Another option would be the MPT-7210A. Similarly priced, but the user interface is superior in my opinion. I've been playing with just using a simple boost DC/DC with voltage and current adjustment. Set the voltage to the peak battery voltage (42.0V in your case) and the current to the max power point of the solar panel (2.85A in the case of your Renogy). I think I paid about $10 for the 600W version I'm experimenting with. Worked great for charging my 18V packs from a 50W panel, and has the added benefit of it doubles as a vehicle based charger.
I've used boost DC-DC converters on other projects ( ua-cam.com/video/d2r3jbL78iQ/v-deo.html ). Some of them had overstated specs. and seemed dangerous to me. The heavier duty ones where more expensive and didn't have a case. I'll have to check out the MPT-7210A, Thanks!
hi, i bought these for my 72v battery pack. they work great when solar pannels are connected but makes ahort circuit when nothing is connected. I fear that at night when there is no sun, the charger would create short circuit??? have you tested it at night? how does it behave
hi, i bought these for my 72v battery pack. they work great when solar pannels are connected but makes ahort circuit when m is connected. I fear that at night when there is no sun, the charger would create short circuit??? have you tested it at night? how does it behave
Great job in giving me another diy project. Keep up the no bs to the point format. I don’t subscribe to many people but stumble across u and subscribed, liked and commented first time. Wasn’t what I was exactly researching but gave me a different angle to approach. Thanks
Great info. I'm trying to go solar with my Ryobi tools at home and possibly at work too. The charge controller is amazing value and makes setup very easy. Subscribed!
Wow.. My Question Answered.. I Have 300w On My Van & I Need A Quality Vacuum Because Dirt Piles Up In The Freedom Van Lifestyle. This Is Exactly What I Was Looking For Specifically.. Thank You..
I use this with Hikoki 36V power tools (cnc router) and it works great together a 100W 12V solar panel. I can work from the morning to evening and i never discharged my battery (2Ah 36V)
GREAT videos Chris! You rock :-) Can I use the MC4 connectors on the Ryobi charging cable vs XT60 so i can avoid soldering and just use a crimp tool for 10g wire? It seems like the wire for ryobi charging unit will be very small - i hope mc4 will work
Ordered most of the parts for this project :) Have a couple of questions though. 1) whats the wiring for charging the 2 18v batteries and 2) where did you get the wiring hook up with the fuse and 3) whats size wire are you using. Thanks
The fused wire came with the solar charger. The 18V battery connector model is at: swww.prusaprinters.org/prints/39638-ryobi-one-18v-battery-charge-adapter-for-solar-pow . I used 10AWG Stranded Silicon Wire ( amzn.to/36q6BgU ).
This is a great idea - people can charge up their tool batteries while working out in a fied or on a roof. Building sites often dont have enough temporary power sockets for everyone. Have oou thought about making kits to sell so nobody has to add on their own connectors?
I just ordered one of the charge controllers from Ebay. Have a question. I thought of cutting off the Ryobi power supply and just using a custom boost controller to supply the same 42VDC @2A in its place. I'm assuming the charging circuit etc is in the Ryobi charger and the power transformer/supply is providing a constant 42VDC @2A. Am I wrong? Thanks in advance
Unfortunately I haven't figured how to hack the 40V battery to put it into the charge mode yet (I did figure it out for the 18V batteries). So you need the Ryobi charger to handle that function. The solar charger controller replaces the normal charger brick
I set up the the adjustable charge controller. Where did't you come to the conclusion it it be set to 41.7 volts. The battery charges up to the 41.7 volts but the charger doesn't show the battery fully charged. The green light still flashes on the roybi charger. Doesn't turn solid green. I checked the voltage coming from the 120v wall adapter that was supplying the charger originally and it's putting out 45v. Is there a reason your charging the battery with 41.7v and not 45v? I was waiting for the roybi charger to indicate the battery was fully charged for ever and never got there. It was charged to the 41.7 v for hours. Is there a reason for not fully charging the battery? Having to monitor the charge controller to see it reached 41.7 rather than the green light stop flashing indicating the battery is fully charged on the ryboi charger module seems inconvenient. I would like to understand why you under charge the ryboi battery slightly with 41.7v
@@jime9305 That's exactly what I was thinking. Although when I put the battery into the 40v Rapid charger it don't finish the charge and indicates the battery is fully charged and will not charge it further. Was wondering if 41.7 volts was maybe to extend the life of the battery. But I guess my question wasn't worth answering by the creator of this system.
