RC Pilot Jim
Senior Member
With all the problems many of you are having with your Renogy solar panels I wanted to discharge than charge the new battery with our Renogy solar only to see if I have a problem also.
September has the sun angle lower in the sky than on June 22 nd. I don't know what that angle is. In my chart I'm guessing the sun position as points on a curve moving left to right ( NE - SW) with the truck not quite perpendicular to the suns track facing south....and the street is not level. I'm about a "half a bubble" up in front with a 36" level. I'm guessing the angle is 20*
We replaced the battery on September 2nd and started the test September 4th by running the "Engle"
compressor Fridge ( draws 2.5 amps. Average hour draw 1.5 amps) 15 hours in the carport with solar panel covered. We continued to run the fridge all Saturday while solar charging.
Saturday morning when I started the motor to move the truck out into the sun, I checked the Trimetric. The alternator was putting 9 amps into the battery for about 5 minutes before it was positioned. So the truck alternator is performing well too.
Solar panel did not completely top off the battery before the sun dropped behind the hill to our west about 4:15 pm. I started the engine to put truck back in carport and truck alternator increased the voltage to 14 topping the battery to 100%
Battery monitor is the Trimetric TM-2030-RV
My conclusion: New battery performing like old battery (same make and model)it did on our last trip - June 20th. Solar panel is performing as well as it was this time last year. Panel is rated at 5.8 amps which we are only going to get June 22nd in full sun on a flat street with the battery at 70-80% full.
I feel comfortable that I am ready for all my desert trips this winter. .
Typo: At the 6:30 am line, the Amp reading should read " minus 0.8 "
September has the sun angle lower in the sky than on June 22 nd. I don't know what that angle is. In my chart I'm guessing the sun position as points on a curve moving left to right ( NE - SW) with the truck not quite perpendicular to the suns track facing south....and the street is not level. I'm about a "half a bubble" up in front with a 36" level. I'm guessing the angle is 20*
We replaced the battery on September 2nd and started the test September 4th by running the "Engle"
compressor Fridge ( draws 2.5 amps. Average hour draw 1.5 amps) 15 hours in the carport with solar panel covered. We continued to run the fridge all Saturday while solar charging.
Saturday morning when I started the motor to move the truck out into the sun, I checked the Trimetric. The alternator was putting 9 amps into the battery for about 5 minutes before it was positioned. So the truck alternator is performing well too.
Solar panel did not completely top off the battery before the sun dropped behind the hill to our west about 4:15 pm. I started the engine to put truck back in carport and truck alternator increased the voltage to 14 topping the battery to 100%
Battery monitor is the Trimetric TM-2030-RV
My conclusion: New battery performing like old battery (same make and model)it did on our last trip - June 20th. Solar panel is performing as well as it was this time last year. Panel is rated at 5.8 amps which we are only going to get June 22nd in full sun on a flat street with the battery at 70-80% full.
I feel comfortable that I am ready for all my desert trips this winter. .
CHART
I took a photo of the chart and inserted it as follows:Typo: At the 6:30 am line, the Amp reading should read " minus 0.8 "
