Mean Well RSP-500-15 Switching Power Supply
IT just arrived. Initial impressions: Much heavier than the cheapowatt 1/2" wider, 1/2 inch longer and almost 1/2 inch less High than cheapowatt. The casing is about 50 to 75% thicker aluminum t...
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Mex, thanks for all the product research.
Here is the graph I plotted late last night when my eyes were crossing at the end of the test and amps into AGM were under 4. Smartphone photo, not Canon DslR.
The lower voltage slope is the battery voltage read by my battery monitor, the higher voltage is the GTpower meter voltage which is 8 inches away from the MW terminals over questionable quality 8 awg cable. Could be 10 AWG.
MW terminal voltage reached 14.71v in 20 minutes and leveled off there and was not worth plotting. Keep in mind I set MW to 14.71v before hooking it to the battery. I never touched the trim pot until the end of the test. 3 minutes into test, MW terminal voltage was 14.30, 0.24v above GTpower.
The amps on the graph, were the amps flowing onto the battery according to battery monitor. As there was still loads on the battery, the GTpower amp reading would have made for a more confusing plot. Besides, it stayed at 40.92 amps for the first 20 minutes anyway.
I reduced MW voltage to 13.6v and went to bed at the end of the test at the 1 hour and 45 minute mark. I never heard the fan fire up again. Biggest load after was the cycling compressor fridge and a few fans, no more than 3.5 amps. Pretty sure the fan cycling on would have woken me.
Due to parakeet screeching induced rage, I forgot to check to see what the AGM was accepting at 13.6v when I turned off the MW just before sunlight crested the mountains about 3.5 hours later.
I'd switched loads and solar to screwy 31, reduced max solar voltage to 13.6v (screwy 31 was EQ'd the evening before and unused overnight), unplugged MW, and lay back down and dreamed of killing a Parakeet with various sharp, and dull, implements. Mostly dull rusty garden tools, sledge hammer just out of reach. The beeping of the Bobcat with the jackhammer and the dump truck were not nearly as annoying as the dang parakeet screeching, may it die a fast painful death. I'd say slow to be more cruel, but I hope to never hear the thing again, and as soon as possible.
AGM voltage was 13.22v at 2PM. It usually bottoms out at 13.06v after 12 to 24 hours resting unloaded. It got some alternator juice late afternoon, and is 13.25v as I type this.
I bought some short M4 metric screws for the MW casing to attach some mounting feet, which I might make from the Cheapowatt case.
When finding the right screws in the smaller hardware store, MeanWell on shelf, there was much interest in the RSP-500-15 SPS unit from employees and other customers. I explained what it was and what I used it for, and it was like the typical internet response.
"I have such and such a battery charger and it works great!!!"
Me: "By what methods are you determining that your charger works great?"
Them: " Umm, it was expensive, the green light comes on and it starts my car!"
Me: "Umm, a battery only 35% charged can start your car, the green light means nothing".
Them: "But I have a 130 amp alternator too, a drive around the block and I am good to go anyway."
Without enough sleep and in an extremely irritable mood, I imagined this person next to the scumbag Parakeet, with a dull rusty garden implement quickly approaching their vitals.
They wordlessly backed away, and left me alone.
I wonder why?
There are recesses in the MW casing, right where 5 of the 8 perimeter transistors are pulled tight. These areas are not perfectly flat. I doubt I could get them flat for perfect aftermarket heatsinking, being recessed. Wonder how thick is allowable for thermal adhesive to bridge gaps.
My experiments with fans show that they are much more effective at pushing air through a resistance vs pulling it through, and some fans more so than others. My goal is to get a larger, quiet fan installed on the surface of the steel lid, powered by the units output, effective enough that the provided superloud 40MM fan never needs to switch on, outside of 40.92 amp bulk mode and perhaps not even then.
The loud provided 40mm fan is obviously triggered thermally. But some fans simply are no good when there is resistance behind the fan. They make more noise and simply move very little air. Some are better than others, but there is no way to really know without experimentation.
