Technical Tips

There are several ways to wire multiple batteries to achieve the correct battery voltage or capacity for a particular DC installation.  By connecting batteries in series or parallel or both as one big bank, rather than having individual banks will make your power...

OUR COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO ENERDRIVE INVERTERS (TRANSFER MODELS) We've built a comprehensive guide to Enerdrive Inverters, covering everything from the installation process, all the way to programming and fault finding. Perfect for those in the market for an inverter,...

OUR COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO ENERDRIVE DC2DC CHARGERS Enerdrive's DC2DC Chargers are often a staple in any power system, whether that be for a beginner who is just starting to explore the off-grid life, or a seasoned veteran with all the bells and whistles. As you can...

More often than not a loose connection or poorly connected cable in your DC system will heavily affect charging and discharging of your battery. We get many phone calls complaining that our charger is in float but the battery monitor is only showing 60% charge.  99.5%...

This is the second in a two part series of technical briefs on circuit protection. Part 1 showed how to choose the correct wire size for DC circuits. Part 2 will show how to correctly select a fuse and fuse holder for your DC electrical installation. Regulations...

This is a question we get asked every day. With most caravaners these days spending more time off the grid compared to being plugged in at a caravan park, solar becomes their primary charging source. Caravan manufactures today are generally installing a single 150w...

Battery charger size is based on the overall battery capacity that you have as well as allowing for what loads you would normally run when the battery charger is operating. The key to any battery charger is the basic operation. When a charging source is operating, it...

What’s the largest battery charger I can run on my 1kVA generator? This is another question we get asked regularly. Taking the most popular 1kVA generator on the market today (Honda EU10i), this unit can produce a maximum output (for a short period) of 1000Watts....

I have a DC charger in my caravan, but it doesn’t seem to charge properly? With pretty much all new vehicles these days running smart alternators, the requirement for DC chargers has increased exponentially. The biggest problem we see with DC chargers not operating...

Are Your Batteries Constantly Going Flat? A large portion of DC power systems these days don’t come with any protection to stop the battery from being completely drained away when loads are running. Over discharging a battery can and will shorten its overall lifespan...

In short yes. It’s not an exact science but battery voltage will give you a very rough indication of battery capacity. Lithium on the other hand is extremely difficult to determine capacity due to the very flat voltage curve that lithium batteries have. Let’s look at...

So you want to know how an inverter works? You've come to the right place! We'll also talk you through what you need to know to conduct a proper installation for optimal performance. Firstly, an inverter is a piece of equipment that works by converts DC battery power...

The positioning of solar panels determines the power output. The angle of the sun in relationship to the angle of the solar panel determines the maximum power density. The tilt angle has the biggest effect on the efficiency of the solar panel. When the angle of the...

Enerdrive Unplugged – A Wealth of Knowledge at Your Fingertips: Before you jump into our explanation of charging a flat battery with an ePOWER charger, consider joining our community Facebook group – Enerdrive Unplugged. Designed to be an educational tool, you’ll find...

ALL electronic equipment that plugs into AC power should be protected. Without suitable protection, your expensive home theatre, sound system, TV, entertainment centre or computer equipment will likely be damaged by the surges and spikes that afflict our electrical...

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Step Up-Step Down, Isolated & Non Isolated, what does it all mean? What is a step up DC to DC Converter? A step-up dc-dc converter is an electronic circuit that raises the DC voltage level from a lower value to a higher value. Assuming an ideal converter (100%...

This tech tip relates to the impact that Morningstar's TrakStar™ MPPT Technology has on PV Module Sizing and Power Ratings. You can improve performance and reduce costs for systems that would otherwise suffer from reduced power input and inconsistent levels of...

The Morningstar string sizing calculator is used to determine the number of PV modules you may use with any Morningstar controller while staying within the controller specs. Recently Morningstar has updated their string calculator interface. Some of the new features...

Good advise for battery systems. Do not discharge starting batteries below around 90% state of charge. Starting batteries are not designed to sustain DC loads for any length of time (Look how quickly car batteries go flat if a light is left on). Do not discharge deep...

MPPT vs PWM: Which one is the best solar controller for my system? We have compiled a small amount of information that will hopefully help you to understand better what the difference is, and what type you should opt for in the MPPT vs PWM debate when it comes to your...

In an independent power system, you generally would find an inverter and battery charger system working to the common goal of providing power. What ties each of these together are the battery cables to supply the power to run to or from the batteries and...