Hi all, Looking for some help here and would appreciate any input. I have a driveway gate setup that is eating batteries. Here is what we have in the current setup (and wired in the order presented below): solar panel - Uni-Solar US-5 there is a tree nearby - it is getting direct sunlight, but not all day WindyNation PL30 12v battery - UB12350K AGM US Automatic Patriot Control Board Q7000-4 (aka 500001) US Automatic Patriot 510001 Arm/Actuator Questions: What should I look for regarding this setup as a possible problem? Does it sound like the the solar panel is not getting enough sun? If not enough sun, can it be replaced with an AC/DC transformer? Any help appreciated - would really like to stabilize this setup and stop replacing batteries. Thanks
As stated in the gates manual a 6 watt (minimum) panel is required and must be in full sun all day. Since your panel specs state it is 5 watt your already not meeting the minimum requirements for solar power. A second or larger panel may help but you may also need to find a sunnier location.the charge controler will handle close to 30 amps the panel your using from what I see is producing less then 1 amp. What I'd do is replace your panel with a larger one. One that is at least 60 watt. This should supply enough power even on cloudy days.
Ah, excellent -- will look into that. As for the sunny location - if I cannot do much about that, will an AC to DC transformer fit the bill and work with the charge controller? Is it best to get a 12vdc or an 18vdc power supply in order to allow the PL30 to charge the battery. Thank you!
Solar usualy require 5 hours of direct sun a day. The gate silar requirements are 6 wats all day so a larger panel will cut down the required daylight to keep the battery charged. II'm nfamilar with the charge controler so mot sure if a ac to dc power source could be use with it. However the gate manufacture sells a ac transformer so you could eliminate the sollar and use their AC power kit.
