Solar amp hours in real life

[jackfish]

Originally Posted by jackfish

I guess you haven't read or understood Handy Bob's blog?
https://handybobsolar.wordpress.com

I think there are five takeaways from his site:
1. Install a proper battery monitor and learn how to use it.
2. Use quality deep cycle batteries.
3. Make sure your wire is heavy enough.
4. No appurtenance shading of solar panels.
5. Make sure your chargers can supply the correct voltage and amperage over the correct amount of time for your batteries.

[Forest Grump]

Originally Posted by jackfish

I think there are five takeaways from his site:
1. Install a proper battery monitor and learn how to use it.
2. Use quality deep cycle batteries.
3. Make sure your wire is heavy enough.
4. No appurtenance shading of solar panels.
5. Make sure your chargers can supply the correct voltage and amperage over the correct amount of time for your batteries.

I guess you haven't read or don't understand Solar Bob's....

Where is the solar controller?

[twinboat]

Originally Posted by Forest Grump

I guess you haven't read or don't understand Solar Bob's....

Where is the solar controller?

5. Make sure your chargers can supply the correct voltage and amperage over the correct amount of time for your batteries

A solar controller is a battery charger.

[Forest Grump]

Then a "battery chargers" is a solar controller?

[twinboat]

Sure, that's what they do.

They convert solar output into usable battery charging voltages.

[Forest Grump]

Originally Posted by twinboat

Sure, that's what they do.

They convert solar output into usable battery charging voltages.

Battery chargers convert solar output to charge batteries or do solar controllers convert solar output to to charge batteries? Battery chargers and solar controllers do neither.

I thought solar panels were DC voltage i.e. no conversion occurs. Control yes

A battery charger converts AC voltage to DC voltage to charge Batteries. A solar controller can control the DC voltage of solar panels to charge batteries. The two cannot be used interchangeably.

[jackfish]

Yeah, thank you to twinboats for pointing out #5. regards the solar controller. A solar controller charges batteries, period. They can also do load control. Stupid is what stupid does.

You didn't even get #1.

[CountryFit]

Originally Posted by Forest Grump

Battery chargers convert solar output to charge batteries or do solar controllers convert solar output to to charge batteries? Battery chargers and solar controllers do neither.

I thought solar panels were DC voltage i.e. no conversion occurs. Control yes

A battery charger converts AC voltage to DC voltage to charge Batteries. A solar controller can control the DC voltage of solar panels to charge batteries. The two cannot be used interchangeably.

haven't you ever seen any of these terms/forms:
"solar charge controller",
"solar charger controller',
"solar charger/controller", or
"solar charge regulator"?

in solar world, these are referring to the same thing - the solar controller, a device regulates the voltage and current coming from the solar panels going to the battery.

Solar Charge Controller Basics

[Forest Grump]

Sure have but that little adjective sure makes on big difference, solar. Leave it out and you have a totally different meaning. That what adjectives do, they are modifiers. They are very important. You do understand the word/concept interchangeably right?

Come on now are you saying that the phrase solar charge controller is the same as charger? If so disconnect one of these in your coach because they are then redundant and see what happens.

[twinboat]

I think the key word in #5 was chargerS.

That could be from solar energy, engine driven alternator, 120 volt charger, wind generator and even a Honda EU 2000's 12 volt output.

An "Echo Charge" charges from battery to battery

They all charge batteries and need to be the correct voltage and amprage.

[Timon]

A battery charger, or recharger, is a device used to put energy into a secondary cell or rechargeable battery by forcing an electric current through it.

A solar charger employs solar energy to supply electricity to devices or charge batteries.

Solar Controller does not completely define what it is or does. The better term in our case is Solar Charger.

By definition a solar charger is a battery charger but a battery charger is not a solar charger.

It's the same as "a square is a rectangle but a rectangle is not a square".

[Forest Grump]

I believe Solar Bob wrote about solar!
Charger is a noun, charge is a verb.

A battery "charger" does one thing none of the others do, it take AC voltage and converts it to DC voltage.

Shall we continue?

Another issue is do you need a separate amp meter - battery monitor if you have a modern charge controller with display such as the Tristar in an RV. I don't. My Tristar tells me everything I need to know.

[twinboat]

I agree that my TriStar gives me tons of information.

It tells me how much power my solar system is producing.

My monitor tell me how much I am using.

As an example; I am producing 20 amps from my solar. I am using 10 amps to run my stuff.
That leaves me with 10 amps of charging to my batteries.

Now at the end of day I see from the TriStar that I have created 100 AH of power but the monitor only shows that I charged my battery with 50 AH.

I only know that because I compared the amounts from 2 gauges.

Time to run the generator, to make it thru the night, with out running the batteries to low.

[Forest Grump]

In your case then you need it. In my case I notice my batteries have finished the adsorption phase, are in the float stage and can not take any further charge probably because we use power more wisely, are more energy efficient and the overall design of system is better.