On Sun, 12 Nov 2017 09:05:14 -0500, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 11 Nov 2017 09:34:56 -0500, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

My 2x100W Grape Solar panels arrived and are producing 140W right
now,
9AM EST, equal to or slightly more than the APC1400, this laptop,
its
19" external monitor and the fridge consume on average, according to
charge and discharge wattmeters. They are already at their rated MPP
current with the sun only 15 degrees up.

Congrats! They sound efficient at that angle.

I'm impressed with how well they perform on a PWM controller, compared
to the maximum 32W I got from an HF "45W" kit.

I couldn't resist $1/Watt with free home delivery. Now I have more
solar panels than good places to permanently mount them. Folding
plastic sawhorses worked well enough for temporary use.

That's what I said when I saw the 1kw kit for $1115. Bits add another
$850 to that by the time I'm done.


At noon the wattmeter on the controller input peaked at 180W. It

Are they tilted properly, or just flat? 180 is pretty nice, but...


totaled 0.958 KWH from 8AM to 2PM when I stopped because the battery
voltage was climbing into the gassing range. In another 1/2 hour they
would have been shadowed by a tree anyway.

"Where are my climbing boots and chainsaw?"


My Windy Nation P20L PWM controller allows a higher equalizing voltage
for 2 hours before limiting at 13.8V (or whatever you program) . For
wet cells it goes to 14.6V, too much for indoors.

I will retest with the battery type set to Gel which drops the 2 hour
voltage limit to 14.2V where my batteries don't gas as much. A
published threshold for concern is 14.3V. It's easy to see if they are
or aren't fizzing or bubbling but difficult to measure the rate. At
the APC1400's 13.6V default float setting there is virtually no
bubbling, but the recharging rate is too low for daily cycling.

Why is it inside, again?

--
Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds
are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her
tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the
existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of
the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear.
-- Thomas Jefferson