"The Trojan 605s have 210 AH @20 hr and 175 AH @ 5 hr. What's the difference here between the 20 and 5 hr AHs. Is that how fast you charge them?"
No, That's how many Amp Hours you will get at various draws. At the 20 hr rate, you would be drawing 10.5 amps for 20 hours (210 AH total), at the 5 hour rate you would be drawing 35 amps for 5 hours(175 AH total). The total available AH's varies with the draw, higher draw less total, lower draw higher total. (You probably could get close to 300 AH at a 3 amp draw. 300 AH total at the 100 hour rate)
You're going to get plenty of opinions on a controller; I have a $20 e-bay controller that works just fine; I tie my 100 watt portable directly to the battery when in shaded spots (plenty of them here in NC) and watch the voltage. A 100 watt panel tied directly to 2 GC's, can't hardly get out of control.
Regards,
Doug
