Thank you, didn’t see it.

So honestly, super easy project that anyone could do, I called it diy but it’s 99% just connecting wires. For speakers, I’d recommend scouring craigslist for a set of bookshelf speakers. You should be able to get a good set for under $30. The most important thing to look at is the sensitivity rating and the impedance of the speakers. Sensitivity is essentially how loud the speaker gets with less power running to it. Get the speakers with highest sensitivity (preferably 88+) and a low impedance (4 or 6 ohms if you can) if you want to be lazy, these are a damn good value. You could probably find better on craigslist but if you don’t trust your speaker buying go with that pair.

Next step is the amp. There are two pretty easy options that come immediately to mind. First, the “diy” amp you can go ahead and install this in one of the speakers. Parts express has videos showing you how this could be done. The second option and the one is probably recommend is this as far as I know it’s the same amplifier just this one comes housed, there may be small differences.

The final problem is how to power it, and once again you have options. The two basic options are either off some double a batteries or off of a large lithium ion battery pack. Between these options I’d say just go with the aa batteries for cost and just come down with a whole bunch (hit up Costco or bjs and buy like two packs of them). With the first amplifier you’ll have to buy a seperate battery pack to held them, with the second it actually has a place for the batteries already. Now, the coolest option but more expensive is what I’m hoping to do this year. Your car battery is actually 12V dc, exactly what you need. Therefore you can power the amps off of your car battery, just make the connections when you’re there and leave the wires running out of the hood with some quick disconnects (not necessarily this one but something similar) so that it’s easy to take down and set up every day. If you go with the second amp you will need the correct plug. Now, to ensure you don’t kill your car battery, you’ll need a solar panel, preferably with a with a trickle charger. I believe this is probably the best option. You can go cheaper but this is a well known brand so I trust it not to screw up my cars battery. This can sit on your roof all day if you have a tall car. Still do something to make it an inconvenience to steal. If you have a short car just leave it on while your there and use quick disconnects again to make packing up easy, or run the wires inside the car when your gone and have it charging through a window.

Hopefully this all makes sense, it seems like a hassle but for about $100 you’ll have a damn good sounding festival set up that you could take home and set up in a room and love the sound just as much at home as at the festival- I’m telling you, bookshelf speakers sound soooooo much better than your average Bluetooth speaker, just ask r/audiophile, and it’s a cool conversation piece while there. Anyone has any questions I’m happy to help!

Sure! For starters I spent months researching eplaya and elsewhere on the web. There are some companies that sell turn-key systems, like Goal Zero, that seem crazy over-priced. I told myself I would’t charge anything to my CC and I’m pretty good at figuring shit out, so I wanted to take a cheaper route. I wanted avoid soldering a bunch of Chinese stuff together if I could. Once I figured out what I needed, I had to look for components…

Panel - I looked at everything from 5 watt panels for fountain pumps to big ass 100 watt panels. I am flying from the East Coast so I needed something portable. I was thinking I need 20 watts to be comfortable, so I looked for 30+ watt folding panels. A cherry-on-top feature would be both AC and DC power. I committed to a DC cooler system but it would be nice to charge phones and power banks too. If I am going to spend some cash, I don't want a single purpose device. I came across SunKingdom early on but the panels were mad expensive. Almost like Goal Zero expensive. Then one day out of the blue this guy popped up on sale! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MTAFEJ6/ref=s9_hps_bw_g107_i4

I got it for $79! Very happy with it so far. I’ve used it several times already.

Charge Controller - This was pretty simple. I found one that could handle the load, was easy to use AND had two USB outs for good measure. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018ICLC3K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I must confess I don’t know how to “use” it. I plugged it in and it does what I need it to do for now. It has some really shitty instructions (none) so I hope I don’t need to figure out how to do something else with it.

Battery - I am going to buy a 100+ ah battery in Reno but I needed something to test with. I found this 12 v 12 ah battery on sale at Radio Shack for like $12. She told me it was for a discontinued Verizon cable box.

Bucket - I have a few Home Depot buckets around the house as a matter of course. I cut two rows the first time and decided I’d rather have one row of squared off holes instead of two rows of round holes. This way I get a lot of airflow and maximize the water holding capabilities of the bucket. I can probably fit another .75 gallons in my bucket with one row of holes.

Padding in the bucket - Went with FIGJAM’s suggestion for $22. It comes with two in case you fuck one up. Cut to FIGJAM’s spec and adjust as needed but give yourself an extra inch in all measures and fine tune from there. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001UTNFPW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Pump - I was told 60 gallons per hour (GPH) was good enough so I bought this for $10: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JWJIC0K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

At first I didn’t think it was powerful enough but I had a dead ass battery. After I charged it up, this little guy acted like a freshman going to prom with the homecoming queen. It squirts quite well. I bought 2 more as back up.

Tubes - I bought some tubbing at Home Depot and experimented. It’s took a few rounds of $5 tubes to figure out the spacing of the holes. I heated up a nail on my stove to poke holes in the tubes. Ended up with nice, clean holes.

Fan - VERY IMPORTANT PART - IF YOU CAN’T MOVE AIR, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS My smaller 4 person tent does’t need much so I thought a 150 cubic foot per minute (CFM) fan would be fine. I wasn’t crazy about the horsepower of my first fan that was $8: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0099TTAIG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

So I ordered a 200 CFM fan for $18: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0054S92FW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Again, I charged the battery and got MUCH better performance from the 150. However the 200 makes me feel like I ate a York Peppermint Patty so I am using it and taking the 150 as back up.

Connectors

• All “raw” cables get connected via these $5.55 things that are very easy to hook up. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015OCV5XO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  My pump and fan need to go to one line so I got this for $4.38: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007Q8IKRE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  The “watch this” moment comes by the way of this $6 switch: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G6GNREI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  I think that is everything. Now I need to figure out how to get a big ass battery from Reno to the Playa on Saturday, pre-gate. I can probably use my camps local asset or ask someone driving in.
  

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

Not a bad price on that kit. Personally I pieced together my own, using a Renology 100W panel and a cheap Mohoo PWM controller, and what you're looking at looks pretty comparable for a comparable price.

To try and actually answer your question, though, here's a fairly quick run-down of how to roughly size your battery. I'll use my own situation as an example; I have a small popup camper my wife and I use in the boonies, nowhere near power, for days at a time. This will assume you're using decent quality, sealed AGM deep cycle batteries, not the garbage RV/Marine "deep cycle" batteries, which are not true deep cycle, just slightly tougher starting batteries.

First step is actually the hard part, the rest is easy. You need to know what you want to run, how much power it draws, and how much you want to be able to run it between charges. That sizes your battery. Finding the current draw on your items if you don't already have them can be the hard part - if possible, it's often best to have what you want to run, and measure it for actual numbers.

For example, my main loads are:

• I wanted to be able to run a pair of Fantastic Fans on low (1A each) overnight, for up to 10 hours each, which is roughly 20Ah.
  
• Alternately, on colder nights I have a propane heater with a fan that draws about 3A, but which would only run for about four hours tops in twelve hours on a really cold night, so that's only about 12Ah. Since that's less than the fans and I wouldn't be running both, I don't count it.
  
• I have a water pump that draws about 3A but that is only used for minutes a day (not worth counting)
  
• LED lights that are 3W (about 1/4A). Let's assume I want to run one of those for up to 12h per night, so that's 3Ah.
  
• I also recharge two phones overnight, which are usually roughly 2Ah batteries each, maybe 2/3 discharged. The charge circuits aren't very efficient, so you can assume at least 2Ah each to recharge those phones, for 4Ah total.
  
• I'm also recharging a pair of 2.5Ah small batteries for e-cigarettes ("mods" ) overnight. They aren't fully discharged, but assume 5Ah to charge those up.
  
  My worst case overnight loads basically work out to 20Ah (fans) + 3Ah (lights) + 4Ah (phones) + 5Ah(mods). That's about 32Ah of load per day, pretty much worst case in hot weather.
  
  Now, you can do a few different calculations to get a minimum battery size from that.
  
