Overview
Current
Solar Charge Controller
Model: ALLPOWERS 20A Solar Charge Controller Solar Panel Battery Intelligent Regulator-Blue
The solar charge controller is responsible for charging the battery from the solar cells.
Q: What battery type is this controller supported?
A: (1)B-01=LEAD-ACID, 12V; B-02=LITHIUM ION 3s, 3*3.7V=11.1V; B03=LIFePO4 4s, 4*3.2V=12.8V. (B01 is the default type, If you would like to to switch to another 2 types, please select it manually.)
| Battery Type | Description |
|---|---|
| b01 | Lead Acid |
| b02 | Lithium Ion 3S (11.1V) |
| b03 | LIFePO4 (12.8v) |
We will be using the b02 setting for Lithium Ion 3S.
Solar Panel
We have a flexible 100 watt solar panel from AllPower.
Battery
We will be using a DIY 130 Ah Lithium Ion Battery.
Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 130 Ah |
| Nominal Voltage (3 x 3.7v) | 11.1v |
| Max Voltage (3 x 4.2v) | 12.6 |
| Min Voltage (3 x 3.0v) | 9v |
| Cell Configuration | 3S 56P |
Battery Charger
For a battery charger, we will be using the iMax B6 is a rapid charger.
This charger will safely charge our battery to no more than 12.6v and will shut down after charging.
Specifications:
Operating voltage range: DC 11-18 Volts
Circuit power: Max. charge power 50W
Max. discharge power 5W
Charge current range: 0.1-5.0A
Discharge current range: 0.1-1.0A
Current drain for balancing Li-po: 300mA/cell
NiCd/NiMH battery cell count: 1-15cells
Li-ion/Fe/Polymer cell count: 1-6cells
Pb battery voltage: 2-20V
Net weight: 277g
Dimension: 133x87x33mm
DC-DC Converter
The DC-DC Step down converter will be used to charge the battery while driving. The output will be set to a maximum of 12.6v.
Capacity Meter
Inverter
Our inverter is a 3000W Motomaster modified sine wave inverter. We don't use a lot of AC and we had this laying around. This inverter in not suitable for sensitive equipment since it is not a pure sine wave inverter. At some point, I may upgrade to a pure sine wave inverter.
References
| Reference | URL |
|---|---|
| Battery Chargers | https://wiki.jmehan.com/display/KNOW/Battery+Chargers |
| IMAX B6 | https://www.skyrc.com/iMAX_B6_Charger |
| IMAX B6 Manual | http://www.ittgroup.ee/files/IMAX_B6_manual.pdf |
| Solar Charger | https://iallpowers.com/collections/solar-controller/products/solar-controller |
| Solar Charger Manual | |
| Capacity Meter | |
| Inverter User Manual |