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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Anyone know if Costco is still selling Golf Cart Batteries?
The 20 hr rate should take 10 hrs to get to 50%. Same with RC. Half the time.
However there was some "confusion" about that when doing actual timed load tests I was running where the supposed 50% indicator for SG didn't coincide quite right. It is not all as linear as they say it is, or my batteries are wonky or I am, but you can go with half the time to 50% as being close enough for government work, unless close accuracy matters.
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BFL13
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05/22/12 11:16am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Made In China Solar Panels You'd Better Move Fast!
The government sank a bunch of our tax dollars into local solar companies (with friendly owners? )that then lost money anyway due to high prices or whatever.
China supplies a bunch of panels at lower prices so customers buy them instead.
So now the government slaps on a tariff to protect the companies (their friends?) that they sank our tax money into.
So now our tax money has gone down the drain plus we get to pay higher panel prices that our grateful government forces us to pay.
So who is the government working for here? They are protecting us peasants from those low prices? Ha ha.
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BFL13
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05/22/12 09:56am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Converter/Slide Out?
Maybe worth a try to take out the dead battery and use the jumper cables right on the rig's now free load wires to see if that way there is enough juice to run the slide motor. ( say if the dead battery were sucking up too much of the available jumper juice as is)
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BFL13
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05/22/12 09:46am |
Tech Issues
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Fishing on Vancouver Island I? If Seals Leave Any.- Photo
http://i45.tinypic.com/2vamgx2.jpg
http://i49.tinypic.com/v7tj0x.jpg
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BFL13
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05/21/12 06:55pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Solar system with existing battery separator?
You want the solar controller doing 100% on the house batteries.
If the truck battery needs charging you can do that at the same time via the 7-pin which will bank the truck battery with the house batteries if it is a Chev and disconnect the 7-pin when the truck battery is charged up ok.
Not sure what your scenario is while camping but it seems maybe the equipment features are confusing things. You don't ned to use them if they aren't appropriate for your situation.
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BFL13
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05/21/12 10:35am |
Tech Issues
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RE: does solar play well with a converter?
The converter is either on or not, so there is no worry about it "seeing" the controller especially when you have the Charge Wizard to keep it at 14.4v no matter what it "sees."
The controller has more brains with set points, so you will need to learn if it needs to be on before turning on the converter.
Your amps from the controller will not reflect the voltage differences the same way as with two "regular" chargers, since the solar amps also reflect the time of day. Pretty hard to figure how much is due to remaining voltage diff between controller and battery and what contribution the converter is making for total amps sharing while also looking at what the controller could be doing at that voltage if only the sun were higher up.
All you can do, once you have them both running, is set each's voltage to as high as it will go and let them sort it out as to who is doing what for amps as battery voltage rises. If the bank is still not chargerd when it gets to 14.4 then the solar will keep it going till sunset. Nothing you can do or need to do it seems like.
If gen time matters, use another charger as well at first if you have one handy. The more amps the shorter the gen time until the battery bank won't take that many amps
Once the battery acceptance rate is reduced so that say three chargers are sharing the work, but two of them could do it all, you can yank the third charger but you don't have to. Same amps.
But where one of the chargers is solar, you want to get the batteries up fast until the solar alone can do all the amps the batteries will take so then you can shut off the gen. Except if there is lots of daylight left to go and you can turn off the gen earlier and let the solar do the rest, even though at first the batteries will still take more than the solar can do.
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BFL13
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05/21/12 09:59am |
Tech Issues
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RE: does solar play well with a converter?
What is the controller's "bulk" voltage? (float was given as 13.2 but it jumped out of that-what made it do that?)
We would need the battery state or other info to know what amps the bank would take at the time to see that the chargers are doing their max amps. If one charger is not up to speed is it from the other charger or because the battery SOC is high?
Now we need to see what the solar controller does with and without the converter and what the converter does with and without the controller and then what they each do together as battery voltage rises.
With two chargers at once it is all about their voltages wrt battery voltage. If one charger is lower max voltage it will taper first and then drop out as the other charger takes the battery voltage past that charger's max.
"Playing well together" may also involve having to start the lower voltage charger first and get it running before cutting in the other, or else the lower voltage one might not start at all if it "sees" the higher voltage. My various Vectors have that and I have to start each accordingly. There is one 1092A that for some reason needs to be started first while the other 1092As don't care. All the 14.6v 1092As need to be running before I start the 14.8v 1093DBD.
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BFL13
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05/21/12 08:15am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Panel AH Haul -Flat/Tilted/Tracking Results
Two of my 130w panels lying flat would yield 112AH/day vs the one panel in my contraption doing 90AH.
Now you can get (in the States) panels for half what I paid, so that takes the money advantage away for going to the trouble of tilting/tracking.
