(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best power generators & accessories

Here's a 'shopping list' for as light-weight a system that I can think of throwing together from 'off the shelf' components:

>Solar Panels:
Two of these will give you a light-weight solution for 400 watts of power!
https://www.amazon.com/Dokio-Monocrystalline-foldable-Inverter-Controller/dp/B075SZMFP2/

>Charge Controller:
The included controller won't be terribly useful I'm afraid, because it's for Lead Acid, and is a crappy PWM controller anyways. So, let's assume you're going to DIY this a bit and build a weatherproof box for your battery and a controller like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Solar-Controller-Monitor-Temp-Sensor-Package/dp/B06XNP1BGR/

>Batteries:
Here's where you drop the real cash; At least one but preferably TWO of these guys.
https://www.amazon.com/LiFePO4-volt-Deep-Cycle-Battery/dp/B06XX197GJ/

>Inverter:
If you'll be needing AC power, you'll want something like this:
www.amazon.com/AIMS-Power-Watt-Inverter-Cables/dp/B002AMPHHC/

>Container of sorts:
You'll be needing something weatherproof for all this non-weatherproof stuff to sit inside. Find the 'weatherproof storage lockers' at sporting goods stores, and you can machine them to be what you need for stuff like this. It'll need to fit your batteries, inverter, and charge controller, and you'll need to mount them in there somehow so it doesn't bounce around. Then all you need is some slick weatherproof electrical connectors to mount going through the wall of the box, and you've got yourself a great system. You can even put in things like a 12 socket and weatherproof volt meter to keep an eye on your battery voltage.

Overall, this would cost probably around $3000. But, it'd work well. :)

If you can give me more specs on what sort of weight you can carry, you could have the option of switching to Lead Acid as a battery type; but that would add like 150 pounds of weight to this whole setup, but you'd save $1500 or there about on the batteries, and you COULD use the included cheap PWM controllers... but honestly that MPPT I think would be worth the extra cash.

The comparable product (excluding the panels, and assuming you only got one battery) would be the Goal Zero Yeti 1400 Lithium. It's $1700 and is about the same thing, again excluding the panels.

Honestly, for your purposes, the Goal Zero Yeti looks pretty good if you're not really into the DIY stuff; cause you'd be looking at $1700 plus $500 for the 400 watts of panels, so $2200 total. That's not bad! (Assuming you DIY it like I'm suggesting, and only use one battery, you're looking at around $2000. So, really, not much cheaper if the weight matters to you.)

Hi, this is simple if your expectations are in line, and unworkable if not.

If you want to run devices that heat or cool with electricity, such as coffeemakers, hotplates, A/C, toasters, hair dryers, etc., you will not make your numbers or anywhere near them. Give that all up. There is a reason whole-house systems cost $30-40k, it is heating and cooling.

Now for the awesome: IT WORKS. I ran 30 feet of LEDs, a laptop, a small but nice stereo, a PoE wireless antenna, a wireless hub, iPhones and iPods, 18v DeWalt battery packs, a fan — plus whatever I am forgetting — off of 2 x 100W solar panels and 2 x 100Ah marine cells for ten weeks. I went dry twice, but with a fully charged laptop, stereo and phone.

First you must go ahead and do all the math of your usage, because we are are still at the stage where we must all do all the math, and math is good, but when you are doing all the math to the third significant digit, and looking up the model of that rechargeable flashlight you like for its charging amperage requirements, maybe say fuck it and start with half that; one beefy panel, one solid battery. You could easily add another panel and battery later.

As to wiring, your charge controller will have connections that include a legend where to hook up your batteries, panels and inverter, so easy peasy there. See the link below for an example. I recommend spending the extra on an MPPT controller, which converts some of your extra juice (the 12V panel below can run almost 19V) that normally is dumped when charging into increased amperage of the charging current. Do the math of your expected load, it's possible you will want a 20A. If it doesn't include fusing directions, go online and find a schematic of where to add inline fuses that, if that are not included, you will get at the auto parts store.

YOU WILL WANT TO DO THE MATH on wire sizes. There are calculators online. For your small setup, the important run is going to be between the battery and the charge controller. This is where the fires start. If you think you will EVER add another battery dig deep and wire for it.

For inverters, I feel better about everything by getting a well-respected pure sinewave unit. I run a Xantrex 600W in my 4Runner and a Cotec 350W for the solar, and they feel bulletproof. You could save a ton, and maybe in this case you should, by getting a cheap modified sinewave one and seeing if it meets your needs. Either way they will have outlets on them, so you don't need to wire it further.

Also, no SLA batteries inside the vehicle unless properly secured, sealed inside, and vented outside.

I also recommend the /r/vandwellers subreddit, it is excellent. This comes up there a lot, although this is the better place for the question.

Solar panel:
http://www.amazon.com/RENOGY-Monocrystalline-Photovoltaic-Battery-Charging/dp/B009Z6CW7O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417553121&sr=8-1&keywords=100W+solar+panel

Charge controller (10A likely okay, do your math, I got the 20 amp)
http://www.amazon.com/Tracer1210RN-Solar-Charge-Controller-Regulator/dp/B008KWPGS6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1417552788&sr=8-2&keywords=mppt+charge+controllers

Invertors:
http://www.amazon.com/COTEK-SK350-112-INVERTER-OUTLETS-CABLES/dp/B006W9IPA0

As others have said you can do this with a relatively small setup. There is a LOT to consider - HOW portable, HOW efficient, etc etc. Help me out if the below suggestions don' t meet the need I can piece together just about any system for you :P

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You could get by on a small sealed lead acid battery designed for uninterruptible power supplies. They range in size but average 9 amp hours. I say get yourself a little 35 amp hour and never worry about discharge rate if you are only powering the win2 even if the sun don't shine that day. For the solar - buy BIGGER than you need - learned this the hard way with my truck camper. Right sized is great until the season changes or its overcast etc.

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Check out this little starter kit - it includes the solar panel and charge controller:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DCDZOI0/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_2ehvCbKCNM5MT

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Down in the frequently bought together you should see a 35ah battery - will fully charge the win2 a few times and not even feel it:

https://www.amazon.com/85980-D5722-Sealed-Battery-UB12350/dp/B001VV0318/ref=pd_bxgy_2/135-2046487-8709925?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B001VV0318&pd_rd_r=f062a34c-263c-11e9-b2b2-83751d0b2340&pd_rd_w=Nxcwh&pd_rd_wg=KqE5I&pf_rd_p=3f9889ac-6c45-46e8-b515-3af650557207&pf_rd_r=KWC3NGMZ50M5TJWJ1STT&psc=1&refRID=KWC3NGMZ50M5TJWJ1STT

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12v car charger that I use with the win2 - works great:

https://www.amazon.com/Charger-Anker-PowerDrive-Adapter-MacBook/dp/B071WYF9HP/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1549038482&sr=8-3&keywords=anker+pd+2+car+charger

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Plenty portable depending on your needs. Its almost as easy as color coding to setup. You can power the win2 and multiple devices if you so choose. Expandable at a later time if you choose with panel and batts. Will fit in any trunk or backseat. Hell it will fit in a big backpack (panel is 21x26). Large enough charge current to top off your battery quick even in partial sun - big enough reserve to keep you going for a couple days easily. This is just an example of an 'easy' bundle if you wanna save some more money I can show places to get these items cheaper.

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If you wanna talk more DIY and are not afraid of LI-ION 18650s you can build you a safe lighter and denser battery for pretty cheap. It would be piecing together a charge controller and panel but I would say stick to 50w range - affordable and covers your power needs even in less than ideal conditions. If you wanna go more expensive but more portable flexible/foldable panels are out there too.

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A battery does not have to be special built just for a CPAP, any battery that provides 12-volts DC will work (which is the same type of power your car battery provides). CPAP specific batteries are a scam. You just need to get the right DC power cord for your machine and hook it up to any 12-volt battery.

Now how many days will you need, and does your battery need to power anything else? Do you need it small enough to be legal to fly with (limit is 100wh (watt-hours) or 160wh depending on your airline).

The smallest and cheapest solution is the Easyacc Portable Power Bank 38000mah rated 144wh and costs $81 $71 (it's dropped in price). It is the size of medium paperback book and about 2lb. It has a built in cigarette outlet, usb ports, and a built in white light plus flashing red emergency light. Using my Dreamstation (without humidifier) it has enough power to give me approx 4.5 8-hour nights. Best of all, it's still under the 160wh limit the FAA has so it's legal to fly. It is also about 50% more capacity of a CPAP specific battery which are typically only 99wh.

