Step by Step: How I Built A Solar Generator For Less Than $300

[jonathoncrowe28]

Good job...Thumbs Up...

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Go to Google and do a Search for "Top DIY Solar Panels"

Choose the First Result(Ignore The Advertisements)

[403Vandweller]

you don't want to run your power inverter or any other appliances too close to the battery or batteries. Lead Acid and deep cycle batteries produce hydrogen gas while charging or when in use. A tiny spark from an electrical device will cause a fire or an explosion if it's in a confined space with inadequate ventilation

[NucIearChrist]

you suck at making videos

[kdc43]

Looks like that 18W panel is WAY WAY WAY too small to keep the battery charged even with a moderate load on the inverter.

[you5711]

Fantastic job!!! I love it! Could the source of electricity be changed to something like a wind turbine instead of having to use a solar panel?

[CaptBart]

Would it be better to poke holes through the side instead of the top? This way any liquid spilled onto it won't be able to access the inside of the box, which is the purpose of it in the 1st place, correct?

Good job otherwise! :]

[MrDChaser]

Nice vid, looks like that light bulb is meant to go in that hole behind the volt meter so you can see the reading when it is dark

[turkiq]

Great and simple job, I would like to know how it takes to recharge a 12V battery again when it is fully charged using1000watt lamp or machine?1

[JanHuniche]

Play with me daddy... Play with me daddy... Play with me daddy... !!!.

[pgm98387]

Easy to understand. That will pay for itself during a power outage.

[Robertamissoniluv]

Thanks!



[ThePrayerHotline]

Nice informative video. Thanks for posting the video. Nice kid on the video. :~)

[vandeldog]

Children are intelligent adults who have not experienced so much. There are so many factors that could cause a child to react, smacking them shows your lack of love and understanding, do yourseld a favour rdnght and smack yourself.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE VID MAN had to put mu 2 cents in there ;-) .. infinite love, from New Zealand

[MrThunderbolt3]

Cool idea.I believe the inverter has a fuze in it and the last charge controller was sealed in silicone.I'm not selling anything but have you seen my vid.solar setup mp4 by mrthunderbolt3.looks like we shop in similar locations

[makeSOLARPANELS]

If anybody need - I HAVE MANUAL full how to make a panel at your home - IT IS SO EASY!~

[irooni100]

Thank for this Video.

All others just show how to build panels ,not many show how to put it to use!

I am not God with Electric work , but you do well for your video . thanks !

i am Going to try to make one soon!

[Bobster986]

You forgot one important piece...The Fuse! If you have a short, you can blow the inverter, and that could be an expensive piece of equipment to replace. I should know, I've done it. Good luck!

[irooni100]

@Bobster986

Thanks for you HINT !

[tecter100]

If anyone is interested, wheelchair or power mobility chair type batteries work well & can take a little more abuse than the standard L/A battery.

Not too expensive either.

[tecter100]

Thnx for the Video Guy, Working on Solar power for my home ATM, slowly acquiring, panels & batts..The dang panels are still pretty pricey even now, I'm paying about 3 bucks/watt..Take care

[shithitthefanman]

would this system work out better with a 6 volt golf cart battery for draw-down?

[natethegreat256]

@shithitthefanman yes, but you would require two 6v batteries wired together to make 12v for your inverter. the advantages of golf car batteries are the increased amp hours, and they are generally more robust in accepting deep discharge cycles. hope that helps.

[offthegrid25]

Thank you for this excellent video. It is helpful, thought-provoking, and encouraging. And well created too! I appreciate all the information, and am already trying some of your ideas. Thanks!

[rdknght17]

god i would smack the shit outta that kid!

[bluediamond2077]

@rdknght17  u must not have kids or a girlfriend .

[rdknght17]

@bluediamond2077 i would hope not im only 18. it was just a joke

[SouthNJPC]

@rdknght17

I was just about to leave almost the exact comment word for word!!! Thumbs up!!

[Dna5watt]

Great job. Does this work with any solar panel?

[aqwhackerer]

what....

[lasleandras]

idid this set up same as his but i havenot buy a solar panel

batt.marine85ah

500w inverter

i run a 20 inch tv,16in fan for 6.5 hr i shut it off probably could get like 8hr max i guess

[rpk431]

thanks for the vid. you might want to mention what size batt box to get, as well as what gauge wire and the specs for the switch. i stumbled with those and had to make a few trips to the store,

[longp2000]

Your kids are cool

[fireblaze60]

Where did you learn to do this ..Did you by any chance learn it from that system I've been reading about --HOME MADE ENERGY by Bill Ford--..Or from somewhere else..

