I am looking for a solution for the fact that a regulator shuts off
charging current when it measures say a 14 volts on the circuit.

I have a windgenny that charges with 14,4 volts in bulk-fase.
That causes the solarpanels not to charge at all cause their regulator
measures this 14,4 volts and decide(s) "the battery is already
full"...

I hate to split up my housebank in parts / don't like
battery-isolators or relais.
I also don't like to fool a regulator by forced voltage drops so it
keeps on charging (at one moment the battery will really be full...).

Is there some "many"-watts charger with multiple in-ports that will
make use of all power offered by the various sources simultaneously?

Thanks, Len.

If the wind gennie is pushing current into the batteries why would we
care if the solar panels loaf? Once the wind gennie output drops off
the solar panels will push current...
But, if we do care, then we need to adjust the wind gennie down below
14 volts, or put a diode in series with the gennie output to drop it a
volt, or so, at the battery...

denny

Take out your regulator. You don't need it unless your boat is
unattended at which point you don't need as much power anymore.

Your wind gen will only be able to push about 1.5 volts at the most,
above our batter charge. Your solar panels will charge at about the
same. Your battery is a big resistor and you don't have to worry
about the voltage at its source only what goes into the battery.

I have a 4 winds and 2 panels that make about 10 amps at 16 volts.
Unless it is just blowing like stink for days, I never have enough
juice to maintain usage anyway and in a few days or so I have to run
the engine.

If you absolutely must have a regulator, call sun electronics in Miami
and get them to sell you what you need. That's the place that told me
NOT to buy a regulator from them because I didn't need it.

By the way, if you are using it for solar power in any way, there is no
sales tax on what you buy in Florida and most other states. If you buy
a solar panel from West marine and they charge tax, call them bad names
for ripping you off. Sun will let you fill out a form and then there is
no tax.

They are at
NE 15th
Miami FL
1-305-381-6166

On 6 Mar 2006 11:06:35 -0800, "Da Kine"
wrote:

Take out your regulator. You don't need it unless your boat is
unattended at which point you don't need as much power anymore.

Your wind gen will only be able to push about 1.5 volts at the most,
above our batter charge. Your solar panels will charge at about the
same. Your battery is a big resistor and you don't have to worry
about the voltage at its source only what goes into the battery.

I have a 4 winds and 2 panels that make about 10 amps at 16 volts.
Unless it is just blowing like stink for days, I never have enough
juice to maintain usage anyway and in a few days or so I have to run
the engine.

If you absolutely must have a regulator, call sun electronics in Miami
and get them to sell you what you need. That's the place that told me
NOT to buy a regulator from them because I didn't need it.

By the way, if you are using it for solar power in any way, there is no
sales tax on what you buy in Florida and most other states. If you buy
a solar panel from West marine and they charge tax, call them bad names
for ripping you off. Sun will let you fill out a form and then there is
no tax.

They are at
NE 15th
Miami FL
1-305-381-6166


Thanks for your reply.

You say the same things as my windgenny-manufacturer (Kiss). He says
"you're doing your darndest to get as much juice as you can, so why
throw power away by iusing a regulator...."

But do I understand you correctly, you do not use a regulator for the
solar panels either?

Without the regulator, will the current stay under 14 volts when the
battery is less than say 70% ?

Fair winds, Len

On Tue, 07 Mar 2006 04:10:47 +0100, Len
wrote:


You say the same things as my windgenny-manufacturer (Kiss). He says
"you're doing your darndest to get as much juice as you can, so why
throw power away by iusing a regulator...."

But do I understand you correctly, you do not use a regulator for the
solar panels either?

Without the regulator, will the current stay under 14 volts when the
battery is less than say 70% ?

I meant "will the voltage stay under 14 ..."

When your batteries are lower the voltage from your solar will too.
Your batteries are a big resistor. The voltage may look like 16 volts
at the panel but at the battery you will see it at about 1 to 1.5 volts
about its charge so you don't have to worry about it. The thing that
really fries your batteries are those 3 stage balmar regulators that
push 100 or more amps into your batteries at high voltage.

You're only dealing with 5 amps per panel with solar and on a crazy
blow day maybe 15 if your lucky with your wind gen. I have had days
when 35 knots of blow and hot sun was making 25 amps and all I did was
turn on the stereo or TV and a light or two - instant regulator.

