Like most monitoring stations, even those belonging to the Etna magnetic network use solar energy to work. The energy system is standalone and therefore formed by an array of solar panels and batteries managed by an electronic charger. At the beginning of 2003, due to the out of production of the regulator used up until then, the BGM10 TYPHOON C.E.P.U. (Efficient Powerful Stable Voltage), the entire network was affected by a forced upgrade that highlighted a weakness never found before. The solar regulator, which seemed similar to many others, turned out to be more unique than rare and its replacement created problems in the following years. Using many regulators and with different characteristics has highlighted the need to tackle the problem seriously. An in ­depth study has led to a...