> Thomas Oliver <tsoli...@...> wrote:
> skipp, can you recommend a good low voltage disconnect?
> tom
Hi Tom,
Sure... in the keep it simple world I like the Newmar units
like the LVD 12-30 and LVD 12-75.
http://www.newmartelecom.com/LVD-Wall-Mount/LVD-Wall-Mount.html
There is also a rack mount version of the same animal and it's
just the addition of a rack panel bolted to the box.
I see the rack mount units being sold on Ebay fairly cheap and
would buy more if I hadn't already bought/stocked a supply.
Just between you and me... the only difference between the 30
and 75 amp model is the size of the internal disconnect relay
(made by Bosch). And I reverse engineered both these model and
they are pretty well designed (thought out) and constructed.
I "try" to run a tight ship on a number of very remote location
solar only sites... but even as fool-proof as I like to try
and make things... I have these units protecting my battery
bank(s). A few times a year some event from left field will
fart off the charging system(s) and the LVD action prevents
the equipment from completely draining and damaging the
batteries.
An interesting example of using an LVD at a very remote
radio site follows:
One remote site I maintain doesn't have enough solar energy or
battery capacity to stay on 24/7. But the customer only needs
to use the linked remote repeater during the day-time hours.
So... the site uses a single 8D truck battery (very cost
effective), a Newmar LVD and the fairly limited solar charging
energy (panels).
Each morning the remote site wakes up, the LVD allows the
battery to partially recharge before reconnecting equipment.
The site comes back on the air early in the morning. The solar
panels charge the battery back up and run the equipment. In the evening the
site operates well past sunset and goes to sleep some hours after sunset.
This site has been operating as described above for a number of
years... in a location where previous radio shops could not
reliably keep a single repeater on the air for any length of
time while keeping operations cost effective (IE keeping the
Customer on the air and happy to pay the maintenance of...).
During the long summer days, enough available solar charging
energy (from the panels) actually keeps the repeater site on
24/7. 8D truck batteries cost me about $159 each at Sam's Club.
The site only needs one battery..
So a well thought out remote site game plan doesn't have to
include expensive deep cycle batteries, a lot of over-kill
infrastructure costs and maintenance if you have realistic
expectations of how it's supposed to behave.
Since the drive in is about 4.5 hours each way we don't care
to see the Bears and very full-size mountain lions living
near the site (up close) more often than we have too...
Last visit we only saw a number of very nice deer, a full
grown fox and much later some really nasty looking eyes
staring back at us (for a while) from well up the road as
we drove out. I wasn't curious enough to hang around and
see what it was...
s.
> > skipp025 wrote:
> > Do you have a low voltage disconnect on the system?
> > s.
> >
> >> "rrath" <rrath@> wrote:
> >> I would like to thank all of you that
> >> replied. I asked the question because
> >> I thought the batteries they were bad.
> >> After removing from the site, I
> >> charged them both up and took them
> >> to two battery shop here in Yakima.
> >> The results were, they are still good.
> >> So now I need to track down why the
> >> system keeps going down. They are
> >> 5 years old, but the repeater get very
> >> little use; maybe two hrs per week
> >> during the winter and about 6 hrs per
> >> week during the summer. Thank you
> >> all.
> >>
> >> Rod kc7vqr
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
> >
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>
