I am just setting up a solar charge controller which has really badly translated instructions which are in effect useless.
I am pretty happy with it all though with the exception of one thing. It dosn't seem to allow you to set a voltage for the float charge. However it does allow you to set a "high voltage cutout" which presumably you set to stop the battery from overcharging.
I am using an AGM battery and I have set the high voltage cutout to stop charging the battery when the battery's standing voltage reaches 12.7V. (The key thing being standing voltage)
Does that sound like the right thing to do! My thinking is if I let the controller charge the battery until it hits the cutoff, then disconnect the load and the panels and if its showing 12.7v after a couple of days its set right.
That said I don't want to be under charging the battery either. Technical advise much appreciated!
thejazzpianoma,
Apr 21, 2:26pm
I am just setting up a solar charge controller which has really badly translated instructions which are in effect useless.
I am pretty happy with it all though with the exception of one thing. It dosn't seem to allow you to set a voltage for the float charge. However it does allow you to set a "high voltage cutout" which presumably you set to stop the battery from overcharging.
I am using an AGM battery and I have set the high voltage cutout to stop charging the battery when the battery's standing voltage reaches 12.7V. (The key thing being standing voltage)
Does that sound like the right thing to do! My thinking is if I can put a volt meter on it after a few hours and the battery is still showing 12.7v with no load or charge voltage being applied then it should be fully charged and not over charged.
That said I don't want to be under charging the battery either. Technical advise much appreciated!
biddy6,
Apr 21, 2:33pm
Hi Jazz, is there a way to contact you for some alfa info.Cheers Gerry
matarautrader,
Apr 21, 2:39pm
What brand and model is it!
thejazzpianoma,
Apr 21, 2:40pm
Its a popular but no-name chinese thing. Model is a CM3024Z
bellky,
Apr 21, 2:40pm
Too late.
thejazzpianoma,
Apr 21, 2:42pm
It looks like this one. Interestingly this page says the float charge is settable. but its not (at least not that I can see). Only the high voltage cutout is settable.
I would love to help Gerry, but our little friend belky above is just paused and waiting to try and dob me in to TM for sharing contact details. You will see he has already tried in this thread.
Perhaps someone else might be able to put you in touch with me or there is some other legitimate way you can get my details so I can help.
Its just such a shame we have a bunch of childish trolls that spoil threads on here where I am helping people and when people can't be bothered with that and try to contact me directly they try to get us in trouble. You just can't win.
biddy6,
Apr 21, 2:55pm
Sorry if you cant answer, I dont want you getting into trouble.
thejazzpianoma,
Apr 21, 3:01pm
Shame, I would have been more than happy to help.
a.woodrow,
Apr 21, 3:28pm
The website you made for diesel vs petrol has an option to contact/leave a comment doesn't it! Just a thought.
clark20,
Apr 21, 6:39pm
Does the battery have any info on it! SLA have OK up to 13.6/8V on the side then max current at higher voltages
clark20,
Apr 21, 6:43pm
Have a look here, 12.7V is the sitting voltage of a battery, not the float voltage
Its an AA champion batter which I suspect is a Chinese one with the local distributors brand name on it. (They are AA Solar).
My understanding though is AGM battery's have similar voltage characteristics to regular flooded cell battery's. So fully charged around 12.7 volts. (possibly 12.8 with agm).
I am assuming whats on side as you pointed out is referring to a float charge voltage as opposed to a standing voltage! I would have thought a float charge voltage to be around 13.6 or so which would make sense.
thejazzpianoma,
Apr 21, 6:46pm
Sorry to confuse you there, I was logged in as the wife.
Yes, the 12.7 standing voltage is what I am working on. The float charge with this controller does not seem to be adjustable. What it displays appears to be the standing voltage from what I can ascertain, and the high voltage cutoff seems to relate to the standing voltage.
For example if I set it to 12.7 volts it charges up to that and then stops. If I come back in a day or so and look at the display or put a multimeter on the battery its still shows 12.7 volts or there abouts.
I was just wanting to be sure that what I am doing sounds right and 12.7 is indeed the right thing to set the cutoff too.
It all makes sense in my mindbut I can't really find any reference to a similar setup using google so wanted to be sure in case I damage something!
clark20,
Apr 21, 6:48pm
My undersatnding is that if it only charges at 12.7V the battery will never be fully charged.
clark20,
Apr 21, 6:48pm
My understanding is that if it only charges at 12.7V the battery will never be fully charged.
ed spelling
thejazzpianoma,
Apr 21, 6:54pm
Ahh see this is where the confusing thing is. I am quite sure the charging voltage will be much greater than 12.7V if I set the cutout to 12.7V (My understanding is it has to be for the battery voltage to get to 12.7v) its just the cut in/cut out voltage settings that I am a bit confused about.
For example, the way it seems to work if I was to set the voltage cutout to say 13.6V it would charge the battery until its standing voltage was at 13. 6V which I am pretty sure is overcharged.
In other words you are talking about charging voltage wheras I am talking about standing voltage.
clark20,
Apr 21, 7:00pm
Cars charge batteries from 13.6v-14.6V and they come back to 12.8V standing, a charger does not work with standing voltage, only charging or floating voltage.
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