DarkSkySeeker wrote:
How are you measuring the current? Does your charge controller display that? For each batt?
I have three controllers, one for each array as in the OP. Each controller has a display showing the amps it is getting in. The Trimetric monitor shows what the battery bank is getting/accepting out of that total.
The 450AH bank is not split, so all three controllers are in parallel to the one bank. The three are set to the same voltage, so they add their amps.
However, the Tracer does have a two hour time after the batts reach the set voltage, while the others do not have that time limit.
In a long day of solar, after the bank reaches the set absorption voltage and then two more hours, the Tracer will drop to 13.6, so no amps anymore from its 255w panel. By then, the total amps from the other two controllers will likely be more than the bank will accept anyway, so no matter. (Where we use solar, it is ok to stay at Vabs till sundown--no need to reduce to Float during daylight time)
I have this arrangement from using my collection of solar stuff from previous set-ups in previous RVs. If starting from scratch of course you would not do it this way. However, it is from doing it this way that I discovered this OP aspect to the series vs parallel discussion.
Normally, you can't tell how much each panel in an array is providing towards the total array output. After this, I now picture all you folks up there with clamp on ammeters poking at your combiner box inputs to find out! Too bad for those with panels in series and the junction boxes out of reach under the panels :)
