Small Update on the Solar and Batteries.

2 small updates in one:

1)

The 20Ah Battery (lead-acid, so more or less effectively 10-12Ah) has been prepared and connected to the solar charger with the 50W panel. The battery was full, so charging is intermittent.

With this I should be able to run the IC-703 on receive 24/7, as it draws less than 300mA. (x24 -> 7.2Ah/day) There should be sufficient juice from the panel to charge 10Ah on a daily basis, with a bit to spare on very cloudy days. I will have to set up a test.

If that works nicely, a DC/DC boost/buck converter "lab power supply" will be added, so I can do more electronic experiments at the operating place. I have a 24V DC operated soldering iron, so that should be possible to operate as well, with a DC /DC boost converter. For that I might need to set up a larger 24V system with he two 100W solar panels, the second charge controller and 2 larger batteries in series.

2)

On the advice of a friend who has I have increased the possible current draw for the "revived" 28Ah batteries, and increased the voltage to the max "allowed" 14.4V. This is to see if the current stabilizes at a lower level, indicating that the battery is fully charged. 

If that looks good, some charge/discharge tests need to be done to determine the energy storage capacity of the batteries. If that works with the two batteries that look like being close, they will be added in a second solar system, likely running as a 24V system.

3)

If all this works, I may use some 20-25W panels I have available with a charge controller to start reviving other batteries, so I can use (at least partly) solar power for the revival of old batteries, in place of using mains power all the time.

4) 

Yes, I can see already that I will have to do more with panels/controllers, and then start using LiFePo4 batteries for higher power. That will be a whole new adventure, so it will be a bit later.