Samlexsolar SC-05 Owner's Manual - page 8
8 | SAMLEX AMERICA INC.
SECTION 4 |
Installation & Operation
4.1 CHARGING A BATTERY FROM A SOLAR PANEL DIRECTLY (WITHOUT USING
A CHARGE CONTROLLER)
For trickle charging a battery, a Charge Controller is not necessary as long as it is ensured that
the Short Circuit Current Isc of the solar panel is less than the Trickle Charge Current specified
for the battery that is being charged. As stated earlier, the Trickle Charge Current of a Lead Acid
Battery is around C/100 (where C is the Ampere Hour Capacity of the battery).
!
CAUTION!
In view of the above, direct trickle charging of batteries using the SC-05 and SC-10
SunCharger panels should be selected as follows:
SC-05: The Short Circuit Current is 0.33 A. Hence, the capacity of the battery to be trickle
charged should be more than 33 Ah.
SC-10: The Short Circuit Current is 0.6 A. Hence, the capacity of the battery to be trickle
charged should be more than 60 Ah.
As the standard automotive SLI batteries (Starting, Lighting and Ignition) are around 80 to
110 Ah, these can be trickle charged directly from the above 2 solar panels.
!
NOTE 1: The overall performance of the Solar Panel is dependent on a variety of
conditions including season, orientation with direct sunlight, cloudy conditions,
temperature, and shadowing. As a result, specified performance parameters will
be dependent of the placement of the Solar Panel.
NOTE 2: For safety against excessively high short circuit current flow from the battery to a
short in the panel circuit, a 10 A fuse is provided inside the Cigarette Lighter Plug.
4.2 PLACEMENT OF THE PANEL
•
Securely place the solar panel facing the sun. Maximum power is generated when the top
surface of the panel is oriented perpendicular to the sun. Hence, tilt the panel in such a way
that it will be perpendicular to the strong midday sun, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. This will
change with the seasons. In spring and the fall, a tilt between 40 and 45 degrees from the
ground will suffice for most North American residents. A little less in the summer (about 20 -
30 degrees) and a little more in the winter (about 60 - 70 degrees from the ground).
•
Use the 4 grommet finished holes in the corners for fixing the panel in the appropriate orientation
•
Make sure that the panel is not shaded by shadows
•
When using the panel in a vehicle, the panel may be placed on the dashboard and facing
the sun as explained above