Samlex America SC-10 - Manual (Page 8)

8
4
INSTAllATION & OPERATION
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 I
sc
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.
Placement of the panel
• S ecurely 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