Backpacking/base camp solar system

[t_bone22]

Alright I have been looking through the forums and have found some tid bits of information on here about what I am looking for. I have a basic idea of where to go just don't know if it is the right direction and everything else I need.

So I am looking at making a solar charge options to charge batteries (AA, AAA) for GPS, flashlights, UV water treatment, ect. As well as charge 2-way walkie talkie set, Kindle Fire HD 8.9 cell phone. What I have put together are two different panels the F15-600 made by powerfilm ($189.45 shipped). It is a 10 watt fold-able solar panel that is water resistance. I would use two of 10w or 14w to set up at base camp to charge the larger items and battery and use one of them to charge smaller items like batteries and what not.

The Other panel I was looking at was the R14 made by powerfilm ($208.59 shipped). This is a 14 watt roll-able solar panel that is completely weatherproof. Now with the size of each I would believe that the fold-able panel would be small than the one that rolls. but is the 4 watts and the weatherproof worth the extra money of the project?

For a charge controller i was looking at either the Morningstar SS-10-12v ($54.95), or the Sunforce 7 AMP Charge Controller ($16.11 Shipped). Or should I use the power Film RA-9 sharge Controller? ($71.99) With these options if I would be charging plan would I need a power Inverter for anything for would this basic be sufficent to work with everything?

Now the battery I am looking at is the ALM-12v7B, ($129.95 shipped). i know this is pretty pricey for a batter of this size but it is 50% lighter and has a longer life then a regular SLA battery. I know with these type of batteries it should have built in BMS so that the charge controller will charge it correctly. but I am not sure if the one linked is the correct one or not.

For my batteries I was planning on using a Maha powerex Wizzard MH-C9000 ($66.97 Shipped) or a MaHa MH-c401fs-Dcw ($35.97 Shipped) wit these I will be using my Eneloop 2000 mAh typical, 1900 mAh minimum, 1500 cycle. For USB power on the Go I was going to have the trent:iTorch IMP52D ($29.95 Shipped)

Not sure how to power some of the stuff I found this and was going to try and stay with DC power as much as possible Car Charger. The cabling and extra stuff needed I am not to sure about but I believe this should be everything needed

Powerfilm 15' extension cable with aligator Clips

I am pretty sure I have included everything and believe this set-up would work but I am not sure 100% If you know of something better or simplier or other options please feel free to put it out there I am trying my best with my limited options Thanks Guys

 

[ChrisGarrett]

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?342073-Portable-solar-charging-setup-I-just-built

That's what I kind of built last August. It's not backpackable, but it's 'portable'.

Your price on the F15-600 is a bit high. I think I found them for $113 before shipping last summer, so look around.

PowerFilm, Brunton, Goal Zero and Global Solar/Sunique all make foldable and/or rollable panels.

If you use a mother battery, you can charge that up during the day and then charge your devices at night.

Personally, if you go over 20w, you'll want a digital controller and personally, depending on how many solar hours your AO will get, you might want to just pony up for that 26-27w class, or even the 30w class, as things will be faster.

Maha makes a 12v car adapter, so does LaCrosse and Xtar, so I just bought a 12vdc 'accessory socket' from the auto parts store and got the adapters to work with that. I also bought a 2A USB adapter to run the iPads, iPods, iPhones and charge up my Tecsun PL390 portable radio, or any other USB gadget.

Chris

 

[t_bone22]

great thanks for the input, Would the digital controler be different from the listed ones? yeah I have been looking around and haven't found anything really cheaper eBay Google amazon ect...fo you remember where you got yours at? well it is NC so we get a decent amount of sunlight I was looking at the larger panels just didn't really see the need for them but I did not think of speeding up the charging process. I had forgotten about the 2a USB adapter I will look into that as well. You basically have the same set-up I am looking at building minus the panels. How do you like your set-up? what all do you charge with it?

 

[ChrisGarrett]

I went with the Morningstar Sun Saver 10-L, so if you want to spend a bit more on a quality charger vs. a basic model, like the SunForce 7A, then the SS-10 is a good controller that can handle 10A and the 'L' model has a 'low voltage disconnect', which will disconnect the battery from the load when it gets down to a certain point.

I don't have my link any longer, but I just checked Ebay and those F15-600 panels seem to have gone up quite a bit in the almost 11 months since I researched them. I remember finding one solar site that sold them and they were $113ea and I considered buying two of them daisy chaining together.

I built mine rig more for the hurricane season and I wanted something that wasn't a ton of money, but would still run my Maha C9000, LaCrosse BC-700, Xtar WP2 II and a 12v fan I bought at ChinaMart, in case I lost power.

With a few adapters and a mother battery, I can keep my lights, radio, phones and fan all going for a stretch. Also, in case I had to hit the road, the minimal weight wouldn't be a hinderance.

I wanted the foldable panels, but their warranties are only 2-3 years on all the brands that I mention and the dollar/watt ratio is a lot higher than the rigid panels, which have 10yr warranties at 90% rated output and 25yrs at 80%.

