Charging 36V golf Cart battery bank with 3 12V panels

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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #32
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    Re: Charging 36V golf Cart battery bank with 3 12V panels

    You'll want to read this perhaps: http://www.morningstarcorp.com/en/support/item.cfm?ItemId=71
    Basically it says use 48 Volt DIP settings and adjust the set-points with the software.
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  • zpphoto
    zpphoto Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭
    #33
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    Re: Charging 36V golf Cart battery bank with 3 12V panels

    Thanks, I'll take a look at that right now. I decided to just call them, but I think their tech support is closed right now. I have the PWM version of this one btw.
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  • vtmaps
    vtmaps Solar Expert Posts: 3,741 ✭✭✭✭
    #34
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    Re: Charging 36V golf Cart battery bank with 3 12V panels
    BB. wrote: »
    Trojan recommends a fairly nominal charging voltage of 2.35 volts per cell until the last 95-100% and finish at 2.45 to 2.7 volts per cell (at 10-13% * C rate of charge as the current limit) until the battery hits around 90% state of charge.
    I totally don't understand this. How would you accomplish this with an Outback or Magnum charger? On these (and most other chargers that I know of) the only voltages that can be set are absorb, float, and equalize. Is 2.35 volts per cell the absorb voltage? If so, then how do you finish with 2.45 to 2.7 volts per cell?
    -vtMaps
    4 X 235watt Samsung, Midnite ePanel, Outback VFX3524 FM60 & mate, 4 Interstate L16, trimetric, Honda eu2000i
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  • zpphoto
    zpphoto Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭
    #35
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    Re: Charging 36V golf Cart battery bank with 3 12V panels
    Cariboocoot wrote: »
    You'll want to read this perhaps: http://www.morningstarcorp.com/en/support/item.cfm?ItemId=71
    Basically it says use 48 Volt DIP settings and adjust the set-points with the software.

    Ok, so after reading this link over, and looking the PC software and RTFM more, I would want to say set all of the DIPs to custom, and multiply the settings by 3. According to the manual, the standard settings are for 12 volts, and the rest of the settings are either doubled for 24v, or quadrupaled for 48v... so by logic I would take any of the voltage settings in the PC software and program it x3.... Anyway, I'm going to talk to tech support and float my idea past them... Thanks for this link, I think it has me on the right way.
    170 watts Solar, Tristar 45 PWM Charge Controller, 250watt GTI, 6 6volt 220 amp hour batteries
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,468 admin
    #36
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    Re: Charging 36V golf Cart battery bank with 3 12V panels

    Vtmp,

    Trojan has moved/reformatted their battery manual... It is now here.

    It appears that they recommend ~2.46 volts for daily charging... And ~2.58 volts for equalization.

    The table does not appear to agree very well with the graphic (pages 9-10).

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #37
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    Re: Charging 36V golf Cart battery bank with 3 12V panels

    bb,
    to be honest i'm confused by the same statement that vtmaps is inquiring about for you are charging up to 95% at 2.35v/cell and that brings it to 90% soc. then stating that it needs a higher charge rate to finish the 95-100% range.

    i'll assume these aren't vrla batteries and set the charge to 14.8v for every 12v series battery. that's the regulated voltage for absorb charging. the float charge is 13.2v for every 12v. that makes it 44.4v and 39.4v for a 36v battery bank as per trojan's usersguide pdf. note that it should've just been the 12v battery specs x3, but trojan says differently for floating and eqing.

    of course i forgot the eq voltage as that's 15.5v/12v battery and a total of 46.5v for the 3 in series.
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  • zpphoto
    zpphoto Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭
    #38
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    Re: Charging 36V golf Cart battery bank with 3 12V panels
    Cariboocoot wrote: »
    You'll want to read this perhaps: http://www.morningstarcorp.com/en/support/item.cfm?ItemId=71
    Basically it says use 48 Volt DIP settings and adjust the set-points with the software.

