scwhiteley
- Aug 13, 2011
- 5
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2011
- Messages
- 5
Hello guys and gals,
I've started figuring and ordering parts for yet another portable stereo project and could use a little input. For this stereo, I'd like to use solar panels to provide charge for the battery pack. It should be mentioned that the solar panels will not be the only source of charge for the battery, and it is unlikely that the panels will ever have to charge the battery in a completely discharged state. That being said, it would be nice if the solar panels could, on occasion, completely recharge the battery if, for some reason, a wall charger were not available (due likely to poor planning and/or the coming apocalypse).
For starters, I'm thinking of using a 12v 3.2 Ah SLA for the battery, mainly because it is more simple to charge than a NiMH battery pack (I think.)
The solar panels I'm looking at are rated to provide 15.4v at 100 mA. (although, I could potentially expand the system to provide 200 mA).
The crux of my question is this: will the solar panels provide enough current to charge the battery in any state (either partially or totally discharged)? And if so, how necessary is a charge controller for such a low current source? In other words, is it even possible for the 100mA panel to overcharge the SLA to the point that it would cause it to gas? Would the appropriate approach just be to connect the panels (via diode) to the battery terminals, no controller necessary?
Thanks for your consideration,
Chad.
I've started figuring and ordering parts for yet another portable stereo project and could use a little input. For this stereo, I'd like to use solar panels to provide charge for the battery pack. It should be mentioned that the solar panels will not be the only source of charge for the battery, and it is unlikely that the panels will ever have to charge the battery in a completely discharged state. That being said, it would be nice if the solar panels could, on occasion, completely recharge the battery if, for some reason, a wall charger were not available (due likely to poor planning and/or the coming apocalypse).
For starters, I'm thinking of using a 12v 3.2 Ah SLA for the battery, mainly because it is more simple to charge than a NiMH battery pack (I think.)
The solar panels I'm looking at are rated to provide 15.4v at 100 mA. (although, I could potentially expand the system to provide 200 mA).
The crux of my question is this: will the solar panels provide enough current to charge the battery in any state (either partially or totally discharged)? And if so, how necessary is a charge controller for such a low current source? In other words, is it even possible for the 100mA panel to overcharge the SLA to the point that it would cause it to gas? Would the appropriate approach just be to connect the panels (via diode) to the battery terminals, no controller necessary?
Thanks for your consideration,
Chad.