Going larger you have the Renogy 222WH Laptop Power Bank or it's bigger brother the 266wh

If you need a built in inverter so you can get normal 120-v AC power (which will drain your battery quickly) something like the Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 240 (which was on a 1-day sale yesterday on Amazon for an amazing low price of $187 but now it's back up to $250), or Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 500

There is also countless other chinese knockoff style power banks available. Most of them will be perfectly fine. The only thing I would stay away from is anything that looks like this because they do not actually have a cigarette outlet (you have to get a barrel to cigarette adapter) and they tend to be actual garbage systems.

The gold standard for battery systems is the Goal Zero Yeti 400 Lithium Portable Power. I happen to also own this and it provides me with enough power for over 11 nights of power on my CPAP and still wasn't completely drained. It also comes in larger sizes. It is the most expensive option but the best designed. Weighs about 11lb, and can be charged pretty much from any solar panel big or small.

Other people will say the best thing to do is buy a lithium mobility scooter battery and build it yourself. Which I feel is only a good answer if you are handy wiring electronics. Some people just want a prebuilt answer.

When the power has gone out on me, I simply wake up, plug in the battery and go back to sleep. You do not normally want to leave your CPAP plugged into the battery and charge it at the same time. If you do and the charger is not isolated from the discharge, the battery will try to draw all the power through the charger, which if it's rated for higher than your usage will be fine, if it's rated lower might overload your charger. Mind you without the humidifier my Dreamstation power draw is at most 5 watts and the smallest battery charger is like 30 watts, but with the humidifier power draw can be 40+ watts, so you want a charger rated for at three times that, which might be too large for most batteries.

A solar powerbank with the panels that you can buy a rifle of some sort. Wool blanket, felling axe and hand saw or electric chainsaw you might need a slightly more expensive powerbank to run something like that tho. Uhhhhh what else. Hell a tv and one of those antennas if you want you got that powerbank. Electric skateboard or electric foldable bike to get to places when youre stranded. One of those SAT packs that go on your phone to allow you to text if you can see the sky.......laser pointers are cool stronger the better just dont blind anyone or yourself or mess with it and cause it to explode in your hand or while charging.........space blankets those are not only good emergency blankets but heat reflectors as well. Have a little stainless steel pot with the little compact butane stove and what not and maybe even something like a smokeless gotham grill if you need to cook something and dont want the smoke to be seen........thermal blankets also hide you from thermal cameras on helicopters and what not if you completely cover yourself. A good compass with a mirror. 3 different fire sources, handful of bic lighters, triple arc rechargable plasma lighter the double arcs are useless for anything besides lighting cigarettes......storm proof matches and a ferro rod. A really good knife thats one thing you really shouldnt be cheap with IMO. Fishing poles and gear...... plenty of chunky soup high protein and peanut butter(lasts really long time iydk” MREs arnt bad mountain house is good. Not many people are but I am a huge fan of freeze dried ice cream. Also I have a lot of almonds and beef jerkey and what not. Oh yea and a pellet rifle 22. Ca spend about 200us that will bag you a lot of small game which would make up a big portion of your diet if it came to that. A recurve bow with all the accouterments would be smart. Seeds lots of seeds I have a lot of somniferum seeds in addition to everything else. Alcohol, def be that guy that has a bottle of whiskey or something around a fire when everyones trying to adjust to all the chaos(drink responsibly) Silver and gold is smart but I wouldnt count too much on it should some biblical calamity happen. Personally I have trinkets, talismans if you will, sterling silver, semi precious stones, small diamonds things like that. Also things like Chick fila bbq sauce and the like will also probably be valuable after not too long but again thats real disaster stuff......hmmm I wouldnt mind having a metal detector and some of these items I suggested should be taken with a grain of salt and obviously you’re going to have to pick and choose but Im just tryna throw some bones here. Maybe a few books, first aid stuff? More morale items? Portable shower, toilet paper, Benadryl, Tylenol, board games, cards? Coffee, tea? Bluetooth mp3 player?

Start with just researching and seeing what is out there. You can add panels later, a decent MPPT will get you closer to the rating of the panel that you have now, and there is a LOT of money to be saved by not buying retail.

Victron makes a number of great MPPT controllers, you don't need a huge one. Here's a decent option for you, the SmartSolar 75/15 with bluetooth.

https://www.amazon.com/Victron-SmartSolar-Charge-Controller-Bluetooth/dp/B075NQQRPD/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524710908&sr=8-1&keywords=victron%2Bmppt&th=1

Some math to consider - and I am going to make several assumptions here, so please adjust accordingly for your situation:
Typical flooded golf cart battery, GC2 is 220 amp-hour at 6V. 2 of them in series gives you a 12V pack at 220 amp-hours, of which 110 is usable for 50% discharge. A total of 1320 watt-hours is available in that setup. Yours may be different if you are using a 12v AGM, but you can figure the ratings and fit them into this.

A 75/15 controller is able to accept up to 75 volts and outputs 15 amps of charging at the battery voltage - So that charge controller would max out with just 180 watts. Two 100 watt panels, since they won't output their actual ratings. Assuming 5 hours of usable sunlight (you should get more, but again, always be conservative) right now you are getting maybe 350 watt-hours in a day... With the Victron 75/15 and two panels, that is more like 900 watts since the controller will stay closer to its limit as the sun provides.

BUT here's the thing about battery charging. The first 80% of charge takes only 20% of the time. The remaining 20% of the charge takes 80% of the time - so your charge controller can't just keep dumping power into the batteries at full throttle all day. It has to taper off, which means lost power if that solar isn't also connected to the RV at the same time so that the fridge can siphon some of those incoming watts.

So the 75/15 may be OK for your needs, I think based on your usage the 75/15 would probably do you just great, and allow some slush capacity for cloudy days - they will still produce, but not as well.

Now, the panels:
https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Monocrystalline-Solar-Panel-Design/dp/B078J42WL7/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1524712012&sr=8-3&keywords=renogy+100+watt+solar+panel
Here's a 100 watt panel, two of these in series gets you about 6.25 amps at 40 volts open circuit (that is the max rating you need to match with a controller) so that will work great with the 75/15. $125 each.

So 2 panels at $125 and one controller (buy that first) at $118... And you are basically done! For FAR less than Canadian Tire (or anywhere else) would charge for one of those "ready to use" kits. They prey on people that don't do what you are doing, asking the questions and doing the research.

They make 12v tvs with built in dvd players. They're a bit cheaply made but they cost less than the inverter.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Naxa-19-LED-TV-DVD-Media-Player-12V-AC-DC-w-Car-Package-Car-Truck-Camper/182500581988/

These are nice and charge fast. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BV1MTAA

And should work fine for your Switch. If the price is a bit much, there are these, which will charge slower:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0082CXEI8

There are these: https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Systems-Volt-Socket/dp/B004XIWF12

Which will allow you to plug in a 12v fan.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Zone-Tech-12V-Oscillating-Fan-Includes-clamp-and-Screws-for-Easy-Attachment-to-either-the-Console-or-Dash/188629593

If it were me I'd replace all your bulbs with LED bulbs, I get mine here: https://www.superbrightleds.com/

That'll greatly reduce your current draw.

I have this solar panel: https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Monocrystalline-Solar-Compact-Design/dp/B07GF5JY35 and this solar controller: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075NQQRPD

For a small system that solar controller can handle both the charging and monitoring the battery. It's also got bluetooth so you can monitor it over time, if you're a big nerd like I am.

I just designed and built the electrical system in my boat so this is all fresh in my mind.

Anything you add, be sure it's properly fused to protect the wire running to the device and that you're using the right size wire. This is the best place I've found to get wire and supplies for that: http://www.genuinedealz.com/

Hope all that helps.

Absolutely. My favorite completely discreet as well as super easy to use/install are the flexible panels I talked about. They are awesome albeit they are long but they can pretty much replace shingles on your house for the most part.

https://www.amazon.com/Unisolar-Flexible-Solar-Panel-Laminate/dp/B006EP6MCU

This is what my friend got originally for his home in georgia and it worked great. In fact it's so hard to notice that when the power company came out to check out why his meter was going backwards sometimes(he had grid-tie) the meter inspector couldn't notice the panels and so just thought the meter was faulty and kept replacing it until he came by when my buddy was home and started talking about solar.

As for making things nice it's really all up to your imagination. Think about anywhere you want or have shade i/e car cover, awning, porch, garden, shed, etc... and just imagine putting up panels instead of regular stuff. It not only does what you wanted but now you're saving money by doing it.