    Wow... VERY IMPRESSED WITH THEIR TECH SUPPORT! When you download their MSView software to program your charge controller, they actually include a custom program for a 36 volt system, all you need to do is flash the unit w the program, reset the unit and I am good to go! =) Charging a golfcart via solar with a TriStar 45 can be done as long as you know what you are doing! Look in the ZIP file you download, the custom program is already in the package you download!
    170 watts Solar, Tristar 45 PWM Charge Controller, 250watt GTI, 6 6volt 220 amp hour batteries
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,468 admin
    #39
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    Re: Charging 36V golf Cart battery bank with 3 12V panels

    Cool--Glad to here good things about customer support. There are a few solar companies that seem to a consistently positive reports.

    Those "Higher" voltages are from the Trojan Charging Graphic... I do not think it makes sense either.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #40
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    Re: Charging 36V golf Cart battery bank with 3 12V panels
    BB. wrote: »
    Those "Higher" voltages are from the Trojan Charging Graphic... I do not think it makes sense either.

    Ignore it, guys; it's rubbish. ;)
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  • Jim45D
    Jim45D Solar Expert Posts: 102 ✭✭
    #41
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    Re: Charging 36V golf Cart battery bank with 3 12V panels
    vtmaps wrote: »
    I totally don't understand this. How would you accomplish this with an Outback or Magnum charger? On these (and most other chargers that I know of) the only voltages that can be set are absorb, float, and equalize. Is 2.35 volts per cell the absorb voltage? If so, then how do you finish with 2.45 to 2.7 volts per cell?
    -vtMaps

    You're absolutely right. The same thing confused me for some time. I decided to call Concorde. After wading through several people, no reliable answers....then a guy speaking broken English with an Asian accent told me this:
    I'm not going to use his slang. However, this is how it went.

    The measurement as stated is per cell, and a 12 volt battery has 6 cells. You simply multiply the stated charge voltage by the number of cells, and that equates to the entire battery voltage at various charging rates of Bulk, Absorb, Float, and Equalize. Hence,

    In your particular case it would be, as you mentioned the voltages of 2.35. 6*2.35=14.1 volts,
    6*2.45=14.7 volts,
    6*2.47=14.8 volts.
    They could have just given the overall charge voltages, and been done with it. But, that's where the technical jargon comes into play. Hope this clears it up.If you're dealing with 6 volt batteries, multiply by 3.

    Jim
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #42
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    Re: Charging 36V golf Cart battery bank with 3 12V panels

    jim,
    i think we got that aspect of it fine as that isn't what was confusing us. i did see the actual 12v, 24v, 36v, and 48v charge specs in that previous trojan link as they gave the actual voltages rather than just per cell.
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  • vtmaps
    vtmaps Solar Expert Posts: 3,741 ✭✭✭✭
    #43
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    Re: Charging 36V golf Cart battery bank with 3 12V panels

    Jim, as Niel mentioned, converting volts per cell to actual voltages for nominal 12, 24, 48 volt systems was not the issue. The issue is that most of us don't know how to accomplish Trojan's charge profile with our charge controllers or inverter/chargers. The issue is further discussed here:
    http://forum.solar-electric.com/showthread.php?14738

    --vtMaps
    4 X 235watt Samsung, Midnite ePanel, Outback VFX3524 FM60 & mate, 4 Interstate L16, trimetric, Honda eu2000i
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  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #44
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    Re: Charging 36V golf Cart battery bank with 3 12V panels

    This last weekend, I successfully reprogramed my MS TS MPPT-60 via it's SERIAL port, and a USB interface adapter. Before, I'd only tried it via Serial - Serial, but adding a Edgeport USB-Serial adapter, and it worked fine.

    All settings are for 12V, and you just tell the controller how many times to multiply it, so you would take your 36V settings and divide by 3, and plug those numbers into the Free MSView software.

    Since I'm running NiFe batteries, 48V nominal, but my charge is at 67V, so I had to "scale it up" some to keep things happy.
    That's the only catch with NiFe, they have a wide voltage range from charge to 80% discharged, and controller and inverter have to be able to accept it.
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,

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