  Number one, you really don't want to regularly cycle your battery below 50%, unless you want to be replacing your good batteries a lot. Hence, your absolute minimum recommended battery size would be 2x your load between charges. In my case, that's about 64Ah. A deep cycle discharged to 50% will usually last about 400 charge cycles.
  
  Now, given the choice, you really don't even want to discharge that low. A deep cycle discharged only 30% (roughly 1/3) will usually last 1100-1200 cycles. I generally recommend you size for at least triple your daily load. This pays off big time in the long run. For 50% more battery, your batteries will usually last nearly 200% longer (3x as long). Enormous cost savings long term.
  
  Hence, my recommended sizing would be 32Ah x 3, or 96Ah. I'm running a 100Ah battery, UPG UB121000, part number 45981. In practice I'm not regularly discharging this battery more than about 25%.
  
  Now, you get some extra benefit from oversizing as well. By sizing to 1/3 discharge, I can run two days without charging if I have to, and not be worse than a 70% discharge. That's a good emergency backup, since if you regularly discharge anywhere near 100%, your battery usually won't last more than 100-150 cycles. That covers me in case I get a day with absolutely zero sun. In practice this isn't a big worry for me, as on days with poor sun I'm only running the fans about half as much anyway, and if I couldn't get topped off during the day, in a pinch I'd just connect jumper cables to my van and have the battery at full charge after about an hour at idle.
  
  Next, once you know your average daily usage, you can also size your solar panel. You actually need to size more by charge time than by pure wattage, since a 100W panel will not produce 100W using a PWM controller. My 100W panel produces about 5.3A at 19V under ideal conditions (that calculates to 100W), but since the PWM controller just knocks the voltage down to an appropriate battery charge voltage, I'll never actually get 100W out of this panel. The current maxes out at 5.3A, but my battery pulls the voltage down to around 13.5V at charge, so at most I'm actually getting about 72W out of it.
  
  To size your panel, look at the optimum operating current (usually listed as Imp), and use that to size in amp hours instead. Plus, you also need to include any loads you'll be running while you charge. In my case, my panel puts out about 5.3A, but if it's a hot day, I'm going to be running one of those fans on medium (2.25A) for our sheepdogs in the van, so I really only have about 3A to work with to charge. If I can get a solid 8h worth of good charging light, that's about 24Ah useable per day. As you could see, I'd really do well with a second panel. As it is, it's been just sufficient with one panel to mostly keep me topped up, since I haven't had a ton of hot weather where we've really had to run the fans a lot.
  
  If I added a second panel, I'd have roughly 8A to charge with even with that fan running, and could reliably charge my bank all the way with only about 4h of good, full sun.
  
  I know that's a bit long, but hopefully it'll be a help to get you going in the right direction!

If you build it well, it will be safe. :)
Just use fuses and / or breakers where appropriate.
If you live in a cold climate, insulate your battery box so it doesn't freeze.
Also, if you use AGM batteries, they are usually fine indoors. I wouldn't keep flooded batteries indoors though, they outgas too much for my comfort.
I always vent my indoor battery boxes to outside regardless of type though, just for extra safety.

Solar panels from Amazon are generally good, read the reviews though for each seller / item.
If they're still selling them, I can recommend the Newpowa brand as far as '12 volt' panels are concerned. Have two of those, and two HQST ones; the Newpowa branded ones outperform the others by a small bit. :)

Monocrystaline panels are more efficient space wise, more watts per sq. ft. Used most in mobile installs because they offer the best use of the limited space on say, a vehicle roof.

If you have enough space though, the Polycrystaline will be less expensive per watt on average.

What's your budget like, and how much power do you need total? I'm not sure how much you want to spend on the system, so for now I'll just recommend a 'middle of the road' unit.

If you need 500 watts or less total, I'd recommend one of EPsolar's Tracer 4215BN units:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00YCI48F4/

You'll also need the remote to monitor / configure it:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00YAB0UVO/

You also should grab the battery temp sensor for it:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B016RU8JUY/

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.

First of all, I don't agree that a generator is an important prep unless you have a specific life-or-death need, e.g. medical equipment or an electric-powered well. The average apartment-dweller should be able to get by without electrical service for a few days. Stock up on spare batteries for flashlights and such. Get some non-electronic forms of entertainment. Get a hand-crank radio — many of them can charge your phone as well. Get food that doesn't need refrigeration or cooking. Learn which food actually needs refrigeration for safety; don't throw out your whole fridge on day one of an outage.

That will cover the short term and, in a long-term disaster, fuel will be in short supply so a generator is of questionable use.

> Unfortunately, i live in an apartment in socal. Can generators even be used in an apartment? I have a small balcony.

Do not risk it. Carbon monoxide can get inside the building. Do not risk it.

As an alternative, consider a portable power pack, and remember to keep it charged up! Some can be charged from solar as well. Or DIY with a bare panel, a charge controller, a marine deep-cycle battery and an inverter. (Also, a lot of things such as LED light strips can run directly from the 12V battery and don't need an inverter.)

> How long do they last if i buy one and just throw it in storage?

All prepper equipment should be tested regularly. I'm not an expert but I would say run it for 30 minutes every month or two. Remember that gasoline goes bad after a few months. They also have starter batteries that need to be topped up like a car battery. You'll need to check the oil and air filter and replace if needed.

> Once i buy a house, what is the best generator to own?

Like any "what's best" question, it depends on your needs. How much power do you need? Look into a dual-fuel gas/propane generator as well. Propane is much safer to store and it stays good for decades assuming your tank doesn't leak.

Also for the love of god, don't jury-rig a connection to the house wiring. There are about seven ways to kill yourself or someone else by doing that. You need to use a proper transfer switch or at least a breaker interlock plate. The easier option is to rely on extension cords and not the house wiring.

Looks like bullshit to me.

1. No discussion on the technology used on the website. No specs This is a huge red flag. What temperature does the fridge maintain? How long does it maintain that temperature on battery power?
   
2. I see no compressor. This means it is likely utilizing a Peltier to do the cooling, which runs at about 10% efficiency (compared to 30% with a compressor which is 3x more efficient) and is incapable of maintaining temperatures of proper refrigeration. It may cool your drinks down to 45-50 degrees, but it will not function for safe fresh food storage.
   
3. Those solar panels are going to put out a max of maybe 50W in the heat of the day if you're lucky, probably closer to 20W. And that involves taking your refrigerator and leaving it in the sun, where you will need far more cooling capacity to maintain proper temperatures. That's not enough juice to run a portable compressor powered refrigerator by a third. You'd probably need 6 times as much power to properly cool with a peltier.
   
4. Large gaps between the parts will make for leakage and loss in cooling capacity. Combined with thin walls, this thing is not going to be a good insulator.
   
   
   You can use a compressor powered, 12VDC portable refrigerator and freezer effectively on the go, but you're going to need some dedicated solar power production. Let's run through some numbers:
   
   31 liter capacity portable fridge/freezer for $611
   They have a 10.5 liter capacity version for $316 if you need to go really cheap. Reviews say this unit draws an average of about 3.75A, or 45W. For quick math: watts = volts x amps.
   
   

• This will consume 3.75 amps for 24 hours every day, so it consumes 90 amp hours (AH) per day.
  
• Lets say for 16 hours per day you need to make sure your fridge runs of of batteries. So 2/3 of that 90AH will come from batteries, resulting in a number of 60AH for battery power
  
• I am going to add 50% right back on that 60AH for energy loss and battery efficiency, putting the requirement back at 90AH. We're then rounding this to 100AH since thats the size batteries come in. To run the above refrigerator at 45W all day long on solar/battery power, you will want a 100AH deep cycle or AGM battery
  
• Next up, we want to know how much solar power you need to keep this going. This varies by solar panel placement and latitude, but I'm going to say you get a total of 6 hours of prime sun per day. During that 6 hours, you need to be able to charge 100AH of battery. That equates to 16.6 amps per hour. 16.6 amps x 12 volts = 199.2W. To run this system you will need 200W of solar panels on the roof of your van, producing power for you
  
  As a comparison, you can just how much different an actual refrigeration system is from the portable unit linked above. Looking at the pricing and weights further shows just how far off this system is from being able to actually safely refrigerate your food.
  
