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Old 06-27-2014, 08:13 PM   #18 (permalink)
mechman600
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You could always make up a simple voltage regulator on your solar panel to avoid overcharging. Motorcycle style regulators basically shunt power directly to ground when the voltage exceeds 14.5V or so. All you would need is an appropriate zener array that adds up to the voltage you want, all secured to a heat sink, of course. Inefficient, but that doesn't matter in your case - wasted solar energy. It would be much better to have a larger voltage regulated solar panel that is capable of maintaining on cloudy days.
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