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    Best prices for pv wire?

    In Australia the best price is 25m 3 core 10amp/240v ready made extension leads from Bunnings 25m for $20aud (3core adds up to 30amps) Cut the ends off - forget MC4....compatibility problems= bad fit and galvanic corrosion in low voltage dc joints.
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    PWM solar charge controller abnormal behavior fixing

    Both cables should be heating up?? A short somewhere? What is the make and model of the good controller that you tried?
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    PWM solar charge controller abnormal behavior fixing

    A diode would help. Initially I had blocking diodes on all my panels because that was the recommended thing to do on multiple pwm low voltages systems. I have since removed them all. Maybe there is another problem.....PWMs are usually common positive and you must remember this when looking at...
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    Sinking in Regret

    You can always put a light bulb in series if there is a mismatch. Thanks for your post!
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    PWM solar charge controller abnormal behavior fixing

    Probably doesn't matter unless some current is involved. I get a ohm reading across all the terminals of a pwm and it still works fine.
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    AIO cooling. Why is it done backwards?

    Probably the real reason is that were originally based on standard inverter designs where the inverter lays on a flat surface rather than vertically with the air coming in from the front and out the back where all the wires are and out the window. Maybe it would not be a good idea to reverse the...
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    Broken photovoltaic panel

    Maybe start from the beginning. Take one panel off the roof and see if those stated values are still there.
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    Broken photovoltaic panel

    I would not have gone past the 12 to 15v in low light before rejecting the panel. The nil reading in full sunlight is a bit hard to explain...unless those rows, the only good ones, break down under full sunlight? You really need to explore a bit more. Find a good row of cells and then you can...
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    Broken photovoltaic panel

    No. Very unlikely. Still a possibility but most likely cell/busbar damage. The diodes are used to go around faulty sections of panels. Because the voltage reading is 12-15v it does look like sections of the panel isn't working. If the voltage was above 40v then most likely the panel is ok...
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    Broken photovoltaic panel

    This seems a bit low for open circuit. If you take a panel down, open the box at the back and take a reading across each diode You may have to dig out the gunk for a good contact. Should get the same reading across each diode. 18v in bright sun/across any one diode, 36v across any 2, 54v across...
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    Question about transfer switches

    If something is not necessary why have one? Connecting elsewhere, like on the battery side of the CC, maybe is more obvious but connecting your way, on the pv side, is safe and simple.
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    Question about transfer switches

    Any 2 pole DC rated switch or even single if you know the common ground....or am I the one missing the obvious? Automotive relays often provide the current rating without the cost of special dc switches. Why the need for a switch anyway....just Y connection that can be unplugged or even...
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    Free Energy - Real or Scam

    It probably does work but is made of plastic so the wattage would be rather limited. If you want a free metal one take the alternator off a wrecked vehicle. You will then have a more reliable device that you can contemplate your next step of what to connect it to that hasn't cost anything.
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    Solar Panel Shipment (another one...)

    Get behind the panel and hold it up to some light... in a door way etc. You can easily see all the grid pattern of the metal/cell parts to avoid. The widest safest part on the older panels is along the edges. The top and bottom is where I slice with a knife along the connecting grid to separate...
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    Solar Panel Shipment (another one...)

    That is a lot of weight relying only on the straps to avoid disaster. I separated the glass etc from their aluminium frames from just 4 panels the other day. The brain didn't register the cumulative weight until I went to level the trailer.....lets see...33 panels....2 engine blocks sitting on...
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    Mounting solar panels in apartment window

    if these are '12v' panels with a 18-24Voc and your load is small there are other methods to use if you can not get enough voltage for your CC. I do have a 12/24v dual usb adapter that I have on my camping board between the panels and charge controller...
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    Need help Figuring this FIRE out!

    What chemistry are the pouch cells? Can anyone tell by the pouches? I have no idea. There are no brands in the photos and alibaba seems to have LiFePO4 or Li polymer listed under that spec number. There is even one with both chemistry listed...
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    Dumping excess to 120VAC water heater?

    To add some more confusion just to possible make things clearer.... I no longer like the terms excess or diversion when applied to solar as they seem to cause a counter productive reaction in most people. If something can be seen as worthy enough to be the target of any excess then surely it...
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    Low Power Lead-Acid solar chip CN3767, what a crap!

