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Forum Index : Electronics : small 12v batter
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| Guests Guest  Joined: 01/10/2003 Location: Posts: 52 |
I'm using a 10w solar panel but the battery part is what I'm needing help on. I'm hooking my malibu path lights up to solar panel/battery. The lights are led and will draw 3.3 w. I know there are lots of batteries out there but would like help on selecting the cheapest that would work. I dont care about running out of juice on a cloudy day so I'm thinking 5ah or 10 would be all I need. I read that I dont need overcharge protection if I'm only using a 10w panel but I also read not to use gel cells as they tolerate no overcharging. All opinions welcome
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Chris Senior Member  Joined: 12/09/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 146 |
You might want to incorporate a low voltage cut out as well for the battery for maximum life. My understanding is that the smaller batteries usually arnt deep cycle. So they loose alot of there life span if they are discharged below 10 volts. |
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5012 |
If you know someone in the PC repair industry, see if you can get them to save old UPS batteries. These are usually replaced every year or two and are still good for what you want to do. That way its no great loss if you kill them with over or under charging. I had a 17AH gell cell from a large UPS in my ride on mower for a couple of years before it gave up. The battery was free, so every time it started the mower was a bonus. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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