[CheesyPoophs]

Can you still use the power while its charging? And just for an example, what can that generator power? Like can it power a computer, fan, and tv at the same time if you wanted?

[Unorthodox5000]

Great except for annoying brats in the background - couldn't you put them in another room or something for the 6 minutes it took you to do the video? Nice job otherwise

[YOUareALLasleep]

Thanks for the post. Great to see the kids around, ha ha. They learn and anytime with the young'ins is good. I don't know about others, but my mind is well enough to handle a little background noise.

[rowdyrhodie]

Tanks for the video bro. Its gonna help me set up my van...

[dirtyh0rhay]

Do that without the whining kid next time

[ruyaish]

good job. well done

[optimysticyet]

too heavy, too much $ how much power could you get from a smaller, portable version?

[quicklistauctions]

The only thing lacking here is I would have liked to have seen it in action:-) Not being a guy nor electronically inclined, I have to ask: How much power is generated with this creation? Would this exact unit power a refrigerator for instance? Thanks and I appreciate that you have the focus to make this video with the kids playing around you. You didn't skip a beat, lol!! I for one have small kids, too, which is why I greatly appreciate your sharing what you know. Thank You:-)

[PilotOlms]

@DJFG85 Ur not cool. Great video! keep the kids with you, not the basement. They learn from your knowledge and won't need YouTube like the rest of us.

[ujayet]

I like the video! Easy to understand!! How long does the solar panel charge the batt.? And how long will the batt. Last before become discharge?

[DJFG85]

Why don't you put the kids in the basement or bedroom when you try to film an instructional video?

[brianjoreski]

this is a great video and very helpful. thanks

[rickm09]

pure chuckery good job

[steweDbass]

I appreciate you taking the time to make this vid....good on you, nevermind all those pontificating know it alls geeks.

[yamsack1]

Hi, regarding your home solar power generator, how many recharge/discharges does the deep cycle battery take before it dies out? Secondly, how long will it take for your 18W solar panel to charge up your deep cycle battery? Thirdly, is this generator used on a regular basis or do you store it for emergencies? If used only for emergencies, how often do you discharge it so it doesn't die on you from lack of use? Thanks for your reply.

[RCvolunteer1978]

No that is not free it is $300 solar power battery back up inverter

[greatwf]

this is a very good video for introducing people to solar power. Good job, thanks!

[efdaitsiomna]

hey man!! very cool!! im palning on doing dat, but we dont have acess here to buy solar panels, i was thinking of using wind mill to power a small alternator use for cars and plug in to sumthing like that. will that work?

[michaelpriest]

Thats cool dude, Im going to build one this weekend,, Thanks

[jonathanspindler]

Lol, meant to say "inline" fuse, then all your positive leads go through the fused link for safety.

[jonathanspindler]

I think some said this earlier but use fuses! And use them properly! You should never wire directly to the positive battery post, the only thing that should be directly attached to the positive post is an online fuse! Experiment safely folks!

[johncarter55]

Is it not better to teach with respect ... rather than to belittle? We are not all gifted with the miracle of knowing things ... without learning them, as the commentators who enjoy insulting here...are keen to point out.

[rickm09]

@johncarter55 ya most of the ones who mouth b 4 thinking are clueless and when the time comes they will rely upon the very ones that they shot down for their very survival then again they may not survive w\o their gaming lol

[efahrenholz1]

@rickm09 wtf are you even referring to, this has nothing to do with video games.

[rickm09]

@efahrenholz1 sorry man somehow that got onto the wrong vid

[1981dasimpson]

idot you should of just put the bulb in the back of the volt meter

[wotan237]

is there a manual for something like this, I want to set this up too

[Pumpkingilmour]

I want to create a system that can power two regular sized new refrigerators at night.

I want some way to turn off my power breaker every night and still have my fridges operate. Would something like this do the trick? Or would I need more power and a bigger solar panel?

[blt2012]

Just a question, but if you are venting that much gas off the battery can you not use the gas to power another device if it is done right?

[lasleandras]

i made this setup same

85ahr batt.

platic box

volt meter

only i have a 500w inverter

my run for six hrs w/ a fan and a 20 inch tv



[TheKyla1981]

Ur babiez r alienz

[Lanny615]

Congratulations. By having switches and the charge controller inside the box with the battery, you have made it very dangerous. Ever hear of the "Zeppelin"?

