I'm looking to build a small solar power station and I'm a bit confused about the wiring setup. I've heard that the load should connect directly to the battery rather than the charge controller— is that correct? How can I prevent over-discharging? Should I also add a switch between the battery and the charge controller? I've got some parts already: I picked up a solar charge controller, an XT60 connector for my solar panel, and I'm planning to use a 12v 8ah sealed lead acid battery that I can get cheaply. I'm also thinking about getting a 20w solar panel I found at a thrift shop and possibly upgrading to a 100w panel later. I'm just trying to play around with inexpensive options to see if I want to dive deeper into solar energy. Any advice would be really helpful, thanks!
1 Answer
You can definitely connect low consumption loads like LED lights or USB adapters directly to your charge controller. It’s designed to handle those smaller loads. For heavier loads, it’s better to connect them to the battery with a disconnect switch that's triggered by the solar charge controller. This way, when the controller detects low voltage, it cuts off the load to protect your battery. Since you're using a small battery and panel, keep your loads light, and you'll avoid draining your battery too much.
Got it! So as long as the load is low, connecting to the controller should work. I'll check the settings to ensure it operates while charging.