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brian, yeah, i live in a high crime area (urban bay area) and leave my van on the street. it's the kind of place where people smash out windows just to see what's available. but, yeah, i'm also concerned about theft on the road, maybe overly so, but that's kind of how i am. being in a cargo van...

i don't prefer my gels, i just prefer the weight, which is 40#. ultimately, i'm trying to decide between agm, lithium ---- and now FLA. should i start a thread on battery choice? i'm researching, but batteries seem more uh.... art than science........altho the science is a lot to absorb.

thanks, trebor, for the info... now i'm considering FLA... can i ask what about gases produced by it, along with spills? i would gather people have decided they're comfortable with the risks... i've got a cargo van, so they'd be --- right there with me. i'll also be heating with propane, a wave...

oh, planning to get agm. i just happened to be given gels. is a t 105 a trojan battery? i thought they seemed more expensive... i'm near the bay area... are there any good places to get batteries, or solar, actually, around here?

hi brian thanks for the reply!... ok, so a shunt seems clearer... i just looked it up... i might get a trimetric, at some point.  i kind of didn't care that the inverter was inefficient. i just wanted to test the battery....... should i have not let it go below 12.2v? i thought it would be okay...

well, i'm looking at my current batteries (two, used gel, 51ah each) as a learner set... probably...  so i put one of them, which i charged fully, on my 50L fridge (on an inverter). i left it connected for 6 hours. the voltage gradually dropped to 11.61. i disconnected it.  i'll see if the...

i was quoting panel voltage.... battery voltage, which the controller seemed to monitor well, was 13.8 to 14.2. ty for the calculation......... 30 amps per day............ just for the fridge.... so these really are learner batteries? since the total amp hours between the two is 51x2 or 102...

i'm poor at math, and just trying to get my solar up...uh, in vitro. so a newbie. why are you using a microwave? even bob wells, who uses one, points out what a power hog it is. i don't even own one at my home. it's only good for heating things up, or steaming. and it's FAST. that's about the...

fir the battery, 24 hours after taking it off the charger it's at 12.97 v. it was at 13.1 right off the charger... does this mean the single battery is good, or i guess simply imply its' probably good... maybe it needs an actual load. i'll hold off on the measuring meters --- they're an extra...

thanks, guys, for the gr8 and detailed info.... really appreciate it! so i did one battery... since i don't no how healthy either battery is, i just charged the one. all day today, with my dokio, over 9 hours, the voltage was always 18 to 19, and amps went from 1.5, for two hours, and then 5 to...

b&c i disconnected it cause this is the first time charging for me .... i will take the green full batt light w a big grain of salt. i'm unclear on the math involved of my 51ah battery, the 0.5 amp of capacity and how that works out to .25amp? trebor i don't know if i want to spend $200 on a...

by SOC i hope i'm using the correct term. i'm just figuring out my solar system, used wheel chair batteries (mk gel, 51ah). i tried charging my battery on my solar system, which said the battery was full and was charging at 1.2 amp?.  i thought the battery was fully charged, and tried running my...

i'm scared too, so i can relate. and i just got a cargo van, white with no side windows, only front and rear. i really do not like the idea of sleeping in a tin can with windows. people regularly smash vehicle windows, at least in urban areas they do... i'm thinking seriously of getting a...

i haven't heard of those (a step down or up), but it looks like it would work.... connectors are pretty complicated.....at least to me. there are so many...

i'm interested in replies to this....... i just got my first controller, and one of the main reasons i got it (epever) was its inputs, which can take up to 4 gauge,,,, i think... however, drawback is customer support is in china......... i think renogy et al had pretty small inputs. all i can...

ty...yes, i read sae polarity is all over the place...........  these are my first panels... i thought, wow, they're so portable and small. but once they're unfolded they suddenly become quite large and floppy... right now i'm leaning 'em against two saw horses......... i'll have to think of...

Thanks hdr..... That'll be quicker...

thanks, b&c i guess that's the way to do it... i guess it'll work, but i have to say i don't understand why a 300w panel is sold with wire that seems so thin, and connectors that seem questionable - at least to me. not that i no much about this stuff........ if i can't get this locally i'll...

I just got a dokio portable 300w portable system. It comes w it's own controller, which people recommend replacing. Which I'm doing, but I don't no how to connect to the sae connector on it. And I don't want to cut off the connector. I tried a bullet connector. But it's apparently wrong. The...

ok.........thanks........ so if it's 10' from my controller to my panels, i would do my calculations for wire gauge using 20' as the distance. and for the dokio 300w system, which is 12 volts. i guess i'm 'stuck' with that --- seems like trying to up the voltage by putting them in series would...