I'm so glad I kept scrolling and found your comment. I have the identical situation on two chargers and two MPPT charge controllers using the method detailed in the video. Everything works great except the grand finale. The 4th light is content to blink forever. Tonight after seeing your comment I checked the bricks via multimeter. The OP403 brick puts out 43.9v. The sister charger OP404 is even higher at 45.8. No wonder the chargers won't finish. I'm going to reset the respective controllers to those numbers tomorrow. On edit: That's all it took. I raised the voltage today, as described above. The Ryobi charger finished with no problem. If this had been yesterday I would have been out there several times staring at a forever blinking left light
Thanks for another useful video, Chris. Is the current displayed on the unit the solar current or the charging current? I'm curious because those 40v clip on chargers are rated at 1.5 amps (which could just be an artificial limitation of the AC transformer), so if you are improving on the rated charging speed that makes a project like this even more impressive.
So I just built one of these and using the clip on charger you can in fact charge at a much faster rate. I noted 6.5ah on my current meter. Typical Ryobi tactics artificially limiting the charge current so they can sell you the 'fast charger' for 3x the price.
@@IM_A_BEAR_LOL - It is also worth mentioning that charging NMC batteries "faster" results in fewer charge cycles before they drop below 80% DOD, aka their service life.
Since it is using the Ryobi charger, it takes the same as if you plugged it into AC. A 4Ah 40V Ryobi battery is rated at 144Wh. The small Ryobi 40V charger puts out 63W. So it should take around 2-3 hours to fully charge and empty battery.
I'm loving your videos. I'm getting ready to start my truck camper build. I would love to see your charging setup and the Ryobi tools you use while camping. Do you rely completely on the Ryobi batteries? I wanted a chainsaw since I'm in the PNW and the newer 40v Ryobi chainsaw seemed to be the best balance of usability and cost. Have you started playing with any of the 40v Ryobi stuff yet? I love my prusa and was happy to see you get one :)
Is it safe to connect the Ryobi 40v battery to the unit BEFORE setting the custom 41.7 voltage on the unit? I tried without a battery and it didn't work. Specifically it didn't cycle back down to 24 after crossing the 80 something max
Can multiple 40V Ryobi Chargers with the AC/DC Power Adapter be ganged (say 3), connected in parallel with an XT60 for Solar charging, then connected to a MPPT Controller to Solar charge multiple 40V Lithium batteries concurrently? If it can be done, how many 100W 12V Solar Panels would be needed, and the MPPT Settings?
The MPPT controller says it output < 300W. So at most, you could have is three 100W panels. The 40V charger says it takes 1.5A at 42V or 63W. In full sun, you might be able to power three 40V chargers
Thanks for this but I was hoping for a more efficient solar charger. This simply powers an inverter to generate AC power which then can run the standard ryobi AC charger. That's an inefficient process because there are power losses in each conversion step. The 40V batteries are more challenging to charge but for charging the 18 volt batteries, it would be more efficient to use 24 volt solar panels connected to a very efficient DC-DC converter that steps down 24 volts to the correct charging voltage for this battery chemistry as well as providing the optimum charge current. You'd have to cannibalize the standard AC charger to have the connector and base. In theory, you could do the same thing for the 40V battery using 24V solar panels in series to provide 48V input to the DC-DC converter. Would the efficiency of my system be less than using inverters? Depends on the inverter and standard charger circuit vs. DC-DC converter efficiencies. FYI you can also buy inverters at auto stores that can be connected to your car battery as well (Or buy the new Ford F150 lightning all electric truck!) then plug your standard Ryobi AC charger into that.
