Solar and Batteries

[Weight]

That blog posting is not spam. Bob has some very good knowledge buried in there. Bob can be hard to read sometimes. Here is a interpretation; http://therecklesschoice.com/2017/07/07/handy-bob-solar-summary/

 

[John61CT]

Excellent summary that.

 

[highdesertranger]

Duckwonder asked me to post these pics,


haha she has a solar controller.


battery


best solar panel pic

she specially asked for  Jim in Denver to look at these.  highdesertranger

 

[jimindenver]

Thank you HDR. I meet up with her in Albuquerque next week and will head to Ehrenberg from there. Should anyone wish to increase the size of the flock, they are welcome to.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I googled the ASC solar charge controller since I had never heard of these:

http://www.specialtyconcepts.com/special_home.html

Apparently they have been in business for awhile, making these simple but very reliable controllers. 

From what I read in the PDFs, its a simple (old school) one-stage controller with shunt regulation.

For those unfamiliar with the term 'shunt regulation', this means that once the battery is charged to about 100%, the solar input is shorted (shunted) to itself thru some value of resistance, usually close to zero. When battery voltage drops a bit, the shunt is turned off and charging resumes to keep the battery topped up. This cycle just repeats to keep the battery charged.

Bulk? Absorb? Float? Not here folks.

But the ASC has some advantages:

It's waterproof.

It can in theory charge a battery (eventually) from a starting SoC of zero volts. (think Nicad batteries) 

Simplicity. Not much to go wrong here. 

Low RF footprint. (think remote telecom installations) 

Five and ten year warranties.

Some of their controllers even have a 'generator start' function. 

Hmmmm....vewwwy intewesting!

 

[highdesertranger]

I actually have 2 of the ASC controllers. I use one of them on a 50 watt panel I use as a portable. mine have a temp correction sensor. works good for what I use it for. highdesertranger

 

[SoulRaven]

Jim,

I had a Vasectomy. ... I can't increase the size of the flock .

Sorry, 

Pat

Ps....flock of seagulls,  right?

 

[tx2sturgis]

Oh...and the ASC's are made in the USA....how bout that!

And not expensive at all:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Specialty-...314977?hash=item1a33ddab21:g:My0AAOSwyI5Zndnm

 

[John61CT]

They've been around a long time, super reliable just not a lot of features, usually lower amp ranges. After the model number, look for e.g. "AF"

​"F" option means adjustable charge voltage

​"A" option temp compensation

"E" ​means LVD/gennie start relay

Sometimes NOS come up on eBay, picked up a box of a dozen assorted for $200 or so this summer.

Manuals ​ http://www.specialtyconcepts.com/1to16.html

 

[duckwonder]

Thank y'all for carrying on while I was without power! I so appreciate all who have helped me find out what I have going on in terms of solar. It's not much but I'm glad to learn there is a controller and a little about how it's hooked up. Some mighty kind folks out there! Thank you guys!

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