Volts but no amps

[SolarMO]

I am learning alot with my first solar panel experience.
I currently have 2 panels, 36 cells each, 0.5 volt and 0.5 amps per cell. I have them connected in parellel and am producing 16 to 18 volts but amps are marginal if any.
Question 1: How do you measure amps? I have an Xantrex controller that shows 0 amps and 0 watts. I take the positive lead off the battery and connect the amp meter between the lead and battery and get 16 - 18 with the meter set at 20 milliamps.
Question 2: How to set in parallel? I put both positive leads together and both negative leads together and then ran those to the controller. Is that correct?
Question 3: what exactly is the Amp Hours and Total Amp Hours readings on the controller meter telling me?

Any help would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[n3qik]

I am learning alot with my first solar panel experience.
I currently have 2 panels, 36 cells each, 0.5 volt and 0.5 amps per cell. I have them connected in parellel and am producing 16 to 18 volts but amps are marginal if any.

You mean series. This will give you a panel that will produce 16 volts at .5 amps.

Question 1: How do you measure amps? I have an Xantrex controller that shows 0 amps and 0 watts. I take the positive lead off the battery and connect the amp meter between the lead and battery and get 16 - 18 with the meter set at 20 milliamps.

That sound about right.

Question 2: How to set in parallel? I put both positive leads together and both negative leads together and then ran those to the controller. Is that correct?

Need more information, the pos and neg leads from what??

Question 3: what exactly is the Amp Hours and Total Amp Hours readings on the controller meter telling me?

Amp Hours is the total amps that have passed thought the controller since the last time the green button reset was pressed. Total Amp Hours is the total since the controller was powered up.


Look at this link, sounds like you have a C series controller.

http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/72/p/1/pt/5/product.asp

[SolarMO]

Thanks so much for the quick reply and help.

I had my two panels in a series and was getting 32 to 34 volts. I changed it to a parallel, tying together the two positives from both panels and tying together the two negatives from both panels. Now I am getting 16 to 18 volts but just seem to be very weak on the amps.

when you refer to my measuring of amps, how do the numbers of 16 to 18 on 20 milliamp reading sound? Is that not extremely marginal?

That makes sense now with the amp hours. The current amp hours is like 2.8 and that is with 4 days of partly cloudy skies, full sun off and on. In those 4 days, my battery voltage has maintained at 11.9.

Thanks again. I am determined to make this work.

[Mike90250]

With nearly any light, the PV cells will produce voltage. To get current (amps) it needs to be really bright ( full sun, perpendicular to the panel )

[Off Grid Solar]

SolarMO, Try using the sun's energy. I know what you are trying to do and only I know the answer to this problem.

[n3qik]

I mis-read your first post.
With 2 panels in parallel, you will get 16 volts at .75 to 1 amp. With a reading of only 16 to 18 milliamps is not good IF you are taking this reading in full sun.

With a battery voltage of 11.9, you need to get it charged soon.