Now tax write offs might not always be applicable for solar projects if you're DIY but a lot of them still are it just depends on which program you're applying for. As long as the products you're purchasing are inspected and the final project is inspected too i/e pay for an electrical inspector to come out and certify it, you should be absolutely good to go. The big things to look out for are fire hazards, wire gauges, pure sine wave if on-grid and synced to grid, and of course fire protection requirements. Just basically don't leave lots of bare wires and allowing water to spill all over it or fling matches all over it and you're good to go.

I think so. Here's a much cheaper and simpler package after tax:

$200 in mounting hardware, glue/sealant and cables.

$3200 for a Goal Zero Yeti 3k that has inverter, charger, monitor, and all the other shit built right in to the box that holds a 3kwh battery (should be plenty) and is completely portable so you can use it wherever and safely keep it outside the bus when not in use. May easily charge it at home or on the road by plugging it into a wall if you drained it and wanna charge it quickly as well, and you can tuck it wherever you like on the bus rather than having a whole closet of components.

$370 for 4x of these wildly popular and over-performing 100w poly panels that punch above their weight.


That's less than $3800 for a package that is gonna charge far faster and allows you to take your power with you. Will also take up far less room in the bus and is extremely easy to "install". Properly bolt the 4 panels to the roof, run the power cable into the cabin, then plug that sucker right in to the yeti. Done. If you really need more power just get another yeti or even a battery expansion pack. Still way cheaper than your deal and will only take an afternoon for you to install, same time you'd spend fucking with your installation guys and driving the bus around.

But honestly, even that's a little rich, before I moved to a yeti for the portability (I use the yeti as a power source for my film equipment which goes everywhere and charge it with the bus panels), I just had an old inverter, a dirt cheap charge controller and about 400ah in lead acid batteries, all of which with 400w in panels cost me less than a thousand bucks installed and worked fine.

10 grand definitely seems too rich imo. I'd pay 5k tops for 4.8kwh of lithium batteries and 340w panels with charging and inverter, which is what you're getting. Mostly because with the yeti I get 3kwh, 400w of panels and a great portable system for less than 4, installed, after tax.

oh boy. I suggest you learn a little about the technology before you go make your purchase, because you're sort of barking up a non existent tree.


For example, a lithium ion power station about the size of a car battery would have about 100,000 mah capacity. To charge a battery this large with a "hand crank" you would have to crank for so many hours you would be cranking longer than the expected lifetime of the bearings and gears in that hand crank. The power generated by such hand cranks is something like 2 watts at best. It's really really pitiful, and after 20 minutes your arms are dead. Basically what I am saying is for any gadget that's powered by something larger than a watch battery, the hand crank is seriously useless.


Luckily, there are many products will serve you well, you're just asking the wrong question. For example this 50,000 mah battery bank is much smaller than a car battery and will still charge a cell phone 10+ times easy. Best part is it has high voltage outputs for laptops all the way up to 100v AC for things like lamps. Also it's compatible with solar chargers. And there are many products like this out there. Larger ones can daisy chain with deep cycle lead acid marine batteries for a cheap way to increase capacity.


I'm sure you;ll find something good but forget about hand crank lmfao.

You need to stay within the amperage limitations of your wiring and charge controller.

For instance, this is a good charge controller that can do 75v and 15 amps, so in theory you would think it could do 1125 watts. But that's not the way it works. You need to keep peak voltage and amperage under 100/15, and load voltage and amperage will be a good bit less.

You could run three 300w panels like this in parallel with a charge controller that can handle 40v 30 amps, or you could run the same panels in series with a charge controller that can handle 120v 10 amps. The wiring needs to handle the amperage, so much smaller wiring would be needed for the latter.

If you did more, smaller panels, like six 150w panels, you could do a series/parallel combination for something like 80v at 15-20 amps. That would go very nicely with this charge controller.

And then there's the decision of how likely you are to want to expand the system and if you should buy equipment that can handle more panels.

Create a short list of your preferred charge controllers and their capacities, then start shopping for panels and do the quick math. If the panels were the same dollar-per-watt I would probably do six 150w in series/parallel with the controller I mentioned above. If you think it's likely you may expand capacity, I would go with three 300w panels in parallel with this controller, then you could add 6 more of the same (2700w total) in series/parallel without changing your charge controller or wiring.

Hmm.. I'm not familiar with Boosted boards, but I know for the OneWheel XRs that can't do the "CnR" either use a portable power generator like this one

https://www.amazon.com/Rockpals-Portable-Generator-Flashlight-Emergency/dp/B07FFNTGZ6/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1540839497&sr=8-9&keywords=portable+power+300w

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or they make a Charge and Ride setup with the third pin connected so they can't charge while on the move, but still can charge with the eBay batteries sitting down. The good thing about this setup is that you can control the amperage for charging. In the case of OneWheels, they can handle safely to charge around 5 amps. That charges really really quick so even just sitting and waiting for it to charge isn't too bad. It does, however, affect the battery's long-term condition and whatnot so there are trade-offs.

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You might be able to solder in a whatever cable the Boosted board uses to charge and pretty much do the same setup. Just have to make sure what voltage and amperage you need to be at and put it to that setting. That said, this is just speculation because I haven't even touched boosted boards before so you're probably going to have to do some research if that would work or not.

Thanks for taking time to reply. My goal was not to have to mess with solar since my cabin sits in the middle of some pretty dense trees and I've never gotten good direct sunlight. I was hoping for a clean and quiet way to plug in at night and get 3-4 hours of light and maybe enough time to watch a movie off a USB stick.

The idea of charging a small 15lb battery during the week at home and plugging in when I showed up at the cabin vs lugging the 100lb gas generator was really appealing. The gas generator has worked fine but it's just so loud and it sits outside the bedroom window so I worry about even cracking that window in the summer to avoid exhaust.

The lights are off all day as everything else (speakers and phones I charge at home or have simple Anker power bricks) and the cabin is all windows so light isn't an issue until it gets dark. I just need 4 hours of LED lights and 2 hours of LED TV to make me happy.

If the wiring is 110V then it sounds like I'm not going to lose a bunch of efficiency to wire resistance? Are watt-hours the right way to look at this regardless of voltage? I get confused trying to understand if watt-hours are standard regardless of 110v, 12v, or 3.7v systems pulling current. Sorry for the newb questions but the online literature seems really inconsistent in the explanations.

Knowing that any power tools or air conditioner I wanted to run would need the extra juice from the gas generator, would a solution like this or even as small as this get me a couple lights at night and maybe enough power to get through a 2 hour movie off a USB stick in a TV?

If there's a crash course read on this please send it my way, I've been looking for a simple explanation.

I appreciate the help from everyone here. Thanks!

After considering our discussion on this I can tell you for sure what I would do if I were in your situation. Since you already have a solar system in place and not starting from scratch you will need a DC-DC switching power supply to replace the AC inverter. I still have never seen one for sale that is suitable for mining so I would build my own to run a single ant s9 based on the design I have tested extensively running 2 ant s5. The design to run 2 s5 is pulling about 700 watts so we need to scale that up to do about 1400 watts. To get right to it these are the parts you'll need, I'll explain in a bit how it will need to be put together and how I came to this design in the first place. After I get all that out I will try to answer some of the other questions folks have about a fully stand alone system. For your needs you will only need the DC power supply/switch/regulator.

2 of these (note it's a 5 pack so you'll be getting 10 relays total. 8 will be used) about $28
https://www.amazon.com/Pack-EPAuto-Relay-Harness-Bosch/dp/B017VDI0GY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468169603&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=12v+relay&psc=1

1 of these about $70
https://www.amazon.com/Tracer-Tracer1210RN-Charge-Controller-Regulator/dp/B008KWPGS6/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1468170133&sr=8-5&keywords=mppt+charge+controller

10 of these about $200
https://www.amazon.com/Nextrox-Converter-Regulator-Step-Down/dp/B00BWKXTUU/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1468169653&sr=8-11&keywords=12v+voltage+regulator

Those three items are an mppt charge controller that will be used to control the relays. The 12v relays which will allow you to safely control the power switching and voltage regulators to make sure the power stays clean so as not to damage your gear.

Here's how it goes together, note that all regulators and relays will be hooked in parallel to allow us to get to the desired total amperage;

• DC 12 volt power bus (battery main) gets hooked to the charge controller, powering it up in the 12v range.
  
• Negative bus lead connects to the regulator negative.
  -Positive bus lead connects to relay pass in
  
• Relay pass out 12v positive lead connects to regulator positive.
  
• Relay 'activate power' leads get connected to 'lamp controller' on charge controller.
  
