I have been having trouble getting enough amps into my main battery,a 150 amp/hr deep cycle and thought it was the cheap($20) reg I was using. Bought a programable Reg for $89 off ebay and It works?As you can see from the pic, I have plenty of volts and this one tells you how much is going out and into the battery.I have had the 55 ltr fridge going for 3 days and it seems it up the amps to suit the draw-great!In the morning with the fridge set on -2c, I still have 12.8v.I have 2, 80w panels on the roof.Seems to work. Bill
Its called a CM30. Its a 30amp solar reg charge controllerFor $79..99 delivered, from Domitronic on Ebay. you can program the charge to suit your use eg, I have it up because my fridge take 4.5 amps, and you can keep track of your use. In the 2 days its been connected, I have put in 66 amp/hrs, and used 20 amp/hrs. Not bad for $80!Bill
Hi Bill, thank you for your post, re solar regulators. Had a good look at the tech specs and suited me exactly what was needed to look after the battery that runs the fridge via 2x80 watt solar panels. Been looking for a suit able regulator for some time. Thanks again
Brian
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I have exactly the same setup. The prices of the recommended brands put me off,so I looked on ebay for a cheaper option. It seems to work well. I found that my panels don,t put out as much as advertised, and my fridge draws more than I thought.You have to balance your draw with your use. I have a 3 way also, and will use it when in cooler climes. They don,t seem to work well in the tropics as the compressor fridges.I think my dual battery setup will cope.I have a 150amp/hr , and a 120amp/hr starting battery,which usually lasts 4 or 5 daysbefore I have to start the vehicle to charge.The new reg tell me accurately what is happening.
I know nothing about solar but have decided to find out.
So, I can't just buy those folding solar panels and hook them up to my tow vehicle battery when I stop, to keep the fidge going,( I don't have dual batteries) I need to buy a regulator of some kind?
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Yes PeterD, I think the majority of them come with regulators but the big question, as we are finding out, is do they work properly. In a good percentage of them the answer is a definite NO.
I have two folding 80w panel setups, and the regs that come with them are $20 rubbish. This is the reason I bought the cm30. I wanted to be able to monitor what goes in and out of the batterys, and up to date, The new reg seems to be accurate.The 55ltr waeco has been on for a week or so and the new reg seem to be keeping up with it.Also, at the end of the day, I have 13 plus volts, which is an improvement on the cheap regs.Also, the beer is cold!Bill
Yes ,a 150 amp/hr deep cycle , lead acid, but I have a duel battery sytem run by a rotary marine switch . No electrionics-The marine switch has on off, 1 battery or duel . Its rated to 300 amps and works well . When travelling I run it on both to charge both batterys from the alternator.Will post pic of rotary switch. Ma, the mob on ebay deliver right to your house or the same price.Bill
-- Edited by bill12 on Thursday 15th of December 2011 02:13:22 PM
-- Edited by bill12 on Thursday 15th of December 2011 02:25:59 PM
The marine switch is good in that it is simple and has virtually nothing to go wrong in it. It does have a drawback if you select both batteries when one of the batteries is very low however, and will allow the low battery to drain from the good battery. The simple answer is to only switch the batteries together once the engine is started and the main battery is no longer needed to start the vehicle.
You could also use a relay that is energised by the ignition switch to do a similar job automatically. This would also have the same problem when starting the vehicle and 12V from the ignition is available, the auxiliary battery would drain from the starting battery just as you are trying to start the vehicle.
The best method for automatic operation is a "Voltage Sensitive Relay" that only connects the 2 batteries together once the starting battery is charging and has reached a predetermined voltage (around 13.7VDC), and isolates them again once the main battery has dropped below a predetermined voltage (about 12.8VDC). That way your flat auxiliary battery won't flatten your starting battery before you get the engine started. Only drawback is that extra electronics means more things to go wrong unfortunately.
The reason I gave up solinoid ans electronic dual battery controllers is reliability. I have had both , and they have both broken down. The rotary marine switch is 100% reliable, and doesn,t use any pwer to get going. I go by the "KISS" principle- keep it simple stupid. The less electronics or electrics there are, the less it can break . All you have to do is remember to turn it on to one battery when you stop.It seems to work for me. Bill
The reason I gave up solinoid ans electronic dual battery controllers is reliability. I have had both , and they have both broken down. The rotary marine switch is 100% reliable, and doesn,t use any pwer to get going. I go by the "KISS" principle- keep it simple stupid. The less electronics or electrics there are, the less it can break . All you have to do is remember to turn it on to one battery when you stop.It seems to work for me. Bill
I totally agree with you mate. My problem is the memory side of it.. Both my Troopy and boat are fitted with a type of VSR and have been good for a couple of years each now. Incidentally the boat also has a battery selector switch fitted so that I can swith between batteries, parralell them or even reverse their roles if needed.
-- Edited by 03_troopy on Saturday 17th of December 2011 03:49:24 PM
Even when I forget to turn the switch, I have never had any problems starting the diesel, and I usually move every 5 or so days , anyway.The winabego has a 3way, also, and I will try that on gas when I get down south.I used to get about 3 weeks on a 9kg bottle on the one I had years ago, but gas has gone up also.I hope this helps you. Bill
