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Solar Shenanigans
United States
Приєднався 11 чер 2023
My journey down the rabbit hole of off-grid solar energy.
Unboxing and Review of the LITHINENG 48V 50AH battery
It's been a while, but I'm back after a rough 2024. This is the first video in a series I'm making about some Black Friday purchases I made while recovering from surgery. I really should have locked up my credit cards while on pain medication!
This LITHINENG battery is sold by a company so obscure they only appear to be available on Amazon. They have no website or UA-cam channel I could find.
Here is the link to the battery on Amazon:
amzn.to/4gmyVlC
As of mid-December 2024 they are out of stock.
**The Above Are Amazon Affiliate Links, if you don't want to use them search Amazon for the product ID I placed after the URL in the list items. No items in this video were sponsored by the manufacturer.**
This LITHINENG battery is sold by a company so obscure they only appear to be available on Amazon. They have no website or UA-cam channel I could find.
Here is the link to the battery on Amazon:
amzn.to/4gmyVlC
As of mid-December 2024 they are out of stock.
**The Above Are Amazon Affiliate Links, if you don't want to use them search Amazon for the product ID I placed after the URL in the list items. No items in this video were sponsored by the manufacturer.**
Переглядів: 43
Відео
Connecting Panels Of Different Wattages and Voltages In Parallel - Shenanigans Ep. 03
Переглядів 1,4 тис.Рік тому
In this episode of the Shenanigans Series, I connect three strings of solar panels together of different brands, wattage ratings, and voltages together to a single charge controller to see if it really is that bad of an idea to do so. Items Used In This Video: 3 Way Branch Connectors - amzn.to/47Hjhx2 - B08FLGCYPD KAIWEETS Voltage Tester - amzn.to/49SZUCF - B09SPQZGKH The Above Links Are Amazon...
Building An Off-Road Solar Array With An Eco-Worthy Mount - Shenanigans Ep. 02
Переглядів 18 тис.Рік тому
In this episode I build a mobile, off-road capable (maybe just Overlanding) solar array using an Eco-Worthy mount and a bunch of random parts from Home Depot and Harbor Freight. Eco-Worthy Direct - Use promo code "solarshenanigans" for a 2% discount. www.eco-worthy.com/collections/mounting-brackets/products/adjustable-multi-piece-solar-panel-mounting-brackets-for-1-4-pieces-of-solar-panels?ref=...
Installation of an EG4 6500EX Based Off Grid Solar System - Part 5B
Переглядів 2,9 тис.Рік тому
Important Note This inverter has been "sunsetted" by Signature Solar in favor of the EG4 6000XP. This new inverter can be found at this (affiliate) link: signaturesolar.com/eg4-6000xp-off-grid-inverter-split-phase/?ref=solarshenanigans Use code "SOLARSHENANIGANS" at checkout to get $50 off your order of over $500. In this episode I wrap up the AC input and output wiring to the critical loads pa...
Installation of an EG4 6500EX Based Off Grid Solar System - Part 5A
Переглядів 2,1 тис.Рік тому
Important Note This inverter has been "sunsetted" by Signature Solar in favor of the EG4 6000XP. This new inverter can be found at this (affiliate) link: signaturesolar.com/eg4-6000xp-off-grid-inverter-split-phase/?ref=solarshenanigans Use code "SOLARSHENANIGANS" at checkout to get $50 off your order of over $500. In this episode I complete the wiring linking the Inverter output to my critical ...
Installation of an EG4 6500EX Based Off Grid Solar System - Part 4
Переглядів 4,8 тис.Рік тому
Important Note This inverter has been "sunsetted" by Signature Solar in favor of the EG4 6000XP. This new inverter can be found at this (affiliate) link: signaturesolar.com/eg4-6000xp-off-grid-inverter-split-phase/?ref=solarshenanigans Use code "SOLARSHENANIGANS" at checkout to get $50 off your order of over $500. In this episode I finally mount the critical loads panel and transfer switch in p...
