Solar Panel/controller Mystery

SolarBass
SolarBass Registered Users Posts: 2
in Solar Beginners Corner #1
Hello Guys,

I have a control system on a diesel engine that is sending faulty data to the server the way i have it wired up is solar panel connected to the engine battery circuit board connected to the same battery on the circuit board there is a 5V Regulated power Supply i have a wire going from the power supply through a 1K resistor then it Splits and one wire goes to a Volt Meter and the other wire goes to a Variable resistor type sensor This is called a Voltage Divider , the resistance changes on the sensor and thus changes the voltage on the Volt MEter wire giving me a reading ! now my problem is that when the sun is the brightest Between (9am TO 4PM) my reading from the Volt Meter is all screwed up shows alot more voltage than it should yet my voltage at the sensor remains at 5V ! I unplug the solar panel or cover it with a paper and it goes back to normal !! any Ideas on what could cause this ?? :cry:
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  • inetdog
    inetdog Solar Expert Posts: 3,123 ✭✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: Solar Panel/controller Mystery

    If you connected the panels directly to the battery without going through a Charge Controller (CC), then the voltage on the battery terminals can go over 15V, and probably gets high enough to mess up your electronics. It is also not good for the battery to overcharge it that way.

    What is the sensor sensing anyway?
    SMA SB 3000, old BP panels.
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  • SolarBass
    SolarBass Registered Users Posts: 2
    #3
    Re: Solar Panel/controller Mystery
    inetdog wrote: »
    If you connected the panels directly to the battery without going through a Charge Controller (CC), then the voltage on the battery terminals can go over 15V, and probably gets high enough to mess up your electronics. It is also not good for the battery to overcharge it that way.

    What is the sensor sensing anyway?


    Ok to clarify i do have a charge controller in line between the battery and the solar panel .

    And the sensor is a oil pressure sensor that ranges in ohms from 10ohms at 0PSI to 184ohms at 80PSI
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