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Combo of cells not working, infact reducing output!

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  • Combo of cells not working, infact reducing output!

    Hi guys,

    This is my first post. I hope it is in the correct thread.

    I am puzzled and confused. I have been doing some tests which I figured would be seemless and obvious in the pre plan.

    As you would with a 1.5v battery, add 2 of them together, you get 1.5v but for longer life, add more, more life..

    If you cross connect them, you got from 1.5v to 3v, 4.5v, 6v etc..

    If I test a cell, which I might add is pulled from a small garden light - a £1 job.. I get 2.2v.. My confusion is when I cross connect them, I expect to get 4.4v and so on + + +..

    I am a technical person, I take things apart cause I want to know how they work etc..

    This test seems a simple and obvious thing which shouldn't have anything too difficult involved in my plan to gain 12+ v..

    When I test them in a parallel structure they read.. when I cross connect them as a pair, they read 1.7v from original 2.2v.. if I add more, it goes further down till it no longer reads..

    I wondered if my multi meter was not working, I checked a 1.5v battery, reads 1.6, I added another, it reads 3.3 ish, so my understanding is proven to me but my confusion is still that.

    I might add, I have a PWM controller coming in the post, I have since learned about MPPT, this will be the one for a proper set up. I intend on getting a panel and deep cycle batteries, I've been researching but this is pickling my brain, what am I missing???

  • #2
    sorted, good old youtube.

    sorted, good old youtube.

    I was wiring it back into itself - dumb mistake, smarter now through research!

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by wanabeoffgrid View Post
      sorted, good old youtube.

      I was wiring it back into itself - dumb mistake, smarter now through research!
      Glad you were able to work it out on your own. The lesson will be deeper and more permanent that way!

      Ready to move on to the next question when you are.

      BTW, take 95% of the YouTube stuff will a large chunk of rock salt. Try to use the knowledge that you do have to filter out sites which are dead wrong.

      PS: There is also a welcome and introduction thread for new members, but you are also welcome to start out with a question in what you see as a suitable thread.
      Welcome to Solar Panel Talk!
      SunnyBoy 3000 US, 18 BP Solar 175B panels.

      Comment


      • #4
        Cheers..

        This is it, you're right.

        To be honest, I was more upset with myself for not seeing my problem minus youtube.

        I was just being a tad dumb.

        Tell me something, or advise if I need to open a new thread:

        When it comes to wattage and amps, I am trying to figure out what I have vs what I need.

        In relation to charging a 12v battery, is 12+ v all that is required or does it need to be a value before it can charge? I have been trying when online to get these answers via already available content but it's harder to get secondary questions answered.

        as far as I recall, the garden solar cells I am mesing with (prior to getting manufactured one(s)) they read 0.01w, 2.2v... this is an extremely low wattage, yes? I've never seen such a reading myself. Considering tvs are 70+ watts, my projector 200 watts and my kettle 3000w

        Any advice? ..Every bit is appreciated.

        Also, youtube is excellent when it's correct info!

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by wanabeoffgrid View Post

          When it comes to wattage and amps, I am trying to figure out what I have vs what I need.

          In relation to charging a 12v battery, is 12+ v all that is required or does it need to be a value before it can charge? I have been trying when online to get these answers via already available content but it's harder to get secondary questions answered.

          as far as I recall, the garden solar cells I am mesing with (prior to getting manufactured one(s)) they read 0.01w, 2.2v... this is an extremely low wattage, yes? I've never seen such a reading myself. Considering tvs are 70+ watts, my projector 200 watts and my kettle 3000w

          Any advice? ..Every bit is appreciated.

          Also, youtube is excellent when it's correct info!
          1. Watts = volts x amps when looking at DC. Watts is no greater than volts x amps when looking at AC. For some types of loads like motors, the watts that your inverter will have to take from panels or batteries can be smaller than volts x amps. A true power measuring device like a Kill-a-Watt (TM) meter can tell you just how much real power and AC load is taking even when a voltmeter and ammeter will not. The KAW can also add up the power used over 24 hours or more, which is what you need for intermittent loads like refrigeration or heating. And you do not need to write down how long you leave the lights on.
          2. To charge a battery with a basic charge controller (which will stop charging when the battery is full!) requires in the neighborhood of 18 volts from the panel (36 cells in series at .5V per cell.)
          3. The garden lights generally use a 1.25 volt to 1.5 volt rechargeable battery and so can work with a lower voltage panel configuration.
          4. Don't plan on running your kettle from solar electricity if you have any other alternative. A small (~500W) microwave or a small immersion heater make more sense.
          5. All of this assumes that it makes economic sense for you to go off grid in the first place, which is seldom if ever true if you have grid power available. You can make your own panels (not a good idea, but....) however you will have to pay for charge controller, inverter and most importantly batteries. The batteries will have a finite lifetime, much shorter than the other components, and become a major part of your off grid electric costs.
          SunnyBoy 3000 US, 18 BP Solar 175B panels.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by wanabeoffgrid View Post
            Also, youtube is excellent when it's correct info!
            Which is maybe 5% of the time. I almost never go to youtube - I consider it a total waste.
            [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by russ View Post
              Which is maybe 5% of the time. I almost never go to youtube - I consider it a total waste.
              What about for the entertainment side.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by SunEagle View Post
                What about for the entertainment side.
                Hard to beat for cute kittens and other fluff. (No, not the porn kind....)
                SunnyBoy 3000 US, 18 BP Solar 175B panels.

                Comment

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