@Serjfor not sure what you mean. If you mean can you wire the panel right to the cigarette plug adapter which the inverter is plugged into, then yes, but 1) it would only run anything that was plugged in if the sun were shining; and 2) you have to make sure that the panel was the right size for your device. Otherwise you could blow out your device (or pop the fuse in the little inverter). It's hard to imagine not having a battery, for power when you want it.
@CollectingSilver Hi @CollectingSilver, I'm going to be making them so send me a message if you want one. I want to get parts in bulk, I'll be putting a battery light so you'll know when your battery is almost out....I might be able to to bring it in under $100.
@CollectingSilver by the way, collecting silver, it looks like my charger will be more compact, and come in at way under $100. I think I'm going to make it a usb plug. and I think I'm going with Lithium ion batteries for lightness and durability.
I must appologise if I oversold the down side, i'm supprise the figure is as low as 10%, congratulations on finding a notably effeciant system, charge controller. Please quantify the .....'....and most of the energy ....'....things like the sulphiding of batterys etc. temperature adverse effects. Don't want to cloud the message, 'cos this is on the side of the angels stuff, but it may help if people understand what is possible & how lossy these things can be.
@magna59 sure, I want to post a new video that shows the meters and the system really working. Most of the losses are in the wire runs and the inverter (you'll see that the very cheap one here actually has a little indicator light--a total waste).
Nice vid, a little misleading 10W out of the panel, on a good day, when its facing the right direction, pirpendicular to the suns rays. Put it through a charge controller, an effeciancy drop, OK estimated, 1/3 drop (estimated), so appx 7W out of the charger, so put it into the battery,1/3(estimated), so now only appx 5W, so pull it out of the battery & push it into somthing else and you loose another 2/3 of 5W, if your doing well 2W left over.Look at the effeciancy of all the bits if you can !
@magna59@magna59 no not really. The charge controller doesn't take much. The panel charges at peak on a good sunny day, 10 watts (.6 A x 16 V). Of course it has to be at the proper angle and azimuth. That's true for all pv (solar electric). I installed meters and most of the energy from the sun goes right into the battery, and same for battery to the load. The little inverter takes some power, like 10%. Nothing like the percentage you're talking about. I'm going to post a demo of this.
@Moses3282 even tho you used an inverter, you demonstrated the system nicely! people can use or not use an inverter as they choose. i just got a 15 watt panel from the pawn shop for $20!
@mojokiss wow, that's great! good luck. Unless you have a little soldering shop and can create the right plug for whatever jacks your devices and your system components have, I just standardize everything to the 12v DC car plug (which everyone has adapters for) or use the little inverter (which has a huge impact of system efficiency) with an ac plug.
@Moses3282 yeah i like that idea. i have a few of those male and female car cd parts laying around right now. p.s. i just bought a 5 watt 12v unit for $15 and it's cool too. I have to try putting both of them together and then I just have to find a good battery, then its off in the canoe!
true, if I was charging it dc then I would need to use the 3V input on the charge controller, which would probably be enough to charge the cell phone battery at whatever they are, 3. something. However, you can see that I have a little inverter in the standard cigarette 12V plug that you find in cars. The inverter changes it to AC power, so I just use the regular ac 120 V charger that you plug into the wall.
@azeemiscool It's pretty easy. All you need to do is screw the positive wire from the solar panel into the positive solar panel input of the charge controller, and the do the same thing with the negative wire.
i want to know that what is the criteria of selecting a charge controller? lets suppose that for 10 watt we don't need a charge controller but from 15 watts onwards charge controller is necessary and what would be the ratings (amperes & watts) of charge controller as we keep on increasing the power of solar panel?? waiting for reply
Thank you for such a detailed explanation. Finally i have bought a solar panel and its ratings are as under:
SOLAR PANEL
Pmax = 10 watt
Isc = 0.6 A
Voc = 19.2 V
Battery is of 12 V and 7 Ah
load ( i have 2 led savers of 12V DC each of 5 watt)
when i buy these items, the shopkeeper told me not to buy the charge controller for such a small setup as it is quite expensive and it is not necessary for such a small project. so i have not bought it. is there any other alternative or is it fine?