    Maybe they don't see the necessity to put any more charge in a fully charged battery...."If available solar input power is low, and the low input power causes the charge current to fall below 0.38 X current set-point at any time the battery voltage is above 13.55V, then the charger aborts the...
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    Hi, first post. Can anyone recommend a budget 3kw inverter/charger to run 2 fridges. Petrol $4.50 per lt. Generator is now to expensive to run for 8hr

    Try ringing around to installers. They may be doing an upgrade and if you can collect direct it may save them the cost of disposal. 2nd hand panels have no value.The $80 I see paid means a big mark-up for the middle men and a rip off if they are used Australian panels originally donated to a...
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    Battery Lost Power too quickly

    90 days ago....12 March..... Maybe those branches shading the panels in the photo had less leaves back in March? The fact that there is a rather discharged 100ahr battery at the beginning of each day makes it rather impossible for the panel to reach anywhere near it's true capacity so all the...
  22. S

    Iron ridge mounting and electrical shock

    This video may explain it -
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    24V to 12V 20A DC DC Converter 20AMP 240 Watt Voltage Step Down Module

    I use $5 XH-M609 Low Voltage Disconnect Switch Cut Off for a lot of things. The only issue in your case is that they need a constant battery source to keep them running. One controls a external relay that switches 6 X 6w led lights directly from the PV side (Voc 22) when B reaches 13.8v and...
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    Parallel arrays with unequal voltages, what is allowable?

    It doesn't matter at your level of variation. A purist may say otherwise but obviously they have missed "I have some old Suntech panels (190W Suntech 36.6mvp/45.2Voc)" Same. However the purist would point out that since the voltage is the same across each series, 166v, and there is a very...
  25. S

    40amp Renogy rover controller issue.

    There are too many inconsistencies- The voltage should be up towards 40v if connected in series and nothing going to battery 8 amps is more than double what you should get through these panels in series ....are the panels in parallel ? Makes the 21 v more plausible although the 8 amps does...
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    Help with figuring out how to add more power to my Bluetti AC200P.

    There is always a concern when directly connecting batteries together is the large current surge if the batteries vary greatly in voltage. The cable https://www.bluettipower.com/products/12v-24v-lead-acid-battery-charging-cable does suggest the current is limited within the Bluetti itself so...
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    Need help please

    Yes. I use similar but different model number XH-M609 Low Voltage Disconnect Switch Cut Off 12.6V 13.8V 24V 36V LED Display Delay Over-Discharge Protect for 12-36V in a 12v system switching 12v. They are very reliable. For higher amps they switch a added external relay which you can do to for...
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    Help with figuring out how to add more power to my Bluetti AC200P.

    " Function Used to charge the power station with lead-acid battery." V is V...it does't matter where it is coming from. Bluetti would rather you buy their product than a generic, far cheaper LiFePO4 Battery so they leave out that fact. That cable would be all you need to connect any 12v...
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    Will this setup work?

    Yes. A connection to the van's alternator where most of the charging will come from if touring EU. Work this one out first to the '4x 280ah 3.2V eve lifepo4 cells to make a 12v 280ah battery' then consider the pv as an extra.
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    Inserted Positive into the Wrong Hole, May Have Messed up Controller

    Maybe just the display. Test the output.....and hope!
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    Help with figuring out how to add more power to my Bluetti AC200P.

    $2000 for $400 of battery storage really does emphasize the Bluetti ripoff....but that case does look really neat! go with this-
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    Help with figuring out how to add more power to my Bluetti AC200P.

    It all comes together eventually. Everyone has been in a position where they know what they want yet don't know the exact terms to search. Keep asking until you get what you need.
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    Help with figuring out how to add more power to my Bluetti AC200P.

    pv-CC-Battery-Inverter-Charger- Bluetti Really sidelines the Bluetti but Im being more diplomatic than https://diysolarforum.com/members/chrisski.12966/ The sources for the battery and inverter would be better provided by contacts in your region. I see Home Depot mentioned a lot. In Australia...
  34. S

    Solid state relay for PV disconnect

    " MPPT Voltage Range: 60-115Vdc, " Maybe someone more knowing can interpret this spec for us ? My interpretation is this is the range the mppt algorithm sweeps over before settling down to the mpp for the panels . This- goes against my understanding that the panels should be operating at the...
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    Help with figuring out how to add more power to my Bluetti AC200P.

    A 100ah LiFePO4 12v Battery $250 + 1500w pure sine inverter $250 = $500 Charge the Bluetti with your existing charger though the inverter and the new battery through solar panels. Bluetti for convenience and you have a stand alone solar system that is relatively modular for future expansion.
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