Amazon doesn't ship directly to Central America. You can get items shipped to Miami and then use a third party shipper to receive them. We have used this service in Costa Rica to get our solar panel and in Nicaragua for other items. Unfortunately we are currently traveling and not staying in any place long enough to get an Amazon shipment.
Don't you think regular extension cords are way to thin for the solar panels? And also you CAN plug in the other end in a wall socket, which will probably destroy your solar panels 🤔
The extension cord we used is 12 gage, which is thicker than the 16 gage factory cord that came with the panel. Your right thought, a smaller gage cord would be great, especially if you are linking several solar panels together. With this new cord, yes you could plug the solar panel directly into a wall socket which would destroy the panel. After shooting this video we labeled the end of the cord "solar only" to avoid any mispahps.
The Duracell solar panel is excellent. It is very portable, light weight and is a very efficient 100 Watt panel. The generator is a great entry level solar battery. It has everything you need all in one place, an inverter, USB plug ins and AC outlet. It is a bit heavy, so you don't really want to be moving it around all the time. It is perfect for camping trips or a back up power source for your home. If you are overlanding full time with a fridge, phones, cameras and using a lap top for work you will likely want something that supplies more power.
We primarily use the generator and solar panel to power our 12 volt fridge/freezer. We can overland off grid for a week or more with no loss of electricity.
Size matters - DC Voltage is weak - and drops (reduces available electricity from source to use). DC Voltage is reduced as it travels thru wire and each connection. 12 volts at 1 amp will be 10 volts, 1 amp in 12 feet using 12 gage wire (approximation). Moving panels closer instead of extending wires will produce more "electricity". AC voltage can travel many yards with 12 gage wire without losing a single electron. DC actually moves electrons. AC simply "jiggles" electrons in place 60 times a second.
Thank you for your comment. Initially we worried about voltage drop using a 50 foot extension cord. But after testing we found that we were getting 22.2 volts and 5.2 amps at the generator from a 100 Watt solar panel (using a 50 foot cord). We have had no problem running our 50 Watt 12 volt fridge/freezer and keeping our Duracell generator charged. Having the longer cord has been a game changer in camp because we typically set up camp in wooded/shaded areas and need the long cord to place the panel in the sun.
This DIY project stared off out of necessity. We needed a longer cord but none were available in Nicaragua so we decided to make one. We repurposed the plug ends from an old cord we had. We expected to lose electrical resistance due to the cord length, but we were pleasantly surprised. After testing it for over a month we found next to no loss (and we saved $100 that a new cord would have cost).
Beautiful view
This was one of the most beautiful views we found in El Salvador.
Amazon ships everywhere 😆 that's how I got my Anderson plugs
Amazon doesn't ship directly to Central America. You can get items shipped to Miami and then use a third party shipper to receive them. We have used this service in Costa Rica to get our solar panel and in Nicaragua for other items. Unfortunately we are currently traveling and not staying in any place long enough to get an Amazon shipment.
Don't you think regular extension cords are way to thin for the solar panels?
And also you CAN plug in the other end in a wall socket, which will probably destroy your solar panels 🤔
The extension cord we used is 12 gage, which is thicker than the 16 gage factory cord that came with the panel. Your right thought, a smaller gage cord would be great, especially if you are linking several solar panels together. With this new cord, yes you could plug the solar panel directly into a wall socket which would destroy the panel. After shooting this video we labeled the end of the cord "solar only" to avoid any mispahps.
Yeah the place looks really beautiful!
What is the Duracell solar panel and battery generator like? Any good?
The Duracell solar panel is excellent. It is very portable, light weight and is a very efficient 100 Watt panel. The generator is a great entry level solar battery. It has everything you need all in one place, an inverter, USB plug ins and AC outlet. It is a bit heavy, so you don't really want to be moving it around all the time. It is perfect for camping trips or a back up power source for your home. If you are overlanding full time with a fridge, phones, cameras and using a lap top for work you will likely want something that supplies more power.
We primarily use the generator and solar panel to power our 12 volt fridge/freezer. We can overland off grid for a week or more with no loss of electricity.
Size matters - DC Voltage is weak - and drops (reduces available electricity from source to use). DC Voltage is reduced as it travels thru wire and each connection. 12 volts at 1 amp will be 10 volts, 1 amp in 12 feet using 12 gage wire (approximation). Moving panels closer instead of extending wires will produce more "electricity". AC voltage can travel many yards with 12 gage wire without losing a single electron. DC actually moves electrons. AC simply "jiggles" electrons in place 60 times a second.
Thank you for your comment. Initially we worried about voltage drop using a 50 foot extension cord. But after testing we found that we were getting 22.2 volts and 5.2 amps at the generator from a 100 Watt solar panel (using a 50 foot cord). We have had no problem running our 50 Watt 12 volt fridge/freezer and keeping our Duracell generator charged. Having the longer cord has been a game changer in camp because we typically set up camp in wooded/shaded areas and need the long cord to place the panel in the sun.
Literally one of the worst ideas I've seen. Dont do this. Ao many things can go wrong. Those crappy, small extension cords aren't made for DC.
Just curious which part of this DIY do you not like, is it the plug in end or the copper extension cord wire?
Copper wire diameter must match the current load. Definitely find a chart for DC. Length and current= wire diameter minimum.
This DIY project stared off out of necessity. We needed a longer cord but none were available in Nicaragua so we decided to make one. We repurposed the plug ends from an old cord we had. We expected to lose electrical resistance due to the cord length, but we were pleasantly surprised. After testing it for over a month we found next to no loss (and we saved $100 that a new cord would have cost).
@@shanonallen5395 That is great advice