Esky 30A LCD 12V/24V 360W/720W PWM Solar Panel Adapter Charge Controller

Why we love it?

Technicals: max 30A 12V/24V 360W/720W, power rate adjustable with dual USB ports; 4-Stage(EQU, Bulk, ABS, Float) charge management and 3-Stage PWM charge More

Some comments about this we saw on the web:

* /u/LunaWires on /r/BurningMan My solar set-up was this:

This 100W solar panel was mighty for my 12Volt 15AH SLA batteries, and is used for RVs typically. It did the job well even in overcast skies. $100 - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HHDC6NQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You’ll need a controller so you don’t overcharge your battery or fry any electronics you’d like to attach. I used one like this(the one I bought is no longer posted): https://www.amazon.com/Esky-Solar-Adapter-Charge-Controller/dp/B013HK2OOE/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?

The controller attached to the SLA battery. You can then either charge the SLA, remove it from the system as needed, and use it for other things (as I did), or leave the battery to hold power for your various electronics you may be trying to power at your camp. I had a battery for my electronics, but would swap it out for my ebike batteries when I needed to charge them.

I had an inverter connected to the controller so I could plug things (mainly a small fan) into it.

Inverter. I cut the cigarette charger off and connected the wires to the controller: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004MDXS0U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here’s a diagram that will help visualize how these set-ups are typically: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/63/6b/f5/636bf543aa56b79c556a2c8a1b216461.jpg

Charging batteries in series is doable, but not advisable because they don’t tend to charge evenly. IE: The first battery gets more charge and the middle one doesn’t get totally full. If you charge them separately you can make sure each is charged fully. This PDF describes the whole concept in more detail: http://www.thunderstruck-ev.com/images/Charging%20in%20Series.pdf

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