That looks okay. Just as if not more important are the Vmp (maximum power voltage) and Imp (maximum power current). Both will be lower than the ones above.
Whether you need a charge controller depends on how you will be charging the battery and using the load. Will you always be there to make sure the battery doesn't discharge too deeply or overcharge? If you want that protection, you need a charge controller. The one in the video which I think is fantastic is less than
i am starting my first solar project. i have decided to start from your idea. i think its appropriate. what i am worried about is all that voltage, current and watt ratings, which is not enabling me to arrive at a correct decision.
Hi there, sorry I forgot to respond to this! So, what are you trying to decide? Basically all the current/voltage ratings of the system components (esp. charge controller and panel) should be balanced.
The whole system is one voltage. If you're not sure just start with 12 volts "nominal." That word is important because actual voltage is around 12, usually a little more.
Current: you have to pay attention to two things: maximum current coming in from the panel and
...maximum current out to the load. What is the rated currrent of the panel? Look for a label on the back of the panel which will tell you. That's the "in." Is the rating of your charge controller greater than that? It needs to be, otherwise the fuse will blow. It can't take any more than that.
For current out to the load, what are the power requirements of the load? If you're running something at 24 W, that's 2 A of current. Again, can your charge controller
The charger in the video has a 4 A fuse. The rated current of the panel is about .7. No problem with the "in." What about out to the load? Well at 12 volts and 4 A fuse, the highest wattage the system can put out is 48 W (W=volts x amps).
By the way, for safety please make sure that your battery compartment is properly ventillated. It needs air to circulate around it while it's discharging to prevent build up of gases that might explode!!! (probably not at such low power levels but still...)
i have a 15 watt solar panel that charges my batt pack but i also have a 10 watt solar panel like yours i noticed that if you dont have complete sunlight the 10 watt wont charge the ipod unless its complete sunlight but when theres complete sunlight yes wil work good video .
Not sure why you'd need full sun with the 10 w panel because the iPod charges at about 4 watts. Sounds like you're not getting full power out of the panel. But I wish I had a backpack like that!
I don't think so because the charge controller has a 4A fuse. Also the charge controller has a switch so there's no power in the circuit until the whole system is turned on.
Can reduce the footprint by hooking it all up to a dock and charging directly without a battery. The controller should work that way, but I'm not sure.
That's true but I also want to use clean energy when the sun isn't shining so energy storage is really important. Batteries just aren't clean but there's no way getting around it if you want reliable power. The good news is there are a lot of people working on battery technology these days so the carbon footprint should get way smaller in the coming years.
Thanks for the advice! I didn't even think about the voltage, it didn't even occur to me! My system is only 12 volts so you're absolutely right that would be a big reason for my batteries draining rather quickly. :) I will also take your advice about using meters and I'll probably get two like you suggested as that would be very useful information. Thanks again for your advice :)
Great! Also check the specs on your charge controller to make sure that the voltage and current specs match your panels. Well-designed systems are balanced" in that way...AND I noticed in your video that your battery box is not ventillated. Drill some holes in there as the batteries give off gases when then discharge and if you don't vent them they may explode!
Hi ppete05, well, it depends on the system voltage. I happen to have a Macbook and notice that the specs are 16.5 volts and 3.65 A, which is, as you correctly state, about 60 W. Your PV system has to match the voltage (or be near it). If your PV system is running at about 16.5 V, the batteries should last about 11 hours (40 Ah/3.65 A). So maybe the voltage isn't high enough.
Thanks for such a good video! I was hoping you wouldn't mind taking a look at my own attempt which doesn't seem to be giving me the power it should. For example, if I'm working this out properly (based on website eg's), my two 20ah batteries in parallel should power my macbook's 60w charger for about 10 hours but they last a lot less than that. I'd be grateful for any advice or tips and thanks again for showing me how to do it in the first place! :) I have a video of it if you would like to see
P.S. If you plug whatever device directly into the 12volt female connector bypassing using a "AC inverter" you will also have a bit more of a efficient system when you can get away doing it that way.
