On Thu, 1 Mar 2018 13:43:49 -0500, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:
"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
.. .
On Tue, 27 Feb 2018 16:52:41 -0500, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:
"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 26 Feb 2018 09:05:48 -0500, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:
I was amazed at my ten years on the Tundra battery, so you should
be
in awe of the 17 years. The battery, charging system, and user
were
all in sync, a very unusual occurrence.
As batteries age they may require more than the normal vehicle
charging voltage.
http://shop.pkys.com/Battery-Equalization_ep_44.html
The better solar controllers have both an auto and manually
programmed
EQ switch. What bothers me is that the default with the switch on
auto is 2hrs of EQ every 2 days. Seems a bit too frequent, doesn't
it? That's from the Midnite Classic 150. 96A (@12v), 150v max PV,
MPPT, 12-72v battery bank.
I set my P20L solar controller to limit at the float voltage and never
equalize. If the house batteries need it I'll take them outdoors and
use a variable voltage charger. SLI31s are the largest batteries I can
carry up and down stairs with one hand, the other free for the
handrail or doorknob.
Could weight be considered a negative in the LA chart of features?
I turn up my LM350 charger until the current reads 0.5 - 1 Amp,
being
careful not to go too high and damage any electronics. Usually 15V
is
enough for a road vehicle battery that still has enough capacity to
start, the U1R in my garden tractor which gets less use sometimes
needs 17V.
Low and slow amperage. No reason to upgrade to an LM338?
I think the order of LM338s I received was counterfeit.
So the cheap Chinese semiconductors are no good, or what? Why did you
think they were counterfit? Low output?
I haven't had the lid off my bench supply, a 0-30v, 0-5A current-
limiting Chinese model, but I wonder what chip they use.
The limiting item is the 30V/3A current meter, which has much better
voltage and current resolution than the 30V/10A model. I also use an
LM317 that limits at 1.5A, and that is enough for the 105A-h SLI31s
and everything smaller.
When you say "slow charge", you mean it, don't you?
When the current falls below 1% of the Amp-hour capacity at =14.0V
I
consider the charging complete. Those numbers vary somewhat among
manufacturers.
How often do you check it?
A battery could be left on that topping-off setting for days because
the current is low.
"float"?
I think this forced current, voltage-adaptive charging is the secret
to long battery life.
Interesting. (Saving this post.)
I run a generator when I need a lot of power for a short time,...
It's amazing how much sound comes from the engine itself, rather
than
from the exhaust, and baffles reduce both significantly.
Fiberglass pipe insulation over the muffler outlet barely changed the
sound. The acoustic tile box should be enough to conceal it from
thieves driving by. I can't hear it from the street if a car is within
1/4 mile.
Yabbut, the bad guys have impeccable hearing and sense of smell.
sigh
corrugated roofing panels in wet weather. I should probably upgrade
it
to a more hurricane- and blizzard-proof model.
Indeed. Maybe go subterranean in a hillside with drain and a flat
roof to muffle sound and defeat wind/snow?
I have a rock drill and a hillside in the right place, but not a
blasting licence to cut in to it. This year's summer project is
digging some exploratory holes and trenches.
Oh, boo! That could have been =fun=.
--
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