  
• 100AH battery for $179 (weighs 63lbs)
  
• 31 liter capacity portable fridge/freezer for $611 (weighs 30lbs)
  
• 30A charge controller for $30 (weights maybe 1lb)
  
• 2x 100W solar panels for $277 (weights 33lb)
  
  In total, This is $1100 in hardware and 127lbs of equipment to be able to properly maintain cold food storage. The thing you linked is a backpack sized beverage cooler only.

The most recommended setup I see from other vandwellers in Renogy. They make pretty much everything you need, and it's competitively priced.
You can buy a kit and have almost everything you need but a battery or you can build from scratch. The big components are deep cycle battery, panel, charge controller. There are obviously lots of other smaller things you'll need as well such as fuses, wires, mounting brackets, etc.

This option is much more cost efficient but also requires a good working knowledge of electrical setups (or the desire to learn them) in order to do it safely.

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.

I am also a solar panel noob but i just managed to set up a system in my bus. I went with 4 renogy panels, they're cheap, good, and seem to have a good customer service.

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Watts-Volts-Monocrystalline-Solar/dp/B009Z6CW7O

We have 3 of them for 2 people. You will need a charge controller to regulate the energy going to the battery. If you opt for a nicer MPPT controller, you will have 30% more nergy coming to the battery. That's what we did.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G3XTWTS/ref=twister_B01HHRLB1K?_encoding=UTF8&th=1

For more of an idea on what to do for the electrical system, i used a video by a guy named campervan cory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZY4BWEZ4ig

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

At Luna we get asked this a lot. So here is some info. I have added this to the knowledge base for Fixed for future reference.

Considerations for adding second battery for more range

Generally speaking this is not advisable. It would require extensive modifications and could compromise the battery. Please note that Luna can not take responsibility for the consequences if you break your bike or battery. There are a few separate proposals, we will discuss each below.

Manually switching batteries: Physically unplugging battery 1 from the controller, then plugging battery 2 into the controller. This would be the most straightforward, and eliminates a lot of potential danger in doing the other methods incorrectly. As long as the second battery is a normal 36v nominal battery that should be fine.

Parallel wiring: The idea here being that you would put another battery in parallel. Generally this is strongly discouraged on bms protected packs unless you are unplugging them from eachother when charging, and are making sure both batteries are identical, and both batteries are same voltage at time of connecting them. Given that this would be difficult to meet these requirements there is another way you might go by using a diode to block current from flowing back into the other battery. This page goes over that in more detail. For a working example of this idea in practice, see this page.

Theoretically you could use Luna remote switches on each battery in that parallel circuit, and switch back and forth by turning the one battery off and then turning the other battery on. This would not be advisable due to the possibility of accidentally not turning the other battery off, which would lead to a massive influx of power which could cause a fire. It might be possible to modify a couple remotes to use the same button with a circuit to control making sure that one remote is always off before another one is turned on, but this is outside the scope of what we can advise on.

Charging integrated battery via the charge port: This is unsafe for multiple reasons. Primarily because any second battery you want to wire up will have a discharge rate ten times higher than the safe charge rate on the charge port. This will burn out the charge port instantly and is also likely to damage the integrated battery on the bike. The port expects something like 2-3A, and another battery can put out 20-30A, maybe higher.

Additionally, as with any BMS-protected battery the charge port is how the battery bms is reset if something trips it. So if you are charging the original battery while in use, if something like a short happens in a cell, (which normally the BMS would protect against by shutting down the battery) you may be forcing it to reset despite it not being safe to do so.

In theory you could limit the current of the discharge on the secondary pack using some custom circuitry, so when you plug into the charge port it is not charging it at some massively high rate of current. For example something like this, which can also do CC/CV charging, an important safety consideration. However, you would still be resetting the BMS on the original battery whenever you are charging it. Do so at your own risk.

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.

The panel output more like 5.5 amps /hour per 100 watt panel that's what my HQSTs do. PWM Is fine for a small solar setup better gain would be to get a 3rd panel than the extra expense of mppt. Something with a lcd to display input and output in amps is nice like HQST 30 Amp PWM Smart Solar Charge Controller with LCD Display https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FB3OPKM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_.XETybK31ADKN

No, that won't work. It's only got a 10W solar panel. That means sitting at the top of the highest mountain in the world at noon, clear skies, with a tracking mount that follows the sun, you might see 10W if you're lucky. In the real world, you might average 5 during the day if the Sun's out.

That's nothing. If you had LED lights that drew 5W (not much light), you can see that the Sun won't even power the lights much less a pump even when the sun's shining. You'd have nothing available to charge a battery to keep things running at night.

You have to figure out how much power your pump and lights use. "Not much" isn’t good enough.

You correctly noticed that the device in your link didn't have an outlet for the pump. If your pump has a standard plug, you need an inverter to convert the battery voltage to plug power. Better is to get a 12 Volt pump that directly runs off the battery. Same for the LED lights - there are lots of 12 volt LED lights for recreational vehicles and campers.

Search Amazon for 'aquarium pump 12v'. Here's a $12 unit that draws 5W. That's pretty good. The LED lights will be more, surprisingly. Actually, depending upon what you need, I'd buy the inexpensive solar LED lights; you'll never be able to build something cheaper.

So, you need 5W for the pump. Let's guess 4 days without sun. 4 days times 24 hours times 5W is 480 Whr. Call it 500 Whr. That's how much battery you need. Double that since 12v battery lifetime goes down if discharged less than 50%.

1000whr at 12 V is 83 AmpHr which is how 12 V batteries are rated.

For solar panel, you need a bit over 5W average output. Sun only shines enough for solar 8 hours/day. That's 15W needed during those 8 hours. Assume 4 days no sun. Now you need 60W output during that 8 hours of sun. That basically means a 100W solar panel. Amazon shows a $112 unit.
http://www.amazon.com/ACOPOWER®-Polycrystalline-Photovoltaic-Connectors-Charging/dp/B01586LFJ0/

You need a solar charge controller. Amazon, $22
http://www.amazon.com/Controller-Regulator-Intelligent-Display-12V-24V/dp/B018ICLC3K/

You'll need some wiring, fuses to be safe. Get a 'marine battery' instead of a standard car battery. Marine deep discharge batteries are designed to be discharged over a period of time rather than a normal car battery which just needs to supply a lot of current briefly to start the car. Buy a 75Ahr battery.

If you don't need to handle running through several days of rain, you can drop the solar panel size and battery.

Here is a very small solar setup. It would be enough to charge a laptop for perhaps an hour of daily use and keep a decent number of rechargeable AA and AAA batteries charged.

• $149.99 RENOGY 100 Watt Monocrystalline Photovoltaic Solar Panel Module
  
• $18.61 Sunforce 7 Amp Charge Controller
  
• $156.40 Optima 8006-006-FFP 34M Deep Cycle Marine Battery
  
• $25.99 Whistler Pro-400W 400 Watt Power Inverter
  
  $350.99 (~£210) for a 100-watt solar system, 50Ah battery and a 400-watt inverter. Your prices may vary since you're in the UK. You will also need some wires to tie the components together and something to mount the solar panel but those you can get at your local home improvement store.
  
  Caveat: The charge controller is only good for a single solar panel. It's also more cost effective to get larger batteries and inverters if you plan on building it into a larger system. For that larger system follow the plan in my previously linked post.

Is it possible? Yes. Is it a good idea? You're an adult, you be the judge!

Flexible 100w solar panels weigh about 5 lbs and are about 2' by 4'. Their maximum power is produced at about 17v, so you'll need a CC/CV MPPT charge controller that can boost the voltage into the 50v range. You can find the Ming He mpt-7210a for $25-35. You'll need one of these for every 10 amps of electricity produced by the panels, but you can easily wire 2 panels in series to double the voltage/halve the amperage, I think you could wire four panels in a 2p/2s configuration and get 300 watts into your battery in full sun. Here are a couple of videos you'll want to check out, since the instructions are inadequate:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM6JTquNSZU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVkehQ_RypI

I wouldn't bother charging while riding, I would take a 2-3 hour noon siesta and get a bit more charging in the evenings. I would get 3 or 4 panels and stack them up on a bike trailer, and then lay them out to charge. In the evenings, you can prop them up with a couple of tent poles or bamboo stakes. Tie them all together and then ram a few pegs into the ground to secure them. You could charge while riding but you probably won't want to lay out 16 square feet of solar panels (wind and all that) and you won't be able to position the panels accurately.

