Hello, and welcome…
Rick’s Daily Tech Tips Update for Thursday, April 6, 2023
Topics covered in this issue…
• Q&A: Why do my solar batteries lose 2 volts every evening?
• How to delete your entire Google search history
• Q&A: How can I transfer videos from VHS tapes to DVDs?
• The precious gift of “Today”
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Today’s quick tech tip….
Q&A: Why do my solar batteries lose 2 volts every evening?
Question from Eric: About a month ago I bought the parts and put together a small solar power generation system much like the one you showed in your video about taking your office off grid and going solar.
It seems to be working fine except for one problem. On every day that we have lots of sunshine the solar panels charge my two 12.8 volt/100 Ah LifePo4 batteries (which are connected in parallel) to around 15.2 volts.
But when it starts to get dark outside the voltage across the batteries almost immediately drops to around 13.5 volts. That’s a drop of almost 2 volts in a matter of minutes.
But then after that sudden drop the batteries discharge really slowly like you would expect them to. By the next morning the batteries are usually still reading around 13 volts.
My question is why would the battery voltage drop almost 2 volts in mere minutes but then only drop about 1/2 of a volt over the course of the entire night when the load stays the same 24/7 (my Acer all-in-one desktop computer plus my modem and router)?
Rick’s answer: Eric, first of all let me congratulate you on successfully installing your first solar power generation system. It sounds like you did everything just right.
In regards to your question about why your LifePo4 batteries lose almost 2 volts within just a few minutes every night, the short answer is they don’t. Yes, according to your voltmeter it appears that the battery voltage is dropping by that much, but in reality it isn’t.
Read on and I’ll explain…
In order to charge your batteries by pumping current into them, your solar panels and solar charge controller must provide a higher voltage than the batteries’ rated maximum voltage. If the voltage applied to the batteries equaled the batteries’ current voltage level they would never be able to charge up to a higher voltage.
What’s happening with your system is the solar charge controller is taking the voltage supplied by the solar panels (which is actually somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 volts) and stepping it down to around 15.2 volts. That 15.2 volts is applied to the batteries in order to charge them up to about 13.5 volts.
In short, the 15.2 volts you’re reading before the sun goes down is the charging voltage that’s supplied by the solar panels and charge controller, not the actual voltage of the batteries.
When the sun goes down the solar panels stop producing electricity, resulting in the 15.2 volt charging voltage going away. From that point on your voltmeter reads the actual battery voltage instead of the higher charging voltage.
This is basically the same thing that happens when you measure the voltage across your car’s battery. As long as the engine is running you’ll measure somewhere between 14 and 15 volts because that’s what the alternator is putting out. But shut off the engine and the voltage will immediately drop to around 13 volts.
I hope this explanation helps, Eric. To finish up, here’s the video you referenced earlier for anyone who might have missed it the first time around:
The latest from Rick’s Daily Tips Tech Blog…
• How to delete your entire Google search history
This post has step-by-step instructions.
• Q&A: How can I transfer videos from VHS tapes to DVDs?
Read this for three possible options.
• Click here to see today’s ‘Picture of the Day’.
Every morning I post a new photo that I find inspiring, intriguing, or just plain beautiful to look at. Jumpstart your day by checking it out.
Rick’s Daily Pick…
COMOBELIEF Compressed Air Duster
You probably know how important it is to keep your computer and all of its associated devices free of dust and debris.
And you probably also know that canned compressed air can get expensive, especially if you clean your devices on a regular basis (and you should).
Well, get one of these little gems and you’ll never have to buy another can of commercially-packaged compressed air again.
Today’s post from ‘My Daily Smile’…
Yesterday is gone forever. Tomorrow might never come.
But guess what? We all have today. Let’s make the most of it.
Tech news that caught my eye…
• Nexx security flaw allows hackers to remotely open garage doors
• Google to make account deletion easy for users on Android apps
• Do we need to pause the ‘out-of-control’ AI arms race?
• HP to patch critical bug in LaserJet printers within 90 days
• Massive online identity theft ring crushed: 80 million ‘identities’ recovered
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Thanks so much, and have an amazing day.
Your tech buddy,
Rick Rouse
https://www.RicksDailyTips.com