Installation of an EG4 6500EX Based Off Grid Solar System - Part 3
Переглядів 3,6 тис.Рік тому
Important Note This inverter has been "sunsetted" by Signature Solar in favor of the EG4 6000XP. This new inverter can be found at this (affiliate) link: signaturesolar.com/eg4-6000xp-off-grid-inverter-split-phase/?ref=solarshenanigans Use code "SOLARSHENANIGANS" at checkout to get $50 off your order of over $500. In this episode I finally connect some solar panels to the system. Affiliate Link...
Installation of an EG4 6500EX Based Off Grid Solar System - Part 2
Переглядів 4,1 тис.Рік тому
Important Note This inverter has been "sunsetted" by Signature Solar in favor of the EG4 6000XP. This new inverter can be found at this (affiliate) link: signaturesolar.com/eg4-6000xp-off-grid-inverter-split-phase/?ref=solarshenanigans Use code "SOLARSHENANIGANS" at checkout to get $50 off your order of over $500. In this video I install some Signature Solar Bus Bars and complete some of the DC...
Communication Between The EG4 6500EX And Orient Power Powerwall Battery
Переглядів 440Рік тому
Important Note This inverter has been "sunsetted" by Signature Solar in favor of the EG4 6000XP. This new inverter can be found at this (affiliate) link: signaturesolar.com/eg4-6000xp-off-grid-inverter-split-phase/?ref=solarshenanigans Use code "SOLARSHENANIGANS" at checkout to get $50 off your order of over $500. This is a short video showing the basics of enabling communication between an EG4...
Orient Power Powerwall Battery - Wall Mounting and Review
Переглядів 431Рік тому
Orient Power Powerwall Battery - Wall Mounting and Review
Beware The Frankenbattery - Shenanigans Ep. 01
Переглядів 176Рік тому
Beware The Frankenbattery - Shenanigans Ep. 01
Installation of an EG4 6500EX Based Off Grid Solar System - Part 1
Переглядів 2,8 тис.Рік тому
Installation of an EG4 6500EX Based Off Grid Solar System - Part 1
Hqst Buyer beware. I ordered solar panels and a charge controller from Hqst. I received the panels OK but no charge controller. There was a delay in shipping, so I requested a time frame. They offered a $20 discount but didn't answer my request. A few weeks later, I said if it hasn't shipped, please refund my money. They didn't give any confirmation, just offered a small discount and ignored my request. A while later, I said, "Give me proof of shipping or refund my money." After a few more days, they gave proof of shipping (that day). I told them to recall their item and refund my money. They recalled the item but still haven't refunded my money. Original order was Aug 9th. Today is Sept 28. The tracking numbers they provide don't link up. The only option you get to communicate is an email that gets answered once a day, taking days and weeks to solve an issue that could be handled in minutes on a phone call. Their "customer support" seems to be more about protecting a sale at all costs, rather than cultivating repeat customers. They try to blame issues on "third party warehouse or shipping" but your only option to communicate is Hqst email.
Thanks for the cross-shopping recommendation! Got it on “sale” with an added on coupon on eBay for $85. 👍😃🙌
The two sports have a distance of 5 feet so the weight of panels balance.
curious if the mount works with only Eco-Worthy panels or is it universal to all brands of panels?
It uses universal unistrut, so as long as it's a standard metal framed panel it will mount to it as long as it's not too big or small. None of my panels are Eco-worthy.
deck screws have no sheer strength...bad structural planning. maybe put it together with screws then nail everything in place after....
ua-cam.com/video/qmajKElnwfE/v-deo.html It's also a rolling solar panel stand... not a deck that has to stand up to people doing the hokey-pokey on it every Friday night. :)
So where are your 6500EX inverters today?
Enjoyed your video! Knowing what you know now, you could have trimmed the length of some of the Individual pieces that comprise your two long cross pieces. This would have shifted the cross pieces’ bolts away from where your panel clamps needed to attach. In so doing, you would have also eliminated the orphaned railing ends that extend beyond your panels. Like the portable frame, but agree with an earlier comment that structurally, it would have been better to have your metal legs bolt to the 90 degree crossing point of your wooden frame, then bolt the wheels immediately below same. Assuming that in addition to your grounding rods, you plan to anchor the unit to the ground to protect from shifting during high winds. Galvanized Steel chain buried in a hole+cement would probably be sufficient. The chains can be easily looped/padlocked around the lumber frame, making them simple to detach if the unit needs to be relocated. An added bonus is that makes it harder for a thief to load your unit into a trailer and drive away with it.
