Hi Bonnox, if I can just add to what
Lightspeed has already said, do
NOT flatten your batteries! I tend to go for 20 -30% discharge as a good compromise between battery work and life expectancy.
What is always quoted for an Ah rating is in ideal conditions, you'll rarely see this, not only with the sunshine, temperature and duration of day but also in the condition of the battery itself. Once you discharge a battery completely, you effectively damage it's ability to fully recharge. If your batteries are already used ones then the ampage you'll get from them will be much less than quoted. The type of battery is important too. It's good you are using deep cycle batteries, if it's a normal car battery then they're built for quick high amp duty for short bursts eg starter motors but ultra deep cycle batteries are for long lasting slow discharge work. The deeper you discharge (called DOD or "depth of discharge") the shorter the battery cycle life.
If your panels are only giving out 1 or 2 amps max then this is regarded as trickle charging really. You may be surprised at how long it will take to recharge your batteries with just a trickle charge in typical British weather. What panels do you actually have, what voltage/wattage are they rated at? Just wondering if it would be better to use them together than one at a time. What are you powering and for how long, ie just day or day and night?
Had a quick look at the ebay link for the controller. I'd personally go for a UK based company supplying a PWM controller. This one is from Hong Kong and customs can and will charge you extra for it making it not so cheap. PWM technology is very common these days and far more efficient than the basic type of controller. As
Lightspeed says, for the sake of a tenner, you really ought to get a controller. Try
this one, it's PWM, sent from the UK and is PWM for
£9.99 delivered.
Hope this helps!
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