There's only one place it can go if there's only one battery. I'm guessing that this unit will prioritize how much time it sends power to each battery based on that switch. Will that time be wasted on a battery that's not present? Only through testing or by contacting the manufacturer will one find out.
The switches prioritize batteries based on state of charge, not time.
This is Ohm's Law in action. As the SOC increases so does the internal resistance of the battery. In a parallel circuit more current will always flow through the side with the lower resistance and a small amount will go through the remaining side. There is nothing magical about this and there is a formula for calculating the amount of current flowing through each side of the parallel circuit.
Absolutely. PWM applies full voltage to a load based on desired duty cycles, AKA time. That duty cycle would roughly translate to a controlled amount of amperage going into a battery. I'm not sure what method is being used to reduce the voltage from the panels however.
Well there's our confirmation that it is designed to run with one battery. I must've missed that in the manual.
Because this is Amazon and the descriptions do not always match the product. The unit you linked to has a 48v output. The 100/20 12/24v model is more than you need for a 100w panel. For a single 100w panel, the 75/15 model is fine. I run my 150w panels with a Smartsolar 75/15 without any difficulty.
As far as the inverter...I have a lot of music stuff, I'm a musician and plan to write and record on the boat. I need to plug in my pedal-boards and recording devices. Maybe a tinytiny fridge too?
I'll give em a call then!
A 12V fridge would probably be at least as good as 120v, but you’re right that the inverter is probably worthwhile for the music stuff.
I didn't even realize I could get a 12v fridge, lol. Yea that makes sense now that I think about it.
For your setup yes I think lithium is worthwhile. At this point the best reason to get lead acid is for compatibility with old charging systems. You don’t have to worry about any of that, so go with the technology that gives you almost twice as much usable energy in the same space, lots less weight, and more efficient charging.
Lithium packs more usable power in a compact package. It requires specialized charging systems to maximize its capacity and useful life.
I would look at a DC to DC converter. IIRC, pedals run on 9v so a converter will be inexpensive, far more efficient and much less likely to generate unwanted noise. I have DBX Driverack PA2 in my car. I avoided the inverter route and found a suitable DC converter to replace the 120v power supply
A 12v powered cooler might be the perfect fridge for you. It's probably more efficient than using an inverter and it can easily be removed when not in use or for cleaning.
I've had that battery for a year. No problems. Not long enough to know, though.