Thanks for your input. I've got all the parts to build a 2.0 version to hold all my old 100w panels, I've just had some medical issues that have kept me from working on much since January.
Why did you blur out your panel?
Inspection paperwork with my address on them I forgot to remove. Oops.
Looks great . How is it holding up in high winds?
I've had no issues, even through a couple of wind storms. They're on the north side of my house though too, and the prevailing winds are east/west, so that helps.
go get a longer unistrut and replace the back one. You have to turn the back base bracket the other way and use one bolt to pivot it Extremely easy
I just ordered one set for two panels today. I have two 240W solar panels sitting in the garage for about a year. At least I have a charging system working with two 200 AH batteries I can charge quickly for emergencies. With current temperatures the stand has to wait. I will use the Idea of wooden frame and wheals. Thanks for nice presentation.
If you would have bought 200 watt bifacial from eco worthy they would have fit
Great video! Im studying the possibility to buying one or some of these. Very helpful video. Many thanks
I'm glad it helped you. Don't hurt yourself getting it up on the wall, it can get sketch. :)
You weren't lying about that snow were you. Is that lake effect snow from one of the Great Lakes? Might want to go with 10 or 12 inch wheels on the next one.
Nope I'm up in the Northwest about a hundred miles from Canada. Most of our cold air comes from Canada and the moist air comes off the Pacific. This was only like 3", 8" at a time isn't unusual and more happens occasionally. We were supposed to have a mild El-Nino winter but apparently not. I have a set of 10" ones for the next one sitting in a box ready to go and another Eco-Worthy on the way.
You are quite well-matched. A few volts on a (roughly) 115V string is nothing. I do that to when I can... use a few older panels to "goose" the main panels. Its not ideal, but it is ok to do as long as the rules are followed. The only requirement when paralleling strings is that the operating voltage of any given string cannot be higher than the open-circuit voltage of any other string. That's it. Do not try to parallel strings if this rule would be broken because you will wind up putting reverse polarity on the less capable string, which is a fire hazard. Beyond that, the general rule of thumb is that forcing a string to operate a little (like 5%) below its "operating voltage" will not hurt production by very much. Strings must still be properly fused when paralleling, of course. There is actually quite a modest amount of voltage wiggle room when paralleling. The rules for putting mismatched panels in series are more stringent. Both the short circuit current and the operating current specifications for the panels must be very close to each other (less than 1A difference... less than 0.5A if you can swing it). If the amps are too far mismatched it becomes a fire hazard. No rules of thumb otherwise, the voltages just add. -Matt
Yeah it's a hack in my case, and I'm pretty sure until the weather went to crap I was wacking into the max amps for the charge controller, but it's better than trying to run new wire when it's 25F and snowing.
Hello friend, i have an EG4 3k inverter and it needs a minimum of 120 volts coming off the arrays. Isn't the inverter you're using the same? Yeah November December January with all the clouds in Hayes don't let the panels really produce much 😞 Love your videos keep up the great work❤
The 3k has a minimum of 120v, the 6500EX for some reason has a minimum of 80v. This is one reason I went with the 6500EX over dual 3ks. The new 6000XP has a 120v minimum IIRC. Thanks for the compliment too, it's been snowing since last night so I'm at 0.2kwh for the day... :/
Also, if a string isn't compatible with the hybrid inverter's solar input, there is nothing stopping you from simply throwing the string onto an independent charge controller connected to the same battery. Like a Victron 100/200 charge controller for example. There is no requirement that the hybrid inverters be the only things charging the battery.
It WORXS!
Sorry I should have tagged you and given you credit for the leaf blower idea as I'm pretty sure I stole it from you. :)
@@SolarShenanigansNo no, No tag needed brother🤘
Yes, I'm in my pajamas at 4pm. No judging. ;)
Howdy Shenanigans, You may be giving up a few volts when they are connected together but it seems to work. if you hit a peak of over 1400 watts out of 1800 available, that's not too bad considering the time of year and conditions. You could probably get a little more if your 4 panel array was angled at the proper angle for late October, early November. Still, it seems to work pretty good even though the voltages are a little off between the different panels. Steve.
