Solar Panel Requirements
Solar Charge Controller?
I am experimenting and I am considering getting a 30 Watt panel which puts out 1.8 Amps and I found an inexpensive charge controller rated for 5 Amps.
Will the 1.8 max output of the panel be too little for the 5 Amp charge controller to work with or does the charge controller not really have a minimum Amperage requirement?
You should not have a problem with this. The controller will disconnect the battery when it is fully charged and leave it disconnected until the battery voltage drops.
I've designed a shunt regulator for a wind generator system I'm building. It will maintain a maximum battery voltage and switch in a varying load according to the charger supply. You will need a few transistors, op amp, and a few other parts to assemble. Have a look at my wind generator page for wiring diagrams and the charger schematic.
http://members.rennlist.org/warren/wind.html