Curious about cable thickness

[corporal_Canada]

When connecting in series the battery capacities need to match. You should also ensure they are at the same charge. Given they have been connected in parallel that should be fine.

To expand your capacity you'd need to build another 24v battery and connect that in parallel. In that case all you need to do is ensure they are the same chemistry.

Your maths on the watt-hour capacity of your battery is correct, it doesn't change as it's multiplying the voltage by amp-hour capacity.

Are you using a 12v inverter now? Do not connect it or any other 12v devices if you change your battery to 24v.

thank you... i did test all my inverters to see which would function at 23-24v.. sadly none do....

 

[corporal_Canada]

so also please tell me.. CAN I.. add 3rd battery (SLA).. but much higher .. like the examples i gave.. 250 or 400ah.. and connect as a 3rd battery making it 36v... and what wold be the total wattage then.. if batt 1 is 50ah batt 2 is 50 ah.. and batt 3 is 400ah ?

 

[ShaneC]

so also please tell me.. CAN I.. add 3rd battery (SLA).. but much higher .. like the examples i gave.. 250 or 400ah.. and connect as a 3rd battery making it 36v... and what wold be the total wattage then.. if batt 1 is 50ah batt 2 is 50 ah.. and batt 3 is 400ah ?

No, I answered you in my last post, the battery capacities and chemistry must match when connecting batteries in series.

Before you worry about adding more capacity I'd concentrate on getting your current setup working.

You need to either leave your battery in a 12v setup and get a new solar charge controller. A good one this time, please ask for help here before you buy anything. Or you can go up to 24V and get a new inverter.

I'd probably just get a decent solar charge controller that meets your needs.

 

[corporal_Canada]

im sorry , another video... i hate typing.. but.. accent off, im getting good at that
https://youtube.com/shorts/HWwdIwJ9uBo?si=ihu8ZxkkPoOTg5Sr

 

[corporal_Canada]

No, I answered you in my last post, the battery capacities and chemistry must match when connecting batteries in series.

Before you worry about adding more capacity I'd concentrate on getting your current setup working.

You need to either leave your battery in a 12v setup and get a new solar charge controller. A good one this time, please ask for help here before you buy anything. Or you can go up to 24V and get a new inverter.

I'd probably just get a decent solar charge controller that meets your needs.

and i am on 24v now.. i used the 12v inverter on 1 battery instead of 2 and the solar didnt replenish anything.. at least i dont think it did... the 2nd video says and shows everything.. and as a bonus.. no brain raping french accent.. well.. Quebec accent....

 

[ShaneC]

and i am on 24v now.. i used the 12v inverter on 1 battery instead of 2 and the solar didnt replenish anything.. at least i dont think it did... the 2nd video says and shows everything.. and as a bonus.. no brain raping french accent.. well.. Quebec accent....

Drawing power from one half of the battery is a very bad idea. It will unbalance the batteries which means the one having power drawn from it will have a lower voltage. It will never be fully charged.

Sorry I didn't have time to watch more than the first minute of the video. Your solar charge controller may be damaged from the over voltage when attached to the 12v battery or it may never have worked very well being so cheap and a fake mppt.

You need to choose either 12v or 24v for your system and ensure everything works with that voltage. You can't mix 12v and 24v like you are doing. If you have pulled power from the inverter today then you can prove this by disconnecting the batteries and testing their voltages now. The one with power drawn will be lower. To connect batteries in series they must be the same voltage. Now you need to rebalance them, ideally by connecting in parallel then charging with a 12v battery charger.

 

[corporal_Canada]

Drawing power from one half of the battery is a very bad idea. It will unbalance the batteries which means the one having power drawn from it will have a lower voltage. It will never be fully charged.

Sorry I didn't have time to watch more than the first minute of the video. Your solar charge controller may be damaged from the over voltage when attached to the 12v battery or it may never have worked very well being so cheap and a fake mppt.

