I am sorry.

[p7willm]

I have posted in some threads of the higher wattage regulated PVs that the Sigelei was better. I am not so sure now.

The batteries are in serial, not parallel as I thought. Serial has more battery problems than parallel so as far as I am concerned this is a problem.

The original specs I read had an output voltage range of 1 to 8.4 and I assumed it did this by boosting and bucking. It turns out there is only a buck circuit and the real voltage is 1 to whatever your batteries are at.

I have one on order through a co op and I will probably sell/trade it cause I can live without 100 watts and I do not like series batteries.

 

[Mitey F]

Series. Not serial.

 

[supertrunker]

Why do you think batteries in series suffer more problems than those in parallel? What happens when one of 2 batteries in parallel fails?

T

 

[p7willm]

Lets say you have 2 batteries and one of them is at a slightly lower voltage.

In a series circuit more will be asked of that battery and it will work harder and go flat sooner. At this point the internal resistance of the battery increases and, because all the current for the circuit flows through it it starts to heat up which causes internal resistance to go up etc.

The Sigelei does not charge but if you charge batteries in series the weak one will finish charging sooner and then as the charging current continues to flow, through it, and charge the other battery the weak one will be overcharged heat up and be damaged.

In a parallel setup the battery with the higher voltage will work harder until the voltage is the same. If one cell goes flat the current for the circuit does not flow through it.

When you charge in parallel the current flows through the battery with the lower charge so both batteries get charged.

Any battery, alone, in series, or parallel, can have problems there are just more options for it to happen in a series circuit.

I have a board, SK-350, that bucks and boosts and supports batteries in parallel. I feel better not taking risks I can easily avoid.