Lane sensor solar

[schreib69]

Trying to solarize my Lane sensor, presently it runs for about six months on 4 little 3 volt Li Ion batteries. I converted it to a much larger AGM battery with a Schumacher brand, solar battery charger. Not sure if I screwed it up by the way I installed it but I am having to bring the battery in every few months from down the road and charge it fully; stopped using the solar thing because it appears to do no good. I have a few things I simply do not understand about the unit and what to expect of it. Regardless, I am abandoning this solar unit and have concluded I really need to include a charge controller(not sure it has one on this cheap little thing).

So, initially, I am considering a 30 to 50 watt x 12 volt solar cell with a mating charge controller. Plan to buy a battery designed to mate with these. Looking for suggestions as to models, brands, or if I am totally off base and heading into the wilderness. . . THANKS!

Lane sensor: Magnetic field sensor 12" under the road, senses change in magnetic field when engine passes over it; relay sends a radio signal to an antenna 1/2 mile from the house; house receives it and voices an alarm: "Alert zone one!" So, the energy used to operate this only happens when a car rolls over the sensor on the road. If so, the energy is used to operate a low voltage circuit and pull in a 12 volt realy for a few seconds. Not much to power here. Why Solar? I don't like to go out in the middle of a -20°F winter to change batteries.

 

[HRTKD]

I had one of those solar panel/charger combinations on the AGM battery in my UTV. I just about killed that poor battery. I had to go through a reconditioning procedure on it. Now I use a programmable solar charge controller that understands that it's charging an AGM battery.

If you buy a good solar charge controller, it can be set to charge a variety of battery chemistries. That way, you're covered if you use either AGM or LiFePO4 or a good old flooded lead acid battery. Given the conditions, I would stick with AGM. LiFePO4 doesn't like to be charged under 32°F.

I'm partial to Victron solar charge controllers. Be sure you set the maximum charge amperage on the solar charge controller to match what the battery manufacturer recommends.

 

[schreib69]

I had one of those solar panel/charger combinations on the AGM battery in my UTV. I just about killed that poor battery. I had to go through a reconditioning procedure on it. Now I use a programmable solar charge controller that understands that it's charging an AGM battery.

If you buy a good solar charge controller, it can be set to charge a variety of battery chemistries. That way, you're covered if you use either AGM or LiFePO4 or a good old flooded lead acid battery. Given the conditions, I would stick with AGM. LiFePO4 doesn't like to be charged under 32°F.

I'm partial to Victron solar charge controllers. Be sure you set the maximum charge amperage on the solar charge controller to match what the battery manufacturer recommends.

OK, thanks.

 

[schreib69]

I had one of those solar panel/charger combinations on the AGM battery in my UTV. I just about killed that poor battery. I had to go through a reconditioning procedure on it. Now I use a programmable solar charge controller that understands that it's charging an AGM battery.

If you buy a good solar charge controller, it can be set to charge a variety of battery chemistries. That way, you're covered if you use either AGM or LiFePO4 or a good old flooded lead acid battery. Given the conditions, I would stick with AGM. LiFePO4 doesn't like to be charged under 32°F.

I'm partial to Victron solar charge controllers. Be sure you set the maximum charge amperage on the solar charge controller to match what the battery manufacturer recommends.

So Jim, any recommendations for solar cell size?
Also: The location is in the woods; creates a problem of location of solar cell remote from the lane sensor system. Plan would be to put battery at lane sensor, run 30 yards of wire(how thick?) to solar cell / charge controller in order to get enough sun to charge; but voltage drop from charge controller to sensor unit could make it all useless. Figure if I had a big enough solar cell I could at lest ensure enough for charge controller to do its job.
Really, I don't understand enough of the logistics here to be confident this "system" will reasonably work.
Final question:
Would Victron be likely to assist in the design? It appears they want customers to do all the calculations, sizing, just buy our product. . . ?