So it is all down to roof real estate and shading issues. Note the shade from the a/c shroud in the above photo.
Which is why we have all these threads where people are struggling to best place solar panels on the roofs of their rigs
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BFL13
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05/20/12 08:29pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Panel AH Haul -Flat/Tilted/Tracking Results
Since my contraption gets decent results using only the three positions, those with tilting fixed panels could replicate the results by parking North-South and tilting East for morning, then at 1145 drop to flat for "noon" till 1415 or longer to sunset if the batteries are already charged up
If you need the extra amps in the afternoon then if your tilter is double action like some have, then tilt West at 1415.
Or if not double action, turn the rig (if a MH) 180 degrees and tilt up again till sundown and then turn it around again ready for morning.
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BFL13
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05/20/12 06:25pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: MPPT Controller Max OCV Cloud Fringing Tolerance
From
http://www.stecasolar.com/index.php?Technical_manual
Notes on choosing suitable solar modules
If the maximum input voltage is exceeded even for a short time by the connected solar module, the solar charge controller will be damaged beyond repair and can never be used again. This will NOT constitute a guarantee claim, the charge controller must then be replaced at the customer's expense.
The essential value for choosing a solar module is the open circuit voltage (Voc). The open circuit voltage of the solar module is dependent on the ambient temperature. Information on the open circuit voltage of the solar module and on temperature dependence can be found in the data sheet of the solar module. The lower the ambient temperature, the higher the open circuit voltage of the solar module.
The maximum possible open circuit voltage of the solar module array must never exceed the maximum input voltage of the solar charge controller.
To dimension the module array correctly, first of all find the minimum anticipated ambient temperature. The solar module open circuit voltage value specified on the data sheet must now be converted for this minimum ambient temperature. The resulting value must not exceed the solar charge controller’s maximum input voltage under any circumstances.
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BFL13
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05/20/12 01:13pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: MPPT Controller Max OCV Cloud Fringing Tolerance
.......
. I'm old now. I forget to wear socks....
I knew I had seen that before ! :)
"
I grow old … I grow old …I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled. " from:
http://www.bartleby.com/198/1.html
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BFL13
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05/19/12 10:22pm |
Tech Issues
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Panel AH Haul -Flat/Tilted/Tracking Results
http://i45.tinypic.com/9qfxno.jpg
http://i48.tinypic.com/ofrsbn.jpg
With this set-up I was able to run a test of flat vs tilted, which has been a matter of dispute lately, and also to compare with my results from "tracking" which features both tilting up and sideways.
I found that my contraption is not able to tilt sideways enough for earliest max morning and late evening, but his only costs me about 3 AH/day, so it has in practical terms only three positions, East, Noon, and West. It happens that the time to go from tilted East to Horizontal for "noon" (1pm) is 1145 and to tilt West 1415 with a 15 minute dip in amps in there, but perfection is not required. Makes camping life easy. (ie I could tilt it half way for say 30 minutes each side but AH gain is slight)
Anyway, at 49 degrees 24 min N, on 16-18 May with rare blue sky all day to take the measurements with Trimetric shunt on solar panel only, I got these figures for a single 130w panel rated at 8.2 amps at 25 C (test temp was 15C so got more max amps -to 8.3/ 8.4)
A.Flat on roof no camber-(used bubble level)- 56AH/day
B. Tilted up 25 degrees pointing South- 70AH/day
C. "Tracking"- (25 degrees up and East/Flat/West sideways) 90AH/day
A table of some results ( faked in mirror afternoon/morning results either side of 1300 (noon) when clouds happened or I missed a reading. Solar wake-up was 0600 finished at 2030 behind trees)
Time, Flat , Tilted, Tracking- Amps
0700- 1.0, 0.6, 3.7
0800- 2.0, 1.7, 5.7
0900- 3.6, 3.6, 7.3
1000- 5.1, 6.2, 8.1
1100- 6.3, 6.8, 8.2
1200- 6.9, 7.7, 7.7
1300- 7.2, 8.3, 8.3
1400- 7.1, 7.7, 7.7
1500- 6.4, 6.9, 8.1
1600- 5.0, 6.6, 8.1
1700- 3.9, 5.4, 7.3
1800- 2.0, 3.3, 5.7
1900- 1.0, 1.7, 3.7
So when away, I leave it tilted up in the 'Noon-flat' position.
It all depends on your daily AH usage and a million other things what is "worth" it, but perhaps you can use the above figures to decide whether an extra panel lying flat is worth it, to save you all the bother of parking just right for tilting or pointing or whatever the factors are for your rig.
Also there are time of year and latitude considerations. I used a solar guide's "optimum" tilt for the fixed South pointing case, where they want you to be lower than for noon to catch more shoulder hours light--the table shows how that worked out for the shoulder hours -flat vs tilted.
