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  1. metalheaddoc

    AiLi battery meter accuracy issues

    Ah. Thank you for this. I totally didn't understand how it worked. I thought it was a fancy voltmeter. It seemed to work well in the past when running loads. But I did not know it would not register small draws or self-discharge. So the low power draw of the SCC and meter must have eaten the...
  2. metalheaddoc

    AiLi battery meter accuracy issues

    I have two Weize LiFePO4. And it was for emergency backup power. The battery charger I used reported the batteries were full.
  3. metalheaddoc

    AiLi battery meter accuracy issues

    I have an AiLi battery shunt monitor on my system which has 2 12v 100ah batteries in parallel. I am having trouble with accuracy. I have the monitor set to 200ah and I recently fully charged my batteries and reset the monitor to 100% as per the manual. I have let my system sit idle for a few...
  4. metalheaddoc

    Power bank converting mAh to Wh

    Thank you for confirming the 3.7v as the proper value. I have seen on Google that the battery within the power banks is 3.7v but it boosts the voltage output depending on the output need. But I just wasn't sure what to plug into the calculation.
  5. metalheaddoc

    Power bank converting mAh to Wh

    On the little power banks, like the ones to charge phones, how do I convert the mAh to Wh? Do I use the USB voltage of 5v? Some have USB-C that can output more than 5v. So I am unsure how to calculate the Wh. I want to be able to calculate how long the bank will last if I am using it for a...
  6. metalheaddoc

    How to compare solar generators?

    What is the best way to compare solar generators like the Bluettis or EcoFlows etc? I get overwhelmed by the choices. Many of them seem to have similar features. How do I find the best value? Do I compare by Wh/$ of the battery? The inverter sizes all seem adequate for my needs so that doesn't...
  7. metalheaddoc

    AiLi Battery monitor

    If I recall, out of the box, the default is set to 100Ah. But that setting needs to be double checked too.
  8. metalheaddoc

    AiLi Battery monitor

    I have the same monitor. Did you calibrate it for 100%? There is a procedure in the manual. You charge the battery fully, then you do the procedure to "tell" the monitor that "Hey, this is 100%."
  9. metalheaddoc

    AiLi monitor doesn't like a battery charger?

    So if I connect it directly to the negative pole of the battery, nothing passes through the shunt so it can't measure anything?
  10. metalheaddoc

    AiLi monitor doesn't like a battery charger?

    My Weize 12V 100ah ran down to 7.8%. I hooked up a 10amp AC charger to charge the battery. My AiLi battery meter froze at 7.8% and didn't move or indicate the battery was charging. When I disconnected the charger, the AiLi was still frozen. I unplugged it and replugged it back in and it works...
  11. metalheaddoc

    What's a good place to find higher watt panels locally?

    Thank you for the info. I don't even really have a plan for the panels. It was just fantasizing a DIY system for fooling around and experimenting and learning. I wanted to do a 4 x 400W system.
  12. metalheaddoc

    Review my 24v off grid system and solar panel recommendations.

    Oddball question. If someone is in a cold location but it has a lot of sun, can you build a battery enclosure like a greenhouse to heat the battery a little above ambient temp? Like an enclosure with a glass top to let sunlight in?
  13. metalheaddoc

    Best Mounting Option For a Small System?

    Right now, I have 6 x 100W Renogy panels set up 3s2p. I just have them on the ground propped up on a couple of cinder blocks and 6 ft long fence slat. Cheap. The fence slat is bowing so I might but two more and screw them together to reinforce it. They were only like $2.18 each. I can adjust...
  14. metalheaddoc

    What's a good place to find higher watt panels locally?

    I have checked CraigsList and Facebook Marketplace and don't see much. Should I contact local solar vendors and ask if they have any used panels on the cheap?
  15. metalheaddoc

    Panels seem underproducing. Troubleshooting steps?

    I can adjust the angle. It just have them propped up on some cinder blocks and wood.
  16. metalheaddoc

    Panels seem underproducing. Troubleshooting steps?

    I am in Missouri. I have my panels tilted but I’ll have to measure the angle. It looks like I have to tilt them more vertical than I have them.
  17. metalheaddoc

    Panels seem underproducing. Troubleshooting steps?

