Want solar power? Can you test things before installation?
Jul 15, 2022 16:53:50 GMT -6
biggkidd and 9idrr like this
Post by papaof2 on Jul 15, 2022 16:53:50 GMT -6
I've added a new power supply to my arsenal of solar test equipment. It's rated at 60 volts and 5 amps so I can put up to 300 watts of "solar" power to any solar charge controller (MPPT or PWM) and see how well it works at that power level. It's also a "looking to the future" purchase, as it could be used to charge 36 or 48 volt batteries (common for e-bikes and e-trikes, if I go that route).
I'm not happy with its passive cooling, as I sometimes run long test sessions, but the vent openings in the housing will allow mounting an 80mm (3") fan to blow air through the power supply and I have some buck regulators that can handle at least 48 volts to provide 12 volts to a commonly available fan (need to check that regulator's specs to see if it covers 60 volts - if not, a buck converter that handles up to 90 volts is available for under $10, which is cheap insurance on a $70 power supply).
I've had the power supply under test, providing 60 volts at up to 5 amps while charging a 12 volt, 80AH AGM battery that was discharged to 11.9 volts (to check its current AH capacity - 62.62AH at 11.9 volts or 75% DOD, giving about 80AH). I'm also making notes about the MakeSkyBlue 60 amp MPPT charge controller that's being used to control the charging. Nice to be able to combine things so one process can collect data on three electronic devices (battery, power supply, MPPT charge controller) ;-) Is that being lazy or creative? ;-)
I'm not happy with its passive cooling, as I sometimes run long test sessions, but the vent openings in the housing will allow mounting an 80mm (3") fan to blow air through the power supply and I have some buck regulators that can handle at least 48 volts to provide 12 volts to a commonly available fan (need to check that regulator's specs to see if it covers 60 volts - if not, a buck converter that handles up to 90 volts is available for under $10, which is cheap insurance on a $70 power supply).
I've had the power supply under test, providing 60 volts at up to 5 amps while charging a 12 volt, 80AH AGM battery that was discharged to 11.9 volts (to check its current AH capacity - 62.62AH at 11.9 volts or 75% DOD, giving about 80AH). I'm also making notes about the MakeSkyBlue 60 amp MPPT charge controller that's being used to control the charging. Nice to be able to combine things so one process can collect data on three electronic devices (battery, power supply, MPPT charge controller) ;-) Is that being lazy or creative? ;-)