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[composed Nov. 26]
I figured out a way to rotate my batteries without turning the circuit off. It remains running, and the batteries don't lose as much of their charge momentum in the switch-over.
I have four batteries (each "battery" = 2x 6V in series) on the back end, and one on the front.
I have constructed clips with short wires between to connect the batteries in parallel on the back side.
I take a long enough jumper cable with alligator clip and hook the last battery (going to front end), and disconnect from back end bank, while keeping it connected via jumper cable, and physically move it to the front end next to the battery presently there.
Next, I move the wire with clips one battery set down, keeping electrical connect with temporary jumper cables while disconnecting and reconnecting one position over on my 4x parallel clips.
Next, I connect a 1N4007 diode into my (+) wire coming from the circuit to the back end. I can do this because my arrangement has to ways to connect (Y connection): alligator clip and hard clip. I keep the alligator clip in place, while disconnecting the hard clip and inserting the diode, which has the male/female clips fastened to it for insertion.
Next, I make room for the battery presently on input to be placed last in line on the back side. (Probably a detail I need not mention.)
Now I'm ready to quickly disconnect the battery in queue for input and then quickly connect it in parallel to the battery presently on input, and then quickly disconnect that battery, so the new battery is providing input power. (needs to be quick because of the voltage differential between them).
Now I physically move the disconnected input battery into the output row and connect the negative lead from the 4x jumper set I made for this experiment. As long as the positive end isn't connected, it's still electrically isolated.
Remember, on the positive end I have the diode inserted on one of the two Y connections. I now disconnect the alligator clip, which has been providing the direct electrical connection, and I hook it to the new battery coming from input to output.
Then I physically move the new input battery into position to hook the hard terminals into place and remove the jumper cables.
Once the previous input battery comes up to the same voltage level as the bank on the back end, I then remove the diode insert and hook the connection direct.
That's it. I then repeat the same procedure once the next rotation is called.
I should mention, too, that I take voltage readings of each individual battery just before rotation, as well as immediately after merger of the recent input with the back end bank. These are two stable times that give a benchmark indication of overall charge level over time.
Inasmuch as in my set-up, the 12V is made up of two 6Vs in series, I average the two sums obtained by reading individual 6Vs and by measuring the group of batteries. They are almost never the same total. An average is going to provide greater accuracy than going from one or the other reading alone.
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