    I have a 12v 100Ah Weize that is fully charged. My test load is a fan that runs 100W to 150W. Since the battery is fully charged, the SCC reads no solar input. So I turn on the fan to suck some battery juice and the SCC starts putting out and that’s when I check the wattage output of the panels.
  18. metalheaddoc

    Panels seem underproducing. Troubleshooting steps?

    I have 4 x 100W Renogy panels 2s2p into a Renogy Rover 40a SCC. I am only getting 60-100W out of the panels. Not a cloud in the sky today. The panels don’t seem to be in any shade by my visual assessment. The potential sun-blocking trees have lost all their leaves. This setup was getting me...
  19. metalheaddoc

    Summer vs winter

    I’ll try those websites. Thanks. My panels point straight south. I have them propped up about 30 degrees I think.
  20. metalheaddoc

    Summer vs winter

    I am going into my first winter with my solar setup. I have 400W of panels. In the summer, I was getting 300-325 W in good midday sun. What can I expect for output on sunshiny winter days? To generalize the question, how much worse is winter solar production vs summer? I am in the Midwest about...
  21. metalheaddoc

    Safe to overpanel?

    What happens if I get more than 520W out of the panels?
  22. metalheaddoc

    Safe to overpanel?

    I have a Renogy Rover 40a SCC. The specs say it can take 520W at 12v. I have 600 Watts of panels 3s2p. I am well within the voltage limit which is 100v. Panels are 24.3V times 3 for the series. I doubt I would actually hit 520W except on summer days. Am I safe with this level overpaneling? If I...
  23. metalheaddoc

    Can I mix battery brands?

    I have a simple solar system with a 12v 100ah Weize from Amazon. If I want to expand my system (batteries in parallel), should I get another Weize or are all the common 12v 100ah batteries interconnectable?
  24. metalheaddoc

    How to run small devices on DC?

    Thanks for everyone for your ideas.
  25. metalheaddoc

    How to run small devices on DC?

    Thanks for the ideas on determining voltage. How do I determine what kind of connector it is? A lot of these devices use barrel connectors. Do I measure the width of the barrel connector? Do these things come in standard sizes?
  26. metalheaddoc

    How to run small devices on DC?

    I am trying to figure out how to run small devices on DC off of a 12v battery instead of going through an inverter and AC plug that will convert back to DC anyways. I am talking about things like WiFi routers (Google Nest) or a network splitter box or my Google Fiber fiber jack. Often times, the...
  27. metalheaddoc

    What's a good place to find higher watt panels locally?

    I would like to fool around with some 300-400 watt panels on the cheap. What would be a good starting point locally? I don't see any on Craigs List. Do I call local solar dealers and ask if they have used panels? I don't want the buy new for a DIY experiment and I wouldn't be ordering in any...
  28. metalheaddoc

    Don’t place panels flat on the grass

    I put 4 100 watt panels in my grass. Now I have a nice rectangular shaped brown spot. Although the weeds are trying to reclaim the spot. But since my backyard is all weeds, I don't really care. But I would care if it was nice green grass.
  29. metalheaddoc

    Where does washer go on battery terminal?

    Thank you, everyone!
  30. metalheaddoc

    Where does washer go on battery terminal?

    My battery has bolt type terminals. What order do the parts go? Specifically the flat washer. Is it battery then flat washer then lug then split washer then terminal bolt? I guess my question is should my lug be directly on the battery and the washers push down from above? Or the washer is...
  31. metalheaddoc

    Battery monitor advice

    What to you attach to your load terminals? I have a 1000W inverter and a 12v fuse box coming off bus bars. I don't have anything on the load terminals. I couldn't figure out what would be useful to attach to the SCC for remote control.
  32. metalheaddoc

    Battery monitor advice

    That's good to know. Thanks for the info.
  33. metalheaddoc

    Battery monitor advice

    I do like seeing my stats on the Bluetooth. Even if I am not sure how to interpret them.
  34. metalheaddoc

    Help troubleshoot battery overvoltage Renogy SCC

    I don't really understand the settings. If I leave it at stock setting which I think was 14.4, does that mean the SCC was trying to feed the battery at 14.4V and the BMS freaked out and shut down? But the BMS is happy at 13.8V? What does that mean for me in the real world? Does the battery take...
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