Charge Controller for KC120-1

I am new to solar panels. I was given a KC120-1 solar panel which list the manufacture date at 1999.8 and I only want to charge one 12 Volt deep cycle Marine and RV battery (also given to me) to power a few 12 volt tractor auxillary lights for working in my garden at night for a few hours each night. What charge controller should I use for this panel. Thanks for any recommendations you can give me. carlduhon@cox.net

Comments

  • westbranch
    westbranch Solar Expert Posts: 5,183 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Charge Controller for KC120-1

    welcome, first question is what is the wattage rating of those lights and what is the Amp-hr rating of the battery? these are at the center of what you want to do...
     
    KID #51B  4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM
    CL#29032 FW 2126/ 2073/ 2133 175A E-Panel WBjr, 3 x 4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM 
    Cotek ST1500W 24V Inverter,OmniCharge 3024,
    2 x Cisco WRT54GL i/c DD-WRT Rtr & Bridge,
    Eu3/2/1000i Gens, 1680W & E-Panel/WBjr to come, CL #647 asleep
    West Chilcotin, BC, Canada
  • Windsun
    Windsun Solar Expert Posts: 1,164 ✭✭
    Re: Charge Controller for KC120-1

    That panel is rated at around 7 amps, so this is about the cheapest one that will work well http://www.solar-electric.com/ss-10.html
  • carl
    carl Registered Users Posts: 2
    Re: Charge Controller for KC120-1
    westbranch wrote: »
    welcome, first question is what is the wattage rating of those lights and what is the Amp-hr rating of the battery? these are at the center of what you want to do...


    3 27 watt lights and the battery say 210 reserve capacity minutes- 850 cranking amps, Premium Deep Cycle Marine and RV
  • westbranch
    westbranch Solar Expert Posts: 5,183 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Charge Controller for KC120-1

    Ok, so that is 3 x 27 = 81 W / 12 V = ~ 7 amps (rounding up for simplicity). Next is the amount of time so we can get to Ah used and compare this to the battery capacity.
    you stated 'a few hours', lets take this as 4 hrs, being generous, so now we are at 28 Ah from the battery.
    The problem is you need to provide the 20 hr rating for your battery to determine how long you can run the lights for. The shop where you purchased it may be able to give the rate to you.

    rule of thumb here is not to deplete the battery to less than 50 % of its capacity. This will ensure that it can be recharged successfully...

    I know this may seem pedantic but ensures you will have a successful result.
     
    KID #51B  4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM
    CL#29032 FW 2126/ 2073/ 2133 175A E-Panel WBjr, 3 x 4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM 
    Cotek ST1500W 24V Inverter,OmniCharge 3024,
    2 x Cisco WRT54GL i/c DD-WRT Rtr & Bridge,
    Eu3/2/1000i Gens, 1680W & E-Panel/WBjr to come, CL #647 asleep
    West Chilcotin, BC, Canada
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Charge Controller for KC120-1

    a few other things to note is that pvs don't usually output their full stc rating and may be closer to about 77% of that number. there are also charging losses and wire resistance losses too that can bring things down farther than you'd wish.

    as to the battery, it is basically a starting battery if there's no reference to ah per timeperiod. reserve capacity and cold cranking amps are for the purpose of vehicle starting. starting batteries don't usually last very long in deep cycle applications even though the battery infers it as deep cycle.