@rmstudio yes, that's true (especially because the inverter has an indicator light that draws about .2 A!) but only negligibly more efficient.
This system is a demo that I have out at street fairs and other public events for my organization, Sustainable Flatbush. I have to use the little inverter because it shows people that you can just plug right in. Many people will carry their chargers around but not their car adapters. In NYC many people don't even have a car, let alone car adapters!
@Moses3282 No problem I love this stuff and encourage others to give it a go. dont be afraid of electrical DIY fun projects. I am smart but as a kid growing up Electrical things sorta of intimidated me or was a bit foreign to me because it was not something I can see physically.
Great job. Where did you get your charge controller from? I'm working on a 15 watt solar panel setup supplemented by a 50 watt windmill. The bad weather is hindering my progress. You're an inspiration.
Paul, did I ever reply to this? I got the charge controller from a very groovy place called All Electronics. For some reason I love that little thing! Hope your project is on track by now. Jocelyn.
cool logman91. I guess you plug your stuff right into the batteries somehow. with my setup you plug everything in to the charge controller. It's got a 4 amp fuse so I couldn't run such huge powertools, of course....but look what you can do with 10 watts of power. I saw a 45 W solar charger from Harbor Freight for only $199 and was pretty impressed.
those cloudy days and when i know i am going to be using it soon and i deffjnately have gotten my use out of my setup. I have even run a smaller microwave off this setup. Not for very long mind you but it deffinately works and it all has only costed me(for just the solar setup and batteries and inverters and charger) under $200. I bought the 2 panels, 1 battery, and the charger new. I got the 2nd battery for nothing(i garbage pick alot) and the inverters off craigslist real cheap.
I have 2 - 5 watt solar panels that i bought at harbor freight here in wisconsin and i have 2 deep cycle marine/rv batteries and i run a 1200 watt continuous/2000 watt surge off of them and i have this all in and on my toolbox in my truck. I am constantly running drills, dremel tools, even my desktop computer off of it and there was plenty of power. Doesnt charge as fast as i drain but i also have a charger that runs off a 100 watt inverter that plugs into my cigarette lighter of the truck for
the 10 W panel in the video is rated at .67 amps and the charge controller is only rated at 4 amps. To know the wattage you have to know the VOLTAGE as well as the current. Maximum system current 4 amps (remember, the charge controller's limit) times maximum voltage of about 12 volts is about 48 watts, which is a lot. more than what you need for something like a laptop.
let me know how it goes, kricotoy. don't use all those 10 amps! that's a lot of current.
well the good news is you can definitely build this charger or one like it with a 10 amp charge controller. the difference between a 10 amp and a 30 amp charge controller is that the 10 amp can handle 10 amps of current running through it, and the 30 amp can handle 30 amps of current. so, what you need to know is, what is the rated current of your panel and what is the current of the load? for small applications 10 amps should be more than adequate.
Would it still work if you connect the solar panel to the power inverter?
Serjfor 5 days ago
@Serjfor not sure what you mean. If you mean can you wire the panel right to the cigarette plug adapter which the inverter is plugged into, then yes, but 1) it would only run anything that was plugged in if the sun were shining; and 2) you have to make sure that the panel was the right size for your device. Otherwise you could blow out your device (or pop the fuse in the little inverter). It's hard to imagine not having a battery, for power when you want it.
Moses3282 5 days ago
So how much does that solar charger cost? And where can I buy it?
CollectingSilver 1 week ago
@CollectingSilver Hi @CollectingSilver, I'm going to be making them so send me a message if you want one. I want to get parts in bulk, I'll be putting a battery light so you'll know when your battery is almost out....I might be able to to bring it in under $100.
Moses3282 1 week ago
@CollectingSilver by the way, collecting silver, it looks like my charger will be more compact, and come in at way under $100. I think I'm going to make it a usb plug. and I think I'm going with Lithium ion batteries for lightness and durability.
Moses3282 5 days ago
genuinely arousing
LOPEZdJUNGLIST 1 month ago
Great idea with the tub and all, thanks!
auburnrain916 3 months ago
Did you know that when you sit like that it's called an asian squat? Thats cool you can do that!
