thread keeps getting better!!
thread keeps getting better!!
Stepdown resistors should go as close to point of use as possible so as to obtain proper voltage and amperage. You won't know the amount or size of the resistors until you see what your loss is from the DC over distance.
ie.
You have a solar panel bank set up on your garage roof because it gets better sunlight. So you keep the battery bank there as well. If you want to run an inverter you would go straight from the batteries to the inverter and then do a line to your house with no resistors because there is almost no loss in AC. If you want DC only then you run from the batteries to an automatic regulator at the house because of the loss from running the distance in DC plus the variance in the voltage of the batteries would change the amount of resistance you need. So you can't use a static resistance system and you would have to make the voltage far greater because of the drastic loss. (am I making sense?)
Originally Posted by Gunfixr
Roger that.
I feel so empowered learning this stuff and having it make sense so well that I can explain it. Feels like progress even if I'm just reading.
Yesterday, the batteries were delivered to the porch, and I found in the mail box the charge controller, the main power switch, and the information panel. Today, the inverter should arrive. I went to lowes and bought the wiring. I choice 10 gauge as it needed to be thick enough to handle the DC voltage, but small enough to fit into the small hook-up areas like the charge controller. I'm still deciding on what to use or build for the "container". Right now I'm thinking of using 3/4 in. plywood to make a 2 level, 16 inch no cube with a hinged lid and using a hand truck to move it around. The 2 batteries in the bottom level with a wooden separation and the charge controller, inverter, outlets, switches and the fuses. I will take plenty of pictures and keep a cost list.
Lookin forward to it.
I have been waiting for the inverter to arrive before I started making the box. I checked the UPS site, and they said it was delivered yesterday. So I went down the driveway to ask the neighbors if they had it, and guess where I found it. Tied up in a clear plastic trashbag sitting on the side of my driveway in the weeds. My thoughts of UPS are for another time, so I brought it up and started cutting plywood. I decided I wanted to be able to unhook and unload the batteries easily, so I made a door in the bottom of the box and I will slide the batteries in longways, leaving air circulation room around them. I will put in 1 inch square pieces of lumber on the 2 long sides and the back, and just put a small piece on the door side so I can lift the battery over it to slide the battery out. I made the box out of 3/4 inch plywood, and has an interior space on the bottom of 16" W X 15" D X 10.5" H.
The upper portion of the box has a removable floating floor, supported by strips on the below wall. It's space is 16" W X 15" D X 4.5" H. In the top will go the inverter, charge controller, switches, meters, ect. It took me about 4 hrs. to make the box. The next step is to plan out the wiring, and I drew a basic schematic diagram last night.[IMG][/IMG]
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Costs so far
ITEM.............................................. ..........................COST.................... ..................TOTAL
2- UB121000 12V 100Ah batteries..............................$169.99 each............................$339.98
1- Inverter 1000W (peak 1500W) pure sine wave..........$140.00............................. ......$140.00
1- Charge Controller 12V 20A.....................................$14.03.... ..........…......................$14.03
.................................................. .................................................. ...............TOTAL. $494.01
Might suggest fans in the right places, if the power allows
Yes, thanks Mr. K, I forgot to mention the 2 fans I already had. I will cut ventilation holes behind the inverter for the 2 fans at its rear, and then see where the most heat is being generated and put a fan at that location. The same with the fuses, I keep moving things around to find the best location, and then I will wire in the fuse in a place where it fits the best.
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