Charge Controller

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System Automation for a Spare Battery Bank

Having recently replaced my PV system’s battery bank, I had to settle on what to do with the still-good older batteries. Connecting batteries of discrete types and ages together is not a good idea; it shortens the sustenance of the newer batteries. My choice was to install a switch, allowing me to add and space the old bank from the charge controller/inverter circuit. When I want to charge the old bank, I can totally switch it in. I can also switch it in when I need extra amp/hours, during a grid power deficiency for example. I can switch it out the rest of the time, keeping it from dragging down the new battery bank.

My layout worked fine for awhile, but then I neglected to check the batteries for a few days. To my uneasiness, I found that the battery voltage dropped below 10 volts. Allowing batteries to inwards discharge, and remain in that state for an extended period of in the good old days b simultaneously, can ruin them. I knew I had to do something else. I wanted to use energy from the sun to keep both battery banks charged, but I wanted the gas main battery bank to have top priority. Here’s what I did:

The problem was easily solved by adding a relay to an firsthand channel of my Morningstar Relay Driver. I’ve programmed the relay driver to display the main battery bank voltage. When the main battery bank is all but fully charged, I divert excess current to the older battery bank. Programming voltage thresholds is done by time connecting a computer to the relay driver and running a simple configuration program. Here are my settings for the supernumerary battery bank relay:

Turn on relay when biggest battery voltage > 14.40 volts.

This establishes the principal battery bank as the top charging priority. Power will be diverted to the pardon battery bank ONLY when the main battery bank is close to fully charged.

Turn off relay when main battery voltage < 14.00 volts.

Turning off the relay disconnects the in addition battery bank from the inverter and...