[dancaldwell230]

thats really a solar electric system in miniature,its a battery charger not a generator but hey it works, dont mount that inverter on the battery though gassing could cause an explosion when deep charging the battery will expel gasses that are volatile and dangerous specially with little ones around, and ya should ground it to earth and use thicker wires. get some more panels and a few more batteries and you may be able to actually use it for something other than lights and radios, cool though!

[Jthetinman]

Thanks or the simplicity! How many watts can that charge controller handle or... How many solar panels can you hook up to that charge controler?

[kwakman99]

@atomicnumber15 - Huh? One battery doesn't produce that much gas. If there was a bank sure it needs a vent, but with the 3 holes he put on the top of the lid that is WAY more then enough to allow the gases to escape.

Nice video, my only 2 cents would be to put the 3 holes on the of the unit to the left of the switch/light/meter this way it stays a little more weather proof and water won't have that easy of a chance to drip into the box.

[artwearsusa]

@kwakman99 why not put a pc fan on the side of the box or 2 pc fans. The run under .20 amp

[kwakman99]

@artwearsusa - That's a good idea too, but for just one battery not certain it's necessary.

[tuvoca]

What about adding a mini circuit breaker box?

[420smoke2791]

wow

[austinm655]

What is the model of the sunpro volt gauge with the light i want to get one

[laguna0116]

what can u connect in there?

[helloman1976]

You should hook the kid to a wheel and let him spin your power meter backwards.

[rlmarin1968]

With your setup...you can have a PC fan in the box on one end with a couple vent holes on the other...and when you are charging the battery, you can switch it on to have air-flow and keep the gases from building up. Just an idea.

[stefchollet]

great!!

[donvee2000]

Very good...but your going to need more than 18 watt panels. A good ruleI use of thumb I use is at least half the Ahr rating of the battery. So a 100 ahr battery will need at least half the Ahr rating of the battery minimum (50 watt panel). An equal one to one is best. 100 amp hr to 100 watts panel. Thats unless you hardly plan on using your battery. But if there is a long term blackout, you will quickly have a deficiet.

[MJsoccerpro13]

so can this only charge things that require less than 12v?? can u charge a labtop?

[kwakman99]

@MJsoccerpro13 - That's what the silver box was for, it converts 12V power to 120V power for home use. The 700 unit will give you a 700 peak wattage supply, so you could technically plug 6 x 100 watt light bulbs to the unit. But having only one battery wouldn't give you much usable power though.

[kjpaint8]

Is Good You Have some teory But Please Do not Do it When Your Kids Around Dangerous Out of kids 1 . Batery Need Earth Wire 2. Inverter Also Need Earth 3 . Solar Controler Need Fuse For Positive and Output Inverter is 230 Volt Need To Connected to RCD or Circuit Breaker Then To Your Lighting and TV .Safety Is More Important That Controler Is not Good Beter Get Good controler .Thank you International Scouting

[kwakman99]

@kjpaint8 - I agree with the safety, the setup needs more grounding and fuses so it won't start a fire. But you are wrong the Xantech 700 xPower inverter is rated at 120V not 230V in North America.

[saicoolboys]

dude the video is awsome but i got some couple of questions can we use this system as an invertor directly connected to mains of house,so that continus usage and charging goes on,as we have often power cuts in our place.

And one more thing can we charge the system continusly!

[BillyJackets]

18 watts?

[nomoreremakes]

How would you hook this up if you had multiple solar panels?

[Drumz0r2243]

@nomoreremakes Disconnect the current Panel you are using, Add wires to the Pos and Neg of each, attach Pos to pos and Neg to Neg of each panel then hook that up to the current battery

[bowtau9]

Thanks 4 Sharing good vid ....

[theonethatgoofs]

ps if you have a volt meter why the light it is a power drain .

[theonethatgoofs]

this is not a add but harbor freight has everything for less then 200$

[caserioroig]

hey guy thanks to u i decide to do one

of this i live in a hurricane prone area and i only thinking to run ligths(2) 13 w or smaller if i find them and charge c phone /dsl /psp/ portable dvd/for the kids etc small stuff but need info on batt...ah / gauges of the cables, thanks for ur time so far on

ebay i have found charge controller for $22.90---power inverter 500w/1000peak $41.00--volt meter car style $12.75 for for now

[chozzn10673]

kid was getting on my nerves. Say what?

[leebog31]

Thanks bro! This saves me alot if money. Solotion from science was charging $1500 for there solor generator. I'll just make it my damn self.

[hotted1135]

u could buy a wii or a xbox or a 360 for less than that

[isda1984]

u could build this then buy an xbox 360 & plug it to this. savings goes to games & xbox live.

