Paseo gets a solar sun roof

[MetroMPG]

You thinking about trying to fix the chipped cells situation? Doing that would probably net you a greater efficiency gain than a fancy charge controller.

[Daox]

I don't think I'll be trying to fix them right now. I'll try it as is and see what it can do.

[MetroMPG]

Planning to cover the cells with plexi, or hope nobody chucks anything onto the rear parcel shelf?

[Daox]

At the moment, I'm thinking of leaving them uncovered. Chalk that one up as a weight reduction mod.

[Daox]

In an effort to keep this project moving, I have inquired about ordering this dump charge controller. Since I'm doing so much circuity stuff with the Prius PHEV right now I should be able to sneak this one in as I solder up some other stuff.

[Daox]

I've been thinking and I'd also like some type of meter that measures how much power the solar panel is generating, and log how much it has generated. Basically, I want a watt hour meter.

I did some googling and found this meter: Digital DC Ammeter, Amp Hour Meter, Watt Hour Meter

It looks like a very nice package. I'm not too fond of the price though haha. Still looking... ideas are appreciated.

[MetroMPG]

If the dump controller won't do what you want, don't forget that since you have a full Arduino, you should also be able to get one of the cheap, stripped down kits where you program the chip on the full board and swap it into the cheap board to run whatever stuff you need.

[Daox]

Yeah, I do have two RBBB Arduino kits laying around. One is even assembled. I'm just hoping to keep this simple. Lets get it working first, then we can improve it.

I like your idea of just using the zener diode method like Lee Hart used for lead acid battery balancing. Its super simple and I think it should work just fine.

[Daox]

This morning I made the snap decision to get the panel ready to be tested in the car. I add the blocking diode to prevent the panel from drawing power from the battery, and just taped down the ends of the cell strings on each end. A more permanent solution will be needed, but this will suffice for testing today.









So, the panel is in the back of the car right now. I'll be taking some time during my lunch break to check out how much voltage its producing. Then, I'll probably hook it up and check out what kind of amperage it'll be making with it hooked up to the battery.

[Daox]

Ack, I just looked at the specs of my multimeter that I brought along. It can only handle .4A. Chances are it'll get fried if I hook it up. Amp testing will have to be done another day.