How To Set Up A Simple OFF-GRID Solar System | DIY Camper Build - Part 13
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- Опубліковано 24 лют 2023
- I set up a simple OFF-GRID solar system for my DIY #tinktube camper build. To my 50-watt solar panel, I connect a solar charge controller, a lithium iron phosphate deep cycle battery, and a 500-watt inverter. Amazon affiliate links below to the products I used for this build.
Tinktube Discount Code: tinktube.com/?coupon_code=gre...
50 Watt Solar Panel: amzn.to/41rmf64
500 Watt Inverter: amzn.to/41oTOWc
10 Amp Charge Controller: amzn.to/3xShvc4
12.8V Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery: amzn.to/3ksePi8
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/ @greenshortzdiy - Навчання та стиль
Nice work! Thanks!
I really want to set one up for my house. Thank you. God Bless and stay safe.
Major rabbit-hole...but so worth it! I started with about the same size setup and have gone deep into this topic, since then. NOTE: That is a PWM controller, so make sure your panels get FULL sun. Any shading at all and output will drop to almost zero. Two things you'll experience fairly soon including really noticing how many days are not really sunny, and you'll obsess over having a nice sunny day when your battery is already fully charged. You'll start to dream up ways to use the power you have stored, but not TOO much, because you don't want to run out. That's when things start to scale! ;) Keep in mind that you can power 12v DC loads directly from the controller. It will use solar power when that is coming in and providing enough amps, otherwise it will draw from the battery. This is far more efficient than going through the inverter, which typically will suffer 10-15% worth of conversion losses. Also, volts*amps=watts...so, the wattage coming through the panel and into your battery is the simplest way to understand how productive it is. If you ever decide you would like to try building an LFP battery from components, let me know and I'll be glad to step you through it. Not hard at all and it allows you to build a lot more capacity, at a reasonable cost. (That system won't really provide much for your camper build, as it is just too small.)
***You have that listed as a "24V Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery", in your description. It's a 12.8V battery with 24AH (amp-hours) worth of capacity.***
Thank you, Jason. Lots of great insights here. I have noticed that I’m already thinking differently about the sun. Funny, it has been mostly cloudy and rainy since i made this video. :-) I fixed the battery info in the description. Thank you for catching that. One question I have…how will I know when the battery is full? Thank you for watching.
@@GreenShortzDIY - The battery has a BMS, or Battery Management System, inside the case. It is a small circuit board with mosfets that control charging and discharging. It is programmed to curtail charge current at around 14.4 volts and then allow current in again when it drops below a certain threshold. You can't tell actual SOC (state of charge) without a shunt or hall effect sensor. Voltage is not a good indicator of SOC, with LFP batteries, because they maintain a flat voltage level throughout most of their discharge cycle.
Would be a really good idea to have fuses and to ground the inverter. The battery probably has a BMS with some level protection & balance, but actual fusing is great for preventing an unseen miss fortune event. Nice project, keep it up!
Thank you so much for this video.I've watched so many confusing clips.........volts....ohms....ampage etc. This was just simplicity. Even the way you placed the parts on the table was perfect. As I'm typing this I've set up a solar system on my own table and its already charging my phone.Great vid.
Glad it helped, Garry. Thank you for letting me know.
Face your fears! It feels good knowing that you have done it! That is a great little system for your trailer. Looking forward to seeing the next video about it.
You did it! Congrats! 👍
Thank you, Julie! Thank you for watching.
If I was you I would take it put it on a roller round plastic Box that you can put all your parts in your battery your inverter and solar charger so that way they won't get wet and then you set your solar panel mounted on top of the Box and you'll be able to move it around whatever you want
Always connect positive first then negative.
Thank you. Thank you for watching.
Yay I love that you took the bull by the horns, got through this, and proceeded slowly enough that your audience could (with possibly little knowledge of conversion from solar to electrical power) take note of each step!
I will admit some concern with the modified sine wave inverter, though. If a laptop, tools, etc are to be charged or run on this setup, a modified sine wave inverter will work twice as hard as a pure sine wave inverter to complete the task. This issue serves to cause the powered delicate or wire-wound equipment to fail sooner than if receiving pure sine wave power.
Still, impressive, and your connection sequencing will be in my pocket for my travel van!
Good stuff! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for all the good information.
I see one of your patreons is Joe Scott. Is that the same Joe Scott with the "answers"?
Nice going. Electricity is kinda intimidating.
Ha! I am with you. Thank you for the encouragement. Thank you for watching.
Can you show us how to setup a strait DC system too please? I have lived off grid in the past and I know I don't need much, a few lights, a fan or 2, which I would use a dc, a DC fridge/freezer and a DC water pump. No need to lose electricity on conversion. Truly we don't need much, we have just become spoiled and those things I want are largely luxuries new to the human experience.
great job!
Why not connect the inverter to the load terminals?
did he ever explain this?
I’m not sure of the answer. I’m still learning about solar power myself. But, I’m sure others on UA-cam have answered it.