[Elecraft] Solar panel question

Sun Feb 23 13:10:00 2003

Hi

You can connect the panels in parallel although it may be a good idea to use
a blocking diode so if one panel is in the shade the panel in the sun does
not try to force reverse current into the panel. Most panels already have
this protection diode so it is usually not necessary to add one.

Dan Kolean sent me some very nice solar panels used to trickle charge the
batteries on Volkswagens while in shipping. The panels are 3.2 watts and
have suction cups so they can be stuck to the inside of the windshield of a
car and then plugged into the cigarette lighter socket to keep the battery
topped off. The panels are about 12X9 inches and housed in a very rugged
looking plastic case. The panels do not have a controller and output about
18-20 volts open circuit or 170 ma at 13 volts. I believe these panels are
available on Ebay

I have one of these panels charging a 2.8 amp hour Powersonic SLA battery
now through one of my controllers and it looks good. One or two of these
panels could power a K1 and maybe even a K2. These panels work great with my
controller and you could parallel as many as you like for more power. The
controller can handle 200 watts

This battery (PS-1228) will fit into a EC-1 box with room for the
controller. This would make a nice portable solar powered rig that matches
the K1. With the 12 volt battery you could run 5 or more watts with the K1
as opposed to the internal battery option limit of 3 watts. This battery is
only .1 amp hour less than the K2 internal battery but is more square so it
will fit into the EC-1

I ran a completely solar rig at field day for the last 2 years. I even had a
picture and write up in the local paper about the solar setup last year. I
used two 35 watt solar panels and a 35 amp hour SLA battery with one of my
controllers. This powered my K2/100 at 100 watts out or a TenTec 6n2 meter
radio with a 160 watt amplifier running about 150 watts. The solar power
setup worked with no problems for the entire weekend.

Don Brown
KD5NDB

----- Original Message -----
From: <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, February 23, 2003 10:07 AM
Subject: [Elecraft] Solar panel question

> All:
>
> I have a solar panel setup for my station running an SX-20 panel
> charging an AGM battery through one of the (very nice) "DolfinDon"
> solar charge controllers.  I'm locked and loaded for Field Day
> already.  As they say, witing is the hardest part...
>
> Question:  If I want to add a solar panel to the system to charge the
> same battery with a bit more "oomph", is it safe to merely place the
> new panel in parallel with the old one, or is some sort of intervening
> circuitry necessary?
>
> Thanks in advance and 73,
>
> Bob  WA4FOM
> K2 # 2537 ("B" upgraded and not afraid to use it)
>
>
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