Yeah, considering one array is at 25 degrees when it should be more like 45 and the other is at 35. It's still better than going out and running wires in my 35F garage to hook up the second charge controller. :)
1 5/8 unistrut is much more rigid.
Yup, it just comes down to cost. I picked a second one of these up on Ebay for $80 on Monday. To replace the unistrut with the more rigid strut would be $88 locally here (each 10' stick is $44)... more than the entire cost of the Eco-Worthy setup during an (admittedly once a year) sale.
Holy shit...I just stumbled upon your channel and I have the same stuff as you do. I already have 3 of the JNN Bifacial 200w. They are alright. I was hoping for a bit more. I just bought the same mounting racks from Eco and a bunch of other stuff. I went crazy cause Eco have pretty good price + 20% off on their Ebay site. My racks ended up barely over $80 with the 20% off. I also bought 4 x 195w bifacial and 2 of the 24v 100a lifepo4. 24v 100ah usually sell for around $600 but Eco has them for $413 - 20%. ~$330 for a 24v 100ah is nuts.
Thanks for the heads up on the Ebay sale, I picked up another rack so I can build a rolling array for my 100w panels. Screaming deal.
@SolarShenanigans Yeah some of the deals are insane. Their 195w biracial ended up being $105 each. 4 of these will fit on that rack. The 100w bifacials are 2 for $116 - 20%. I think you have the 48v 100ah rack batteries but those are at least $1000+. I can get 2 of the Eco 24v 100a for $660 which is the same capacity as the rack battery. I ended up spending over $1500 buying a bunch of Eco stuff. Buy now get yelled by wife later.
@@Golfreak I managed to stop at another rack... I'm already going to have a minor stroke when the credit card bill shows up next month. :) I was really tempted though. For my setup the server rack (and the OP Power wall battery I have) batteries are the way to go. The sealed batteries are nice for really small systems and marine or mobile systems but IMO, over 20kwh you hit a wall pretty fast. The cabling gets nuts and expensive too.
Look for Inside Strut joiner in this catalog tnb.ca.abb.com/en/pdf-catalogues/metal-framing-fastening-and-identification/metal-framing/A-Metal_Framing-E.pdf
@1:00 i'm pretty sure it's not really standard unistrut, at least not american spec's probably some sort of standard spec in asian countries though? I was able to get 4 panels on without extensions too, just had to mount from the bottom without the provided moutns. I think i have the same panels.
It mated up fine to the 2' pieces I bought from Lowes, but the metal is definitely poorer quality and seemed of a slightly thinner gauge (maybe metric unistrut if such a thing exists), the coating isn't as good, and the holes weren't deburred nicely like the ones from Lowes were. You get what you pay for I guess, considering buying just the unistrut from Home Depot or Lowes would be 2/3rd the cost of the entire Eco-Worthy setup when on sale. The normal price of $170 puts it too close to an EG4 Brightmount though (IMO) considering the EG4 can handle more panels and is seasonally adjustable, though harder to make mobile as it's 13' wide at the feet and 15' wide overall. That might be a Spring project.
@@SolarShenanigans do the spacing of the holes line up to the hardware store version?
@@wigenite No, the holes are smaller and a different shape, but that shouldn't matter in most cases as the slot is the same dimension so all the hardware like channel nuts fits fine. The only issue I ran into was needing larger washers when bolting the strut pieces together due to the larger holes in the Lowes unistrut. I don't know if I'd buy the 2' pieces anymore, they were like 7 bucks when I got them now they're more than 12. Cutting a 10' section makes more sense at that price.
Since the panels are bifacial, why didn't you leave wider gaps between the panels so light can get through to lessen the shadow and thus have more reflected light?
The kit comes with 4 end clamps and the rest are mid clamps, which fit between two panels only. If you wanted to do this you could, but you'd have to buy enough end clamps to put 4 per panel. If this is worth the extra expense and effort I don't know.