Am really considering pushing air into the case instead. but nothing is written in stone, except 'screeching parakeets must die!'
Here is the graph I plotted late last night when my eyes were crossing at the end of the test and amps into AGM were under 4. Smartphone photo, not Canon DslR.
The lower voltage slope is the battery voltage read by my battery monitor, the higher voltage is the GTpower meter voltage which is 8 inches away from the MW terminals over questionable quality 8 awg cable. Could be 10 AWG.
MW terminal voltage reached 14.71v in 20 minutes and leveled off there and was not worth plotting. Keep in mind I set MW to 14.71v before hooking it to the battery. I never touched the trim pot until the end of the test. 3 minutes into test, MW terminal voltage was 14.30, 0.24v above GTpower.
The amps on the graph, were the amps flowing onto the battery according to battery monitor. As there was still loads on the battery, the GTpower amp reading would have made for a more confusing plot. Besides, it stayed at 40.92 amps for the first 20 minutes anyway.
I reduced MW voltage to 13.6v and went to bed at the end of the test at the 1 hour and 45 minute mark. I never heard the fan fire up again. Biggest load after was the cycling compressor fridge and a few fans, no more than 3.5 amps. Pretty sure the fan cycling on would have woken me.
Due to parakeet screeching induced rage, I forgot to check to see what the AGM was accepting at 13.6v when I turned off the MW just before sunlight crested the mountains about 3.5 hours later.
I'd switched loads and solar to screwy 31, reduced max solar voltage to 13.6v (screwy 31 was EQ'd the evening before and unused overnight), unplugged MW, and lay back down and dreamed of killing a Parakeet with various sharp, and dull, implements. Mostly dull rusty garden tools, sledge hammer just out of reach. The beeping of the Bobcat with the jackhammer and the dump truck were not nearly as annoying as the dang parakeet screeching, may it die a fast painful death. I'd say slow to be more cruel, but I hope to never hear the thing again, and as soon as possible.
AGM voltage was 13.22v at 2PM. It usually bottoms out at 13.06v after 12 to 24 hours resting unloaded. It got some alternator juice late afternoon, and is 13.25v as I type this.
I bought some short M4 metric screws for the MW casing to attach some mounting feet, which I might make from the Cheapowatt case.
When finding the right screws in the smaller hardware store, MeanWell on shelf, there was much interest in the RSP-500-15 SPS unit from employees and other customers. I explained what it was and what I used it for, and it was like the typical internet response.
"I have such and such a battery charger and it works great!!!"
Me: "By what methods are you determining that your charger works great?"
Them: " Umm, it was expensive, the green light comes on and it starts my car!"
Me: "Umm, a battery only 35% charged can start your car, the green light means nothing".
Them: "But I have a 130 amp alternator too, a drive around the block and I am good to go anyway."
Without enough sleep and in an extremely irritable mood, I imagined this person next to the scumbag Parakeet, with a dull rusty garden implement quickly approaching their vitals.
They wordlessly backed away, and left me alone.
I wonder why?
There are recesses in the MW casing, right where 5 of the 8 perimeter transistors are pulled tight. These areas are not perfectly flat. I doubt I could get them flat for perfect aftermarket heatsinking, being recessed. Wonder how thick is allowable for thermal adhesive to bridge gaps.
My experiments with fans show that they are much more effective at pushing air through a resistance vs pulling it through, and some fans more so than others. My goal is to get a larger, quiet fan installed on the surface of the steel lid, powered by the units output, effective enough that the provided superloud 40MM fan never needs to switch on, outside of 40.92 amp bulk mode and perhaps not even then.
The loud provided 40mm fan is obviously triggered thermally. But some fans simply are no good when there is resistance behind the fan. They make more noise and simply move very little air. Some are better than others, but there is no way to really know without experimentation.
Am really considering pushing air into the case instead. but nothing is written in stone, except 'screeching parakeets must die!'