A 48v 10ah battery pack has about 500 watt-hours of energy. With 400 watts of panels, in peak sun, after losses from boosting the voltage, maybe you could get 300 watts into the battery per hour. In theory you could charge the battery in a couple of hours. Solar energy peaks at ~12-1pm, there will be twice as much power (or more) at solar peak as there would be about 2 hours before sunset.

It'll cost you around $200 to get one panel, one charger, and associated wires. Try it and report back!

Parts:

Panel

Controller

Controller to XT60

Panel to controller

Extra wire

I used 2x 150W roof panels that I got off of ebay for $330 shipped and a cheap amazon pwm charge controller combined with 3 marine deep cycle batteries. Just keep in mind that panels these days are very cheap, you should try to pay less than a dollar a watt, I would avoid buying panels from Harbor Freight as they can end up costing over $5/W (the only advantage they have is portability which could be a big deal I suppose) (The goal zero 90W panel would cost you $5.56/W).

Here is the posting that I bough from last year, I have been very happy with the panels, keep in mind these things are heavy so with shipping $330 is a pretty darn good price. http://r.ebay.com/4SCK9w

Amazon PWM charge controller (I bought this one because the lcd displays voltage levels, current in and out, and usage over time for the input and output) http://amzn.com/B00JMLPP12

Image of the setup from last year: http://imgur.com/a/AuM03

EDIT:
The pwm controller has a built in dusk dawn timer system so you can feed your lighting right off the unit. Or for high power stuff just tap right off the batteries (fuses would probably be a good idea...). We ran a couple 12V swamp coolers, a couple inverters, and a couple lipo chargers (charged 10+ large lipo packs a day for personal led lighting). And we never even came close to using the full 300W.

Yes, you need to have some sort of independent charge circuits for the battery banks of differing capacities. I have put together a charging box with dual 18Ah SLA batteries on one controller, and it works great, but any voltage differentials between the batteries hooked in parallel need to be avoided or you can seriously diminish the life of the batteries. As I was researching the parallel setup, I even saw multiple times suggestions to make sure the same capacity batteries are at the same voltage the first time you hook them up in parallel to void any direct flow between them.

Also, it is important that SLA batteries are only drained to about 50%-ish of capacity, or it can have a big impact on the life of the battery, especially if it sits at a low voltage level for too long (like more than a day). Charge controllers generally manage this by cutting off the load once the battery bank voltage drops somewhere into the 11.8v-ish range (many charge controllers this can be set).

The other thing you didn't mention is the wattage of your solar panel. That should help you decide the capacity of your battery bank. Unless you plan to "top off" your bank often from shore power, if your solar panel power can't reasonably refresh your total battery capacity + load during the day, then you will likely be keeping your batteries in a discharged state, which also shortens the life. (These are some the big advantages of LiFePo4 batteries, along with weight. The downside being cost).

My recommendation would be to not use the 10Ah battery. You could get another 18 Ah battery ($40) and a decent 30A charge controller ($25) at less than half of what you'd pay for that multi-bank charge controller.

This is the charge controller I am currently using. Had it about a year so far, and its working fine for me.

Good luck!

It's a fair price, but not a screaming deal.


it's four of these, on Amazon for $225 USD or 140 GBP:
http://www.amazon.com/ECO-WORTHY-Module12V-Photovoltaic-Battery-Charge/dp/B00HQAGYVG/ref=sr_1_5?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1413473721&sr=1-5&keywords=150+watt+solar+panel[1]


Plus one of these, on Amazon for $125 USD or 78 GBP:
http://www.amazon.com/ECO-WORTHY-Solar-Charge-Controller-Regulator/dp/B00FF1KGT4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413474018&sr=8-1&keywords=20A+mppt+charge+controller[2]

Off the shelf this is 638 GBP, plus they are putting it together and throwing in some wires for another 85 pounds. It's not a terrible deal but you can likely save a few quid if you do it yourself.


Also, you will probably need to consider a battery bank and an inverter in your system cost as well. Depending on your chosen voltage and run lengths, this is also where you might also need to spend several dozen pounds on wiring.

However, you can run this as a 48v system (you would need a different controller) and that would keep wire sizes down.

GBP calculated from currency exchange only. Prices may differ in the UK.

What current (or power if that's more handy) rating do you need?

Number 1 best seller on Amazon.

You did specify 30V - is that the actual voltage you need or did you round up? A 36 cell solar module is fairly common - you'll have an open circuit voltage of about 22V in that configuration, less after the panel heats up.

Second best seller on Amazon.Its becoming more common to claim "12V panel" as a way of saying "panels intended to charge 12V batteries" - it has nothing to do with the actual open circuit voltage of the panel.


To be honest, if you can't easily get replacements, I wouldn't go cheap on this component.

Yep. Although the smaller solar panel I linked to comes with a controller (a bit simpler one), I used these. It looks like maybe amazon doesn’t carry them anymore so if you want that one might try eBay. I’ve bought it as “Anself Solar charge controller” as well as “Docooler Solar charge controller” it’s just a 12v controller.


I actually have started using this one on my bigger setups because it has more info:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZZMDSQ

But they are all basically glorified switches that monitor the output of the panel and battery and connect them when the energy on the panel is high enough and disconnect when it’s lower so you’re not draining the battery.


The project box is this one:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005T990I0
With this backing plate inside to screw into to mount the timer and controller:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005UPE83U

Oh and if you want it to be water tight when you run cables through holes in the sides you’re gonna want something like these to go with it:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GJ03AUQ/
I’d imagine you could get a single one from an electric supply store if you didn’t want a set.

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.

If you're not planning on using the alternator to charge the battery, I doubt that 60w alone is enough to run a fridge. I have a 115w panel that I use to run a small dometic fridge and it works well if it's sunny. I could probably get away with less, but I doubt half as much, which is what you have. On the other hand, if you're only going to run it for a weekend, get the largest AGM battery you can fit in the space you have and recharge it when you get home.

Get an MPPT charge controller because you want to maximize the output from those small panels.

Here are the fridge and charge controller I have and am happy with.

true looks like almost a $120 difference.. damn

PWM

vs.

MPPT

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

You really really really really should have some solar. You need two sources to charge your batteries when cruising. With solar you would have solar+engine alternator.

Here's a really nice flexible you can just sew into your bimini or tape to your deck. Flexibles only last a few years, but these will easily last you a few seasons. By the time they go bad, newer panels will be more efficient and cheaper anyway.
https://www.amazon.com/SUNPOWER-Portable-Monocrystalline-Lightweight-Connectors/dp/B0779T2SKP/

Add a charge controller and your batteries will always be full. Something like this, it's a 20amp so you could put two panels in series easily for more power:
https://www.amazon.com/GHB-Controller-Intelligent-Temperature-Compensation/dp/B01LZZMDSQ/

I've been very happy with the Battery Tender brand. I have a friend who uses this on his boat (it's designed not to overchage).

http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-1163-Solar-Maintainer/dp/B004Q83TGO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416250584&sr=8-1&keywords=battery+tender+solar

We use a traditional (plug in) tender on my wife's car. A fairly common setup is to permanently connect the terminals to the battery and then run the leads somewhere more convenient, like out the grill or fender. It makes connecting/disconnecting a lot more convenient.

http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-081-0069-6-Terminal-Disconnect/dp/B000NCOKZQ/ref=pd_bxgy_auto_text_z

Post here
https://www.reddit.com/r/vandwellers/
Solar is the standard on vans now. Most people are skipping the engine isolator these days.
You left out the fantastic fan which you'll want if you're doing this level of project.
$700 is way easy. Probably can do for half that. Most people are using $30 MPPT charge controllers for example:
https://smile.amazon.com/ALLPOWERS-Charger-Controller-Intelligent-Regulator/dp/B01MU0WMGT/
Are you putting this on a roof box? otherwise why do you need flexible. Bolt on ridgid panels to a roof rack; cheaper.

