Solar Charger & Truck Power Question
I've recently installed a Go Power! GP-PWM-30 30 Amp Solar Regulator because the previous owner had solar installed but no charge controller (he just had a simple diode or voltage regulator that conne...
Forum Discussion
adamis:...
What I found was that the batteries would stay around ~12.6v or 12.7v (possibly close to 12.9v after several hours of driving but would quickly fall back to 12.6v or 12.7v once parked for an hour with just a couple of LED lights on. ...
'Fall back? Holding volts of 12.6-12.7 on a battery (12v) thats not connected to a charge source after a given amount of time, hour or so is ideal? Are standing volts for (2)6v batts higher?
Unless I'm misreading, sounds as though your expecting holding volts to be closer to highest charge rate?
adamis:
When I installed the solar charge controller for my 60w panel it was on a cloudy day but the controller was still delivering 1 amp of charge. At first I was confused that the unit would never read anything above 1 amp but I think I figured out that when the controller is first installed it limits the amperage until the batteries have gone through a complete charge cycle. Because the days I was messing with the system were cloudy and it being winter, there wasn't enough time for the 60w panel to top off the batteries so the unit stayed at 1 amp, ....
No, the charge controller shows amp rate its delivering, whether limited by solar out put or sensing that's all batteries need, but likely as cloudy all panel could muster. 60 watts max on a good day 4.5-5 amps
adamis: ..The controller indicated that at 12.6v the batteries were only about 60% full so it appears that my batteries had not been topped off even while on the road. ...
That's odd, 60% at 12.6v
adamis:...However just yesterday I was at the truck that had been taken out of indoor storage and the batteries were fully topped up from the trickle charger they plug in for me and the batteries are now showing 13v and 100% charge...
Real reason for me chiming in- how long AFTER disconnected from charge source was it showing 13.v?
adamis:..Back to the reason for my post though is that I need to put a charge controller between the truck and camper batteries. Instead of installing a second controller I'm considering having the toggle switch to select the source of power going into the controller I already have.
Well I really do not understand what the purpose is here and obviously missing something. Ill reread post but I do not understand the desire to regulate the trucks input, it already does?. Multiple input charge sources work fine with each other, they all 'read' the batteries not the other charge source. Though off hand its sounds as though truck and camper batteries are still tied together when truck shut off? Unsure what solar controller would make of the input from alternator, less so the truck seeing charge controller instead of battery.
Truck should charge its battery(s) and with no load send enough to camper (even with smallish factory wire) with nothing really running to also charge it.
With no load solar should get camper up to near full charge. With both, on the road, batteries should be charging, both truck and camper. If not then you have a problem.
The fix purposed, if it worked which I cant see what it would do, doesn't address whatever the real issue is. At worst I see recipe for magic smoke, at best is its thick enough to mask the problem.
What I found was that the batteries would stay around ~12.6v or 12.7v (possibly close to 12.9v after several hours of driving but would quickly fall back to 12.6v or 12.7v once parked for an hour with just a couple of LED lights on. ...
'Fall back? Holding volts of 12.6-12.7 on a battery (12v) thats not connected to a charge source after a given amount of time, hour or so is ideal? Are standing volts for (2)6v batts higher?
Unless I'm misreading, sounds as though your expecting holding volts to be closer to highest charge rate?
adamis:
When I installed the solar charge controller for my 60w panel it was on a cloudy day but the controller was still delivering 1 amp of charge. At first I was confused that the unit would never read anything above 1 amp but I think I figured out that when the controller is first installed it limits the amperage until the batteries have gone through a complete charge cycle. Because the days I was messing with the system were cloudy and it being winter, there wasn't enough time for the 60w panel to top off the batteries so the unit stayed at 1 amp, ....
No, the charge controller shows amp rate its delivering, whether limited by solar out put or sensing that's all batteries need, but likely as cloudy all panel could muster. 60 watts max on a good day 4.5-5 amps
adamis: ..The controller indicated that at 12.6v the batteries were only about 60% full so it appears that my batteries had not been topped off even while on the road. ...
That's odd, 60% at 12.6v
adamis:...However just yesterday I was at the truck that had been taken out of indoor storage and the batteries were fully topped up from the trickle charger they plug in for me and the batteries are now showing 13v and 100% charge...
Real reason for me chiming in- how long AFTER disconnected from charge source was it showing 13.v?
adamis:..Back to the reason for my post though is that I need to put a charge controller between the truck and camper batteries. Instead of installing a second controller I'm considering having the toggle switch to select the source of power going into the controller I already have.
Well I really do not understand what the purpose is here and obviously missing something. Ill reread post but I do not understand the desire to regulate the trucks input, it already does?. Multiple input charge sources work fine with each other, they all 'read' the batteries not the other charge source. Though off hand its sounds as though truck and camper batteries are still tied together when truck shut off? Unsure what solar controller would make of the input from alternator, less so the truck seeing charge controller instead of battery.
Truck should charge its battery(s) and with no load send enough to camper (even with smallish factory wire) with nothing really running to also charge it.
With no load solar should get camper up to near full charge. With both, on the road, batteries should be charging, both truck and camper. If not then you have a problem.
The fix purposed, if it worked which I cant see what it would do, doesn't address whatever the real issue is. At worst I see recipe for magic smoke, at best is its thick enough to mask the problem.
