Solar Panel charging Batteries for Camping

Charging 12 volt batteries for camping.
Guy Fanguy, Houma Louisiana.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Solar
• Panel
• 12
• volt
• battery
• charging
• Photovoltaic
• gfanguy
• Guy
• Fanguy
• Houma
• Louisiana.

[XsmashX1]

I just bought a 12 volt solar panel for kicks, wanted to experiment with it. The thing is I don't know what to do with it... I'm a solar panel noob, what can I power with this panel?

Also, how do I figure out how many watts it produces?

[GuySolar]

to measure the watts you need a volt amp meter. you need to measure the current (amps) accross the leads coming out of the solar panel in the sun of course. the formula is Watts = Volts x Amps . if you get .5 amps or 500 mAmps then multiply 12 volts x .5 amps to get your watts. depending on the amps you get will be the max you can run a 12 volt item such as a fan or light or charge a 12 volt battery with it. the sunlinq i bought is a 12 watt or 800 mAmp (.8 amps).

[terrytrooper]

good video but why not have your 50watt panel on the roof so you can park anyway around. and what a lot of wires

[GuySolar]

the roof of my van has no flat surface for a solar panel. i ordered a flexable solar panel and should be in next week, i will try putting that on the roof instead of the glass panels as you see in the video.

I do need to clean up the wire mess though.

thanks for the input

[awomansworld123]

cool video and if you know where each wire is going and you are sure it wont spark or cause a problem, I really dont see what all the fuss is about. hey thanks for sharing

[rmstudio]

OH my god "Houma" Lousiana.. Man small world I have friends Raceland. Isnt this the town "Houma" were that business man that worked the clothing store in town disappeared?? "But then again many people disappear in Louisiana.. Thanks for the DIY lesson on how to set up this for camping.. Makes a good set up for say deer stand or hunting camp.

[alienpatentoffice]

The first and last time I heard about flexible solar cells ( strips ) is when it was invented and they are currently manufacturing them. It's so thin and so light yet how come it seems nobody is using them / never seen it use in a video. Does it perform less than the thick and heavy ones. Know where to buy direct ? Good video! Oh your wiring looks scary, it makes me think a short in the circuit is gonna happen soon.

[uthayak]

You need to tidy up once you are done experimenting. Fuses to avoid short circuit and fire. Also ensure batteries get ventilated properly ..

[taztaz79]

shit! a LOT of cables! You need to clean that up before you get a short somewhere and a fire! .. :) Why not make a real installation with neat cabeling and put some mounts for the panels on your roof.. When you camp you just quick fix the panels on the roof and connect them to the car system by some contacts mounted on the roof or side of the car or something :) .. would be a real nice system!

[unclesonnyonutube]

def clean that wiring up and make a battery box that has ventilation to the outside air.. and if you put a camper ceiling vent to suck the hot air out you probably wouldnt need to run 5 fans and it would free up a lot of power for other things. I also just had the idea to put a small wind generator on the roof so when you drive to your camp you can get wind power on the way

[living4fire]

Cool video, but as mentioned you might want to clean up your wiring, could be asking for trouble.

[sclek2007]

Cool, but you have some sketchy wiring lol.

[jonathans1212]

those wires are close gotta kepp them apart

[DieterMe]

You should definately arrange your cables.

Otherwise you will burn up somehow.