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.

I'm not an EE, but I know a bit about batteries. Low amp is fine, better for overall battery life. But, lead acid batteries get some kind of build up on the cells that needs to be zapped off with high-amperage from time to time. Solar charge controllers and automatic battery tending devices will go through a number of different cycle types throughout a month, for the health of the battery.

Your battery is probably damaged by now if it's been depleted several times. Best thing you could do besides buying a new battery is get some kind of trickle charge setup, so that it stays topped off. Whether it be a wall plug charger, or solar charger.

Secondly, open the battery and make sure that the lead cells are fully submerged. Add distilled water if the cells are exposed to atmosphere. Some car batteries are sealed and not able to be maintained in this way.

**Edit. Check this out, Battery Tender 021-1163 5W Solar Maintainer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004Q83TGO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ypxAyb2SXVHSN

I just bought, and installed an exhaust fan in the back of my pickup. It works great, and I'm stoked to have power in the back now. It wasn't very difficult to figure out.

I bought this, this, this, this, and this fan. It set me back about $350, but I went with a larger, more powerful solar panel. You'll need some 10 gage wire and crimp connections. Home depot has all those parts.

Here's what it looks like.

Hi, I was recently looking for the same thing. This is the set up I am ordering:
For the panels--http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IK19VF6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A05654602L3XUQ70M87BV
Battery bank--http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BUH0VB0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_9?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A33OOXQLQV58WQ
Charge controller--http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FB3OPKM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A05654602L3XUQ70M87BV
Inverter--http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007SLDDHQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_8?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AWZ3LXPHZK09

I'm pretty new to this too, this is just what I've come up with from doing research and assessing my (basic)needs. I would like to hear other opinions as well.

It would be pretty easy to build something similar for a lot cheaper. Pick up a used suitcase at the thrift shop, mount a 50w panel on the outside (much better than the 10W panel in the case you linked to.) Inside the case, mount a charge controller with USB, this 20Ah battery (again, better than the 16Ah in the other one), and this 500W inverter (not sure how big the one in the expensive case it, but 500W should be enough.) So for less than $250 and a little bit of build work, you can have a much more functional system (500% larger solar capacity and 25% more battery capacity).

Yeah, I thought anyone interested in the thread would be! But as soon as I posted the original version with amazon links, it was auto-deleted. Weird.

Oh well, here are my products:

Solar panel: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017OMTAV6/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3NTUA0DGQ65YX&coliid=I2R53I6ASRE7TH&psc=1

Charge controller: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JMLPP12/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3NTUA0DGQ65YX&coliid=IMF9F8IHLJ6EN&psc=1

House battery: http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/SSBQ/3478PLT/03321.oap?year=1967&make=Ford&model=Mustang&vi=1332302&ck=Search_03321_1332302_-1&pt=03321&ppt=C0005

Battery isolator: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0058SGDFK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3NTUA0DGQ65YX&coliid=I2UYT4LFVI14AN

Van fan: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002OWAIB8/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3NTUA0DGQ65YX&coliid=I1Q9S1UN7Z94H7&psc=1

LED lights: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007JF2A6G/ref=od_aui_detailpages02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Fuse block: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000K2MBPA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3NTUA0DGQ65YX&coliid=IK1ERB55YT6QX&psc=1

Busbar: https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-MiniBus-Grounding-Terminal/dp/B0058GA4IO/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1467345205&sr=8-11&keywords=6+terminal+bus

Main line fuses (inline): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WZHE3A4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3NTUA0DGQ65YX&coliid=ICS8GYAQNUJV1&psc=1

I just, on a whim, ordered this charge controller on eBay for $35 flat. https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Wanderer-30A-Charge-Controller/dp/B00BCTLIHC/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
It was new with original everything and I figured I have the eBay protection if its not what its supposed to be. The owner says they ordered a bundle but they already had a charge controller so sold their Wanderer. we'll see how it plays out.

Thanks for your reply.

Those all-in-one power setups always seem kind of expensive to me, for what you are getting. They are all about convenience. You could build your own system for a little cheaper. The storage and output are incredibly low, I thought maybe there was a typo, but it seems to just be a portable phone charger which is what you are looking for.

Here's a tiny 12ah battery, charge controller, and you can get a small inverter. You can beef up these components, or just expand as you go.

​

Honestly, I think a deep cycle yellow top Optima battery would serve you better. You could charge your stuff, and have a reliable starting battery. No fuss, no gizmos.

I recommend moving to 12v components and then regulating the power back down to 5v for the Pi. There will be many more options and prices will be better.

Start with a solar panel:
http://www.amazon.com/HQRP-Mono-crystalline-Anodized-Aluminum-Radiation/dp/B002HSUT40

Use a charge controller to attach it to your battery(s):
http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-7-Amp-Charge-Controller/dp/B0006JO0XI

Attach a voltage regulator to the battery and your Pi:
http://www.amazon.com/Ship-Hobbywing-Switch-mode-UBEC-Lowest/dp/B008ZNWOYY/

As far as batteries go, buying local will save you some shipping. If this is an outside battery you can use a deep cycle/RV battery. If inside then you need something sealed. You should have several days of reserve for bad weather. Maybe something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/26-SEALED-VOLT-DEEP-RECHARGEABLE/dp/B007GCDDOA

If a fuse between the charge controller and the battery blew the charge controller's last gasp would be one last pulse from the panel to the open wire to the missing battery. With no battery the last pulse would be panel voltage (PWM) or more (MPPT). That's what powers the charge controller so that's why charge controllers fry when they have a panel connected but no battery. Once the controller has been overexposed the usual symptom is death. If yours just kept on charging it sounds like a switching transistor has become a short circuit. Look for an intermittent connection, loose screw, crimp connector that fails the pull test. If the battery permanently disconnected there would be no more charging.

Fuse is good AFAIK? With an ohm meter you can determine definitively whether or not it is open. You can put that fuse in a circuit with a load and determine if it passes current.

The PWM charge controller I got is:
https://www.amazon.com/MOHOO-Solar-Controller-Regulator-Charge/dp/B01HDAXU7Y
It is not 3 or more stages. You program the (one) voltage that the instructions call float. While the battery is below that voltage the controller is on, maximum conducting, current limited by the battery, the wire resistance and the panel. This is usually called bulk. When the voltage gets up to the set voltage it pulses on and off (PWM) to hold that voltage. This is usually called absorption. When the sun goes down it stops. If your panel is lots bigger than your usage or if you have AGM batteries you need to program the voltage low. Flooded batteries can take over charging so 14.4 is fine. Be sure to check the water often. If I am going to be away from the van I set it to 13.6. If I am using the fan, lights, etc I leave it at 14.4. If it is cold I would recommend 14.6 to 14.8. These voltages are measured at the battery and set .1 higher on my system, 3 feet of 10 AWG then 9 feet of 6AWG.

This controller does not have a remote sense of battery voltage and it does not sense the battery temperature. It doesn't sense the charge current to detect that the absorption voltage level charge current acceptance rate is down to .5% to 1% of the battery capacity rating (the standard of fully charged). It is much better than connecting the panels directly to the battery and much better than the charge controllers from years ago that just shut off when they got to the right voltage. It has been working for me but I am recommending it to you to ensure the rest of your system won't smoke the more expensive controller you want. It will also allow you to have a spare at low cost. Amazon has a bunch, search for "solar charge controller". If it claims to be MPPT and is less than $100 look very skeptically at the documentation.

Well yes, solar is big in campers, etc. You can get many types (like the one you linked) that have a seperate solar panel, so you can wire the light inside.
You can also get a stand alone battery/batterypack, solar panel, and LED lights. it's very easy, and there are tons of places online that you can check out for simple solar systems.

ie:

Solar panel (say, 20w), small 12v lead acid battery (like 10Ah), a charge controller ( or equiv. for the UK ), and then some 12v lights

Ah, its pretty important that solar panels get direct sunlight. they get quite a big efficiency loss in the shade.