Remember back in the days of the 70's where you turned on your lights
to drive cross-county so you wouldn't over work your regulator? Maybe
your younger then I but it works the same today.

You're working so hard to make juice, the last thing you want to do
is ragulate it.

On 6 Mar 2006 19:47:05 -0800, "Da Kine"
wrote:

When your batteries are lower the voltage from your solar will too.
Your batteries are a big resistor. The voltage may look like 16 volts
at the panel but at the battery you will see it at about 1 to 1.5 volts
about its charge so you don't have to worry about it. The thing that
really fries your batteries are those 3 stage balmar regulators that
push 100 or more amps into your batteries at high voltage.

You're only dealing with 5 amps per panel with solar and on a crazy
blow day maybe 15 if your lucky with your wind gen. I have had days
when 35 knots of blow and hot sun was making 25 amps and all I did was
turn on the stereo or TV and a light or two - instant regulator.

Remember back in the days of the 70's where you turned on your lights
to drive cross-county so you wouldn't over work your regulator? Maybe
your younger then I but it works the same today.

You're working so hard to make juice, the last thing you want to do
is ragulate it.

I guess I'm not much younger, he sad with a sad expression on his
face... but hey 51 is a nice age to go cruising....

So what you're all saying is:
- the battery acts as a resistor that accepts charging current
depending on load-%.
- regulation means less efficiency
- with a full battery (this is theory), when windgen makes a lot of
amps and solar too, just add a load, like a water heater.
- frying the battery can't occur just by unregulated windgenny's
and/or unregulated solarpanels. I just need a diode to prevent current
draw at nights.
- frying is caused by 3 stage regulators that force high current/high
charge-voltages into the battery.

Fair winds, Len.

Yep, that about covers it.

I had bank after bank of batteries fry on my with my balmar 3 stages.
When I repowered 3 years ago i put a new alt on it too and a cheap reg.
I have had nothing but good luck with my new bank of batteries since. I
won't go back.

Fair winds

So...maybe y'all can answer this question. I have been charging my
batteries with my Honda 2000i, using a shorepower cable and an adaptor
plugged into the 120V output of the Honda. The batteries are then charged
by the 120V--12V multi-stage charger. I've noticed that the charger light
rarely changes from red to green to indicate the second stage of charging.
It does seem like we have to run the generator alot...though my wife and
kids like to burn power.

Would charging be faster by using the 12v leads from the Honda generator
right to the batteries? Better for the batteries?

Glenn.
s/v Seawing
www.seawing.net


"Da Kine" wrote in message
oups.com...
Yep, that about covers it.

I had bank after bank of batteries fry on my with my balmar 3 stages.
When I repowered 3 years ago i put a new alt on it too and a cheap reg.
I have had nothing but good luck with my new bank of batteries since. I
won't go back.

Fair winds

"Glenn A. Heslop" wrote in message
news:JLQPf.127152$H%4.28520@pd7tw2no...
So...maybe y'all can answer this question. I have been charging my
batteries with my Honda 2000i, using a shorepower cable and an adaptor
plugged into the 120V output of the Honda. The batteries are then charged
by the 120V--12V multi-stage charger. I've noticed that the charger
light
rarely changes from red to green to indicate the second stage of charging.
It does seem like we have to run the generator alot...though my wife and
kids like to burn power.

Would charging be faster by using the 12v leads from the Honda generator
right to the batteries? Better for the batteries?

Glenn.
s/v Seawing
www.seawing.net

I think you first need to figure out what state of charge your batteries are
at. Either use a hygrometer or disconnect the charging source and measure
the battery voltage 30 minutes later.
If they are basically fully charged I would guess that your charger is
either struggling to put in the last few amps at a float voltage or its
defective.

If the batteries are discharged it would seem your charger can't keep up
with the discharge rate. I would measure the voltage at the batteries while
the charger is operating. It should be higher than a float voltage of say
13.2 volts. If its charging at 13.8-14.3 volts it would seem to be working
OK and just not have enough output to keep up. I believe the Honda only
puts out 8 amps DC so its not likely to be an improvement over your 120vac
charger in this case.