Cables and Volt-Drop A cable is such a simple thing – so what could possibly go wrong… go wrong… go wrong… After all we’re just connecting power to our 12Volt stuff – it’s two wires, one positive, one negative, pretty simple really. Well it is and it isn’t. DC Systems It’s certainly true that in […]

What size Battery?  Daily usage first: Just like for Solar panel sizing, battery sizing begins with first working out our typical energy usage per day. For this you can refer to the article How much Power does 12Volt stuff use? This figure of Ah in a typical day is essential for determining both battery size […]

How to Charge 12Volt Batteries The battery is in many ways the heart of any 12Volt system, and as you’ll see in the article about Batteries: their quirks and characteristics the lead-acid battery is by far the most popular one at this stage, so that’s the only type I’m going to describe here. If you […]

Batteries: their quirks & characteristics After more than 150 years out there, the lead-acid battery is still the most popular and cost-effective rechargeable battery – by a long way. There are now sealed ones, starting batteries, deep-cycle ones, AGMs, Gel-batteries and heaps more variations, but they still all use the same basic chemistry of lead […]