Something to avoid when wiring a solar tracker

Xringer · 06-04-10, 05:33 PM

If you plan to make your solar tracker self-powered,
you will likely want to use a 12V charge controller like this

and a small 5 or 10 watt PV like this:

And of course, an old FiOS battery..

Yesterday, I was putting some nuts and bolts on my panels when the mount started moving.
The clouds had cleared and it was tracking the sun, when I didn't want the mount to move.
So, I reached in and cut off the 12v battery. (Small toggle switch).
BUT, the Mount kept on tracking! A mere 20 hours later, I figured it out.
When I installed the fuse and toggle switch, I put them both in series with the battery terminal..
(See battery pic above).

So, when the battery was out of the circuit, why would the motor keep running?
It was running on pure solar power! The solar charger output to the battery
is connected to terminals (12V bus) which are also connected to the controller PCB.

So, I will have to Re-wire the charger directly to the battery.. Before the switch.

I was a little surprised that a little 10w PV panel could move that much metal.
I guess the panels are balanced pretty good.

Cheers,
Rich

gasstingy · 06-08-10, 07:40 AM

I learn best from experiences like this, so if you're at all like me, I'll bet this will be something you never forget! I look forward to seeing the finished product.

I am close to illiterate when it comes to electricity and I've fried a couple of small testers to prove it, so I don't get very creative with electricity. I'll be looking forward to what this looks like when it's done. And if you'd care to share your schematic, I'd like to be able to try and learn something from that too.

06-04-10, 05:33 PM	#1
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	Something to avoid when wiring a solar tracker If you plan to make your solar tracker self-powered, you will likely want to use a 12V charge controller like this and a small 5 or 10 watt PV like this: And of course, an old FiOS battery.. Yesterday, I was putting some nuts and bolts on my panels when the mount started moving. The clouds had cleared and it was tracking the sun, when I didn't want the mount to move. So, I reached in and cut off the 12v battery. (Small toggle switch). BUT, the Mount kept on tracking! A mere 20 hours later, I figured it out. When I installed the fuse and toggle switch, I put them both in series with the battery terminal.. (See battery pic above). So, when the battery was out of the circuit, why would the motor keep running? It was running on pure solar power! The solar charger output to the battery is connected to terminals (12V bus) which are also connected to the controller PCB. So, I will have to Re-wire the charger directly to the battery.. Before the switch. I was a little surprised that a little 10w PV panel could move that much metal. I guess the panels are balanced pretty good. Cheers, Rich

06-08-10, 07:40 AM	#2
gasstingy Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Arab, AL Posts: 491 Thanks: 109 Thanked 49 Times in 43 Posts	I learn best from experiences like this, so if you're at all like me, I'll bet this will be something you never forget! I look forward to seeing the finished product. I am close to illiterate when it comes to electricity and I've fried a couple of small testers to prove it, so I don't get very creative with electricity. I'll be looking forward to what this looks like when it's done. And if you'd care to share your schematic, I'd like to be able to try and learn something from that too.