Hero999
Banned
I have connected up a couple of 8W 24V fluorescent luminaries to a pair of 14Ah lead acid batteries in series to light my shed. I would have gone for mains but this would be inconvenient as it's all the way up the end of the garden and I'm not digging it or the patio up to lay cable. Besides I got both the lights and the batteries for free.
I would like to buy a small inexpensive solar panel to keep the batteries topped up as recharging them is inconvenient.
The lights draw about 750mA and are only used for an hour a week at the most.
I live at a fairly northerly latitude about 52° so the days are only 8:45 hours long in winter. Despite this the weather is relativity mild with an absolute minimum and maximum temperature of -12°C to 35°C respectively. Ideally it should be weather proof but I could put it behind glass if it isn't water proof enough to stand the heavy rain we get.
So far the best deal I've found is at Maplin's but there's no mention of the temperature range. This is also assuming that I can connect them in series - i.e. the 0V rail isn't bonded to their cases.
The open circuit voltage is 17.5V and the current ouput is 125mA maximum, although I know full well it would be a fraction of this in winter. Will I need to connect a zener in parallel with the batteries to stop them from overcharging, bearing in mind the lights will probably never be used in summer?
**broken link removed**
I would like to buy a small inexpensive solar panel to keep the batteries topped up as recharging them is inconvenient.
The lights draw about 750mA and are only used for an hour a week at the most.
I live at a fairly northerly latitude about 52° so the days are only 8:45 hours long in winter. Despite this the weather is relativity mild with an absolute minimum and maximum temperature of -12°C to 35°C respectively. Ideally it should be weather proof but I could put it behind glass if it isn't water proof enough to stand the heavy rain we get.
So far the best deal I've found is at Maplin's but there's no mention of the temperature range. This is also assuming that I can connect them in series - i.e. the 0V rail isn't bonded to their cases.
The open circuit voltage is 17.5V and the current ouput is 125mA maximum, although I know full well it would be a fraction of this in winter. Will I need to connect a zener in parallel with the batteries to stop them from overcharging, bearing in mind the lights will probably never be used in summer?
**broken link removed**