I have just purchased a 120 amp folding solar panel kit with regulator. I have found that the voltage from it is intermittent between 0 and about 18 volts. I put a 12 volt light across the alligator clips and the light flashes on and off about twice a second. This is in sunlight of course. Can anyone advise if this is correct function or not and why it is doing this.
I have just purchased a 120 amp folding solar panel kit with regulator. I have found that the voltage from it is intermittent between 0 and about 18 volts. I put a 12 volt light across the alligator clips and the light flashes on and off about twice a second. This is in sunlight of course. Can anyone advise if this is correct function or not and why it is doing this.
Cheers
Nigel
Hi Nigel
That is how it will behave with no battery connected
Get a battery connected
When the battery is fully charged it will then cycle in a similar manner butwith longer intervals of"ON" & "OFF"
I had a portable panel that started doing that. I rang the panel manerfacturer and they said the regulator was faulty and it was going into over charge protection, they sent me a new regulator which fixed the problem. Hope this helps Landy
-- Edited by landy on Thursday 19th of June 2014 10:00:04 PM
__________________
In life it is important to know when to stop arguing with people
and simply let them be wrong.
Was that happening with the battery connected or not?
Others here say the battery needs to be connected or it will "pulse"
cheers
HI Moon racker
YOU HAVE SAID the battery was not connected, .all other replies under different conditions are irrelevant
The battery must be connected AT ALL TIMES
It is the power source for the load
AS you saw that light bulb was getting full panel voltage of 18V
if that had been anything electronic you would now be throwing it in the rubish bin, it would be stuffed!
Some small lower voltage panels can be connected direct to the load , but that is not something amateurs should attempt
The battery stabilze the voltage from the panel at a range, from around 11v up to a max of around 14.5V [which depends on the state of charge of the battery]
Most 12V electrical gear designed for vehicle use have an upper safe voltage limit around 15V<16V
NEVER conect the load direct to a solar panel unless that panel is matched to that load & is supplied by, or approved by the device maker!
The normal situation with a solar panel & battery connected is that the panel will be "ON" while the batter is being charged
It will stay on until the battery reahes fully charged around 14.5 to 15V depending on regulator settings
It will then pulse width modulate [PWM] the output from the panel to maintain an AVERAGE battery voltage around 13.8V
If the load encreases, it will again switch to FULL' ON'until the voltage of the battery again reaches around 14.5V
That cycling [PWM] will repeat as required to attempt to keep the battery fully charged
Connect the battery !! Do not use to supply any other load directly!!
PeterQ
-- Edited by oldtrack123 on Thursday 19th of June 2014 11:15:52 AM
-- Edited by oldtrack123 on Thursday 19th of June 2014 11:19:02 AM
Went to the place of purchase this morning and they also said the regulator needed the battery connected to proved a load. I have no intention to connect anything other than a battery ( just for keeping the van batteries topped up while in storage, no other power available) so unless the voltage is still intermittent when connected to a battery them I guess all is OK. Will check tomorrow.
cheers
Nigel.
Hi Glenelg,
Just returned home from Potterne yesterday. The Cramer pond in Devizes is still there, the beer was cold, yes even ale, and cheap and the weather fine and sunny. Thats a first!
Hi Landy,
This seems to confirm that if pulsing occurs when battery is connected it is either faulty regulator if the battery is not fully charged but is OK if pulsing while the battery is fully charged, I guess.
I will connect my panel kit to the batteries tomorrow to check.
Cheers
Moonraker
