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Intercom 12v - WIll it charge a 12v battery?

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  • Intercom 12v - WIll it charge a 12v battery?

    Hi all, just wondering if 12v DC would charge 2x 6 volt batterys in series. I'm not sure if it can as i know a 12v solar panel has a working current of 14v or something.

    Cheers, Richard

  • #2
    Originally posted by Richard1 View Post
    Hi all, just wondering if 12v DC would charge 2x 6 volt batterys in series. I'm not sure if it can as i know a 12v solar panel has a working current of 14v or something.

    Cheers, Richard
    Hello Richard and welcome to Solar Panel Talk!

    Charging a 12V battery (or two 6V in series) requires getting 14.8V or more at the battery terminals, and you will need a charger or charge controller of some kind to prevent excess current during the start of the charging process and excess voltage at the end. A typical CC will need its input to be a volt or two above its maximum output in order to regulate properly. A 12V DC source just is not enough.

    That said, a properly regulated but also current limited ~14V DC could be used to float charge a 12V battery as long as the battery temperature is kept low.
    SunnyBoy 3000 US, 18 BP Solar 175B panels.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by inetdog View Post
      Hello Richard and welcome to Solar Panel Talk!

      Charging a 12V battery (or two 6V in series) requires getting 14.8V or more at the battery terminals, and you will need a charger or charge controller of some kind to prevent excess current during the start of the charging process and excess voltage at the end. A typical CC will need its input to be a volt or two above its maximum output in order to regulate properly. A 12V DC source just is not enough.

      That said, a properly regulated but also current limited ~14V DC could be used to float charge a 12V battery as long as the battery temperature is kept low.
      Hi inetdog, thanks for the welcome and fast reply!

      What i'm doing is just experimenting with two 6v solar panels with a total open circuit voltage of 14.4 V but you are saying i will need 14.8v or more. Will it still charge at 14.4v?

      Thanks,

      Richard

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Richard1 View Post
        What i'm doing is just experimenting with two 6v solar panels with a total open circuit voltage of 14.4 V but you are saying i will need 14.8v or more. Will it still charge at 14.4v?
        An open circuit voltage (14.4 volts on your panels) means there is no load on the panels. As soon as you load the panels and try to draw current, the voltage will drop. Sure there will be some charging, but it will not be adequate to properly charge the batteries and prevent sulfation.

        --mapmaker
        ob 3524, FM60, ePanel, 4 L16, 4 x 235 watt panels

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