Does the battery charger go before or after the APC? Does it matter?

[garyp156]

I've been adding it after the APC but a friend suggested I install it before. Is there a difference?

I've always wired solar panel -> large battery -> APC -> battery charger

But then you must wait for both the large battery and the APC battery to charge before any of the batteries to charge in the charger.

I've also found the direction you place the wires makes a difference. Is this a bug?
If I wire from the panels back all is good but from the APC forward I get no power sometimes. Same wire.

[PipAlmighty]

Maybe take a screenshot of the issue you're seeing and put it up. Also your setup. Maybe there's something you overlooked?
Also, worst case, as it sounds like you're early in the build process, try starting a new save.

[garyp156]

This is a brand new MP game we started yesterday. I didn't notice it until I was showing a friend how I wired things in my SP game.

[PipAlmighty]

They've been dropping updates and hotfixes like crazy this week. Not unreasonable to think a patch may have broken a map or two. It's happened before. Worst case, I can try to get on your server with you later today if needed. But that would be about 8-9 hours from now, not sure how that works out for you.

[PipAlmighty]

Also, as there are scrollwheel options on the panel, are you using the first option that gives you 2 ports, or are you using the combined port?
If you're hooked up to the data port expecting power, you're in for a surprise :P.

[garyp156]

Originally posted by ßȺ Verrtig0:

Also, as there are scrollwheel options on the panel, are you using the first option that gives you 2 ports, or are you using the combined port?
If you're hooked up to the data port expecting power, you're in for a surprise :P.

It took me a few to understand what you were talking about. The APC yes? I used the default one with 1 in and 1 out.
Battery charger I used the power not the data port. :)

[PipAlmighty]

Well, the apc has combo ports. I was talking about the solar panel having 2 separate ports.
There shouldn't be any directional requirements with anything, just basic mounting requirements.

[PipAlmighty]

I've helped people that were connected to the data ports not realizing that those were data ports.
Had to ask :P

[garyp156]

Originally posted by ßȺ Verrtig0:

I've helped people that were connected to the data ports not realizing that those were data ports.
Had to ask :P

LOL, yeah that threw me when I first set up the solar panels. The furnace only has one port. That's just weird.

[PipAlmighty]

Well the furnace doesn't need power or data to work. You can just build it in a space and it works. Helps to have an exhaust port hooked up to it to clear it out, otherwise you have to deconstruct it a lot. Steel is one of the first things I build when I make a new map.

[Arran Chace]

In battery is a "buffer" for the rest of the systems.
So it delivers its power to all systems while there is no other power generating source.

Battery kits have several tendency's, first they deliver all their power at max output, you can see this effect by connecting 2 battery's to each other, one fully charged one empty.
Let the current flow from one battery to the other, and you notice instant charge of the empty battery and instand drain on the charged battery.
Default cable cannot even handle this massive discharge and burns out.. I even managed to blow out heavy cable on these little tests, by discharging 2 battery's at once.

So, here lies the issue of batteries after the APC, if the situation rises that a battery can discharge is full capacity, it will do so.
In smaller bases this wont quickly happen, but in a large base, these situation can occur, and a massive discharge will cause shorting, and even a uncontrollable fire.

Also, when placed after the APC, only this part will be powered, rest will not.
So you want to have you batteries before the APC to act as a UPS system (Uninteruptable Power Source) able to fully power your base when there is no power generation.

This are the 2 reasons why you want to put them before the APC, and not behind a APC.

(And yes, you can control the discharge by using Transformers, yet then you just limit the Battery discharge, but when it really needs to deliver more power, it cant do so due its limits, so its in a way exchanging one problem for a other problem)

Also, when generating power to charge by generators, and placed after the APC, cables get oercharged and blows... Especialy normal cable, thus you need to put heavy cable on.
When placed after APC and battery is empty, and there is a other battery fully charged, it unleaches full charge through your whole system, and blows fuses and wiring again.

Yet it does work, when no exessive power is needed (everything is fully charged, panels can keep power supply up and fully charged, generators kick in automaticly when certain levels of drain is reached).. and you wont notice the issue.
But as soon things drain... these things WILL happen.

[PipAlmighty]

Long story short, build a few base batteries, use heavy cable to put them in parallel, heavy cable to an Xfmr, then to an APC, then you can just focus on keeping the batteries above 30%. :)

[Mazian]

My advice:

Don't put a battery charger after an APC, unless that APC is dedicated only to the battery charger.

[Rukyaa]

Originally posted by garyp156:

I've been adding it after the APC but a friend suggested I install it before. Is there a difference?

I've always wired solar panel -> large battery -> APC -> battery charger

But then you must wait for both the large battery and the APC battery to charge before any of the batteries to charge in the charger.

I've also found the direction you place the wires makes a difference. Is this a bug?
If I wire from the panels back all is good but from the APC forward I get no power sometimes. Same wire.

The best way is to wire this way : solar panel--> large batery-->T-cable-->one way batery charger and 2nd way APC.
This way your battery charger will charge the bateries as long as there is energy in the large batteries but will not "steal" the energy in the APC if the large batteries are empty.

[sunrazor1]

It does not matter where you put the charger. You can put the charger directly to the solar panel output, or after the large battery or after the apc. When hooked directly to solar panel output, you will not see the switch light up on the charger, however it will still charge the batteries. Just keep in mind, if you place the charger after a battery/APC, then the charger will drain the battery/APC. If the charger is placed before the battery/APC, then the charger will slow down the charging of the battery/APC without draining it.

[garyp156]

Originally posted by Rukyaa:

Originally posted by garyp156:

I've been adding it after the APC but a friend suggested I install it before. Is there a difference?

I've always wired solar panel -> large battery -> APC -> battery charger

But then you must wait for both the large battery and the APC battery to charge before any of the batteries to charge in the charger.

I've also found the direction you place the wires makes a difference. Is this a bug?
If I wire from the panels back all is good but from the APC forward I get no power sometimes. Same wire.

The best way is to wire this way : solar panel--> large batery-->T-cable-->one way batery charger and 2nd way APC.
This way your battery charger will charge the bateries as long as there is energy in the large batteries but will not "steal" the energy in the APC if the large batteries are empty.

this is how I have it now and it's now charging the batteries. When I had it T'd off the solar panels, it didn't charge the batteries.

Thanks!