You need to choose either 12v or 24v for your system and ensure everything works with that voltage. You can't mix 12v and 24v like you are doing. If you have pulled power from the inverter today then you can prove this by disconnecting the batteries and testing their voltages now. The one with power drawn will be lower. To connect batteries in series they must be the same voltage. Now you need to rebalance them, ideally by connecting in parallel then charging with a 12v battery charger.

gotcha.. crap mppt... i thought the batteries would balance out... .. so... should i add some juice to the battery that i discharged from ???

 

[corporal_Canada]

and if i charge only 1 battery.. should i remove it from the series connection ?.. like remove the current connection to the other battery ???

 

[corporal_Canada]

disconnected the connection between the 2 batteries and im charging the bottom battery to fun via wall charger....

 

[ShaneC]

You need to connect them in parallel and charge both at the same time to balance them.

 

[corporal_Canada]

You need to connect them in parallel and charge both at the same time to balance them.

gotcha... ill do that...

 

[corporal_Canada]

back in parallel, charging both batteries.. and since the fake mppt isnt doing jack, it is unplugged on 1 polarity..

 

[corporal_Canada]

830 am... smart wall charger is pumping 0 amps into both batteries that are in parallel... im assuming that i damaged the fake mppt necause i tried to use it befor i went 24v... .. the sticker on top says
max pv voltage 100v
rated currernt 80a
rated voltage 12v/24v/36b/48v
model SY4880A
made in... you already know

so question agan is.. do i really need to have batteries in series to receive ANY kind of electricity from my pv panel ???

 

[tinyt]

830 am... smart wall charger is pumping 0 amps into both batteries that are in parallel... im assuming that i damaged the fake mppt necause i tried to use it befor i went 24v... .. the sticker on top says
max pv voltage 100v
rated currernt 80a
rated voltage 12v/24v/36b/48v
model SY4880A
made in... you already know

so question agan is.. do i really need to have batteries in series to receive ANY kind of electricity from my pv panel ???

Google search gave me model SY8048 here instead of SY4880A. But I think it is similar and you can download the user manual from the link.

Below are the PV requirements for each battery voltage.

Below is an very important instruction (sequence of voltage connection/disconnection). Note: DC load terminals can handle only low power.

 

[corporal_Canada]

Google search gave me model SY8048 here instead of SY4880A. But I think it is similar and you can download the user manual from the link.

Below are the PV requirements for each battery voltage.
View attachment 284543
Below is an very important instruction (sequence of voltage connection/disconnection). Note: DC load terminals can handle only low power.

View attachment 284544

so unless i dont get you.. i believe i says i can use that crappy fake mppt to a 12v battery system.. so i dont need to go back to 24v ???


dont understand the part about maximum Voc....

 

[tinyt]

Your solar panel part number SPG-P6F-72-320 has a Voc of 46 volts. For a 12v battery system, the SCC can handle a panel maximum Voc of less than 49 volts. So, you are OK with this system. The SCC can handle up to 960 watts panel power so you can connect three panels in parallel.

You cannot use this SCC on a 24v battery system with your solar panel in series because the Voc of the even just two series panels will be 46 x 2 = 92 volts which is over the panel maximum Voc (less than 90 volts) of the SCC.

 

[ShaneC]

You cannot use this SCC on a 24v battery system with your solar panel in series because the Voc of the even just two series panels will be 46 x 2 = 92 volts which is over the panel maximum Voc (less than 90 volts) of the SCC.

Canada has just one solar panel BTW, it would work with a 24v battery. If the specs you have are correct for his model of SCC which are different to what I found then it should have worked on the 12v battery too. Maybe it's just a DOA item.

 

[corporal_Canada]

Your solar panel part number SPG-P6F-72-320 has a Voc of 46 volts. For a 12v battery system, the SCC can handle a panel maximum Voc of less than 49 volts. So, you are OK with this system. The SCC can handle up to 960 watts panel power so you can connect three panels in parallel.

