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charging multiple batteries with one solar bank?

Discussion in 'General Tundra Discussion' started by smslavin, Feb 29, 2020.

  1. Feb 29, 2020 at 1:43 PM
    #1
    smslavin

    smslavin [OP] Behind a lens...

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    Some stuff
    trying to figure a few things out and since there isn't a general electrical forum, i'm putting the question here.

    when winter came back to denver last month, the volt meter on my secondary battery slowly began dropping. no, i haven't been driving the truck much in the past month. no, there is not a trickle charger on the second battery. yes, i have the hkb booster fuse.

    the volt meter this morning now displays nothing which probably means the battery is close to dead. :bananadead:

    i have 2 100 watt renogy panels sitting in the garage. the 20 amp mppt controller is mounted in the bed of the truck. the wire run, based on the fridge power cables, is about 25' from the controller to the batteries under the hood. according to renogy, that's a bit long but might be doable.

    i have been toying with the idea of LiFePo battery and an inverter to run studio strobes and charge camera batteries. this battery would be connected to the panels through the mppt.

    last night i was digging around for trickle charger ideas for the secondary odyssey under the hood. but, the way the batteries are mounted with the xfaktr tray makes connection and disconnection impossible. figured out a way to do quick connects via SAE plugs that i would put in the front bumper.

    this morning i woke up and was like, that's a stupid amount of extra work and cables and i'd still have to remember to unplug the truck before i drove away. why not trickle charge the second odyssey from the solar? didn't know if i could charge 2 separate batteries from a single set of panels so, i started digging around and this is what i came up with.

    Photo Feb 29, 2 25 00 PM.jpg

    one thing i forgot to draw in is the fuse between the LiFePo and the fuse block. other than that, i think it makes sense. at least on paper. i sent a note to renogy tech support but was wondering if anyone here can validate?

    now, i just need to try and save the odyssey...
     
  2. Feb 29, 2020 at 2:27 PM
    #2
    P-Factor

    P-Factor New Member

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    I have a three 100 watt solar panels charging three Gel Cell batteries (100 ah each) which powers my man cave 55" flat screen (with sound bar) and my HAM/GMRS radio shack. Solar panels are backed up by a charging system which monitors battery status and kicks in when the batteries are approaching 55% capacity. It is very important for battery life that discharge levels never exceed less than 50% capacity.

    20200229_165921.jpg
    20200229_170403.jpg
    20200229_171040.jpg
     
    Last edited: Feb 29, 2020
  3. Feb 29, 2020 at 2:59 PM
    #3
    Viking

    Viking New Member

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    If you are charging multiple batteries from a single source, there are times that it would be good to have high amperage diodes in the lines going to individual batteries, just in case of the possibility of having one battery dying or having a dead cell, if this is the case, that bad battery could drag all other batteries down. In my home solar backup system I have 20 6volt golf cart batteries, 4 to a series for 24 volts, tied in parallel for a total of 2025 amp hours. I do not have any diodes in this system because I bought all the batteries having the same manufacture date, that doesn't mean there won't be variations between batteries but more than likely those variations would be too small to make a difference and that difference can be found by using a specific gravity gauge, one that sucks up acid and gives you a reading on the float that's inside. DSC00004.jpg
     
  4. Feb 29, 2020 at 3:47 PM
    #4
    smslavin

    smslavin [OP] Behind a lens...

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    those are nice setups but i’m not referring to charging multiple batteries wired in parallel or series.

    i have 2 panels for the truck. there are 2 batteries in 2 different locations. they are not connected. i want the 200 watts of panels to charge the batteries. separately. i’m assuming i can do that by adding a second mppt controller.

    looking for someone to say, ‘no. you should stay the village idiot.’ or ‘yes, that’s a completely valid way of wiring it up.’
     
  5. Feb 29, 2020 at 4:20 PM
    #5
    P-Factor

    P-Factor New Member

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    Yes if it is a completely and separated system.
     
    smslavin[QUOTED][OP] likes this.
  6. Mar 1, 2020 at 5:40 AM
    #6
    smslavin

    smslavin [OP] Behind a lens...

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    :cheers:
     

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