• Regulator positive and negative out connect to miner power cables (pci-e)
  
  Once this is connected as such pressing the orange button on the charge controller front panel will activate the relays allowing power to flow to the regulators which will then even it out and pass it to a secondary bus which will then have the miner power cables hooked to it and power the miners.
  
  By using the lamp controller feature of the charge controller you get low voltage protection. If the batteries get low (even though sounds like you won't have much of a problem with that) the lamp controller will power down the relays and therefore stop the miners. It will automatically reconnect when the battery charge comes back up to safe level.
  
  The idea is to have all this in a box with cooling fans (12v dc case fans) and size it to power a single miner. This box of parts gives you about a 15% efficiency boost over using a big inverter. The cost of an inverter to do this is about $2000, my solution costs about $300, thus dramatically reducing total system costs and allowing a modular approach that will scale while limiting down time due to equipment failure.

I want the cheapest, lightest, smallest, best way to get 3 amps at 12 volts 24 hours a day for 7 days straight at 47 degrees latitude in the summer in the US. How would I do it?

My thinking is 100watt panel at $150 I kind of like the flexible for my application, and lighter is better here:

https://www.amazon.com/DOKIO-Monocrystalline-Flexible-Lightweight-Irregular/dp/B074G1CN6N/ref=sr_1_10?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1525191310&sr=1-10&keywords=100+watt+solar+panel


This could work, but the metal and glass and weight will be harder to mount: https://www.amazon.com/Newpowa-Polycrystalline-Efficiency-Module-Marine/dp/B00L6LZRXM/ref=sr_1_7?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1525191310&sr=1-7&keywords=100+watt+solar+panel

A second panel, esp. flexible is not out of the question.

A mppt controller at $100 I'd like the controller to have the possiblity of a second panel.

Can I get away with one of these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071ZVD7R5/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B071ZVD7R5&pd_rd_wg=TpZ8s&pd_rd_r=3NBQTEN5HQV42CS632RT&pd_rd_w=nuxLH

Or is something like this better: www.amazon.com/HQST-MPPT-Solar-Charge-Controller/dp/B01B28DBX6/ref=sr_1_11?s

How close can you run the controller to the limit, is a 20amp controller good for 200watts of panels, or is it better to not be so close and go to 30amp?


A 4x10 amp hour 12v in parallel, LiFeP04 bank at $500 (battery might be a bit small, but 3 amp constant might be a bit exaggerated and a dark period might be ok)

https://bmsbattery.com/ebike-battery/652-12v-10ah-38120s-lifepo4-battery-4-cells-ebike-battery-pack-battery.html 17lbs


SLA could work probably x2 www.amazon.com/HQST-MPPT-Solar-Charge-Controller/dp/B01B28DBX6/ref=sr_1_11?s Can you run the SLA as far down as a LiFEPO4? 3x the weight, but 1/3 the cost. How does the life compare?


Am I thinking wrong, or missing something significant other than wires and connectors?

Are their controller considerations if looking at LiFEPO4 vs. SLA?

>This is the most ridiculous argument I’ve ever heard.

57% of US Greenhouse emissions come from transportation and electricity. Both you can absolutely change yourself. Nothing is stopping you from buying an EV and solar panels with a storage system. And in fact it is cheaper to do so now.

Lets focus on electricity, the average daily electricity consumption of a US residential utility customer is 10 kWh. (Which is very high, but whatever) that means that in a year it will be 3650 kWh. If we price it at 13 cents per kWh that's 475 USD per year. Or a total of 38K USD in 80 years (average lifetime of american).

A 5KW solar panel array will cost you 4.1K USD, in a good day it will produce about 25 kWh. Those will last 25 years. (they will still work after 25 years, just that their output drops about 1% each year).

A 10KWh lifepo4 battery will cost you 4.8K USD. This one will give you 10 000 charge cycles with a 65% DoD (that is about 6.5 kWh each night from the battery), 10 000 charge cycles is 27 years. In reality it might last longer because I don't think you're going to pull more than 6kWh each night out of the battery.

The reason why the battery is 10 kWh and the array produces 25 kWh is because it is an off grid system, so you need the extra to get by during cloudy days and the extra size of the battery helps with the cycle life. If you're going to be on a grid tie system you don't need the battery, and the array can be much smaller.

Giving that the average american lives about 80 years, that means that the battery and panels would have to be replace 3 times (in reality you don't really have to replace it all, those products will still work after 25 years, just that their output power and capacity wont be the same).

Either way, multiplying the total of the panels and battery (8.9K USD) by 3 gives 26.7K USD. 30% less of what you would otherwise pay on electricity with the somewhat overkill conditions I used. And of course you don't have to go and dump 8.9K USD at once, you can start with a small system that can be expanded in the future.

And I haven't touch wind power, microwind turbines are cheaper than solar panels and don't need as much battery storage. If you live in an area with average wind speeds over 8mph they are absolutely worth it.

Edit: Just in case, I know I didn't add the cost of the inverter and the solar controller, those two don't have that much of an impact in the total either way.

Worth noting that even though a grid tie system sounds better than an off grid one, it's got several issues, at large scale it isn't easy to implement because the utility company will have to deal administrating the extra production of the solar panels (which doesn't match with the peak hours of demand), also if the grid goes down you can't get power out of the panels as well. It all goes down. And finally you might end up paying back to the electric company because they usually pay you less for the kWh that you produce, as well charge you more in peak hours.

Edit2. The batteries as well can be gotten way cheaper by buying them used, there are lots of those. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L43bArxyszU

Edit3: Here are the panels and batteries that I used for my calculations.

https://www.amazon.com/Richsolar-Polycrystalline-Efficiency-Module-Marine/dp/B07DNP14JY/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=100W+rich+solar&qid=1565595960&s=gateway&sr=8-3

(50 of those for a 5KW array).

Battery: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PV5FCYX/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_pMruDb244PVQ

12.8V 100AH (1.28 kWh) 600$. (8 of those for 10 kWh). Need BMS.

I also realized of an error in the calculations and the total of the panels is way less, either way even with the mistake it was 10% cheaper than the grid.

BTW, for anyone wanting to do something like this, the technology is there. For example, these:

https://www.amazon.com/DOKIO-Foldable-Monocrystalline-Inverter-Controller/dp/B075SZMFP2

are foldable. You could have 8-9 in the trunk and an inverter and do real level 1 charging. If you really wanted to get crazy, fold down the rear seats and put something like 50 or 60 of these in:

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Extremely-Flexible-Monocrystalline-Solar/dp/B079HJQBVW

You'd be able to do something like level 2 charging.

Both of these would require inverters and possibly even some kind of battery buffer to keep the Tesla happy when things are cloudy. I would expect lots of issues as this isn't anyone's primary use case.

The thing that amazes me are that panels like this exist and don't cost all that much (historically speaking). The idea of carrying around 8kw worth of panels in a small car would have been laughable just a few years ago.

Usually they'll have one of those small honda generators. They're really quiet. You're not supposed to have generators in GA, IIRC, but lol rules. They're hot items for theft too, so be careful.

Alternatively, I've seen people use the power packs like for car emergencies that have the regular plug outlets. They'll die pretty quickly with continuous use, so sometimes people bring a fee, but they're easily $100 each(example: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FYJVFNK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_LemSCb8F83D33) . They take forever to recharge, so it's not likely you'll be able to do it at the park. Or you can get this beast: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0196GQAKM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_1bmSCbK96YA6M

The real LPT is engineering a deep cycle battery into a custom made box. Like this: https://www.arkportablepower.com/blogs/news/48712645-cool-diy-battery-box-on-reddit

Most these crews have this stuff laying around from hunting/camping/fishing/etc. So the investment curve is steep for strictly festivals.

Okay u/DeviatusPod, from the top review on Amazon it looks like that device is happiest at 9v.

You can use a 9v rechargeable battery pack like this. Then you’ll need a male to male adapter like this.

USB doesn’t put out enough voltage.

How long are you leaving it on at a time?

I think this is super cool.