Voodoo8648 6 months ago
@Voodoo8648
I learned to do it trekking in Nepal in 1985...;~]
Moses3282 6 months ago
I must appologise if I oversold the down side, i'm supprise the figure is as low as 10%, congratulations on finding a notably effeciant system, charge controller. Please quantify the .....'....and most of the energy ....'....things like the sulphiding of batterys etc. temperature adverse effects. Don't want to cloud the message, 'cos this is on the side of the angels stuff, but it may help if people understand what is possible & how lossy these things can be.
magna59 7 months ago
@magna59 sure, I want to post a new video that shows the meters and the system really working. Most of the losses are in the wire runs and the inverter (you'll see that the very cheap one here actually has a little indicator light--a total waste).
Moses3282 7 months ago
Nice vid, a little misleading 10W out of the panel, on a good day, when its facing the right direction, pirpendicular to the suns rays. Put it through a charge controller, an effeciancy drop, OK estimated, 1/3 drop (estimated), so appx 7W out of the charger, so put it into the battery,1/3(estimated), so now only appx 5W, so pull it out of the battery & push it into somthing else and you loose another 2/3 of 5W, if your doing well 2W left over.Look at the effeciancy of all the bits if you can !
magna59 7 months ago
@magna59 @magna59 no not really. The charge controller doesn't take much. The panel charges at peak on a good sunny day, 10 watts (.6 A x 16 V). Of course it has to be at the proper angle and azimuth. That's true for all pv (solar electric). I installed meters and most of the energy from the sun goes right into the battery, and same for battery to the load. The little inverter takes some power, like 10%. Nothing like the percentage you're talking about. I'm going to post a demo of this.
Moses3282 7 months ago
@Moses3282 even tho you used an inverter, you demonstrated the system nicely! people can use or not use an inverter as they choose. i just got a 15 watt panel from the pawn shop for $20!
mojokiss 2 months ago
@mojokiss wow, that's great! good luck. Unless you have a little soldering shop and can create the right plug for whatever jacks your devices and your system components have, I just standardize everything to the 12v DC car plug (which everyone has adapters for) or use the little inverter (which has a huge impact of system efficiency) with an ac plug.
Moses3282 2 months ago
@Moses3282 yeah i like that idea. i have a few of those male and female car cd parts laying around right now. p.s. i just bought a 5 watt 12v unit for $15 and it's cool too. I have to try putting both of them together and then I just have to find a good battery, then its off in the canoe!
mojokiss 2 months ago
@mojokiss i mean dc :)
mojokiss 2 months ago
I'm guessing you have a voltage regulator because 12 volts could fry your phone's battery.....?
METALMAN4Wii 7 months ago
@METALMAN4Wii
true, if I was charging it dc then I would need to use the 3V input on the charge controller, which would probably be enough to charge the cell phone battery at whatever they are, 3. something. However, you can see that I have a little inverter in the standard cigarette 12V plug that you find in cars. The inverter changes it to AC power, so I just use the regular ac 120 V charger that you plug into the wall.
Moses3282 7 months ago
@Moses3282 Ok that's what I thought....!
METALMAN4Wii 7 months ago
@pura0123vida1
Hi there, sorry I didn't see this. It was about $150.
Moses3282 8 months ago
Can you tell me how to connect the solar panel to the charge controller please
azeemiscool 8 months ago
@azeemiscool It's pretty easy. All you need to do is screw the positive wire from the solar panel into the positive solar panel input of the charge controller, and the do the same thing with the negative wire.
Moses3282 8 months ago
Lotostechnology sells a great Solar Charge Controller.
Lotostechnology
1180 mioraloma Way
Sunnyvale Ca 94085
408-865-1544
Jasonperter@yahoo.com
lotosteck 9 months ago
@lotosteck
thanks for the tip!
Moses3282 8 months ago
What is the cost of the whole set up?
getdownbro 9 months ago
@getdownbro
hi there, sorry I didn't see this. It's about $150.
