Setting up the 24 volt to 12 volt Converter
The new grid that is off which we now have in position creates 24 volts DC, which in turn would go to the inverter and it is changed into 240 volts AC, therefore it can power all the 240 volt material in the home.
But, you can find elements of the old 12 volt system nevertheless being used, including all of the lights, a little pump and some other odds and ends.
as opposed to get and change every thing, i desired to help keep it running as it absolutely was, additionally one bank of batteries continues to be working and I also desire to ensure that it stays running provided that I’m able to.
The response to my prayers had been a little DC to DC converter (ie 24 volt to 12 volt converter), which will allow me personally to perform the old material regarding the new system. I nevertheless wished to have the ability to run mobifriends login the old material on the old lead acid battery bank if We necessary to. Getting the lights operating on the old system proved become especially handy once I had been bedding the brand new system straight down. From time to time I would personally get things incorrect, over extend the brand new system so that the inverter power down and we also destroyed energy. If this occurred during the night, we might have lost the lights too but I could at least see to work out what I had done wrong with the new system because they were still operating on the old system.
I needed some way to switch between the two, and the easiest way was to install a battery isolator switch if I wanted to keep operating both systems (12 volt DC for lights and 24 volt DC – 240 volts AC for everything else. They are utilized in 4WDs and RVs which may have a battery to operate devices also a battery pack to start out the car. The battery pack isolator switch enables you to draw current from either or both batteries to make certain that if you need to, you can easily separate the battery that is staring the device and steer clear of flattening it, thus stranding yourself down in the bush someplace.
The image within my brain of a battery pack isolator switch had been a switch that is rotary would use the negative and positive cables through the 24 volt system (through the converter to 12 volt), the negative and positive through the initial 12 volt system as well as the negative and positive through the household circuit and I also could simply alter among them. Whenever I got your hands on the switch it only had space for 3 cables – battery pack 1, battery 2 as well as the typical cable. It turns out so it just switches the good cables and I also had to take action else utilizing the negative cables of every circuit.
It dawned so they were connected on me that the way to run it was to gather all 3 negative wires and run them to a neutral link.
You learn one thing new each day as soon as we went along to my neighborhood electrician supply destination i came across which they made basic links with varying gap size and I also surely could get one with all the size which will use the (quite dense) 12 volt cables effortlessly.
Therefore to create all of this up, we went cables through the negative and positive terminals of my 24 volt battery pack bank towards the input part regarding the 24v to 12v converter. When I went an adverse cable through the production associated with the converter to your link that is neutral. We took the negative cable which went through the 12 volt batteries into the negative supply point for the home circuits, cut it in two and ran both ends to the basic website link, hence finishing the negative part associated with the circuit.
To accomplish things we shot to popularity the rear of battery pack isolator switch, exposing 3 threaded terminals fitted having a nut and lock washer which accepted spade or band terminals. We went a cable through the good terminal for the converter towards the “1” terminal regarding the switch after which broke the wire that is positive the 12 volt batteries into the good supply point for the home circuits, soldered on a few band terminals then connected the battery pack part into the “2” terminal and also the household supply part associated with the cable towards the “C” (or “common”) terminal.
Which means that whenever switch had been looked to “1” the illumination ended up being running on the 12 volt system as soon as it absolutely was looked to “2” it had been run on the latest 24 volt system through the 24 volt to 12 volt converter. (clearly as soon as the switch had been looked to “1 + 2” it might draw energy from both systems).
Now the acid test! Would everything work when switched towards the brand new system?
Fortunately it did, working well whenever switched to either the old 12v or the new 24v to 12v part. Additionally, up to now, operating the lights straight from the system generally seems to work very well as well as try not to consume that much energy in addition to that which we had been currently making use of. The device has become quite versatile, permitting me personally to perform the lights on either the old or system that is new as needed.
It may be found here if you want a general overview of our off-grid adventure