It is adjustable angle just not actively. You could change the back legs to linear actuators i believe and get the effect you want.
That sounds complicated and expensive... I may just buy some C-channel and cut some longer legs to swap in for winter vs summer because 25 degrees of angle up here 4 weeks shy of the winter solstice ain't wonderful. Either that or I need to move my array to the front yard and make my neighbors cringe every time they drive by. ;)
You Might want to consider using some sort of tire sealer on those Harbor freight pneumatic tires. they use some kind of cheap rubber or something we’ve Bought small rubber tires from HarborFreight for our garden stool it has a tractor type style seat that’s adjustable up and down and a little tray underneath for garden tools and four wheels it is a very nice substantial stool however the tires went bad rather quickly so we went and bought a new set a tires from HarborFreight and filled them with slime I believe it was called slime tire sealer and that helps a little bit.You can do that or when you buy new wheels from them instead of filling them up with air you could fill them up with a can of tire inflator that already has slime in it because those things develop cracks and start leaking almost instantly
Good to know, thanks for mentioning it. I've avoided tire slime for cars since most tire shops have a fit if you use it but for this application it makes a lot of sense.
It looks like a lot of work to me good idea and everything and you did a fine job there and all However one may consider using Victron smart solar charge controllers you can create a net work and tie them all together if you’re worried about shading you could have one facing slightly east for the mornings south for throughout the day and one slightly west for the evening setting ☀️ sun.I myself personally I am terrified of a metal solar panel Mount Lightning seems to love tall metal things.
Well yes they didn’t make it correctly. Don’t know how you mounted this here and what to on the ground. Aside from that what about putting something underneath it to adjust angle? Also if bolted to the ground in concrete piers. Longer bolts allowing you to put predrilled extra,call em seasonal boards,you can extend those bolts with brackets If necessary. Just a thought.
This is all mounted to a wheeled contraption I made in another video so not much I can do to tilt the whole thing that wouldn't make it blow over in the wind. It's too cold to spend much time out there so I'm just going to suck it up for the winter. :)
You can't loosen up the four top mounting brackets and tilt all four panels at once? Do the front , short legs have the ability to raise and lower? It looks like you can take out the bolt and nuts on the front to adjust it. The front legs would have to be a sleeve within a sleeve so you could remove the hardware , raise it or lower it , then re-insert the bolts and nuts. How are those JJN panls working out?
The way it changes the tilt is moving the rear legs closer to the front legs, as the length of the rear legs is fixed. Moving the front legs would make the array shorter in the front and change the angle too but you'd have to move the entire leg rearward, which would be even harder than moving the rears forward. Another solution would be to buy some C-channel and custom cut some lengths for different angles and swap lengths for different seasons. That would only be 3 bolts per leg, but eventually you'd still have to move the rear leg bases as the top mount would move forward as the angle increases. As for the JJNs, before bleak November set in I was getting around 600 watts peak from the JJNs with the 25 degree angle (optimal for my location would be 45 degrees in November and 40 in October as I'm not far from Canada). Right now I have them in parallel with my 10x100 watt array because by some luck the voltage of 5 of my HQST 100w panels in series is almost identical to 4 of the JJNs in series. So I have 3 strings of 2 different types and wattages of panels in parallel right now. I've got footage for a video on this oddball bit of luck I've not edited yet.
That's nice that you can run the HQST and the JJN's in parallel. If the voltages match up and it balances out that's pretty neat. I was looking at the Eco Worthy mount instructions and if you look at the illustrations of the panels at different angles you can see the front and back legs closer and farther apart depending on the angle. Does look like a pain to adjust. Eco Worthy should have designed that system so you could raise and lower both the front and back legs and an arm attachment that pivots. I think that would have let you adjust the array without having to take off the panels and then unbolting the rear feet and mount them forward. They sure could have engineered that better.@@SolarShenanigans
@@StevefromOhio1972I'm going to make some longer legs I think and possibly spin the "feet" of the legs around so I can use the slop in the bolt holes to angle the legs forward slightly. 5x100w HQST (which are exactly the same as Renogy panels except for the label... two of them even came in a box with a Renogy label) were 115-117v open circuit, 4x200w JJNs were 114v open circuit, so you do give up a few volts but until I stop being lazy and it stops being cold outside it'll have to do.
