thekobk
Newly Enlightened
Bought a kit at harbor freight. Now I can recharge all of me battery's guilt free. My only question is should i cycle my new deep cycle battery a few times or are these good to go out of the box?
Went a little Green.
- Thread starter thekobk
- Start date
Help Support Candle Power Flashlight Forum
Sub_Umbra
Flashlight Enthusiast
Way cool. Daddy want.
Last edited:
Russel
Enlightened
Very nice!
I've been using a 50 watt solar panel and an optima deep cycle battery for a while now. I find the MH-C9000 works well on the system. One thing you may want to do is add a smoke detector above the electronics. Also, I fused both the positive and negative battery power leads about 2 inches from the battery terminals. There is a lot of potential energy there, better safe than sorry.
Your deep cycle battery probably won't develop it's full capacity until it has been cycles several times. That being said, how much of the capacity are you thinking you will use? I recommend never discharging more than 80%, or better yet, 50%. If your use is anything like mine, that is charging AA batteries, RC lipo batteries, running a boom box in the garage, then you probably aren't going to use but a small fraction of the capacity. If that is the case, don't bother cycling your lead acid deep cycle battery. No point in doing so.
Enjoy your recycled photons!
Russ
I've been using a 50 watt solar panel and an optima deep cycle battery for a while now. I find the MH-C9000 works well on the system. One thing you may want to do is add a smoke detector above the electronics. Also, I fused both the positive and negative battery power leads about 2 inches from the battery terminals. There is a lot of potential energy there, better safe than sorry.
Your deep cycle battery probably won't develop it's full capacity until it has been cycles several times. That being said, how much of the capacity are you thinking you will use? I recommend never discharging more than 80%, or better yet, 50%. If your use is anything like mine, that is charging AA batteries, RC lipo batteries, running a boom box in the garage, then you probably aren't going to use but a small fraction of the capacity. If that is the case, don't bother cycling your lead acid deep cycle battery. No point in doing so.
Enjoy your recycled photons!
Russ
bluecrow76
Enlightened
Cool!
I've wanted to do that for a number of years for my ham radio gear, but i keep spending my money on new lights! :devil:
Are you using a charge controller, and if so, what kind?
I've wanted to do that for a number of years for my ham radio gear, but i keep spending my money on new lights! :devil:
Are you using a charge controller, and if so, what kind?
thekobk
Newly Enlightened
bluecrow76 a charge controller is included with the kit. I have already made some adjustments to the angle of the panels. I found that when they have less tilt I can get a lot more out of them early morning/late after noon. Even on a crappy rainy day I average .5 amps, that's more then enough power to keep my EDC going.
TakeTheActive
Enlightened
Although I LOVE the concept as a 'Geek / Nerd / Techie', at $199.99 for the '45 Watt Solar Panel Kit', what is your projected ROI / Break-Even Point? :thinking:
Sub_Umbra
Flashlight Enthusiast
I'm thinking that a set up like this would have far greater value to me than just ROI / Break-Even Point. My motivation for a setup like this for myself would be primarily for extended power outages (whatever the cause) and daily use would be nice, but only of secondary value.
It's hard to put an actual value on something like this if you buy it to insure that you will always have enough power to run an oxygen generator or keep just a little insulin cold or any of a thousand things that may be important to an individual.
Kind of like the body armor that one must pay for and still be very happy with it's performance after only one use...
But that's just me -- it is a valid question.
Last edited:
Russel
Enlightened
I don't think it's a monetary thing. I costs about...3 cents to charge 4 [edit] AA size [end edit] NiMH batteries? Geek / Nerd / Techie hits the nail on the head! (I do have to admit that 200 bucks for a 45 watt solar system is not a bad price.)
Russ
Last edited:
Turbo Guy
Enlightened
2000 mAh = 2Ah
2Ah X 1.4V = 2.8 watts
Electricity cost approx. $ 0.09 for 1 KWH
1000/2.8=357 cell charges.
$0.09/357=$0.00025 per cell charge
Even if charger and the cells charging effeciency is only 50% effecient that is still only $0.0005 per charge.
Feel free to check and correct my math as it is early for me.
Solar energy is mostly a feel good thing for most. It is much like running a flashlight at 700 lumens when 100 is really more than enough for the task at hand.
Charles
2Ah X 1.4V = 2.8 watts
Electricity cost approx. $ 0.09 for 1 KWH
1000/2.8=357 cell charges.
$0.09/357=$0.00025 per cell charge
Even if charger and the cells charging effeciency is only 50% effecient that is still only $0.0005 per charge.
Feel free to check and correct my math as it is early for me.
Solar energy is mostly a feel good thing for most. It is much like running a flashlight at 700 lumens when 100 is really more than enough for the task at hand.
Charles
Russel
Enlightened
I stand corrected. (Sorry, I was too lazy to do the math.)
Russ
Russ
VidPro
Flashlight Enthusiast
~40watts per hour , say 8 hours a day (in ca) is 400watts
1 Kw costs 31c (sometimes 35) here on the third tier that is 12.4 cents a day or $45.26 per year. solar cells last a min of 15 years , saving you about $470
i like my math better, but only because when i quit using power off the 3rd pricing tier (aka scheme) the bill dropped quite a bit.
plus everytime i saved 20% from last year they handed me back another 20% discount for a while.
9 cents for power , man i am gonna move, the cheapest we have ever paid for any KWh is 13c
now if we include the costs of the "storage" or battery, and replacement and maintance costs on it, actually USE the battery which means deep cycling it, or having 5 times as much as needed, and the whole formula drops into the red fast.
1 Kw costs 31c (sometimes 35) here on the third tier that is 12.4 cents a day or $45.26 per year. solar cells last a min of 15 years , saving you about $470
i like my math better, but only because when i quit using power off the 3rd pricing tier (aka scheme) the bill dropped quite a bit.
plus everytime i saved 20% from last year they handed me back another 20% discount for a while.
9 cents for power , man i am gonna move, the cheapest we have ever paid for any KWh is 13c
now if we include the costs of the "storage" or battery, and replacement and maintance costs on it, actually USE the battery which means deep cycling it, or having 5 times as much as needed, and the whole formula drops into the red fast.
Last edited:
TakeTheActive
Enlightened
To power devices required to sustain life, I would go with a gasoline-powered generator before solar (or wind) power.
With either solar, or wind, I like the idea that I saw on Modern Marvels on Jay Leno's garage - make power as much as you can, use it when you need it, sell it back to the grid when you don't. But, even there, the ROI is rather long.
(Neat idea, though...
)
Sub_Umbra
Flashlight Enthusiast
All things being equal, you're probably right. I'm far more interested in how things perform when all things are not equal. I'd always prefer to quietly generate the power I need rather than advertise to the any mob prowling by that I may have something that they may want to take from me.
"Discretion is the better part of valor."
YMMV
