Faulty Solar Panel

[GEOFF.PAULINE]

thanks Rob.

It is confusing to me that Voltage wise it appears to all good , it's just not producing any guts ( Amps )

If the voltage is flowing ,why aren't the Amps ?

If I have to take them back , and I will re-check everything you have suggested again I will put it along side my sons next week again to compare , have you heard of any problems in the past because I have fitted Anderson plugs and removed and disposed of their original plugs ?

Thanks Geoff.

[Burto51]

Geoff,
Your confusion is understandable, many people become confused as they do not understand electricity and this confusion is magnified by the common misuse of terms by "those who know", resulting in even more confusion.

When a battery is charged the chemical reaction causes the negative plates to have deposited upon them an excess of electrons.
While the positive plate has its electrons driven out, resulting in a depletion of electrons (sometimes referred to as holes).

So we have the negative plate with a surplus of electrons and the positive plate with many holes. There is therefore a difference in the charge between the two plates, this is known as a Potential Difference, and if the two plates are connected the electrons would flow from the negative plate to the positive plate until all the holes are "filled" and both plates have almost equal the number of electrons, the battery is then said to be "flat"

This Potential Difference is also known as the emf (electromotive force) the force that causes electrons to move, the emf is measured in Volts, and is sometimes compared with the pressure in the water mains, water pressure is measured in kilopascals while electrical pressure is measured in Volts (after the scientist Voltaire).

When a circuit is connected to a battery, the potential difference between the positive plate and the negative plate will cause the electrons to move through the circuit, this flow of electrons is the actual electrical current flow. In the same way if we connect a hose to our water tap and turn it on, then water will flow because of the water pressure at the supply.

The flow of electrical current is measured in Amps ( after you guessed it Ampere), despite what many say the only thing that flows in an electrical circuit are the electrons or current; voltage does not flow nor does power.

So we have the potential difference in Volts causing the electrical current in Amps to flow, what we need now is a means of controlling the flow, that is the job of the load or resistance. Without a load we would have uncontrolled flow/excessive current with the resultant heat and burning. The load can be a starter motor, bulb, radio, winch, fan motor or dirty/loose connection.

The unit of resistance is the Ohm. After yep Dr Ohm.

The amount of current flowing in a circuit is dependent upon two quantities:
The Voltage applied
The Resistance of the total circuit

Ohms Law states that " the current flowing in a circuit is directly proportional to the voltage and inversely proportional to the resistance" and is represented by the formula I=E/R.

Therefore it can be now be seen that if you have an applied voltage it does not necessarily mean that you will have current flow, for current to flow you need a closed (complete) electrical circuit, eg if a fuse is blown then no current will flow even though you will have say 13 volts at the battery, similarly if you have excessive resistance very little current will flow and on your meter you would register a low reading.

In regards to Power, in mechanical terms, work is said to be done "when a force is moved through a distance" and is measured in newton/metres, mechanical power is the rate of doing work, ie work done over a set time scale, as we know it is measured in Watts. In the electrical world it is the same, electrical power is the rate of doing work and is also measured in Watts.

The electrical Power is found by: Power = Current * Voltage or W=E*I, for example a starter motor draws 100amps at 12 volts what is the power produced W=E*I W=100*12 equals 1200 watts or 1.2 kilowatts, or how much power does a 12 volt alternator consume at a output of 60amps W=E*I W=60*12 equals 720 watts.

Note a Potential Difference can be produced by a number of means:
Chemical eg battery
Magnetic eg generator/ alternator
Heat eg thermocouple
Light eg solar panel
Mechanical eg piezo crystal

Here endth the lesson, hope this helps with your confusion,

Regards
Greg

[robcaz]

Hi Geoff,

If you just plug the watts up into the panel it will not show amps. The watts up meter needs to be inserted between the panel & the regulator (battery) to register the amp output of the panel.

Also make sure the 'source' end on the Watts Up is towards the solar panel.

If you have not used the regulator in the camper before there could be something wrong with that.

[GEOFF.PAULINE]

Hi Rob .

Just to continue today under the sun I connected a 12v 50 w lamp to the solar panel.

It worked at the end of the 5 meter cable up to the controller , solar side , but on battery side not a glow.

So if I am right the panel had to be producing 4 amps on the solar side , but not going through the controller.

Should it work on the battery/load side as well , or does this show the controller is faulty , if either

Everybody's help is always appreciated.

Geoff.

[robcaz]

Hi Geoff,

So you connected the 12volt 50watt lamp to the unregulated output of the solar panel??? Not a good idea as you could easily fry the lamp with the 18 volt unregulated output from the panel.

All your measurements should be taken with the solar panel connected to the battery via the regulator & not just directly into the solar panel.

With the battery at rest (no input or draw for more than two hours) connect your watts up meter to a 12volt outlet from the battery & take note of the battery voltage ie 12.9volts

To check if your solar regulator is working plug in the unregulated solar panel to your regulator & see what the voltage is now across the battery via a 12volt outlet ie 13.4volts.

To check the amp & voltage output of your panel, plug the watts up meter into the cable between the solar panel & the regulator.

You have my number, you are more than welcome to give me a ring.