$140 / 65W vs $330 / 100W solar

[fourstringfletch]

I'm a big fan of doing things right the first time. However, funds are limited and some things are overkill.

So I ask you to vote for the following. I have a DieHard Platinum PM-1 isolated from the truck. From this battery I run a 3.5 amp fridge, 1 amp water pump, and about 3 amps of led lights on a 12v system. I don't usually park in 1 place for several days, and with a fresh charge through my genius GEN1, I've never killed the aux battery. This summer however, my truck could be spending some time as a parked base camp from which I will ride motos home for work (only 20 miles or so). It should have a few days to recharge with the fridge off between when I can escape work and return to it.

My question is, do I spend:

$140 on a 65w panel and a Morningstar Sunsaver 10 from solarblvd

or

$330 on a 100w panel and a BlueSky Sun Charger 30 from AM Solar (or maybe a Sunsaver Duo)

The more expensive option allows for expansion to 450w if I ever decided to leave this system at my off-grid cabin some day - or build a fuso

What would you do on a tight budget?

 

[pods8]

3amps of LED? That's alot for LED, is that accurate?

Best pricing on panels I've been seeing lately is that 65W you're seeing (you could do a couple of those), solarblvd also has a 120W for $174 (little more per watt). Also there is a 120watt version of the W solar for $150 at missourin wind and solar.

For a small system I'd just got with the 10amp sunsaver PWM controller for $45, that's what I'm planning on.

 

[dwh]

I wouldn't be too concerned about expandability. I'd be more concerned with getting the max watts I could get right away.

I agree with pods8 on this - double up the 65w panels and go for the PWM charger.

Personally though, I'd go for the SunSaver Duo with included remote display. That way you can be sure the truck battery will be topped off and ready to start no matter how long it sits.

 

[fourstringfletch]

Sorry pods, it's actually 2 amps - 5 meters of sticky ribbon lights @ 24 watts. I was shooting high to be conservative. They are on dimmers though so they rarely draw that much.

 

[fourstringfletch]

2 of these panels isn't really an option for me since they would mount to the cab roof of my 99 taco x-cab. Oddly enough, I do have enough room for 2 of the GO100's but not 2 65 watters.
I basically have 4'x3' to work with.

Any thoughts on the sunsaver duo vs sun charger 30?

 

[pods8]

Personally though, I'd go for the SunSaver Duo with included remote display. That way you can be sure the truck battery will be topped off and ready to start no matter how long it sits.

Just depends on whatelse is in your system, I have a doc mattson meter with powerpole connections I plug inline at various points to take readings. If you have a dual direction ACR or such you can charge the truck as well. So it all depends on what works best for your system.

2 of these panels isn't really an option for me since they would mount to the cab roof of my 99 taco x-cab. Oddly enough, I do have enough room for 2 of the GO100's but not 2 65 watters.
I basically have 4'x3' to work with.

The $150 120watt W solar is 51"x31.5" FYI.

 

[fourstringfletch]

That Doc Wattson meter looks pretty slick, and suspiciously similar to my scanguage display... Are there any buttons on it to reset max/min readings and such?
The functionality of the controller readout of the more advanced controllers definitely appeals to me.

I do have a very simple voltage readout on the aux battery, and it's tied to the truck with a painless wiring solenoid. Any risk of overcharging one battery if I charge the connected circuit though the existing 0 awg wire - both batteries connected in manual mode? Is different battery chemistry a concern? The truck battery is flooded and aux is AGM. So far they have held up fine with the aux batt charging from the truck when driving.

As for the panels, I appreciate the 120w suggestion. Definitely tempting, but when you consider shipping they cost is about the same. The 47" width of the 100w is a much better fit. 4" is the difference between hanging out past my doors or not.

Please keep the wisdom coming, especially if you have any thoughts on these two $140 controllers.

 

[pods8]

When you remove the power source it zero's out, or if you make a connection between two of the aux input pins it'll zero out.

I'm not sure if the duo can be set for two different battery types or not. Generally though I think an AGM charge profile will be better than nothing for a flooded battery, off hand I think flooded sometimes is a little higher voltage and often includeds an equalization as well.

Too bad you weren't looking for a panel even a couple weeks ago, solarblvd still had the 100watt cynergy panels then (~44"x26" off the top of my head, I have one in the garage) for $145 and shipping was only about $16. You could give them a call and see if they'll be getting more if you're not in a rush.

 

[dwh]

The Duo can be set to different types on each side. It uses the same profile for FLA and AGM - the dip switch allows a choice of FLA/AGM or GEL. Which makes sense and is fine, since most flooded and AGM batteries spec a 14.4v bulk anyway.

It can also be set to bias - 50/50 or 90/10. For instance, 90% to the cranking battery and 10% to the aux, so every day after a short while the cranking battery is fully topped and then the whole 100% goes to the aux.

 

[Beowulf]

I know you said money was tight, but hey you could always use the Powershade to not only charge your stuff, but keep the vehicle covered. It's only 3kW. :Wow1:

http://www.powerfilmsolar.com/products/military

 

[fourstringfletch]

You guys are awesome. Great info, even you beowulf.
Keep it coming and I'll let you know what I settle on.

 

[fourstringfletch]

Moving on...

I've settled on a better controller with a meter. Now the decision is between the Sunsaver Duo and and Pro-star 15 controller. What's the importance of a load connection to the controller?

Pros to the Sunsaver Duo are the ability to charge 2 batteries separately, and a remote meter. No load connection though.

Pros to the Pro-star are that it's currently about $40 cheaper, does have a load connection, and can handle 12V or 24V. It has 2 pos/2 neg battery connections, but I'm not sure how it processes that info.... *Edit - these connectors are doubled up to run a wire loop to the battery so it can "sense" the voltage drop. Any experience with this unit would be much appreciated.

Any reason to get the Duo?? Does the meter offer a lot more than the display on the prostar?
The amp ratings on both are higher than I plan to achieve and both have local temp sensors built in.

Thanks all!

 

[pods8]

Moving on...
What's the importance of a load connection to the controller?

It allows you to hook up a load (with a limited amp pull, see your specific controller for capacity) that will be fed through the solar controller and if the battery ever drops below whatever the set point voltage is it will disconnect the load from the battery.

I personally don't have a use for it but others may find it useful in some situations.

 

[fourstringfletch]

Thanks pods - the low voltage disconnect is appealing, even though current is limited.

The $99 Prostar on ebay is 48V only, so Sunsaver Duo it is!

Final breakdown:

85W Monocrystaline panel and 10' of 10awg cable from SolarBLVD: $145
Sunsaver Duo from N. AZ Wind and Sun: $140
Mounting hardware: $40
Connectors and fuses I have, so I'm all in for $325.

I'll post photos when I get it all installed.
Thanks again for the input!

 

[pods8]

Looks like solarblvd has some new sizes in, cool!