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Forum Index : Solar : no amps just volts
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| druist Newbie  Joined: 18/09/2017 Location: United KingdomPosts: 17 |
as a test on my allotment i put up 3 used solar panels 2 x 40w,1 x 180w. i connected them in parallel put my watt meter on and it only ever seems to read 38v and 0 amps. This is before it reaches charge controller. To start with, i used the wrong type of wire to start with - single strand, but using 14g wire hasnt made any difference. The panels were all used before and were tested and shown to be ok. What could i be doing wrong? |
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
How are you measuring amps? Do you have the meter set to 10 amps or something like that, with the leads in the correct sockets on the multimeter. Chances are its a separate socket on the meter than you used to measure volts. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| druist Newbie Joined: 18/09/2017 Location: United KingdomPosts: 17 |
Am using this one  |
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Madness Guru  Joined: 08/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2498 |
That meter might be faulty or you have a open circuit somewhere. There are only 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't. |
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| Gizmo Admin Group Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Do you have a multimeter that can measure 10 amps? If you put it across the solar panel output, you should see 5 or so amps. Disconnect the DC Combo meter first. Or, grab a couple of 50 watt 12 volt light bulbs ( down lights or similar ), wire them in series and put them across the DC Combo meter output. The meter should read about 4 to 5 amps. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| hotwater Senior Member  Joined: 29/08/2017 Location: United StatesPosts: 120 |
I love those meters. One big problem, they are self powered. Short it out and you have no power to run the meter electronics. These can be externally powered. There is a jack but they don't tell you the pins. It can be powered by a 9V battery if you don't want to read volts, just amps. Oh, and they only read current in one direction and only in the black leads. You don't have to connect through the red leads, just provide power. |
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| druist Newbie Joined: 18/09/2017 Location: United KingdomPosts: 17 |
thanks guys,yes have a multimeter will give that a go to rule this out. before i saw your replies went up to the panel and it read the same, the cheap charge controller read similar. What wire can i get a way with? Is there anything wrong with extension cable as with this setup am just powering 100w total from pump and lights |
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| Madness Guru Joined: 08/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2498 |
You will find cable calculators online to determine losses. However, you still should be getting current flowing. Is the charge controller working? it may also be thinking the battery is fully charged and stopped charging. You could try bypassing the charge controller temporarily and see if you get a reading on your meter. There are only 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't. |
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| Gizmo Admin Group Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Yeah that will be ok for a light load, and its a cheap option. A extension cable will handle 5 amps easily, there will be some loss, but not too much. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| M Del Senior Member Joined: 09/04/2012 Location: AustraliaPosts: 155 |
Are the 2 x 40w panels 12v & the 180w panel 24v? If so set the 40w panels in series and then conect to the 180w in parallel. There still should be some amps reading if the panels are mismatched, but maybe not. Also for parallel ensure they are all connected pos-pos & neg-neg. I have seen this cause problems before. Mark |
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