You cannot use this SCC on a 24v battery system with your solar panel in series because the Voc of the even just two series panels will be 46 x 2 = 92 volts which is over the panel maximum Voc (less than 90 volts) of the SCC.

thank you, i promise ill get back to you when i learn to speak your mandarin

i HOPE you said i can stick with 12v system.. which is fantastic.. ill narrow my search for the inverter to a puresine output and 12v input.. but i guess im just concerned why i wasnt actually getting any power from my panel .. is there a disruption somewhere ???? positive that the fake mppt shows another voltage.. i can only assume that its th solar panel therefore it is reading something.. well i always wanted a electric tester pen.. it should arrrive in 7 days or so.. ill check the solar panels to see if it lights up on the cables that snake into my window... .. from the solar panel i mean. .and no this isnt a huge waste of cash.. tester pen was less than a dollar

 

[corporal_Canada]

Canada has just one solar panel BTW, it would work with a 24v battery. If the specs you have are correct for his model of SCC which are different to what I found then it should have worked on the 12v battery too. Maybe it's just a DOA item.

hopefully thats a good sign... my name is Chris.. not that it isnt relevant.. but its difficult to be called after an entire Country
well i mentioned that ill get one of those nifty tester pens.. to make certain that im actually getting anything down the cables into this scc or as i knighted it.. fake mppt .. im charging the 2 batteries which are in parallel.. because in 2 days (Sunday for me) there will be a city wide 12 hour power outage... its gonna be boring...

small question regarding something im doing.. can i use the 2 parellel batteries to power a fan... and charge both batteries simutaneously ? on the off chance that i dont wake up at 0600.. i dont want to have the fan die on me while im asleep... so.. inverter to battery... low power fan to inverter.. and at same time.. wall charger to batteries... .. so that it will keep the batteries full

 

[tinyt]

thank you, i promise ill get back to you when i learn to speak your mandarin

i HOPE you said i can stick with 12v system.. which is fantastic.. ill narrow my search for the inverter to a puresine output and 12v input.. but i guess im just concerned why i wasnt actually getting any power from my panel .. is there a disruption somewhere ???? positive that the fake mppt shows another voltage.. i can only assume that its th solar panel therefore it is reading something.. well i always wanted a electric tester pen.. it should arrrive in 7 days or so.. ill check the solar panels to see if it lights up on the cables that snake into my window... .. from the solar panel i mean. .and no this isnt a huge waste of cash.. tester pen was less than a dollar

No need for an electric pen tester. Your video shows you have two multimeters (DMM). You can use either one to measure panel DC voltage, so when the sun is shining, measure at the SCC terminals. If it is too low, disconnect one panel wire from the SCC and measure between the two panel wires, post your two readings (show picture of the display of the DMM) .

 

[corporal_Canada]

No need for an electric pen tester. Your video shows you have two multimeters (DMM). You can use either one to measure panel DC voltage, so when the sun is shining, measure at the SCC terminals. If it is too low, disconnect one panel wire from the SCC and measure between the two panel wires, post your two readings (show picture of the display of the DMM) .
View attachment 284877

and the other question ?

 

[tinyt]

and the other question ?

I just want to make sure of the polarity of your panel connection. If the red probe is connected to the negative of the panel, the DMM display will have a negative sign. I am also curious about the voltage values.

 

[corporal_Canada]

I just want to make sure of the polarity of your panel connection. If the red probe is connected to the negative of the panel, the DMM display will have a negative sign. I am also curious about the voltage values.

yes.. everything positive is sticking wih its own kind.. same for negative... and if that sounded racist... i meant for it to...

 

[corporal_Canada]

I just want to make sure of the polarity of your panel connection. If the red probe is connected to the negative of the panel, the DMM display will have a negative sign. I am also curious about the voltage values.

i understand.. but im getting zero reading as i accidentally yanked out the negative terminal from the cable on the multimeter.. i guess ill try to expose the copper cable wire the multimeter cable and use that.. its close to midnight here... .. and if you are worried that the cables from the solar panel to the fake mppt are reversed.. i had that concern too.. and my crappy multimeter is always flashing the negative symbol..so i dont know when im getting a correct reading.. ill ask my neighbour for his tomorow during the power outage... i guess some ppl invest more than 4$ in a multimeter.. paid off for him...

cheers