You would want a solar charge controller, something like this and a solar panel, something like this

The ones I listed are just the first hits on amazon, i dont have experience with those, so do some research :) I think that will work with a motorcycle battery but i might be wrong.

BTW, how about a really long extention cord... like 100ft+?

Hmm...so basically overcharging it a little helps a lot? Though the best method would be to just keep it fully charged all the time. I've seen it hit >28v before on the batteries so I think I should be good with equalising.

They are indeed 60 cell and have a Voc of 39.6v@25C at it's rated power. They're connected in series. This is mainly to minimise voltage drop and lower the amperage along the wires.

I do.
Current (cheap) charge controller: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G3XTWTS/

What I plan to upgrade to: http://www.magnum-dimensions.com/pt-100-mppt-charge-controller

As well as the inverter that I'm planning to upgrade to: http://www.magnum-dimensions.com/product-inverter/4000w-24vdc-pure-sine-hybrid-inverter-charger-msh-series

And the panels: https://www.solarworld-usa.com/~/media/www/files/datasheets/archive/sunmodule-bisun-duo-solar-panel-datasheet.pdf

Yes! but that's a pretty spendy piece of kit. Wouldn't something like this work sorta the same, just replace the panel input with a 12V source?

I spent this Australian winter at the snow which meant that I didn't have as much power coming from the solar panels. I have 180AH of AGM batteries and 200w of solar with Renogy Adventurer 30A PWM solar charge controller.

I also had a Redarc SBI12 VSR which charges the batteries from the alternator when the car is running.

I'm was running a 38L Fridge, diesel heater, lights, laptop, cameras, gopro, rechargeable torch batteries, battery for chainsaw, etc.. So basically a hell of a lot of electronics. I was using too much and the batteries, VSR and solar couldn't keep up.

Sounds like I was in a similar situation to you. I looked at the cost of extra batteries, solar panels, etc.. Those options looked expensive.

Instead after some significant research I went with a Renogy 40A DC to DC Battery Charger. This replaced the existing Redarc VSR that I had. This is what I would recommend to you. It's significantly better at charging the batteries than the old Redarc VSR which is probably similar to what you have at the moment.

For me, even when I was parked up for days it was easier for me to run the van for the bit and charge the batteries.

How many AH do you have?

Of the two charge controllers you've picked, the cheap one is actually a far better choice for what you want to do.

You want to get a charge controller that lets you run the load through it, and is programmable with either a timer or an adjustable low voltage disconnect. That way you can set it up to run the pump when the sun is shining or when the battery has plenty of charge. The Renogy will only control the charging, so you could find yourself with a very flat battery if you don't add in something else to control discharging.

If you want a branded version of the cheap charge controller, check out this one (but it's basically the same thing).

If you want something with similar features but better quality and functionality you could try this EPsolar controller plus this PC cable and temp sensor.

I really like the new Victrons. Blazing fast mppt. And you can add bluetooth monitoring/programming. Which is really nice.
v75/15

I've been studying up on the same topic, and there are a few ways to go about it.

I think the best option for you might be this particular MPPT controller, which you could between the panel and battery, or the battery and a higher voltage battery if need be.

I picked: Model MB7420 motorola for an example.

power draw: 12v @ 1a. 12 watts.

12v supply is really REALLY nice for the next thing i'm going to suggest: solar and a battery.


https://www.amazon.com/MOTOROLA-MB7621-Approved-Spectrum-Downloads/dp/B077BL65HS/


26 bucks for a charge controller:
https://www.amazon.com/HQST-Regulator-Charge-Controller-Display/dp/B00FB3OPKM/

46$: a 20 amp hour battery will be more than enough to get your thru the night. if you're concerned about cloudly days then you can double it up.
https://www.amazon.com/Chrome-Battery-12V-20AH-T3/dp/B00BW3ULZI/

130 bucks for a 100watt solar panel
https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Watts-Volts-Monocrystalline-Solar/dp/B009Z6CW7O/

figure 20-30 bucks in wiring and mounts and random stuff.

total cost to power it: 200-250$.

Car like that? Try something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-1163-Solar-Maintainer/dp/B004Q83TGO

This should help if you are referring to my setup link.

Solar Charge Controller

160w Solar Panel

600w PSW Inverter

Energizer 35ah Battery

How did you come to the conclusion that my laptop will draw 2 amps at 120v? Did you get the number from this part of the power supply?

Nevermind, I figured out how you came to the conclusion using the max wattage and amperage to come to 120w.

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 have just put together a system for a remote barn on my property. It may be overkill for what you are trying to accomplish, but thought it might help.

• 30W Solar Panel
  
• MC4 Cable Connectors
  
• Charge Controller
  
• 12v LED Flood Lights
  
  This is connected to a 12v deep cycle marine battery that you an find at NAPA.
  
  Depending on frequency of use, you may be able to get away with a lower wattage solar panel, or, if it is rarely used, scrap the solar components all together and just lug the battery back to your house once a month a stick it on a trickle charger.

There aren't any battery chemistries that run at 5V +/- 10%.

It sounds like you should get a 12V deep cycle lead-acid battery. They are very common, cheap, can take heat, have solar chargers available, and come in the capacity you need.

All you need is a 12V > 5V regulator, which is also very common, cheap, and available.

edit: This one has a 5V regulator built in, so you could run it straight off the USB ports if your load is < 3A

I have a 100w renology panel and this charge controller. They fed into a 100AH deep cycle battery from costco and kept my swamp cooler, cell phone charger, and LED lighting running all week last year.

You need to use a deep cycle or marine battery as they are designed to be run down lower and more often. As for wire, the panel has a short cable so I bought an extension and wired that directly to the controller. I believe I used 12 gauge solid core wire for the connection from the controller to the battery. all ,my stuff connects straight to the battery, however I want to add a terminal bank to make it easier.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MY0875V/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006JO0XI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I got these charge controllers they worked great as far as i can tell. no noise

For the controller, a quick amazon search comes up with several models, this being one of them.

The panels can be a bit trickier to find at reasonable prices, but here's one.

If 15W isn't enough to keep the battery going with all your accessories, Harbor freight sells a full-on 45W kit for about $170. However it's probably a lot more than you'd really need.

You can get panels in less than 15W, but it needs to be able to charge the battery up durring it's (we'll assume here) 10 hours of usable light.
You'll probably want to do some actual math on how much you're using. Your typical lead acid battery varries from 12-14.2V, and could go up to 17+ when it's charging (i'm not exactly sure on the circuitry inside the charge controllers). So make sure whatever 5V regulator you're using can keep up with your current draw.

This one. Turns out it's 40A so I'm probably good.

Regular car batteries are made to have a lot of cranking power, and then stay on a trickle charge once the alternator gets going. Running the battery voltage down each night and charging it daily will kill the life of your battery (if it's not deep cycle).

Honestly, charging a phone (5w), running some small LED lighting (8w), and a couple 12VDC fans (6w) can all be done through your cigarette lighter port and won't be drawing more than 20watts. If you ran that all night, you would only be using 15amp/hrs or so of your battery; and if you get 8 hours of sunlight, you only need a 30watt solar panel to charge it back up. Whenever you are talking about solar though, you should plan on doubling your capacity to account for non-optimal performance, cloudy days, long winter nights, etc.

kieranmullen gives a pretty good rundown of what you would need to setup a separate 12v system but seems like overkill for what you are asking (and would run you about $300-400).

Personally, I would get a 100 watt panel, 7 amp charge controller, the cheapest 12v deep cycle marine battery from walmart, and maybe a 3-400w inverter (for a laptop charger or any other AC devices). Also, I'd put an inline fuse between my charge controller and load, and maybe another between the battery and charge controller.

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

These are easy to set up.

Battery Tender 021-1163 5W Solar Maintainer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004Q83TGO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_n0.pzbQQMHT2C

Use something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-7-Amp-Charge-Controller/dp/B0006JO0XI (will prevent overcharging or discharging)

Edit: You already have a controller bundled. No need for the above.

with something like this:

http://r.ebay.com/wFDuiC (or bigger depending on your need).