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BFL13
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05/19/12 08:20pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Gauge of wire for paralleling 12 Volt Batteries?
I have used #4 for years for all battery connections because the store sells "starter" cables with ring lugs at each end which are all #4 gauge of different lengths, which I get instead of getting fancy made up cables like you guys do :)
I have four 6s in series- parallel with loads to 120amps (inverter-MW) and charging loads to 130 amps. The #4s take about half those amps each AFAIK. Nobody died yet.
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BFL13
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05/19/12 06:54pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: MPPT Controller Max OCV Cloud Fringing Tolerance
Yes with some controllers they warn never to exceed the rated Voc limit or it will fry the controller.
They go on about cold temps raising the Voc, so don't go by the panel spec for 25C, but use your panel's low temp amount to be found in some graphs the panel is supposed to have.
I have had cloud edge hold for several minutes, not just a quicky hit, so that is a fair OP question. I have seen cloud effect make my panel rated at 8.2amps go to 11amps! (but very briefly.) However today eg, it sat at 8.7 amps for over five minutes before I stopped watching. No idea how long it was over 8.2.
IMO have lots of margin, or else there is an actual danger to the controller. Unless you can get hold of their tech support and get somebody sensible on there.
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BFL13
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05/19/12 06:27pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Solar Panel Positioning Question
Is there a C ? Both at the back sideways in front and back of the black vent, so you can walk around better but still be well clear of the shading from the a/c shroud. Where is the ladder access to the roof?
If wires get long just use fatter wire.
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BFL13
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05/14/12 06:46pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Emergency Road Service
We have Good Sam ERS because the various others we looked at do not take the trailer just the truck or else they will take the trailer if it is still hooked to the truck while they tow the truck. Auto insurance companies are not RV friendly. ERS covers all the scenarios we could think of.
Used it only once and that paid for years of belonging. Got stuck in the mud after a rain turned the grass field we were on into soup. Needed a "pull out" on a really long wire.
Only thing was the ERS guy on the phone had trouble getting a fix on where we were (Vancouver Island , not Vancouver, etc, etc ! :( !) and it was eating up the minutes on the cell phone which were running out on this cheapo phone plan I use. Big lesson learned was to always have lots of minutes on your phone.
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BFL13
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05/14/12 02:50pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Route Advice - Annual Comanche Invasion
I hate Highway 10. Pleasant and hassle free drive that avoids all the agony is to get off #1 at Abbotsford, go South on #11 towards Huntingdon, go West on #8, onto #16 at #13, maybe drop back down to #8, depending on mood, come out in White Rock. Go up to ferry from there.
Heading East, same way.
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BFL13
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05/14/12 11:06am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Small Solar for Storage Battery Maintenance
Great price for a 100w panel.
A 10 amp controller would allow for times when the solar is exceeding its rating by 1.25 as they recommend, or even more to allow for cloud effect. But that all depends on how the controller acts when met by higher amps.
My 16a just lets the amps through to the battery. I have seen 19a. If it stayed there very long the controller would warm up. So it's all a matter of degree.
You are right about the metering. The most important meter is the hydrometer, followed by the voltmeter. The controller does not need any read-outs.
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BFL13
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05/14/12 10:37am |
Tech Issues
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RE: How to mount bracket for RVQ
I don't know the stud-finding answer but I had ours moved by the dealer so it is now under the awning. Don't like trying to BBQ in the rain! No problems with smoke on the awning. The main thing is to keep the stupid BBQ lit when there is a breeze that keeps blowing the flame out. :(
Ours is held by four screws a few inches apart, so I doubt more than two if any are in studs instead of just the aluminum. It is at a fold where two sidings meet which helps I guess.
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BFL13
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05/09/12 01:00pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Charging battery with generator/stand-alone charger
"Automatic" wrt portable chargers just means it will shut itself off once it decides the battery is charged. It is not the same thing at all as being a "smart" charger.
"Manual" wrt charrgers means it will stay on and you have to stop it or else the battery voltage will continue to climb and lead to overcharging. (This can be good when you want to overcharge on purpose)
The WFCO has a 14.4v stage but the question is whether it ever actually does that in your rig. Some do , some don't.
If it will, the portable will add its amps for a while at least, since the portable probably goes to 14.4v , perhaps more.
You need to try it out and meter it all to see what happens and then you will know.
Amps will taper on either or both chargers as battery voltage rises to get closer to charger voltage. Eventually, the charger with the higher voltage will be doing all the remaining work and the other will be left idle once the battery voltage rises to and passes above that charger's voltage.
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BFL13
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05/09/12 10:43am |
Tech Issues
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