Moses3282 8 months ago
i want to know that what is the criteria of selecting a charge controller? lets suppose that for 10 watt we don't need a charge controller but from 15 watts onwards charge controller is necessary and what would be the ratings (amperes & watts) of charge controller as we keep on increasing the power of solar panel?? waiting for reply
TheDominator0007 11 months ago
i,
1) the charge controller available in my area is only of 12V, 20 A. so how can i get the charge controller that you are recommending me ??
2) if i increase the power of my solar panel lets say to 50 or 100 watts than do i need another type of charge controller?
TheDominator0007 11 months ago
hi,
1) the charge controller available in my area is only of 12V, 20 A. so how can i get the charge controller that you are recommending me ??
2) if i increase the power of my solar panel lets say to 50 or 100 watts than do i need another type of charge controller?
TheDominator0007 11 months ago
Charge controller available at my place is of 20A only and is of $70.
actually i will not be there always to protect my battery from getting destroyed.
1) Thats why i want to know an alternative to protect my battery without using charge controller??
2) What maximum load i can get from this setup??
3) At what direction should i place my solar panel? i have learnt to place it in south direction. is it fine??
TheDominator0007 11 months ago
Thank you for such a detailed explanation. Finally i have bought a solar panel and its ratings are as under:
SOLAR PANEL
Pmax = 10 watt
Isc = 0.6 A
Voc = 19.2 V
Battery is of 12 V and 7 Ah
load ( i have 2 led savers of 12V DC each of 5 watt)
when i buy these items, the shopkeeper told me not to buy the charge controller for such a small setup as it is quite expensive and it is not necessary for such a small project. so i have not bought it. is there any other alternative or is it fine?
TheDominator0007 11 months ago
@TheDominator0007
That looks okay. Just as if not more important are the Vmp (maximum power voltage) and Imp (maximum power current). Both will be lower than the ones above.
Whether you need a charge controller depends on how you will be charging the battery and using the load. Will you always be there to make sure the battery doesn't discharge too deeply or overcharge? If you want that protection, you need a charge controller. The one in the video which I think is fantastic is less than
Moses3282 11 months ago
@TheDominator0007 PART II
$30. Well worth it, and it has 3 and 6 volt inputs as well as two 12 volts. Let me know how it goes.
Moses3282 11 months ago
@TheDominator0007
Hi again....I don't see your recent comment but anyway, I'm going to do an answer video but haven't had a chance please be patient.
Moses3282 11 months ago
@TheDominator0007
its ok, i am using 10 Watt 0.6A and 21 Volt panel to charge my 7.2 amp battery without charge controller.
I connected 2 energy savor 12 volt 3.5 watt LED bulb with the battery. normally i connect my battery from 7 AM to 4pm.
Muhammad Tariq
Islamabad, Pakistan
silktariq 11 months ago
@TheDominator0007
its ok, i am using 10 Watt 0.6A and 21 Volt panel to charge my 7.2 amp battery without charge controller.
I connected 2 energy savor 12 volt 3.5 watt LED bulb with the battery. normally i connect my battery from 7 AM to 4pm.
Muhammad Tariq
Islamabad, Pakistan
silktariq@gmail.com
silktariq 11 months ago
hi,
i am starting my first solar project. i have decided to start from your idea. i think its appropriate. what i am worried about is all that voltage, current and watt ratings, which is not enabling me to arrive at a correct decision.
waiting for solution, thank u in advance.
TheDominator0007 1 year ago
@TheDominator0007
Hi there, sorry I forgot to respond to this! So, what are you trying to decide? Basically all the current/voltage ratings of the system components (esp. charge controller and panel) should be balanced.
The whole system is one voltage. If you're not sure just start with 12 volts "nominal." That word is important because actual voltage is around 12, usually a little more.
Current: you have to pay attention to two things: maximum current coming in from the panel and
Moses3282 11 months ago
@TheDominator0007 PART II
...maximum current out to the load. What is the rated currrent of the panel? Look for a label on the back of the panel which will tell you. That's the "in." Is the rating of your charge controller greater than that? It needs to be, otherwise the fuse will blow. It can't take any more than that.