Spendy, but safer:

http://www.optimabatteries.com/en-us/shop/bluetop/bluetop-group-31-dual-purpose-deep-cycle-and-starting/

Maybe you could stick one of these on the top roof. I like how inconspicuous the rig looks. I'd only worry about peal-off in the wind.

http://www.amazon.com/Unisolar-Flexible-Solar-Panel-Laminate/dp/B006EP6MCU

I didn't see a battery disconnect (aka camper diode aka battery isolator) either (maybe you didn't mention it), but if you run down the rear battery, make sure it doesn't run down the car battery too, thus leaving you stranded. It allows you to recharge via the car battery too. Like a one way valve to protect the truck's battery from accidental discharge.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/NOCO-5-x-4-5-x-3-5-in-90-Amp-high-performance-12-48-VDC-gray-battery-isolator/_/N-25wr?itemIdentifier=1333_0_0_

not sure what the recharge rate is but i would imagine unless your directly tethering to the terminals then you would be limited to the fuse amperage, typically like 15 amps on a cigarette plug i think?


back on the main topic, maybe something in this article might help? https://teslatap.com/articles/12-volt-battery-compendium/ they dont mention exact rates that i saw but it says "

>The Gen 2 DC-DC converter in the refreshed Model S accepts 220 to 430 VDC at 15 amps, and outputs 9 to 16 VDC. When outputting 12 VDC, it can deliver about 200 amps.
>
>The Model 3 integrates the charger and the DC-DC converter into a single package, the PCS (Power Conversion System)

​

IMHO i would just invest in one of those Portable power stations from the likes of Jackery, Anker or Goal Zero especially seeing as how the replacement battery is going for about $500 on Amazon.

Any decent solar charge controller should have a low voltage cutoff if you run the load through it. The super cheap PWM ones might be configurable, but spending $120 for one like this was a reasonable investment for me:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075NQQRPD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There are obviously others out there that might fit your needs better, but I went with this one because you can use to view exactly what is happening with your system using an app on your phone. You can also set cutoff voltages to whatever you want.

I would have to have my car running or my battery would die but yes that could work as well!

I've used portable generators in the past and they work totally fine, I was looking for something that can be solar powered and self contained without running extension cords or needing other gear.

I settled on the batteries and this additional power bank for my mixer which I also use to solar charge the batteries.

https://www.amazon.com/Rockpals-Portable-Generator-Flashlight-Emergency/dp/B07FFNTGZ6/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?keywords=300+power+bank&qid=1569724825&sr=8-5

So everything you see is solar powered and self contained, which I prefer, but you are 100% right there are other ways to do it.

Perhaps the best way would be 2x the rockpals which provide 3x 12v DC each, and can be directly solar powered. It just won't fit in my case.

Not quite sure how large of an area you need to cover, nor how loud you need it to be, but... I would recommend:

Westinghouse 2200-watt inverter generator

https://www.amazon.com/Westinghouse-iGen2200-Portable-Inverter-Generator/dp/B01MUP6L1U

This is really a bit of overkill, but it's the smallest, quietest portable generator that you can get that will be reliable and rock solid. The bonus: you could use it to power a crockpot, some lighting, fans, etc., at your tailgate.

​

For speakers, any old powered speaker will work.

On the cheap: Behringer EuroLive

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002C4QWXQ/ref=psdc_11975001_t1_B001XWD3LC

Or, a lot nicer: Yamaha DBR12

https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-DBR-Powered-Speaker-Cabinet/dp/B00NIS8IZ0

​

Don't forget to purchase some stands!

​

Either of those speakers will consume around 120-watts each at full-tilt-boogie-annoyingly-loud levels. So, you'll have tons of extra power available with that generator.

https://www.amazon.com/Newpowa-Polycrystalline-Efficiency-Module-Marine/dp/B00L6LZRXM?psc=1&SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-iphone-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00L6LZRXM
I have 4 of these that I can place out to power this bad boy: https://www.thereadystore.com/inergy-kodiak-battery. It’s expensive but it will last a life time and is super light. (20 lbs). Around Black Friday you can usually get all of it for about a grand, and never worry about power again.

For camping I use: https://www.amazon.com/25000mAh-Hiluckey-Compatible-Smartphones-Waterproof/dp/B07FMFGGNR/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?keywords=portable+solar+power&qid=1555207794&s=gateway&sr=8-5

You're most welcome! I bought the following:

4x100W Panels

Panel Mounting

Solar Panel Connectors

Tool Crimper

Assembly Tool

Panel Connectors

Power Information

CTEK Charger

CTEK SmartPass

200ah AMG Battery

Fuse Block

300W Pure Sine Wave Inverter

LED Strip

Dometic 35 Fridge


I bought all these items with research into my solar needs and following the advice from here in the vandwelling subreddit and also information I gathered from Amazon. I am probably doing a bit of overkill on my solar setup but I thankfully have the money to do it and don't want to mess with adding anything later.

I will have to do research myself on how to combine the four panels into the battery but that will be a few weeks away so I haven't done much in that area. I do plan to buy 10GA wire from Lowes and use the crimping tool and connectors to form my own wiring harness so it will be clean looking. \

EDIT: Adding info.

Awesome! Thank you so much!

Amazon is selling a great [kit] (https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Watt-Polycrystalline-Solar-Starter/dp/B00DCDZOI0/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=50w%2Bsolar%2Bpanel&qid=1549817864&s=gateway&sr=8-6&th=1)

true looks like almost a $120 difference.. damn

PWM

vs.

MPPT

edit: any thoughts on this one? sounds pretty great for a 200W setup.

I've never used them, but Flycrates says they will ship to places that Amazon sellers won't. According to this page, the main problems are extra shipping costs, customs forms, and import duties that have to be paid. Flycrates will supposedly do that for you and let you know what import duties will need to be paid up front.

AllPowers makes a flexible 100w solar panel that sells on Amazon, and there are other companies that also sell flexible panels.

I purchased an AllPowers flexible+foldable 80w solar charger panel and a Suaoki 150Wh Solar Generator (lithium battery+inverter) for camping, and it's worked well. It will run a few lights and power a laptop. I did have to custom-make the connector cable between them to charge the Suaoki, however.

Hope that helps!

I designed this kit about 15yrs ago when I worked at Unisolar. (I am a little surprised there are still some available.) It was designed for RV's, but could be used for a tractor trailor.

They could be stick them on top of the trailor. From it you could probably power a small living space and maybe a small refrigerator which would save the cost of idling overnight. The advantage of this product is that it won't break if a rock hits it and don't have to worry about wind uplifting a glass panel.

128W is probably too small, but there are a few kits available !?!

http://www.amazon.com/Unisolar-Flexible-Solar-Panel-Laminate/dp/B006EP6MCU

I'd consider looking into the Goal zero Yeti line of portable battery/power stations, which have built in inverters for hooking up to solar.

They can charge up either via the wall or from a solar panel. They're pricey, usually $500+ but you have the flexibility of a standard wall charger or solar out that, so if it's a sunny day and you need to run this all day you can hook it up to solar.

https://www.amazon.com/Goal-Zero-400-Rechargeable-Generator/dp/B06WVDG9BS?ref=ast_p_ep

They range in price from like $200 (low power) up to $2000+ (high power, used in construction applications, can power fridges, etc).

Yes. Jackery has solutions for this that people have posted great results with. both 12v and 110v capable, both are commonly used for pellet grills while camping/traveling.

Jackery Explorer 240

Jackery Explorer 500

Hopefully this is the right place. I'm working on wiring my camper and have this 225Wh, LiFePO4 battery pack. I would like to pair it with something like this, a preferably flexible 100w panel. The only way to charge the battery pack is via a 15V 4A wall charger. My battery pack is made to charge via solar, albeit with their proprietary panels. I would have contacted the manufacturer about what peripherals I need to get and ask them if/how I could use 3rd party panels, but the company has gone out of business. My question is, can I buy this solar panel, splice a DC charger tip on to it and charge my battery? Or am I missing some critical steps? I believe the battery pack has a built in charge controller, but I'm not sure. Any help would be awesome. Thanks!

When I say repeater, I don't mean something you install. I mean something portable you take with you when you go there, and take away when you leave.

For example, start with a little cooler like this one. Two small 12v batteries (like from a motorcycle) go in the base, wired in series. That gives you 24v power.

From that you can run a NanoStation M series device as the uplink back to your home, and a UAP-AC-Lite as the local access point. Wiring is super simple as the NanoStation M (as long as it's not a Loco) has two Ethernet ports, the second one will (if you tell it to) passthru the PoE. So you use a hacked up cable to feed the NanoStation, and a standard Ethernet cable from the NanoStation's secondary port straight to the UAP-AC-Lite. Use some Velcro ties to attach both units to the top of the cooler handle, put the batteries in the bottom, and you're good to go.

Actually, both the NanoStation M and the UAP-AC-Lite should (according to posts by UBNT employees on their own forum) run on 12v or thereabouts. So a single smaller 12v battery or a lithium pack like this one should power the NanoStation and the UAP-AC-Lite for at least a couple hours.

There won’t be anything off the shelf designed for the Pak Dock that will do this, but it’s likely a 12v or 24v device so powering it from a battery pack shouldn’t be a huge deal.

