TrailManor Owner's Forum - View Single Post - Charging the battery with a generator: AC or DC?

**Bill** · 03-17-2004, 06:12 PM

The answer is that it is almost certainly OK to connect both at the same time.

To convert "almost certainly" to "certainly", there is a multi-part quiz.

Question 1. Is your solar panel connected directly to the battery, or is it connected through a charge controller (a small blocky box that should say something like "controller" on it)? If there is a controller, then you are "certainly" OK to connect everything at once. [To answer your second question, you may connect the generator directly to the battery, or you may plug in the TM and let the TM's charger top up your battery.]

If you don't have a controller:
Question 2. Do you leave your solar panel connected at night? If so, is your battery dead when you get up in the morning?

To be continued if necessary ...

Bill

03-17-2004, 06:12 PM	#8
Bill Site Team Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine Posts: 10,112	Re:Charging the battery with a generator: AC or DC? The answer is that it is almost certainly OK to connect both at the same time. To convert "almost certainly" to "certainly", there is a multi-part quiz. Question 1. Is your solar panel connected directly to the battery, or is it connected through a charge controller (a small blocky box that should say something like "controller" on it)? If there is a controller, then you are "certainly" OK to connect everything at once. [To answer your second question, you may connect the generator directly to the battery, or you may plug in the TM and let the TM's charger top up your battery.] If you don't have a controller: Question 2. Do you leave your solar panel connected at night? If so, is your battery dead when you get up in the morning? To be continued if necessary ... Bill