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Re: [RC] solar chargers - Truman Prevatt

An alternator has a circuit that measures the voltage in the battery and controls the current to the battery. This is the same circuit that is found in battery "maintainers", solar panel controllers and DC converters in RV's. Most likely there was feedback into this circuit from the solar charger and it damaged a component in the alternator. The blown fuse should have been a clue. After that the alternator was not measuring the voltage in the battery correctly or it was not shutting off the current when it should have. At any rate it was over charging.

If the mechanic only checked the alternator output - it looked fine.

Truman

terre wrote:
I have been using a solar charger (the fold-out-set-on-dashboard type) to recharge my batteries at rides. Last spring, someone moved my truck while I was riding without disconnecting the solar charger. By late that night (it was a 100), the battery was pretty much dead, and running the truck wouldn't recharge it. When I got home, I found a blown fuse; replaced it and the truck would once again recharge the battery... However, this incident was the beginning of a long series of electrical 'glitches'. Battery going dead while sitting for a short time, etc. Replaced the battery. Same story with the new battery.
Turned out that the truck's alternator was malfunctioning, in spite of the fact the dashboard 'trouble lights' weren't coming on, and the mechanics diagnostics said the alternator was ok. I've been told that this is similar to hooking up incorrectly when boosting from another vehicle; it can damage the charging vehicles alternator. Does that sound correct? If so, it's a cautionary tale--if you have the solar charger hooked up, disconnect it before starting your truck....and hide the keys from your friends!


terre


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[RC] solar chargers, terre