Look at the power adapter to find the required wattage / amperage first. It should be clearly labeled as to what it’s output is - then you’re basically just looking for a battery pack(s) that will keep it running during offloads.

Beyond that it’s just doing some research on the correct size cable. Likely a 5.5mm barrel on the reader side, and whatever the battery pack wants on the other side.

There are a variety of lithium ion battery packs on the market now so you just need to find one that pushes the correct wattage & amperage - and with adequate amp hours to run as long as you need.

If the amperage is low enough, you could probably power it with one of those li-on battery packs for charging cell phones - 5.5mm barrel plug on one side and USB A on the other side. (Just one possible option - do your research).

There is also the nuclear option, which would be something like this that can give you AC power on the go. That’s be overkill for just your dock, but it could also keep your laptop battery topped off so there’s that.

I'd suggest you make this... it is pretty simple. Off the shelf, the Solar Gens are going to break your budget quick and then no money left for solar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-o9XSAfXTw Here's a good DIY. You don't have to have the lcd monitor.

The hardest part is predicting how much power you will need out there. Charging a phone is trivial, but lights can pull big power quick. So you'll need to figure out the lowest wattage you can run... 15watts * 6 hours/night * 5 days = 450Wh, so you'd need something like a 12v 35Ah battery if you don't have solar. BUT if you can get down to 5watts, you only need a 12Ah battery which is MUCH lighter.

So simplest would be a battery, ammo can, and a USB/12v with switch. (This would be like $70 battery, $20 for usb/switch, $12 ammo can)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07S2V5GB9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you want to charge with solar, you need a charge controller and panel. (Add to above $15 controller and $100-200 for solar panels)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XWTKYDC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I am in the process of finishing mine now and have elected to just use an external inverter for the off chance I need 120v.

Thanks for the responses.. I have ensured that the positive and negative are aligned the same between the lamps. I've connected to each with in sequence terminating at the controller.

This was my first attempt with a solar panel (20W).. Bought this : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XWTKYDC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

I see now that I should have purchased on with a variable load output. Any suggestions?

I would this work? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G4ZWX3F/ref=twister_B07JW87L4G?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

​

Again thanks for the help.

Most likely scenario but I'd still feel better if an electrician came and checked it out. It worries me because I'm trying to figure out why they have an RV outlet there instead of the much safer Inlet so if someone accidentally pulls the cord while the generator is running, the male ends don't short out or cause a shock. I hope the transfer switch is not rigged to to be energized (for his RV) when back on the grid. Maybe worth an hour of an electrician's time to come see it.

OP could also use the Viltrox with an AC adapter to run on a power bank with an AC outlet like this one. The 24,000 mAh one would probably run a Viltrox for 10 hours, and the 40,200 mAh version would almost certainly well exceed that.

EDIT: Based on reviews, this one would probably be better.

Well that makes it easy. There aren't any batteries that can do it with USB alone, so you need to find ones with AC outlets so you can use the system AC adapter. And probably another one for the projectors power too. Which leaves you with a very small list.

This is probably your best option imuto 50k mAh.

Do note that none of those can legally be taken on planes. Anything with two AC outlets is likely way over the 100watt hour maximum.

Thanks for the reply. Here's what I've planned to purchase, although your 1st comment shows I don't fully understand all this yet... so perhaps this may not be the purchase:

Kit: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00DCDZOI0/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_6SXbvb0S8AR8D

Battery: http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/6v-renewable-energy-deep-cycle-battery-0102010p.html#.VQhCFNLF_AQ

Inverter:
http://www.amazon.ca/emergency-appliances-converters-generator-MRI10011-1/dp/B007SLDDHQ

My thoughts on the 1000w inverter is for as much power as possible, if there were ever a black out in the area. At least this is how I understood what I was reading. Can you shed some light on why this makes no sense with a 50w panel? Should a 50w panel only be paired with a certain inverter?

Thanks for the clarification on the excess power!

I found this one https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FYJVFNK that uses ~40% of the battery life a night (personal test) for my ResMed Mini. I'll have a solar panel with me to recharge it though. It sounds like the people at the medical tent are super helpful so I'm also toying with the idea of seeing if they'll let me drop it off for a recharge from a 110v outlet.

I went with two 100 watt polycrystaline panels from Rich Solar. Around $165 for the bundle.
https://www.amazon.com/Richsolar-Polycrystalline-Efficiency-Module-Marine/dp/B07DNP14JY?psc=1&SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-fpas-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B07DNP14JY&th=1

Chose these after watching a video review by Will Prowse: https://youtu.be/k8hYSGI5hiU

Mainly picked these over the Renogy because I have a plug and play battery unit. Otherwise, I probably would have taken advantage of Renogy's bundles with a charge controller and mounting accessories.

Realistically, the solar panels you can attach to your backpack while hiking through a forest, no.

The easiest solution is to find lower power electronics that will do whatever you need. If you really need a lot of solar power, I'd recommend getting one or more of the biggest folding panel you can, like this, and planning a long siesta in your hiking schedule where you'll find a place to position them optimally for a few hours.

In doing some more research I'm surprised how small and quiet some of these generators are now. I wonder whether 52db would get you noticed/towed while parked at a curb or a Walmart. I'd have to have some sort of enclosure to secure it safely outside the van, perhaps a trailer hitch box or roof mount. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MUP6L1U?aaxitk=ZO8kGskxjxEdmg9227FzWw

I bought a battery for mine. Haven't tested how long I can go with it, but worked great,

TalentCell Rechargeable 72W 100WH 12V/8300mAh 9V/11000mAh 5V/20000mAh DC, Portable Li-ion Power Bank, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01337QXMA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_KTp2CbN4HBRDA

I wouldn't go solar for such small usage. What you're really after is a big battery pack that you can recharge via the cars alternator during the day (or at least top up during the day, when it gets large enough it takes hours to pump charge into a big unit).

But something like this (just the first hit off Amazon, not necessary exactly this): https://www.amazon.com/50000mAh-Portable-Generator-Rechargeable-Notebook/dp/B06XBPQKTR or maybe this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075FRY9G2 which seems to have 115 volt outlets right on the unit.

Adding a solar panel is also an option, you don't have to buy everything at once. But specifically for driving on a daily basis and needing power at the end of the day and during the night, all you need is energy storage.

fwiw this is what I grabbed. https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01M5DCPKD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It pushes a good 2A on the usb in overcast but not dark enough to rain weather in the first week of may. Overpriced but folds neatly in to a box. Yup, when it comes to solar, panel size matters. ie., you always want a bigger panel.

Late Edit: Just adding. An inexpensive/cheap charge controller so you don't over charge lead-acid. https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07GRZ8VHL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!

Here are your smile-ified links:

this

---

Never forget to smile again | ^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly bot

I really like the new Victrons. Blazing fast mppt. And you can add bluetooth monitoring/programming. Which is really nice.
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7. 100' Black bulk #10 Copper PV wire - archive.org, [megalodon.jp*](http://megalodon.jp/pc/get_simple/decide?url=https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IIXJF6G/ "could not auto-archive; click to resubmit it!"), archive.is
   
   
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You could likely consume less than you think. When I installed my mechanical interlock and power inlet I also installed a pair of these. They allow me to measure the power being consumed in realtime. When I powered it up the first time I was amazed at how little I actually consumed, so I kept turning on circuits until they were all on. In the winter with all zones heating, the lights all on, and the well pump running I didn't come close to topping out my 7k/9k generator. In the summer with 6 window AC units it gets sketchy if the well pump comes on, but still within the 7k limit. This is a big house. Now COULD it exceed it, sure. If all the ACs were to start their compressors at the same time and the well pump was running and the garage compressor is running I am sure the breaker would pop. It hasn't happened though. I turn off the mains and all circuits, move the interlock, bring on the generator circuit, make sure the voltage and frequency are stabile, then I bring each circuit on line and watch the power levels until they stabilize then add on until they are all running. I assumed I would eventually upgrade, but I doubt I am ever going to.

​

I prepared for this though. Find your electrical waste and get rid of it first, it saves you fuel in an emergency and money everytime else. Every bulb has been replaced with high efficiency LED. My heat is oil fired hydronic. All my stoves are LP.

You could easily fit 300w of folding panels in the car...

https://www.amazon.com/DOKIO-Foldable-Monocrystalline-Inverter-Controller/dp/B075SZMFP2

But keep in mind you don't have to charge the whole battery. So, if you have 400 watts of solar, which is easy to haul in the back with $100 flexible solar panels from Amazon, assuming you get 10 hours or sun each day for 2 days, you very roughly end up with 31 miles of range using the Tesla miles per Kw efficiency ratio of 3.9 miles to kWh (assuming I did my math right).