[ibpointless2]

@hotted1135 You could buy a Wii with the money you saved on your electric bill!

[TheDigitalguyy]

@ibpointless2 why would someone want to buy a wii?

[Radejr47464]

For future refrence always connect the negative side of a battery first you always want to be grounded first!

[juggernautxtr]

@Radejr47464

negative on a 12 volt battery should be connected last so when your hooking up the positive you have nothing to ground too.

[123123123blablabla]

Hi, I have a question.

What are all of the gauges of wire you used for all of the connections. I need to know because I want to make this myself.

Please Respond

Thank You

[Tomthetoolman100]

it all depends on how many amps that you are going to draw higher amps bigger cables you have to customize to what you need hope this helps

[IamDemetri00]

WAIT is that true about the hydrogen gas leaking from those batteries?

[sirmasterpimp]

Hydrogen gas vents a little when charging and a lot when overcharging the battery (why a charge controller is a must). There are large VSLA batteries like the optima yellow / blue top and car audio deep cycles that do not normally vent (only in an extreme overcharge situation). Regular sla batteries in a large open area will disperse the gas safely. If they are stuffed in a cabinet or closet, you need some sort of ventilation system to prevent gas buildup and possible explosion.

[IamDemetri00]

How long does it take to recharge your deep cycle battery with those solar panels? How long will the battery ultimately last? 10 years? longer?

[silverpizza100]

WOW how much in supplies, you left that part out, also where did you buy your items,,,what stores? Peace love.,...

[js111410]

making your own solar panels is really a bad idea thay have a 2-4 year life span and really need to be sealed cost a lot and it a mistake the factory ones last longer and the harbor fright system is not as powerful but it can run tv and lights i had one in -20 winter air and it worked great nice start system and can run a bedroom as long as you don't use over 500 w

[centervilletn]

im very new to solar ...im planning on building an off the grid cabin in a shipping container. ..i have 4 12 volt 1100 cca deep cycle batteries and was wondering how to calculate watts if i hook them in series.... could a 45 watt solar panel system keep them adiquately charged?

thanks

[need4speed402]

man 45wis small i know what your thinking of buying a haber frait system its cheeper just to make a soler panel with solar cells so even when you buy this its not enout or just bulld a 100w solar panel for a smaller price and takes up as much space.

sorry for bad inglish!?

[centervilletn]

your english is fine..i understood...thanks!

[artwearsusa]

@centervilletn volts X amps = watts

[eldrama1]

this is a very rare succinct instructional vid. and i actually have no questions. great job!

[TheBulDog7]

Beautiful work,Man!Congratulations!

[SHOOTER0072003]

best easy set uo video yet every 1 else just shows there crapy solar and there work that leads to there website and there ask for money PEOPLE DONT PAY FOR STUPID BOOK ON HOW TO MAKE SOLAR PANELS JUST LOOK FOR VIDEOS LIKE THESE , BY THE WAY WHATS CHARGE CONTROLLERS role in all this set up?

[mhlpn]

Nicely done, I think you did an excellent job, in regards to deadly hydrogen gasses being released when charging, we're talking about milliamps and fairly low voltage so this "deadly set up scenario" seems to be a whole lot of who-shot-john....

[lord3imos]

thanks for sharing

[EZ4089]

That was an excellent Vid, easy to understand, would like to see it in action!

[diyhomepower]

My first reaction to this video is DANGEROUS!. Not trying to put you down but I agree with tolate2snooze ; the battery is the last thing you connect. Although you had the cover over the battery, if you would have shorted that system you could have destroyed it, or experienced an explosion, with acid everywhere. Plus you forgot to protect those around you such as the little sister and baby brother moving in and out of your workspace. Emphasis on safety. Nice narrative though.

[tolate2snooze]

Hooking leads to a battery before connecting to the inverter is never safe. You are asking for a dead short! SAFETY FIRST!

[Litameena4chan]

Great vid!!! ^_^

[atomicnumber15]

What you have made is dangerous. 18 comments, and not one of them mentioned anything about the safety of this setup.

Batteries release hydrogen gas (extremely flammable) when charging. It you don't ventilate your contraptions enclosure, you're looking at some possibly dangerous scenarios.

[enviergy]

Yeah, should ventilate the batteries when under charge.

[ibpointless2]

@atomicnumber15 they do release hydrogen, but not much. it is true that he does need some ventilation but he does not need much. Things like the charge controller and inverter have safety features built in. over all its not a bad setup, just drill a hole on the side with a vinyl hose coming out, that will be all the ventilation youll need. Also keep the inverter nice and dry too!