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

I installed this controller: Solar Controller, ALLPOWERS... https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01MU0WMGT?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Hopefully that link works. We are in Ontario Canada.

On a side note, for those at apartments without battery tenders I highly reccomend the solar battery tender. It's saved my ass...well...5 times now.

https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-1163-Solar-Maintainer/dp/B004Q83TGO

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.

you said that you have a fridge, and you want to make it to work in solar panel (250W) and (200Ah) batteries.

the fridge seems to be 12V DC, you can buy a MPPT controller if you want to get more effiecent system as the PWM controller is less in effiecency by 30%.

you can check the following products on Amzon

200W solar Panel

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Monocrystalline-Controller-Adaptor-Connectors/dp/B00B8L8MD2/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=250w+solar+panel+12v&qid=1571660384&sr=8-3

MPPT controller

https://www.amazon.com/Controller-Display-Tracer3210AN-Charging-Regulator/dp/B07BHKJSFN/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=solar+mppt+controller+30+amp&qid=1571660256&sr=8-1

PWM controller

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Adventurer-Charge-Controller-Compatible/dp/B07BBKFTNV/ref=sr_1_3?crid=YJJ1S10D2RNM&keywords=solar+controller+30+amp&qid=1571660195&sprefix=solar+contro%2Caps%2C332&sr=8-3

Lets do a quick run through so you can compare:

The Yeti 1250 is 12v 100ah and 1200 watts for $1250. It has 3 USB and 3 standard plugs + other ins and outs in addition to a solar charger.

A 12v 100ah deep cycle battery off amazon is $159. You would need a charger unit ($50 on amazon) in addition to some basic electrical wiring ($20-50). Then you would need an inverter (this one is $65 w/ three plug ins and two usb inputs) for 1000 watts. Last you would need to invest in a solar charger unit (often comes with solar panel kits and those can run around $30. So probably close to $350-400

So then however you want to store these (plywood box construction and a little DIY elbow grease) you can build essentially the same unit for about 1/4 the cost.

https://www.amazon.com/ERAYAK-Inverter-Alligator-Refrigerator-Cooler-8099U/dp/B019PXILXA/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1482364654&sr=8-17&keywords=12v+inverter

https://www.amazon.com/Universal-UB121000-45978-100AH-Cycle-Battery/dp/B00S1RT58C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482364350&sr=8-1&keywords=12v+100+ah+deep+cycle+battery

https://www.amazon.com/Controller-Regulator-Intelligent-Display-12V-24V/dp/B018ICLC3K/ref=sr_1_4?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1482364823&sr=1-4&keywords=solar+charge+controller

1. Get one that can handle the maximum power you're generating with some wiggle room. That is, if you've got a 1kW generator, I'd get at least a 1.2kW controller.
   
   
2. Hookups are straightforward. Positive and negative from the generator into the controller, another positive and negative from the controller to the battery, another positive and negative from the controller to the load. Should all be labeled on the controller.
   
   Here's one that's fairly simple and popular.

I was planning on getting a 30 Amp like this one

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Tracer-Charge-Controller-100VDC/dp/B00E7NI9PE#productDetails

Its not cheap or in Australia, but it works well. I am not sure what you mean by temp control? I have heard that a lot of the cheap MPPT charge controllers are not actually MPPT so becareful with that.

Hi, this is pretty much what I have, cheap.

Edit: Just noticed this one doesn't have a load connector so this one depends upon you connecting a load directly to the battery - this is bad as it won't protect the battery from deep discharge, so avoid this one linked above. ainstead, opt for one which has all three connectors.

The reason you need one of these is that solar cells don't actually output precisely 12v, they have an open circuit voltage which can go up to 20v in some cases, and connecting this to a battery directly is likely to damage the battery and possibly the cell too.

The charge regulator cuts this excess voltage down into usable current and shunts it into your battery/load.

When your battery is full, the regulator has to shunt the excess energy produced by the solar panels into a heat sink.

Have a read of reviews before picking a regulator to be sure, mine isn't on there since I am from outside of the US so I cant 't actually vouch for it.

I used 2 solar panels, 2 deep cycle batteries and this solar charger off Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01MU0WMGT

You would want a charge controller. A charge controller basically manages te solar power going to your battery so it doesn't overcharge it. They can be as cheap as $30

Got that covered, I have a larger, better 24v MPPT on the way. However, I have to disagree. ut the spec sheet says 24v (https://www.amazon.com/ALLPOWERS-Charger-Controller-Intelligent-Regulator/dp/B01MU0WMGT/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_263_bs_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=TAP7B6HN0BP9SXXHVYN8)

[inverter](ampeak 1000w power inverter 12v dc to 110v ac dual ac outlets 2.1a usb car inverter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071NZ8DSB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_NbC6Ab814KH3Z)
[solar controller](allpowers 20a solar charger controller solar panel battery intelligent regulator with usb port display 12v/24v https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MU0WMGT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_adC6Ab4DAFH9X)
And ill add some sort of solar panel

The monetary cost to do pedal recharging is minimal, you would need a regenerating motor controller which is less than ten dollars more than a non-regenerating one and you would need a way to prop the rear wheel off the ground so it can be spun with the pedals.

I built a solar recharged ebike about five years ago with very similar parts to what you see on these bikes. The problem I had was I was running 50V of lithium cells and the only solar charge controller I could find for lithium at the time had to be custom ordered and cost more than the rest of the bike put together. That has changed now, you can get a high voltage solar controller that would be suitable for lithium from 24V to up over 60V for less than fifty dollars.

The average person can't turn the motor fast enough pedaling as a generator to get it into a reasonably efficient range or at least not for longer than a minute or two.

Of course you could hire a few kids to pedal your bike to recharge, they take turns and can pedal fast for a few minutes each and then swap out.

Also, I've been able to run fans, charge my phone and laptop, etc so I know that my solar system IS working and keeping my batteries topped off (because I can see on my windynation controller https://www.amazon.com/WindyNation-Regulator-Controller-Adjustable-Settings/dp/B00JMLPP12/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=windynation+controller&qid=1565557593&s=gateway&sr=8-1 )

References

[0]: 1st charger
http://imgur.com/gallery/SFL5Gz3

[1]: Docooler® MPPT Solar Panel Battery Regulator Charge Controller 10A https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HCL7LEW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_wZQ7CbFHZ58AP

[2]: laptop supply
http://imgur.com/gallery/EeTMH4O

[3]: battery charging dongle and spare parts
http://imgur.com/9etsFlw

[4]: 48V 17Ah (13S5P-35E) https://em3ev.com/shop/em3ev-48v-13s5p-jumbo-shark-ebike-battery/

here is what i have going on.

2 100 watt mono solar panels connected parallel via mc4 connectors.

they connect to the tracer 20amp charge controller, think its 8awg wire here.

then i need to connect the charge controller to the battery. the battery is a 12v deep cycle interstate 94 aH. i wanted more juice, so i parallel connected a 12v 34aH golf cart battery to it.

my question is what gauge wire and what fuse i need on the + wire from the charge controller to the battery?

the panels wil grab not more than 15aH.

following that link I found one, that specifically say: user can set the output voltage and current according to actual need.
https://www.amazon.com/Docooler%C2%AE-Battery-Regulator-Charge-Controller/dp/B01HCL7LEW/ref=sr_1_7?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1506314112&sr=1-7&keywords=mppt+charge+controller

but it seem is for 24v system and up. not for 12v.
btw when using MPPT controller do you need to have 24v panels?

I have a cheap Renogy charge controller and a 50W panel. If you're into DIY that might be the way to go. 50W isn't a lot of panel, but it might work if you keep the loads down.

$100 panels https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01HHDC6NQ/

$20 charge controller https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01MU0WMGT/

$100 marine battery https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008974VFG/

$150 ac inverter 2000watt https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0716WT8D5/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01MU0WMGT/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1495807720&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=Solar+controller

I just set my panel on a lawn chair and point it at the sun moving it a couple times during the day.

links to what I bought-

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018BMGTTO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D7VBJK8/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FB3OPKM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Nice... The controller you posted is unavailable, but a newer version is offered on Amazon.