Your design and mine are very close. GREAT JOB DUDE!!! I took 3 mounting kits and put them together to make 2 mounts. I could tell from reviews that a third leg was needed and an extra rail couldn't hurt. I used the larger HF wheels. But the one thing that makes mine superior (LoL!!! J/K) is that mine pivot to make them track the sun.
Sounds like yours is a lot fancier than mine. Did you use the Eco-Worthy tracker or custom build one?
@@SolarShenanigans the only tracker I saw on Eco Worthy's web site is the Dual Axis Solar Tracking System. I manually track because I'm retired and have nothing better to do. LoL!
@@jackehli621I think there's worse things to do in retirement than wander around the property moving things around, at least you're getting some exercise and sun and keeping active. :)
Very nice, how are those bifacial panels working out compared to standard ones?
Very nice, how are those bifacial panels working out compared to standard ones?
Hard to say as I have them all in series parallel at the moment and today is the first time I had any sun at all since October 28th. I've been in grid mode for 2 weeks straight...
Bought this and came as a trashed box of loose parts and a lot of bolts and other hardware missing. No tools. Inadequate instructions. Sent it back.
As you should, sounds like a last item packaged on a Friday before a holiday to me. :) Amazon seems to be the worst for this, I've been shipped items that were "new" that arrived with Amazon Warehouse stickers all over them and parts missing.
Great video, I manage to build the same mount with eco worthy and wood also, but I also extend the rods on the side and installed 4X370W panel, good day 4X370W making 1000W-1300W aprox 78VX13-18 Amp
Thanks, I've yet to see more than 600w out of my 800w array, but it's November, they're at 25 degrees incline and I live 100 miles south of Canada. I do regret not buying larger panels though...
Nice solar array! Greetings from Jamaica.
Greetings from the 48th Parallel, where I've had no days of real sun for 14 days straight. Hope it's warmer down there. :)
@@SolarShenanigans Very warm here, rain on and off but i'm over paneled so i still get a full charge with abt. 2+ hours of full sunshine.
@@lawrencedavidson6195 Be happy, I made 2.8kwh today total on a 1.8kw array. Yesterday I made less than 1...
Good video. I think I can fit 5 100w JJN 9bb panels on this rack if so I’ll be ordering three.
Make sure you cross-shop Amazon, E-Bay and their website, I've seen large price differences between the three. The Amazon price especially changes constantly and often has coupon codes that come and go.
@@SolarShenanigansI got mine for $59/each.
@@hardtruth2039You got a steal, congrats.
I also purchased this panel rack kit to save time and money. I mounted four 195 watt bifacial panels weighing 20.5 lb each. I spaced the supports 180 cm apart (about 71") as shown in the directions and it did not sag in the middle and there was no need for a center leg. Of course, if the supports are spaced too far apart it will tend to sag more in the middle, this is true of any beam. The total width of the rack is 118", so assuming four panels, and allowing 1" for each clip (two end clips and three intermediate clips) each panel would have to be less than about 28". I'm very happy with it, everything fit perfectly, all the parts were included even the anchor bolts, even the galvanizing looks good.
Mine are 25 pounds each due to being bifacial, which means it has the similar weight as 5 of your panels on it. Then I added a 24" extension to get the extra 6" I needed to fit all 4. The sag and need for the middle leg is the end result. I'm fine with the extra leg as it allowed me to get four 30.5" wide panels on it instead of only 3 but YMMV.