Not quite what you get out of a jerry can (5 gallons), but if you carry the same weight in solar panels - 5Ga Jerry can of gas holds roughly 30lbs of gasoline, 2lbs/100 Wh for Allpower flexibles, so (1500 W/h 10hrs) 2 = 3000 Wh), which over the course of a weekend gets you roughly 117 miles.

That said, solar panels don't leak, don't build up parafin, and don't explode if they get too hot.

I just bought a new generator today and I didn't even know!

Maybe I should go get it a buddy and a parallel cable.

If you're looking for a gennie, can't recommend the Westinghouse iGen2200 Super Quiet Portable enough.

https://www.amazon.com/Westinghouse-iGen2200-Portable-Inverter-Generator/dp/B01MUP6L1U/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Don't get one of those old fashioned giant things. Too big, too immobile, too loud, too gas guzzling.

I'm handicapped by only knowing English, but that device appears to be the correct item. Is that the same as this? If so, it's the right item.

P.S. I agree with pyromaster114 about the sizing of the system.

I will say that if you DO spring to buy lithium batteries, you get more wiggle room about draining your batteries. If you get to 0% they just turn off, so it's much easier to buy two and then say "nope, they aren't enough" and then just pop another one in.

Also, you mentioned that you don't have enough space on the roof for panels - have you looked into the flexible ones? Something like this. https://www.amazon.ca/ALLPOWERS-Lightweight-Flexible-Connector-Compatibility/dp/B07195WHHX/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=flexible+solar&qid=1563121815&s=gateway&sr=8-1

200w I don't think is quite enough, but 300 is getting there.

That's good! L14-30 I am guessing? You will want one of these or an equivalent from a competetir. Depending on how far your run is, you're probably going to want to use 10AWG wire. If the wire is going to be exposed outside your house at all, you'll need either conduit or wire rated for outdoor (probably UF-B to account for sun and water). If the box will just be mounted on the side of your house, romex should do you.

Thing is, manufacturers only give their lowest prices to large quantity buyers. Your best bet would be buying those brands off amazon or ebay. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DNP14JY/

Here's a quick one - RichSolar 100 Polycrystalline Solar Panel. I've been using this when camping to charge devices (6-8 people, one of whom uses a CPAP and needs power, plus several cell phones and tablets). So far, it's worked well. But, it's a big, glass panel. I suggest spending a little more to get a flexible monocrystalline instead.

Just found that these Victron MPPT solar charge controllers have a lithium charge profile you can select: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U3MK0CI/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_awdo_x_ClVtybFR6JJ4Y

Still wondering if there is some elegant way to tie in alternator charging

Maybe this one would help you out?

Also if you got $265 to spare order one of these, it will help powering smaller items and batteries, and this is relatively portable.


https://www.amazon.com/DOKIO-Foldable-Monocrystalline-Inverter-Controller/dp/B075SZMFP2/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=DOKIO+200+Watts+12+Volts+Monocrystalline+Foldable+Solar+Panel+with+Solar+Charger+Controller&qid=1555789816&s=lawn-garden&sr=1-1-fkmrnull

I've loved using these TalentCell power banks. Camera runs for a 6-8hr shoot on one.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016BJCRUO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01337QXMA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Just need to get inventive with the rigging. I use a clamp meant to hold a camera to a rod/pole:

https://www.amazon.com/UTEBIT-Adjustable-Adapter-Aluminum-Photography/dp/B06XNQ8G77/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=clamp+mount+camera+pole&qid=1568172379&s=electronics&sr=1-9

Do you have any recommendations? I recall seeing someone using something like this in a previous build. Would I have any issues powering both the amp and bluetooth receiver off one of those?

Are you within the Amazon return window? Send it back.

​

That is almost certainly not a real MPPT charge controller, and it is way overpriced for what it is. The "PV Off" setting is where charging stops and the battery goes into float. A single setting is not enough, with this controller you will always undercharge and eventually ruin the battery prematurely.

​

A proper charge controller (MPPT or PWM) allows you to set a level for Bulk charge (i.e. approximately 80% charged), Absorption charge (the remaining 20% to full) and Float charge (trickle charge once full).

​

If you are on a budget, on the cheaper side get Epever or Renogy. This 30A Epever is a proper MPPT controller and is more than enough charge controller for your setup (with a 30Amp MPPT you can go up to ~400W of solar if you are charging a 12V batttery system).

https://www.amazon.com/EPever-Controller-Tracer3210AN-Charging-Regulator/dp/B07BHKJSFN/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=epever+tracer+40a&qid=1562524137&s=gateway&sr=8-8

​

With a 100W panel you don't need a 40Amp controller, or even a 30Amp controller. A 100 watt, 12V nominal panel (i.e. 18-20V PV) will produce around 5.5 amps, and a real MPPT controller might raise that to 7 amps charge to the batteries. This 15A Victron controller is vastly superior and can handle up to 200 watt solar when charging 12V batteries.

https://www.amazon.com/Victron-BlueSolar-MPPT-Charge-Controller/dp/B00U3MK0CI/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=victron+75%2F15&qid=1562524536&s=gateway&sr=8-4

What do you think about this?

https://www.amazon.com/ROCKPALS-Portable-Generator-Flashlight-Emergency/dp/B07FFNTGZ6/ref=dp_ob_title_garden

My goal is to run a macbook pro 15" each day for about ~5 hours. This particular device claims it can recharge a laptop 5 times which, starting from a full charge and lasting about 45 min per charge should be something like 4.5hrs of use.

Do you have any experience with these kinds of portable battery systems?

I recommend he buy an Goal Zero Yeti portable battery and a 12v kettle for his MRE's. He can use the Yeti to run the kettle and charge everything at once as it has USB's and a wall outlet 110v and a 12v car outlet. It even has a solar panel input you can plug a solar panel into. https://www.amazon.com/Goal-Zero-400-Rechargeable-Generator/dp/B06WVDG9BS

Here is a 12v kettle he can use so it takes less electricity than a regular one.

https://www.amazon.com/ALEKO-CARKT12V-Portable-Electric-Appliance/dp/B01NAPVLFI/

Would something like this work? https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06XBPQKTR/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503131685&sr=8-1-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=power+station&psc=1

I’d look into the GoalZero products. We use a Yeti 400 battery for our off grid yurt (https://amzn.to/2IAk0YV), along with 180W of solar to charge it. It takes around 6 hours of direct sun to charge, it seems. If you’re in AK or Canada in summer, sun obviously isn’t hard to come by.

I think our battery is 33ah, so if you’re trying to do big watt draws like a karaoke machine you might want one of their bigger batteries. We only use the 400 to run LED lights and charge computers.

The up front cost might seem intimidating, but it’s lithium and you get the convenience of a plug and play battery-inverter-controller all in one.

You'll need cables, a battery, and a charge controller https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008KWPGS6

This model of charge controller has settings for turning on power to the load after dark, and shutting it off after some number of hours or at sunrise.

Just make sure buy the correct size battery, and correct gage of wire. You will also need a waterproof enclosure for your battery and charge controller.

https://www.amazon.com/TalentCell-Rechargeable-12000mAh-Multi-led-indicator/dp/B00ME3ZH7C

edit : or this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H8F5HYJ/ref=emc_b_5_t

this one is quite cool:
12v + 9v + USB outputs... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01337QXMA/ref=emc_b_5_t?th=1

I was hoping to avoid that because it would involve a bunch of digging/underground conduits, plus a bunch of interior finish work.

But you are a voice of reason: if I really want to supply the house with 30A off a generator, I should probably just do it the right way (i.e., suck it up and pay the money).

EDIT:

Or put something like this outside and buy a long cable. Is something like that really weather proof? Snow, rain, freezing etc.?

That looks like an MC4 pin in which case you need an MC4 Crimper

Some things are terrible for battery driven operations. Air Fryers rank up there with toaster ovens, hair dryers, and space heaters.

I highly suggest aginst this.

If you want power for other things, like ab efficient TV or laptop, consider getting an oversized Lithium Ion battery bank. Not one of the ones for phones, one of the ones meant for camping or emergencies.

It's not ultralight but I picked this up to power my Phillips respirpnics without the humidifier. Gives me about 5-6 days of use @ pressure of 12. Can also charge cell phones and has an really good flashlight.

We do lots of canoe camping up in the Adirondacks.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XBPQKTR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_b0NCDbK9PYCCS

> I have one. It's called a dryer outlet.