For current out to the load, what are the power requirements of the load? If you're running something at 24 W, that's 2 A of current. Again, can your charge controller
Moses3282 11 months ago
@TheDominator0007 PART III
...handle that level of current.
The charger in the video has a 4 A fuse. The rated current of the panel is about .7. No problem with the "in." What about out to the load? Well at 12 volts and 4 A fuse, the highest wattage the system can put out is 48 W (W=volts x amps).
Good luck! Let me know how it goes.
Jocelyn
Moses3282 11 months ago
@TheDominator0007
By the way, for safety please make sure that your battery compartment is properly ventillated. It needs air to circulate around it while it's discharging to prevent build up of gases that might explode!!! (probably not at such low power levels but still...)
Moses3282 11 months ago
i have a 15 watt solar panel that charges my batt pack but i also have a 10 watt solar panel like yours i noticed that if you dont have complete sunlight the 10 watt wont charge the ipod unless its complete sunlight but when theres complete sunlight yes wil work good video .
pixar5 1 year ago
@pixar5
Not sure why you'd need full sun with the 10 w panel because the iPod charges at about 4 watts. Sounds like you're not getting full power out of the panel. But I wish I had a backpack like that!
Moses3282 1 year ago
i would hook the battery up to the controller fiirst or it can burn up if the panel is hooked to controller first
worseto 1 year ago
@worseto
I don't think so because the charge controller has a 4A fuse. Also the charge controller has a switch so there's no power in the circuit until the whole system is turned on.
Moses3282 1 year ago
@Moses3282 good job
worseto 1 year ago
Can reduce the footprint by hooking it all up to a dock and charging directly without a battery. The controller should work that way, but I'm not sure.
BeeRich33 1 year ago
@BeeRich33
That's true but I also want to use clean energy when the sun isn't shining so energy storage is really important. Batteries just aren't clean but there's no way getting around it if you want reliable power. The good news is there are a lot of people working on battery technology these days so the carbon footprint should get way smaller in the coming years.
Moses3282 1 year ago
Thanks for the advice! I didn't even think about the voltage, it didn't even occur to me! My system is only 12 volts so you're absolutely right that would be a big reason for my batteries draining rather quickly. :) I will also take your advice about using meters and I'll probably get two like you suggested as that would be very useful information. Thanks again for your advice :)
pppete05 1 year ago
@pppete05
Great! Also check the specs on your charge controller to make sure that the voltage and current specs match your panels. Well-designed systems are balanced" in that way...AND I noticed in your video that your battery box is not ventillated. Drill some holes in there as the batteries give off gases when then discharge and if you don't vent them they may explode!
Moses3282 1 year ago
Hi ppete05, well, it depends on the system voltage. I happen to have a Macbook and notice that the specs are 16.5 volts and 3.65 A, which is, as you correctly state, about 60 W. Your PV system has to match the voltage (or be near it). If your PV system is running at about 16.5 V, the batteries should last about 11 hours (40 Ah/3.65 A). So maybe the voltage isn't high enough.
Moses3282 1 year ago
Thanks for such a good video! I was hoping you wouldn't mind taking a look at my own attempt which doesn't seem to be giving me the power it should. For example, if I'm working this out properly (based on website eg's), my two 20ah batteries in parallel should power my macbook's 60w charger for about 10 hours but they last a lot less than that. I'd be grateful for any advice or tips and thanks again for showing me how to do it in the first place! :) I have a video of it if you would like to see
pppete05 1 year ago
P.S. If you plug whatever device directly into the 12volt female connector bypassing using a "AC inverter" you will also have a bit more of a efficient system when you can get away doing it that way.
rmstudio 1 year ago
@rmstudio yes, that's true (especially because the inverter has an indicator light that draws about .2 A!) but only negligibly more efficient.
This system is a demo that I have out at street fairs and other public events for my organization, Sustainable Flatbush. I have to use the little inverter because it shows people that you can just plug right in. Many people will carry their chargers around but not their car adapters. In NYC many people don't even have a car, let alone car adapters!
