Here’s a quick video tour of our Switchable Circuit Boxes. It starts out a bit out of focus, but settles in after a few seconds.
We use the circuit boxes inside our products. They also allow DIYers to combine multiple panels to get different total power/Wattage and Voltage outputs.
Greetings,
The switch boxes says 6 or 12 volt for the two input switch boxes. 6 or 18 volt for the three input boxes etc.
Can I use your switch boxes with the the 15 watt, 20 volt solar panels, I would like to combine 3 or 4 of these, not to combine them for a higher voltage(series) but for a higher Amp output (parallel).
Does this mean i cannot combine multiple 15watt/20volt panels with these switch boxes?
If the answer is no, does the Voltaic company have a different solution for this?
Secondary question relating to the first:
I recently received a 15 watt/18.6 volt panel from your company only 2 weeks ago, which you no longer sell. This “old” panel i want to combine with your newer 15watt 20 volt panels in the above mentioned setup, will this be an issue?
Third question:
What is the maximum Amps i can charge the V60 ‘battery pack’ with?
Thanks for your help.
Tweak
Hi,
The “old” 15 Watt panels have an output cable with diameter of 3.5×1.3mm and all our current panels have a diameter of 3.5×1.3mm.
So to combine them in parallel, you need to adjust the connection on one of them. If you like, we can mail you a cable + adapter so that you can modify the output of one of the cables. We would suggest modifying the “old” 15 Watt panel so that it is 3.5×1.1 mm as that is what all of our current circuit boxes use and is what we have standardized on for the future. If you want to do this, just email your address to us at support@voltaicsystems.com.
The circuit boxes say “6 or 12V” but they really are “parallel” or “series”. So if you put to ~18V panels together at “6V” then you will combine them in parallel, doubling the amperage.
For the V60, in good sunny conditions, 1 16/15 Watt panel is sufficient. Adding a second panel will not decrease charge times significantly as there is a current limiter in the battery. If you are in less than perfect conditions (cloudy, overcast), then adding a second panel will help.
Jeff
Greetings Jeff,
Thank you for clarifying my questions.
As you explained the V60 wouldn’t charge much quicker in sunny conditions, but 4 x 15 watt panels in parallel would allow me to charge the V60 on the “battery out” and to run or charge other batteries or equipment on the “power out” output on the switchbox with a significantly higher Amperage than just a single panel.
I’m thinking about connecting a larger deepcycle solar 12 volt battery with a charge regulator to the “power out” on the switchbox.
Am I right in these assumptions? or am i flawed in my reasoning?
Thank you for your time and expertise.
Kind Regards,
Tweak
4 X 15 Watt panels in parallel would definitely charge a 12Volt battery more quickly although I would recommend hand wiring them as you will exceed the Amperage rating of our circuit box (2A).
Personally, if I had 4 x 15 Watt panels, I would connect one on its own to the V60 and 3 in parallel to the deep cycle battery with charge controller. Trying to charge two different batteries with different charge performance and characteristics could get tricky pretty quickly.
Jeff
Hey guys, does the switch box have a built in regulator and diode? also i notice its input is 6volts, if i input a 5v or lets say a 8volt, what will the output be? Also how much power in watts are each of these switch able to handle without damage? please help i have more question also.
Hi,
It has a blocking diode, but no regulator. So the output will be roughly what you put into the circuit box, minus the Voltage drop across the diode. The circuit box’s primary function is to allow you to gang up multiple panels together and switch between a series and parallel connection. So when it says 6V output, that is really saying “parallel” and 12V or 18V is saying “series.”
We are actually considering dropping the blocking diode as all of our batteries have a blocking diode in them, but that is for another day…
/jeff