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Car Forum / Land Rover Cars / May 2008battery voltage when charged/flat + measuring current
What sort of voltages should i expect across the terminals on a battery when it is either fully charged or not? Battery is a 110Ah leisure battery that was last charged a month or so ago. No load on it. I finally got round to rigging up the solar panel on the 101 properly. It is charging the battery thru a cheap maplins regulator (which has 2 LED's on - charging and battery full). Charging light is currently on and ive just watched a voltmeter on the battery move from 12.59 to 12.66 over 5 mins - so its presumably doing something. What should it be when it is 'full'? Also - is there any way of measuring how much charge im getting off my panel? (without spending mucho money on a proper fancy charge controller!) I have tried putting my multimeter on amps and putting it in line between the regulator and battery but it reads 0 and makes the charging LED go out (so i assume it confuses the regulator). >What sort of voltages should i expect across the terminals on a battery >when it is either fully charged or not? Haven't time to reply properly - but this may help: http://www.smartgauge.co.uk/technical1.html Chap on one of my 'slightly more regular' groups who really knows his stuph - bit like Stephen Hull (I hope I've remembered that right), the paint guru here. >> What sort of voltages should i expect across the terminals on a battery >> when it is either fully charged or not? [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > stuph - bit like Stephen Hull (I hope I've remembered that right), the > paint guru here. Thanks Martyn, some interesting reading on there. I do like the system that smartbank uses of having a seperate display on an rj11 cable! Ive run cat5 all over the ambi :) I ran about 10 extra 12v wires between my dash and batteries and they are now getting used incredibly quickly! (just today, 2 for feeds from both batteries, 4 for 2 seperate solar panels, then 2 for voltmeter displays) Ive found this thing too: http://www.blueskyenergyinc.com/sb2000e.htm which seems quite neat (and doesnt cost too much!) > What sort of voltages should i expect across the terminals on a battery > when it is either fully charged or not? [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > in line between the regulator and battery but it reads 0 and makes the > charging LED go out (so i assume it confuses the regulator). You didn't forget to put the multimeter leads in the appropriate sockets when you switched over to amps did you? :-) Easily done, I usually forget for a while until it dawns. Martin > You didn't forget to put the multimeter leads in the appropriate sockets > when you switched over to amps did you? :-) Easily done, I usually forget > for a while until it dawns. erm.. maybe i did forget to swap the lead over... I'll try again tommorrow! Too dark now and the main battery (has the internl lights on at the mo) doesnt even have enough beans in it to turn on the mini flurescent in the back. >> You didn't forget to put the multimeter leads in the appropriate sockets >> when you switched over to amps did you? :-) Easily done, I usually [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > internl lights on at the mo) doesnt even have enough beans in it to turn > on the mini flurescent in the back. With the leads actually swapped it gives a reading! (0.7A on an overcast day which aint too shabby). Smoke comes out of the multimeter at the same time but it still works fine so it must be non-magic smoke! > With the leads actually swapped it gives a reading! (0.7A on an overcast > day which aint too shabby). Smoke comes out of the multimeter at the > same time but it still works fine so it must be non-magic smoke! OK, rated current output of the panel is 2.3A (I assume this is in proper sun not weak UK sun). Is 0.7 typical for over here? If i was to buy another panel, can i run them in parallel through a single regulator/charge controller or not? > OK, rated current output of the panel is 2.3A (I assume this is in > proper sun not weak UK sun). Is 0.7 typical for over here? 2.3A should be under UK full sun, normal to the panel AND probably not too hot at the panel itself, they'll do anything to make their numbers look good. Steve > Also - is there any way of measuring how much charge im getting off my > panel? (without spending mucho money on a proper fancy charge > controller!) Simply, no. You need to integrate the charging current WRT time. A bit of hacking with one of these: http://pdfserv.maxim-ic.com/en/ds/DS2788.pdf ...and you can do it with a 1 wire to USB adapter. Steve Steve >> Also - is there any way of measuring how much charge im getting off my >> panel? (without spending mucho money on a proper fancy charge [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > http://pdfserv.maxim-ic.com/en/ds/DS2788.pdf > ....and you can do it with a 1 wire to USB adapter. That looks good, but *I* have bugger all chance of assembling it into a working box! ;) That bluesky box (http://www.blueskyenergyinc.com/sb2000e.htm) is ~£50 and claims to do it. > Steve > > Steve echo!
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