "multimeter" - a cheap one for $4. Or a good one for $30-40. It will allow measuring voltage and current, among other things. As noted, voltage shows approximate State Of Charge only when battery is at rest, and even then it is recommended to give it 24 hours rest to get an accurate SOC reading.
Your controller has - I think - 3 indicators, red-green-yellow. Read the manual what they mean - usually blinking green means that battery is full or near full. It is a rough indication, but it will give you an idea when to run a generator. Very likely you will have to run it every day or every other day because your panel won't supply 35*1.25=44 AH. Factor *1.25 is added because if you draw 35 AH out of the battery, you need to put 25% more back into battery. Because battery is not 100% efficient. It's like a bank - you take money out, then put same amount in, and then you have to give the bank something for doing its job. Besides, you forgot about electronic toys, and they might consume another 15-20 AH, i.e. another 20-25 AH to put into battery.
Your controller has - I think - 3 indicators, red-green-yellow. Read the manual what they mean - usually blinking green means that battery is full or near full. It is a rough indication, but it will give you an idea when to run a generator. Very likely you will have to run it every day or every other day because your panel won't supply 35*1.25=44 AH. Factor *1.25 is added because if you draw 35 AH out of the battery, you need to put 25% more back into battery. Because battery is not 100% efficient. It's like a bank - you take money out, then put same amount in, and then you have to give the bank something for doing its job. Besides, you forgot about electronic toys, and they might consume another 15-20 AH, i.e. another 20-25 AH to put into battery.