[AxenZoku]

@atomicnumber15 seeing as that isn't an air tight or even a compressed chamber, there is no chance of "explosion" at the most you'll get a flame "Poof" but don't count on it -_-

[th3cr34tor]

@atomicnumber15 So what should someone do?? Have the battery outside of a box?? I am thinking of putting together something like this and putting it on my roof for more sunlight but your comment scarred me :P

[dancaldwell230]

@th3cr34tor keep the batteries away from the rest of it outside, run your wires from there to the inverter with a breaker in between, this setup is not even close to safe really its ungrounded and under-wired, and never put a battery in the house, never. that gas is very explosive and should be well vented outside! you must separate all components with breakers and fuse from the battery to the inverter on the pos. side about a foot from the battery (close to the battery as you can make it) cya

[reedalej]

@atomicnumber15 lol hydrogen isnt that flamable and a battery doesnt release enough to make it too dangerous, all you'd need is a small vent for the box or a small 9v powered fan for cooling simple addition

[sh0rtsleeve]

@atomicnumber15 i thought deep cycle battery's are safe? that wut i was told.....thats why most car audio guys put deep cycle battery's in there cars. cause there safe?

[KJ4SQP]

@sh0rtsleeve no they have more cranking amps n last longer not that there safe lol

sealed deep cycles r safer n cost more

[artwearsusa]

@sh0rtsleeve Rule of Thumb, Gas and Electricity don't mix, Gas + Electricity = Fire

[artwearsusa]

@sh0rtsleeve Use Solar Battery, gel a lot safer

[KJ4SQP]

@atomicnumber15 if its a unsealed batery yes but sealed baterys do not thats why there prefered in boat/ rv use

my main thing is he switched the negative side, not a good idea n FUSES for god sake use FUSES!!

also use termanal connectors on the switch preferably ones with the lil insulating jacke around them

also take the freaking alagator clips off the lead n replace it with ring termanals n instal the wires on the inverter BEFORE you hook it to the batery

[artwearsusa]

@atomicnumber15

 a simple pc fan will do the trick, instread of the light, replace it with a pc fan.

[artwearsusa]

@atomicnumber15 a simple pc fan will do the trick, instead of the light, replace it with a pc fan.

[seth0941]

@atomicnumber15

You see the 2 large vent shaped out crops on the lid of the battery box at 5:15 in the video? Those are the vents.... I don't know of any factory made battery box that dose not have them.

[grecoguy75]

awesome!

[bunker2k1]

i ment the charge controler where can you find them for 25 bucks

[bunker2k1]

where can you find that power inverter, i cant find one cheaper than 200 bucks?

[artwearsusa]

@bunker2k1 Go to Walmart you can pick one up for less than $70. at 750 watts with a 1,500 watt peak.

[Bluedash3r]

hey i wanted to know if i could use a 1500 Watt, 24 Volt DC to 110 Volt AC, Modified Sine Wave i really just want to know if its dangerous to use high powered inverters

[artwearsusa]

@Bluedash3r you will need more solar panels and batteries

[gangstersky]

Hi i have a couple of questions about the generator, please excuse my lack of knowledge:

1. What type of household items can it power and for how long? Could it power an average sized tv or maybe a fridge?

2. Does the battery have to be charged to use it or can you use, for example a laptop, directly as the the solar panel charges the battery?

[kevintaylor2]

It can run a Computer, Heat for You"re house and make a cup of coffee. Running from a Honda Accord. 3200 Watt from discount tool store.

[RMCrowley]

that gave me an idea

lighted switch even cooler

[skippy3840]

Very clear and very simple. Even your kids like it! Now you can expand it, check out mine and see what you think.

[pozzerbob]

Check out my solar charger video

[silvernomad5]

thanks for the video, i have been wanting to make one for years- you made it easy!

[peppergirl23]

Excellent!! Thanks for sharing!

[darienstarr]

awesome thanks!

[RMCrowley]

sweet

[RichesRapids]

Excellent video! Also seems like you got some decent prices on some of that stuff- Could you post a link to where you got your supplies (panel, inverter...)?

Thanks!

[kreech1]

I thought the video was very well put together , good visual and good sound . after watching this video i shall make one my self . thank you for making this video

[margarethamelitoneri]

good job thanks for your share

[forextsdjc]

Great Job, i'm making one based on this video!

[darkwolf554]

I think that this is easily the best tut on how to make a solar powered generator. Keep up the good work, cant wait to see wat u got next :)

[solartape]

very nice!!!!!