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

I have this one right now https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MU0WMGT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

but I could be putting up 50 of these configurations and need a way to get the data remote without traveling to check the controller

I've done it. I used a single 100w panel hooked to an MPPT charge controller with variable output voltage. It would only charge higher voltages than 18v, but that was okay since my bikes are 24, 36, and now 48v. Obviously, it was slow going. But i was able to put in about 50wh over an hour. Not the best efficiency, but it did work.

Out of curiosity is the boost converter actually putting out the voltage it's saying when under load? When I was experimenting on making one for my XR I found I'd set mine to put 63v out, but when I measured it under load regardless of the voltage of the battery at the time it was pumping 68v! I was using one of these mind you so it might just be an inferior product compared to what you're using.

I've since opted for a solar charger that has been working fine. It will start charging in a constant current state at the same voltage of the battery at that time up untill it reaches the max voltage then charges in constant voltage mode to top off the cells.

I haven’t yet determined the charge controller. I am currently considering this 40AMP Epever MPPT charge controller : https://www.amazon.com/EPEVER-Controller-Regulator-Backlight-Lead-Acid/dp/B077HHYYHT/ref=pd_cp_86_2?pd_rd_w=RTARC&pf_rd_p=ef4dc990-a9ca-4945-ae0b-f8d549198ed6&pf_rd_r=A30ZESRECHRVT1NXREEH&pd_rd_r=376fa169-36b6-4c2a-a56d-163aa901ad0f&pd_rd_wg=JtZJ9&pd_rd_i=B077HHYYHT&psc=1&refRID=A30ZESRECHRVT1NXREEH

And the Renogy Rover 40AMP MPPT
(Two versions, I can’t tell the difference between maybe being two different years?)

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Charge-Controller-Compatible-batteries/dp/B01MSYGZGI/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Renogy+40&qid=1565635435&s=gateway&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Rover-Amp-12V-24V/dp/B07DNVTJHD/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=Renogy+40&qid=1565635435&s=gateway&sr=8-4

I am very open to suggestions on the charge controller. The ePever comes with the voltage reader and what not, so seems like a good deal. However, through my very limited research, Renogy seems to be a standard go to.

As far as a battery, forgive me, as I am about two hundred miles south of it at the moment, but it’s just a standard deep cycle marine battery I purchased from Napa to work with a battery isolated in my old truck. I believe it has something like 150AMP charge. But it might be as low as 110. It weighs about 50lbs, not that helps anything.

Sunlight is not an issue.

For something this small a simple dumb (non MPPT) would work fine.

http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-7-Amp-Charge-Controller/dp/B0006JO0XI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1381095592&sr=8-2&keywords=solar+charge+controller

Yes I do have a voltmeter, the battery voltage now that I've unplugged the solar panels from the charge controller is 12.9 volts.
Wire is 10 gauge CC to batteries, under a foot in length.

Wire for inverter is 5 gauge, 2 feet.

Ive only had it all hooked up for about a week, and yesterday was the first sunny day. I had my fan and lights running OK, but today when I started using the inverter was when I realized something was wrong. The batteries shouldnt be draining that quickly, or venting so intensely

Link for charge controller is https://www.amazon.com/Regulator-Controller-Digital-Adjustable-Settings/dp/B00JMLPP12

No alternator, just solar.

For about $200 you can be charging laptops and cell phones and running some fans and lights in your house. Here's the breakdown:
Solar Panel - $106
Charge Controller - $38
Inverter - $20
Battery - Anything 12 volt, ideally "Deep Cycle" but a car battery will work if you have one. This can be between $30 and a lot, depending on what you want to run.

The parts aren't special, they were just the cheapest I could find on amazon, and while they took a little longer than I wanted to get there, they did get delivered to San Juan. Now my family is charging and running all kinds of things off the sun while the idiots in government continue to suck at their jobs.

Sure, I will try to list everything here, most of what I got was from Amazon.

$107 HQST 100 Watt,12 Volt Solar Panel

$20 Charge Controller from Amazon

$90 1000W Power Inverter I went overkill for most on this, but I wanted to power a chainsaw if needed, otherwise you would only need to put in $37 for something really good

$11 Battery to inverter cables

$64 35AH 12V Deep Cycle Battery

$14 12V LED lights

$5 light wiring

$6 Switch

$38 Solar Panel Wires

$13 Battery Cables

$16 Conduit Pipe

$17 Unistrut

$13 For the Satellite Mount on eBay

Then figure $20 for various nuts an bolts.

So for me it came out to about $434, but considering that I paid high for my inverter, and over paid on cables/wire (you can use cheaper cables, but I went with the pre-set ones for convenience), you could do it for just over $350.

No

60 Watt Panel

Charge Controller

Battery

Light

12v Cig Adapter

Quick math, I just noticed the self consume stat on the charge controller's page...7000mAh battery. 4 weeks 7 days per week 24 hours per day = 672 hours * 10mA draw = dead battery. I can definitely see it killing the battery over a month if the battery wasn't on but I would have expected the panel to add enough to at least make it a wash.

I guess the discharge stop is only for the load and not for the controller itself?


https://www.amazon.com/Controller-Regulator-Intelligent-Display-12V-24V/dp/B018ICLC3K/

Specifications:
Solar controller has specifically designed to meet the needs of the rural electrification market.
Working Temperature: -35°C to +60°C
Self consume: ≤10mA
Float Charge: 13V(default,adjustable)
Discharge stop:10.7V(default,adjustable)
Discharge reconnect:12.6V(default,adjustable)
Size:133x70x32mm
LED display
PWM battery charging
All necessary protections equipped
Adjustable controlling parameter of the system
Suitable for Home, Industrial, Commercial etc.

I drilled a hole in the roof and ran them through there. Didn't consider for very long if I could feed them through the door or not. DIidn't immediately look like it, so through the roof it was!

I haven't anchored the batteries yet. This is a little bit halfway done honestly. I did the solar and the vent at the same time, and that took all day, so the mess of wires isn't permanent it was just a quick "Let's see that everything works mess" haha. I need to build the bed frame, for that what I'm gonna do is start at the rear of the wheel well and go forward, and then put a couple of boards up vertically so that the very back will be a space for our bikes, and probably have a board going horizontally over my tools and the battery shit.

The tan box is actually silver but appeared tan in the picture for some reason. It's a 1000W inverter with 2000w peak load. It's just a china brand since I'm broke.

As for price I'll add most of the stuff up here, but I might forget some small stuff I got from home depot or such.

Column A | Column B
---------|----------
Sikaflex | $13
Inverter | $160
Charge Controller | $20
Wires | $22
VHB Tape | $30
100W Solar | $170
2 Batteries | $200 + $18ea core
total | $651

I didn't really have any tools so I spent like $200 at homedepot/lowes on shit too. Including some wire, wire cutters, jig saw, zip ties, caulk gun, etc.

It's super bad all around to have your solar panel directly connected to your battery. Probably not too dangerous, but I have heard that the flexible solar panels like to get so hot (if bent in a certain way) that they'll literally burn out parts of them (like a broken fuse).

Main issues here:

1. You're going to over-charge your battery, shortening its life or damaging it.
   
   
2. You're going to be drawing when not charging
   
   I bought one of these guys: https://www.amazon.com/ALLPOWERS-Controller-Battery-Intelligent-Regulator/dp/B01MU0WMGT/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_263_bs_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=XPGVMHDYZV5TBJ2NCJ53
   
   You can go much more expensive, but it's not really worth it. Worst thing that happens to these is they stop working. If you're really worried about that, buy a spare or two.
   
   20A is more than enough for anything less than 200W. If you have more than 200W of solar panel you'll need more.
   
   My 100W setup is larger than your flexible (lower efficiency) panel, and peak I'd only output a little more than 8 amps.
   
   Your solar panel might also be bad. Check how many amps its outputting. You need a cheap multimeter for this kind of work.