phxtoad
Adventurer
PHXTOAD'S SOLAR GENERATOR
This should say 'Anderson 12v input', not Nelson...
Here's a little project that I obviously got a bit carried away making. It's my first foray into Solar, and I've had fun putting it together.
The genesis for this project started a year ago when a quick weekend camping trip with our pop-up led to confusion/anxiety/panic/weeping. After we set up camp, I realized I forgot the chargers to all our electronic junk. Everything died. Sad but true. We had to rough it. It really is a miracle we survived. Good thing we were only 20 miles from home.
Anyway, in an effort to make sure we had power for future trips, I started researching solar, 12V systems, in general. The first purchase was a simple 10W Battery Tender solar panel system (with integral controller) for the pop-up. I then decided to start designing my first solar generator. It's a spin-off of Solar Burrito's box. I just needed to figure out what size batteries I wanted to use. Fate intervened.
http://solarburrito.com/build-your-...&utm_source=pinterest.com&utm_campaign=buffer
This past Spring, my mom past away at 87. She was a hoot, and lived a good long life on her terms. With her passing, I inherited her 3 wheel Go-Go mobility scooter. In order to sell it, I had to get new batteries for it. So...
Scooter Battery du jour
All of a sudden I had two 12V/14AH batteries that looked like they could be re-purposed easily enough while I get the scooter ready to sell. Next up was to find a box I liked. I looked around a bit in stores and on-line. Everything seemed too big or too small or way too expensive. In the end I chose a standard Plano ammo box. 12"x6"x8" ish. It's a good size, and is meant to have a heavy load within. Also somewhat stealthy.
I started amassing various bits and pieces:
For a Solar panel I ordered the 50 Watt Renogy starter kit. This was more of a purchase for future larger set-ups.
(2) 12V output jacks
(1) Anderson input jack – For (2) solar inputs.
(1) SAE input jack. For an AC battery charger in, or accessory power out.
(1) Bestek 300 Watt inverter – 12V plug in type. Includes two 120V outlets and two USB ports.
(1) Adventure Power 12V 4A, 120V AC battery charger
(2) power poles
(2) bus bars
(1) meter
(3) switches, wire and fuses
At first I had grand plans of wiring an inverter in directly and having a weatherproof outlet, but realized the little batteries couldn't really feed a large wattage inverter. Also, with space limited, I knew I couldn't access the front and rear of the unit if it were fixed in the box. So a compact plug-in type fit the bill. I still wanted it and the charger to normally store within the box. So time to get creative.
Now that I had a direction, I started building a 3D model in Revit (good practice for work) and to help fit the 10 lbs in the 5 lb box. Being able to manipulate the model helped work-out how and where to place things and see conflicts. Ultimately it was also handy to produce the dimensioned drawings. Go figure.
Revit model
Given how I wanted to have things look in the box, I knew I'd need to have two levels. In lieu of wood, I selected white plastic cutting boards procured at Ross. 5/8" thick or so, and easily workable with wood-working tools. The lower level would be for the batteries, and the upper level for the controller/poles/busses and switches.
Lower level plan Note: the length of the lower level is less. I had to trim it to fit.
Cutting board cut and shaped for lower level
Test fit.
Upper level plan
Wiring diagram
This should say 'Anderson 12v input', not Nelson...
Here's a little project that I obviously got a bit carried away making. It's my first foray into Solar, and I've had fun putting it together.
The genesis for this project started a year ago when a quick weekend camping trip with our pop-up led to confusion/anxiety/panic/weeping. After we set up camp, I realized I forgot the chargers to all our electronic junk. Everything died. Sad but true. We had to rough it. It really is a miracle we survived. Good thing we were only 20 miles from home.
Anyway, in an effort to make sure we had power for future trips, I started researching solar, 12V systems, in general. The first purchase was a simple 10W Battery Tender solar panel system (with integral controller) for the pop-up. I then decided to start designing my first solar generator. It's a spin-off of Solar Burrito's box. I just needed to figure out what size batteries I wanted to use. Fate intervened.
http://solarburrito.com/build-your-...&utm_source=pinterest.com&utm_campaign=buffer
This past Spring, my mom past away at 87. She was a hoot, and lived a good long life on her terms. With her passing, I inherited her 3 wheel Go-Go mobility scooter. In order to sell it, I had to get new batteries for it. So...
Scooter Battery du jour
All of a sudden I had two 12V/14AH batteries that looked like they could be re-purposed easily enough while I get the scooter ready to sell. Next up was to find a box I liked. I looked around a bit in stores and on-line. Everything seemed too big or too small or way too expensive. In the end I chose a standard Plano ammo box. 12"x6"x8" ish. It's a good size, and is meant to have a heavy load within. Also somewhat stealthy.
I started amassing various bits and pieces:
For a Solar panel I ordered the 50 Watt Renogy starter kit. This was more of a purchase for future larger set-ups.
(2) 12V output jacks
(1) Anderson input jack – For (2) solar inputs.
(1) SAE input jack. For an AC battery charger in, or accessory power out.
(1) Bestek 300 Watt inverter – 12V plug in type. Includes two 120V outlets and two USB ports.
(1) Adventure Power 12V 4A, 120V AC battery charger
(2) power poles
(2) bus bars
(1) meter
(3) switches, wire and fuses
At first I had grand plans of wiring an inverter in directly and having a weatherproof outlet, but realized the little batteries couldn't really feed a large wattage inverter. Also, with space limited, I knew I couldn't access the front and rear of the unit if it were fixed in the box. So a compact plug-in type fit the bill. I still wanted it and the charger to normally store within the box. So time to get creative.
Now that I had a direction, I started building a 3D model in Revit (good practice for work) and to help fit the 10 lbs in the 5 lb box. Being able to manipulate the model helped work-out how and where to place things and see conflicts. Ultimately it was also handy to produce the dimensioned drawings. Go figure.
Revit model
Given how I wanted to have things look in the box, I knew I'd need to have two levels. In lieu of wood, I selected white plastic cutting boards procured at Ross. 5/8" thick or so, and easily workable with wood-working tools. The lower level would be for the batteries, and the upper level for the controller/poles/busses and switches.
Lower level plan Note: the length of the lower level is less. I had to trim it to fit.
Cutting board cut and shaped for lower level
Test fit.
Upper level plan
Wiring diagram
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