04-15-2018, 10:46 AM
what about 3 (identical) charge controllers
Charge controllers "back off" as the batteries reach float voltage; this remains true even when there are 2 or 3 or more charge controllers "ganged together", it just works.
For "elegance", maybe adjust the float threshold so that the controllers back off gracefully, leaving one of them as the "last charger standing".
The other thing you're looking for is a "voltage controlled switch", Solar Converters has gone out of business but there are plenty of cheap Chinese versions on eBay. Get a few; use one to drive an automatic transfer switch (smarter than a timer), one to trigger the battery charger, and maybe one turned up to near float voltage so the "extra" power does something silly (fountain, ice maker, silly decorative lights, etc) when the batteries are full.
(Giving post 10K back to the community, because reasons.)
Charge controllers "back off" as the batteries reach float voltage; this remains true even when there are 2 or 3 or more charge controllers "ganged together", it just works.
For "elegance", maybe adjust the float threshold so that the controllers back off gracefully, leaving one of them as the "last charger standing".
The other thing you're looking for is a "voltage controlled switch", Solar Converters has gone out of business but there are plenty of cheap Chinese versions on eBay. Get a few; use one to drive an automatic transfer switch (smarter than a timer), one to trigger the battery charger, and maybe one turned up to near float voltage so the "extra" power does something silly (fountain, ice maker, silly decorative lights, etc) when the batteries are full.
(Giving post 10K back to the community, because reasons.)