Power comes out of a dryer outlet. That's why it has holes.

Power goes into an inlet (hence the name). That's why it has prongs.

Does your dryer outlet look like this?

The fact that you don't understand this basic distinction does not fill me with confidence.

> It's also illegal to install a ceiling fan unless performed by a licensed electrician.

It varies by jurisdiction but homeowners are allowed to do some basic work themselves without a license. I'm not an electrician or a lawyer and (unlike you) I won't overstate my knowledge so I will not give you a definitive ruling re: ceiling fans.

> Last time I post in this sub wtf.

Bye, I'm not gonna miss your attitude.

edit: If you don't own your dwelling then you DEFINITELY should not be doing dangerous and blatantly illegal things with its electrical system. Not to mention, the landlord or other tenants (if any) may come by and injure/kill themselves, not knowing what you've done. I suppose that's the price one pays to run their TV without an extension cord.

I was thinking about geting the flexible ones glued directly onto the roof. It's almost twice as expensive though. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07195WHHX/ref=psdc_2236628011_t1_B017OMTAV6

You can go less than a $3 a watt using [this kit.] (http://www.amazon.com/Unisolar-Flexible-Solar-Panel-Laminate/dp/B006EP6MCU/ref=sr_1_4?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1342927366&sr=1-4)
You're going to have a bit of challenge on a budget like that though. Batteries will be an additional expense but this is a good learning experience.

Zoom H6 or buy a portable battery https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Portable-Generator-Explorer-Emergency/dp/B07FYJVFNK/ref=asc_df_B07FYJVFNK/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312202698398&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2330893761343085169&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9004352&hvtargid=pla-568502590062&psc=1

This might suit your needs. Portable Power Station Explorer 160, 167Wh Solar Generator Lithium Battery Backup Power Supply with 110V/100W(Peak 150W) AC Inverter Outlet. Charge it up while driving.

He's gonna need a few of https://www.amazon.com/Goal-Zero-400-Rechargeable-Generator/dp/B06WVDG9BS/ these with solar panels if he plans on streaming for 3 days in the middle of nowhere.

You could probably get away with this to do that.

just get this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FYJVFNK/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_2?smid=AZF6YB7UVA7OU&psc=1

Controller https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U3MK0CI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Panel https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XVWPD7N/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and even if, you can power a light house for hours from a power bank anyways. no need to charge it simultaneously. just get one with a 12-volt outlet https://www.amazon.com/TalentCell-Rechargeable-11000mAh-20000mAh-Portable/dp/B01337QXMA

https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/comments/42271m/lighthouses_running_from_battery_for_hours_and/

You can buy Portable Solar Generator With Solar Panel and use that on your car/camp

Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 160, 167Wh Solar Generator Lithium Battery Backup Power Supply with 110V/100W(Peak 150W) AC Inverter Outlet for Outdoors Camping Fishing Emergency

https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Portable-Generator-Explorer-Emergency/dp/B07FYJVFNK

Price $139.99

Jackery Explorer 50W Solar Panel for Explorer 240 and Explorer 160 as Portable Solar Generator, Portable Foldable Solar Charger USB C Output for Summer Vacation Camping

https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Explorer-Portable-Generator-Foldable/dp/B07D2CD4H6

Price $199.99

no, the panel is flat on the ground. these are my panels. The temp is 72 deg.

The controller

The battery is a used Tesla Model S battery

If you're scared of wiring, the Jakery pre-built units are pretty cheap. Just add an MC4 adapter and panel.

https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Portable-Generator-Explorer-Emergency/dp/B07FYJVFNK/ref=sr_1_5?gclid=CjwKCAjw6vvoBRBtEiwAZq-T1eH_-t8OOG0mpP22xLRBrosaAq6Pq2vi7MlPakJrqS2-6i0-D21rPBoCQMcQAvD_BwE&hvadid=241656681350&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9030954&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=12357595626479094391&hvtargid=aud-647006051489%3Akwd-61772730782&hydadcr=26611_9892148&keywords=jackery&qid=1562386673&s=gateway&sr=8-5

​

I prefer building my own but I know some people are worried about electrical

I use one of these for my portable low power ham station.

​

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01337QXMA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

it is an always on type thing and matter of fact, the power switch is just a cut to the actual battery. If you plug in 12v to the barrel plug, the USB jack will charge things with the switch in either position. Leave it on and you have a USB UPS that kicks in automatically if it loses DC input.

Hi, I run a business called ShakeproofLA and what I do is set people up to get ready for The Big One.

To set the stage, you have to understand that Los Angeles has, historically, had a major earthquake every 100 years, but right now we haven't a big one since 1857 when a 7.9 struck Fort Tejon.
So, add that extra 60 years to the amount of tectonic pressure that will be released when it finally does happen.

Now, what I'm going to say will scare the shit out of people, but here it is: When the next major quake hits LA it will be a major, major catastrophe. Thousands of people will die and the damage will be counted in the tens, if not hundreds of billions of dollars.

The water mains will break. The highways will crumble. The gas lines will erupt and fires will break out all over the place. It's estimated, worst case scenario, that 1/3 of the city will burn down, partially due to the broken water mains. If the earthquake is during a heatwave, those problems will be compounded.

The dust and smoke and pollutants (asbestos, etc) thrown up by the quake will cause further health problems down the line as well.

Downtown, all the glass in the buildings will break and fall. Except glass doesn't fall straight down, it floats down like a leaf, meaning that it will be thousands of razor blades slicing across the street. The fire department thinks there will be up to 10 feet of broken glass in the streets afterwards. Moreover, some 1/3 of the buildings in downtown could collapse, including many of the skyscrapers which were build using flawed construction techniques, during the 60's and 70's and 80's. Many of those same buildings are packed with asbestos, much like the World Trade center.

Scary AF, right? Well, I have a motto: "It's absolutely going to happen, so don't worry." All you can do it get prepared.

As the freeways will be out, there's basically going to be no leaving town. More likely than not, you will have to shelter in place. That being the case, you will need supplies.

Here's a list of ABSOLUTE NECESSITIES for you to have on hand. It's only a few hundred bucks and it very well could be the difference between life and death.

What I have listed are only suggestions and I'm not endorsing any particular brand over another. If you find something that does the same job for cheaper, great.

Food
Have at least 2 weeks supply of food above and beyond what is kept in the freezer and/or pantry. Below are some options, but feel free to search around and find the best price/amount for you and your family

Food Option 1
Food Option 2
Food Option 3

Radios
Emergency Radios are a must-have and the wind-up type, with a flashlight cover multiple bases at once.
Radio Option 1
Radio Option 2


Water
These jugs are available at any local Home Depot and will last for 5 years in storage. Do not store on concrete floors at it will leech, instead store on wood, cardboard or carpet only. You want one jug per person per week. Additionally, if you have a hot water heater, wait until it cools and use that. Be aware that the first water that comes out will be mostly mineral silt, so be sure to run it through a coffee filter.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/5-Gal-Water-No-Exchange-Initial-Purchase-5GALIP2/205227468

The Lifestraw allows you to drink any gross water you find.
Lifestraw

If you have an outdoor grill, great. That's your cooking platform. Make sure you have extra propane. If not, get a camp stove.
Camp Stove 1

Propane -
To be sourced locally.

Honey Buckets
You're going to need a place to poop, right? Get a honey bucket, or get hepatitis. Your choice.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079GFLVLM/ref=twister_B079C4GN4M?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/LEAKTITE-B5GSKD-5GAL-Black-Plastic/dp/B000VBW17S/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1529963064&sr=8-3&keywords=5+gallon+bucket

https://www.amazon.com/Besli-Gallon-DrawString-Strong-Garbage/dp/B075ST2KJ9/ref=sr_1_4_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1529963592&sr=1-4&keywords=5%2Bgallon%2Bgarbage%2Bbags&th=1

First Aid Kit

DUST MASKS
I can't emphasize enough for people to buy these. N95 is the standard you want, as it will filter most pollutants. Buy these and don't get mesothelioma later in life.

Towelettes

Power Station

And the list continues. Have a car kit ready, consisting of water (I like VOSS water, as it's in glass, a couple Clif bars, a hat, sunblock, and old pair of walking sneakers and a space blanket. And dust masks. Don't forget those.

Fill out a FEMA Emergency Plan. and you'll really know where to go and who to contact in an emergency.

And that's the basics. Two weeks of survival supplies and FEMA will be on the scene, hopefully and roads will be open enough to get out of dodge.

Another good idea is to strap your furniture and TV to the walls, into the studs. I'd provide a guide, but that's my job, y'all.