Chris

 

[SemiMan]

The PowerFilm charger that you listed is actually a MorningStar charger, http://www.morningstarcorp.com/en/sun-guard and you can likely find it for a lot less money under the Morningstar name. I second the choice of the Sunsaver 10. They are very robust.

I did not know that A123 was selling a 12V battery module now. That is interesting, and certainly not inexpensive, but the weight is a big selling point and the long life.

The concern I would have is that the A123 battery states a maximum charge voltage of 14.4V. Most good solar controllers are temperature compensated, i.e. they are designed to increase in voltage when it gets cold as this is what lead-acid batteries like. Depending on what weather you are camping/packing in, that may not be conducive to the A123 battery. You will need to check with them. That cheap Sunforce controller just turns off at a certain voltage with no temp compensation if I remember.

The Morningstar products are all PWM, i.e. they essentially pulse the solar panel into the battery. This is how they control the output voltage. Again, not sure how the A123 battery will feel about this, it may be perfectly fine, but you may want to talk to them first.

Semiman

 

[Knight_Light]

So I am looking at making a solar charge options to charge batteries (AA, AAA) for GPS, flashlights, UV water treatment, ect. As well as charge 2-way walkie talkie set, Kindle Fire HD 8.9 cell phone. What I have put together are two different panels the F15-600 made by powerfilm ($189.45 shipped). It is a 10 watt fold-able solar panel that is water resistance. I would use two of 10w or 14w to set up at base camp to charge the larger items and battery and use one of them to charge smaller items like batteries and what not.

The Other panel I was looking at was the R14 made by powerfilm ($208.59 shipped). This is a 14 watt roll-able solar panel that is completely weatherproof. Now with the size of each I would believe that the fold-able panel would be small than the one that rolls. but is the 4 watts and the weatherproof worth the extra money of the project?

I have hands-on experience with both of these panels. I would definitely pick the R14. Not so much for the extra 4 W but for the build quality. It really is night and day compared to the foldable. If you got two of the R14 that would be the bare-bones minimum for what you’re looking to do. If you can afford it get two R21.

 

[t_bone22]

Thanks for the information guys I will look into it. I did consider the r21 but the price was kinda up there and I wanted the modularity for on the go and base camp set-ups

 

[Knight_Light]

Thanks for the information guys I will look into it. I did consider the r21 but the price was kinda up there and I wanted the modularity for on the go and base camp set-ups

You will never regret having bigger panels especially at base camp. And since you mentioned base camp I am assuming you are going to be in an environment with high wind in which case you definitely want the rollup product.

 

[t_bone22]

If I bump up to the r21 would I need a different charge controller?

 

[ChrisGarrett]

If I bump up to the r21 would I need a different charge controller?

A typical PWM digital controller would be fine with the 21w/1.2Aish R21. The inexpensive SunForce 7A model would be sufficient, or the Morningstar 10-L like I have, with low voltage disconnect. Try to get the Gen III version, as it's got a 'charging level indicator' LED on it.

Those PF rollables are nice panels...spendy, but nice. By not folding up after use, one doesn't have the small wires to break.

Chris

 

[Knight_Light]

If I bump up to the r21 would I need a different charge controller?

Both of those controllers are within spec so you would not have to get anything different.

 

[t_bone22]

alright so I have started putting this project together and I have run into a small hill...I have the set-up but I need something to use as a distribution block so I can charge mulitiple items at once. What ideas do you have for me?

 

[Etsu]

I don't have any specific advise to add, except to not underestimate your power needs. I've used those 10w panels, but (at least the ones I used) are crap. They don't provide anywhere near the power they state, except maybe at noon on a clear summer day. Add in the loss of power, and it takes a very long time to charge stuff. Take others advice here and go with more powerful panels. (Or take lots of batteries and skip the charger setup.) The solar panels are better than nothing, but just don't rely on them especially if the weather could get cloudy where you're going.

 

[SemiMan]

The rating on a solar panel is essentially bright sun at noon pointed at the sun. It is how they are all rated.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[t_bone22]

yeah I got that I ended up going with an r21 and plan on picking up one more I love them so far, I just need to figure out how to charge multiple things at once.

 

[Etsu]

The rating on a solar panel is essentially bright sun at noon pointed at the sun. It is how they are all rated.

I know, but it's a bit misleading, because it's not always noon on a bright sunny summer day. Around here, we sometimes only see noon maybe once a day if we're lucky.

 

[t_bone22]

no real options out there?

 

[lowks]

is goal zero better or suntactics ?

 

[SemiMan]

I know, but it's a bit misleading, because it's not always noon on a bright sunny summer day. Around here, we sometimes only see noon maybe once a day if we're lucky.

It is not at all misleading. It is a standard that virtually every supplier uses and which all solar data is referenced to.

Semiman

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

 

[Etsu]

It is not at all misleading. It is a standard that virtually every supplier uses and which all solar data is referenced to.

Fine, but it would be just as useful if they used a standard of solar power based on Mercury's sunny-side. Because in both cases, you never get as much power as they claim, except briefly once-a-day in summer and only on a perfectly clear day and only if you directly orient the panel at the sun and only if the collector is clean and unblemished and not including loss from voltage transformers and ...........