One way to eliminate the sag without using a third leg is to reinforce the center section that is sagging with a long section of unistrut bolted to it, essentially making it a thicker beam@@SolarShenanigans
@@petercullati39That's an option, but relatively expensive around here at $34 a 10' section of 14 gauge or $44 for 12 gauge. You'd probably need two sections, and at that point you just added $68 in parts to stiffen a mount I paid $120 for on sale. I'm cheap so I bought a $6 pressure treated 2x4 and did the extra legs. :)
well there you go. As my mom told my sister "keep your legs together"@@SolarShenanigans
@@petercullati39Wise words from a wise woman. :)
consider that it is a high impedance input on the Digital Volt Meter (DVOM)
You obviously know more about using a multimeter than I do, I know just enough to (hopefully) keep from getting electrocuted. :)
Howdy SolarShenanigans , I really like the way you made the base on that array. I like your caster wheels too. I would get a hold of Eco-Worthy and see if you could purchase another leg for the center, if you think it's worth the extra cost. I like the setup Jasonoid came up with using the 41 inch adjustable mounts. They make those mounts in 28, 41 and now I believe 58 inches. He used some angled aluminum on the top and bottom to hold his 4 panels together. He did have to drill holes into the top and bottom of each panel frame to affix the angled aluminum. I think a combination of your base and his mounting system might be a perfect combo. I really don't know unless I try to build one myself to find out. I think I will try to tackle this after winter. We're supposed to have a bad winter here in southern Ohio this season. Well, that's the early prediction. I like those JJN BiFacials, they're pretty wide though but not as tall as others. I have even seen square panels. So many choices with BiFacials now. BougeRV just came out with a 100 and 200 watt Bifacial, but they are $250 a pop. Ouch. You got a pretty good deal on the JJN's. I am looking at the HiTec solar BiFacials for sale on ebay. They have a 200 and 220 watt panel that is 26 inches wide and 58 high. I wish I had seen more reviews of their panels online though to see how folks like them. They're made in northern Indiana. They are 5 bus bar panels, not 9 or 10. If I decide to go that route, I may just go up to the factory and pick up 4 or 5. I think they are about $190 apiece if you buy 4 or more. The JJN's have good UA-cam reviews from what I've seen.I hope yours work out for you. That is one good looking array. Thank you for making this video, I have learned so much watching it. Please, if you could, keep us updated on the array and the output of the panels. Thank you once again, much appreciated. Steve
My old set of ten 100w panels are mounted on two sets of the 28" and one 41" of those adjustable mounts, using 8' 2x4 lumber stretched between the legs as I had scrap lumber laying around. The upside is seasonal adjustability and cheap, the downside is they're low to the ground. I considered building similar rolling rigs for those but I wanted height because of snow rolling off the front of the array and piling up in front of it. I'm thinking of picking up an EG4 Brightmount and making a similar rig, but it would be harder as they're 15' wide and the legs are 13', and at least locally 4x4 and 4x6 tops out at 12'. I'd have to get creative to make it work. Someday maybe I'll get some land out in the boonies and I can build a proper fixed array but this works for back yard shenanigans.
My gosh, your presentation style is amazing. Thank you!
Thanks. When I edit the videos I think I sound closer to the teacher from "Ferris Beuller's Day Off" so I'm glad it's useful to someone. :)
Would stove bolts be low enough so clamps would slide over ?
Possibly, if you found some that fit in the slots of the strut channel without spinning. You'd probably have to go up to 1/2" from 3/8", which means buying new bolts, washers and nuts and there's 4 per joint. Not prohibitively expensive but an added cost. It may still not work as the channel nuts run pretty deep in the channel, and the dome on a 1/2" stove/carriage bolt would be fairly tall. Note this is 14 gauge strut, 12 gauge has a deeper channel and is more rigid, but slightly more expensive.
Your wooden frame needs a diagonal member to keep it from racking as you role it around. That could stress your panels. Your center supports also bare weight on the 4×4s which might sag over time. If you installed supports that mount to center of upper horizontal and mount to the feet at each end, it won't move.
Noted, though it's not shown any signs of racking yet, with the panels and rack on top it's pretty rigid. Adding a horizontal cross brace would be easy and not cost much though. It's going to be sitting out in the weather all winter long and we don't have mild winters... so if it breaks in half it'll make an exciting update video. Clickbait title: "My Array Exploded: Don't Let This Happen To You"
this is the exact reason I no longer purchase anything on Amazon. Amazon is not a supplier... it's a warehouse flea market. shipped and sold by Amazon means nothing. they comingle inventory!