Solar power and battery banks is puzzling

[seven]

I have a solar bank (164W output) that charges a battery bank (300W). Then from the battery, power goes to a manual switch and from there to some blade traps.

First thing. If I try to use more than the 164W not all the traps will run even though the battery is fully charged. If I turn off or disconnect the solar bank I can go up to 300W, as if the solar bank is limiting the power. Is this intended behaviour? If so, it doesn't make any sense, but whatever.

It was a nuisance having to remember to go turn off the solar, so, for horde nights I put a timer between the solar bank and battery to disconnect the solar power from 21:30 to 4:30. This seemed to work at least for one horde night.

I lost a couple traps and so that I could more easily redo and test the wiring, I put a manual switch between the solar and battery. So, it's Solar bank -> manual switch -> timer switch -> battery bank -> manual switch - > blade traps. This also worked as I expected while doing the wiring and the first horde night. The next horde, I went to flip the blade trap switch and nothing! None of the traps spun up!

Thinking I must have turned off the battery bank by accident I ran to my electricity bunker. It was on. The timer still had the right times. The cutoff switch was in the correct position but I flipped it off and then back. Still nothing. Horde had now started so I fought my way back to my fighting spot. I still had fences and turrets so I managed ok. After the horde I went to see if I could figure out what was wrong. Flipped the cutoff off and on again and now the traps spun up, or at least as many as would run on 164W.

Why didn't this work? Why would none of the traps run? Even if solar was still connected somehow I should have had some of them going. I've noticed that power usage calculations is buggy at times. Is this also a bug, or have I done something incorrectly?

[De Espirit]

Battery banks only supply their own power if they are the only power source on the circuit. If a gas generator or solar bank is giving it power, then the battery bank is bypassed and it only acts as a relay, so it's working as intended that the line could only supply 164W. Once the generator loses gas or the solar panels lose light, then the battery bank takes over and supplies its 300W.

As for the blood moon situation, if it wasn't a happy accident of forgetting to turn on one of the switches, then it could very well be a bug. If it already worked once then it shouldn't be a problem with the setup.

[seven]

Originally posted by De Espirit:

Once the generator loses gas or the solar panels lose light, then the battery bank takes over and supplies its 300W.

Ah, but that's part of the problem. It didn't matter that it was midnight and no sunlight. If the solar was turned on, and the connection to the battery bank wasn't broken by a switch, it would only supply 164W. As soon as I turned off the solar, or used a switch to disconnect it, then I could use more of the 300W. Except when it didn't work at all.

[De Espirit]

Originally posted by seven:

Ah, but that's part of the problem. It didn't matter that it was midnight and no sunlight. If the solar was turned on, and the connection to the battery bank wasn't broken by a switch, it would only supply 164W. As soon as I turned off the solar, or used a switch to disconnect it, then I could use more of the 300W. Except when it didn't work at all.

Okay then yeah, this is starting to sound like a bug, the solar panel is supposed to deactivate on its own.

Make a backup of your save and keep playing around with it to see if it keeps happening, then when you're ready to submit it as a bug you can send them the save.

[seven]

So, an update on this. The not being able to use the full battery may be related to starting the game in 19.0. If I start a fresh game then I'm able to use the 300W. So, I'll live with that problem.

And I think I've narrowed down the problem where my blades didn't come on at all. It seems the solar panel breaks the electrical system at night. I'll start a topic in the Bugs section for that.