Solar Controllers--Don't be a Sucker! :(
Just got to say it again, how it is we are sitting here for five months off grid on solar with no problems at all (third season on solar like this), using the non-programmable, non-MPPT, solar control...
Forum Discussion
Not clear what Salvo is saying there. The main thing is that if your charging amps are low wrt bank size then you go higher in SOC to reach Absorption Voltage (Vabs) So Salvo's 20% time in boost does not apply unless at a high charging rate.
With four batts and 330w I get to Vabs after lunch sometime these days at above 90% SOC. Two hours later, it goes to Float unless I run a load on the battery and mess things up. Starting at solar wake up say 6am to say 2pm in bulk then 2-4pm in absorption, that would be 8 hrs to get to Vabs (after a heavy battery use until 8am.) Lowest SOC is say 8am, highest is 5pm with Vabs reached at say 2pm. Till 8pm, solar stops, all the incoming solar does is reduce the net draw on the batts, so SOC is not so low in the morning. Peak SOC is late afternoon, not later when it gets dark.
So ignoring 6-8am, we have 6 hrs to Vabs, 2 hrs at Vabs and 1 hr Float before batteries are hit at 5pm. I get to about 98% SOC before that 5pm hit.
Trimetric would think batts are "full" if I played by those rules as to what is "full." ( I call "full" only at 100% SOC, which needs extra work to achieve--try to do that once a month--meanwhile, 98% most days keeps the wolf at bay)
With four batts and 330w I get to Vabs after lunch sometime these days at above 90% SOC. Two hours later, it goes to Float unless I run a load on the battery and mess things up. Starting at solar wake up say 6am to say 2pm in bulk then 2-4pm in absorption, that would be 8 hrs to get to Vabs (after a heavy battery use until 8am.) Lowest SOC is say 8am, highest is 5pm with Vabs reached at say 2pm. Till 8pm, solar stops, all the incoming solar does is reduce the net draw on the batts, so SOC is not so low in the morning. Peak SOC is late afternoon, not later when it gets dark.
So ignoring 6-8am, we have 6 hrs to Vabs, 2 hrs at Vabs and 1 hr Float before batteries are hit at 5pm. I get to about 98% SOC before that 5pm hit.
Trimetric would think batts are "full" if I played by those rules as to what is "full." ( I call "full" only at 100% SOC, which needs extra work to achieve--try to do that once a month--meanwhile, 98% most days keeps the wolf at bay)