Moses3282 1 year ago
be sure to vent that box as it can get very hot for the battery and "Heat" is a battery's enemy...
rmstudio 1 year ago
@rmstudio
good point. I forgot to mention that I drilled air holes in the box. very important.
Moses3282 1 year ago
@Moses3282 No problem I love this stuff and encourage others to give it a go. dont be afraid of electrical DIY fun projects. I am smart but as a kid growing up Electrical things sorta of intimidated me or was a bit foreign to me because it was not something I can see physically.
rmstudio 1 year ago
Thanks so much! I built one for my time machine and it works great in the future where we have no fossil fuels.
Beauty6669 1 year ago
@Beauty6669
Thanks! It works great right now too!!!
Moses3282 1 year ago
GOOD JOB LITTER GIRL
free888368 1 year ago
@free888368
thanks litter boy!
Moses3282 1 year ago
Hi Jocelyn,
Great job. Where did you get your charge controller from? I'm working on a 15 watt solar panel setup supplemented by a 50 watt windmill. The bad weather is hindering my progress. You're an inspiration.
Paul from NY
wtam69 2 years ago
@wtam69
Paul, did I ever reply to this? I got the charge controller from a very groovy place called All Electronics. For some reason I love that little thing! Hope your project is on track by now. Jocelyn.
Moses3282 1 year ago
Nice video thanks ..5 stars.
xxRoxtazinoxx 2 years ago
Thanks!
Moses3282 2 years ago
You should have used lager cells but nice work.
5*
oc5nsli341nforce4 2 years ago
Yeah, oc5nsli341nforce4, I'm definitely going to try it with a bigger panel. Thanks!
Moses3282 2 years ago
Good Job I like It
kvusmc 2 years ago
Thanks. I like your stuff too!
Moses3282 2 years ago
Thank you very much
kvusmc 2 years ago
cool logman91. I guess you plug your stuff right into the batteries somehow. with my setup you plug everything in to the charge controller. It's got a 4 amp fuse so I couldn't run such huge powertools, of course....but look what you can do with 10 watts of power. I saw a 45 W solar charger from Harbor Freight for only $199 and was pretty impressed.
Moses3282 2 years ago
those cloudy days and when i know i am going to be using it soon and i deffjnately have gotten my use out of my setup. I have even run a smaller microwave off this setup. Not for very long mind you but it deffinately works and it all has only costed me(for just the solar setup and batteries and inverters and charger) under $200. I bought the 2 panels, 1 battery, and the charger new. I got the 2nd battery for nothing(i garbage pick alot) and the inverters off craigslist real cheap.
Logman91 2 years ago
I have 2 - 5 watt solar panels that i bought at harbor freight here in wisconsin and i have 2 deep cycle marine/rv batteries and i run a 1200 watt continuous/2000 watt surge off of them and i have this all in and on my toolbox in my truck. I am constantly running drills, dremel tools, even my desktop computer off of it and there was plenty of power. Doesnt charge as fast as i drain but i also have a charger that runs off a 100 watt inverter that plugs into my cigarette lighter of the truck for
Logman91 2 years ago
answer part 2:
the 10 W panel in the video is rated at .67 amps and the charge controller is only rated at 4 amps. To know the wattage you have to know the VOLTAGE as well as the current. Maximum system current 4 amps (remember, the charge controller's limit) times maximum voltage of about 12 volts is about 48 watts, which is a lot. more than what you need for something like a laptop.
let me know how it goes, kricotoy. don't use all those 10 amps! that's a lot of current.
Have fun, Jocelyn.
Moses3282 2 years ago
answer part 1:
hi kricotoy,
well the good news is you can definitely build this charger or one like it with a 10 amp charge controller. the difference between a 10 amp and a 30 amp charge controller is that the 10 amp can handle 10 amps of current running through it, and the 30 amp can handle 30 amps of current. so, what you need to know is, what is the rated current of your panel and what is the current of the load? for small applications 10 amps should be more than adequate.
Moses3282 2 years ago
how many what is u charge controller?
whats the diference in 10 and 30 amp?
i just bought on ebay by mistake a 10 amp
charger controller...:(
kricotoy 2 years ago