Recent content by chadmichael

I'm using this 50Amp Tocas circuit beaker between my 40 Amp charge controller and my battery array. Note, I'm also using a bolt on fuse at the battery connection; so this circuit is double protected in that sense. The breaker is there for maintenance opening of the circuit. My confusion is...

Yeah, but reducing the output of a string is not desired. The cable to even these lengths is negligible. But maybe we are talking a minuscule amount of loss here

As in, doesn't matter for safety? or doesn't matter in any way at all, including efficiency? I'd buy more cable if it meant not losing some of the charging potential of the panels. With a battery array it matters alot, yeah? How is this different?

My PV array is 4 x 100W panels. Two series strings combined in parallel to create a hybrid array. In order to parallelize them on my roof, the 2 ft connectors that come attached to the panels need extension. I bought some extenders and set it up, but I'm immediately aware of a potential...

If you had a breaker here, would use of this breaker be enough to de-load the panels such that a mc4 connector can be used as simple disconnect between the panels and SCC. There's no load wires connected to my SCC's load ports, so disconnecting battery to SCC would mean zero loads on SCC...

I have a 40 Amp charge controller. In Will Prowse's recipe for a 400 Watt solar mobile system, he shows using a 50 Amp breaker to protect this wire. I have used Blue Sea bolt on fuses for other things, like the wire from battery to inverter, and I like them for their minimal footprint in my...

This is because a series string with a short negates the current from all batteries in the string?

Configuration as I understand it... I'll start by listing the values for one panel. I have four identical panels, configured as two series strings that are then wired in parallel. A Panel 100 W Optimum Operating Current: 5.7A Short Circuit Voltage: 6.10A (I don't know why the specification...

The wire between battery and SCC is straight forward to me. Your charger needs to push a certain amount of amps to the battery; I have a 40 amp controller for instance. I need a wire that can carry 40 amps and I need a fuse to protect against over current. The obvious over current here is a...

For clarification to my question about what the fuse would be protecting ... you are suggesting that a fuse might be need to protect the panels from a short in other panels? This is one of the scenarios I was reading about. My math says my array can generate 12.2 short circuit amps, but how do...

I understand that fuses protect wires themselves from currents higher than they can carry. This prevents a possible over heating of the conductor which could cause a fire. I also understand that a fuse can be thought of as protecting a device from burning up or being damaged. Mostly, I have...

Boiled water, HARD! For several minutes. I have fuses. They are sized lower than necessary with respect to protecting the wire, but I suspect I'd need another big load to blow them. Someone suggested that you should load until your fuses blow to know that you've set it up correctly. Not...

I've just built a 12v mobile solar system. 340 Ah, LiFePO battery array with 2200 Watt inverter. I built this system, with the high watt inverter, with the explicit goal of running an single burner 1800W induction cooktop. I read lots of warnings about how this was difficult to pull off. I...

12v LiFePO mobile system. Currently, running an inverter and a fuseblock, fuseblock has 3 circuits. I have a shunt, which I understand is to monitor battery metrics, primarly voltage and current. I guess I hadn't thought about it, but which circuit should it go on? They way the wiring...

I feel like the battery company is not the place to buy your busbar :) Learning ...