[Elecraft] OT: Battery and charger recommendations for 50 watt solar panel

[n6lrv at outlook.com]

Uh boy, this thread is bound to hit the max replies bell real quick!

Reasonably priced is up to you Wayne but for proven and reliable I recommend products from <https://www.morningstarcorp.com/>. At my place of work we have several of their MPPT and PWM controllers in service, some as much as 10 years now. I use their Prostar PWM controller on my personal standalone system with a 100 watt panel and a modest lead acid battery. In my experience their more compact Sunsaver products work well too and both are available on Amazon.

I can't stress this enough - match your controller to your chosen battery chemistry as best you can. There are many controllers available today that support lithium, LiFePO4, NiMH, etc. Plenty of info is available online including sites like <https://solarpoweredhamradio.com/> , <http://ki0bk.no-ip.com/~pwrgate/LLPG/Site/Solar.html> , <https://www.bioennopower.com/collections/solar-controllers> , <http://www.westmountainradio.com/dc_power.php>  just to name a few.

73,
Gary, N6LRV





________________________________
From: elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net <elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net> on behalf of Wayne Burdick <n6kr at elecraft.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 4, 2020 2:24 PM
To: Elecraft Reflector <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [Elecraft] OT: Battery and charger recommendations for 50 watt solar panel

I finally installed a single 50 W, 12 V solar panel on the roof for light backup purposes -- phone/pad/laptop/flashlight charging, natural-power use of the KX2/KX3, etc. Connecting the panel directly to automotive-style USB chargers works great when the sun is shining.

My 15 year old thinks it's cool. He wants me to turn the mains breaker off for a whole day so we can get the full off-grid experience :)

To facilitate that more rigorous purpose, I'd like to add a modest battery pack, say 10 to 20 AH, that is charged by the PV panel without intervention. The charger has to be compatible with simultaneous charge/discharge, i.e. we may need charge USB devices at the same time the PV panel is charging the battery. The battery voltage should be 11 to 12 V minimum after any controller drops so it'll work with the radios.

I could cobble something together from several different vendors, but I'd prefer to purchase system components that are already proven, reliable, and reasonable in cost. Any recommendations?

tnx

Wayne
N6KR

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