It's actually not using the AC adapter. The MPPT controller is sending DC to the Ryobi Charger. But now I finally figured out how to hack the Ryobi 40V batteries to put them in "Charge Mode"... so now you can connect directly to the battery ( ua-cam.com/video/ChC_vQpG3_M/v-deo.html )
Would this set up work for 2 Milwaukee batteries wired in series? Or is there a specific reason you’re using ryobi batteries. Like perhaps Milwaukee batteries have strict charging parameters compared the the ryobi batteries. I’ve found very little helpful information on directly charging tool batteries from solar panels before coming across this video!
I use RYOBI batteries because they have a BMS built into them. Some manufacturers have the BMS built into the tool. I don't own any Milwaukee, so I don't know
Would you know any way on tricking the charger t1 sensor to produce 40v from the charger. Would like to charge my ebike battery that can slide into the charger. The battery has a bms and it just needs 42v input on the battery. Thanks
the resistor over the 18v charger is 1ohm? this triggers the voltage over charge? since 18v charge ports are in parallel, can you put different amperage size batteries on your charger? I was thinking since you probably can't put one battery in the 18v charging system there always needs to be 2? and what happens to the charge if one battery charge completes before the second battery?
it's a 1200ohm resistor. This MPPT charge controller can't go down to 21V. So putting two in series allows you to charge them. It's best if they are the same size/charge level. Ideally you are using them in serial as a "40V" battery.
It's not easy to do safely. The batteries could be at different voltages. You also want to limit the charge current to each battery. I guess you could get multiple MPPT controllers
I don't have any of the Black & Decker tools/batteries. Is the BMS (battery management system) in the tool or the battery? If in the battery, you should be good
If I have the RYOBI 12volt charger... What is the most basic Solar Panel system I would need to make it work? Could I plug the RYOBI 12 volt charger directly into the Solar Panel without a Charge Controller?
You can't plug a solar panel directly into the 12V Ryobi charger. Most solar panels range 18-21V. Also I believe the 12V charger needs a certain amount of current to work. My P131 says it takes 12 at 6A
What value resistor did you use on the 18v battery charging contactor cap, the one going from neg terminal to the middle terminal? I am guessing this is a thermocouple terminal your bypassing?
Would this possibly work for the Ryobi six battery 18v supercharger? As the batteries are only charged one at a time, I didn’t know if this would be possible? Thank you in advance!
Does anyone know if the current reading on the charge controller is measuring the amps going into the charge controller, or the amps going out once the voltage is boosted thus making the amps lower? I'm worried since I got a 150watt panel setup to charge my ebike battery at only a little over 2 amps max when I calculated (75% efficiency) 110watts at 48v is a little over 2 amps. However, this charge controller shows about 5-6 amps with panels/battery plugged in which makes sense if measured at the solar panels output of about 21v. So I'm almost positive that the output is a little over 2 amps to the battery at around 48v, but I feel a small amount of concern since I can't directly measure it. (unless I strip my wires a bit and try the multimeter, which I probably will).
Easier for me to think in watts... 150W = 20V * 7.5A = 54V * 2.8A. But you rarely get the full panel rating. I have used these little meters to measure ( amzn.to/3wwXRTp )
you could go with a larger solar panel. It would help when the sky is overcast.... but the Ryobi charger will never take more than the rated 1.5A at 42V
@@SerendipitySue Any idea why I’m not getting any current? My battery isn’t gaining any bars for hours. My P voltage is averaging 20. Current is reading zero. Any suggestions?
@@SerendipitySue I don’t know what you mean by charge mode. But I cut the ryobi charging cord in half and hook it up to the controller just like yours, and set the voltage to 41.7v.
@@christopherowens2635 sorry, I thought maybe you were doing two 18V batteries in series. Not sure why it's not charging. Does it charge if you wire it back to the AC wall wart?
@@SerendipitySue Thanks you're right, I was thinking more along the lines of the Milwuakee m12 batteries where they have a balance lead to each cell for charging.
One should be careful charging two 18v batteries in series because one could be overcharged while the other 18 volt would be undercharged. I am interested if the ryobi brand batteries have overvoltage protection when you charge without the ryobi charger?
Agree. I try to use the official 18V charger with temperature sensors when I can. This seems to work pretty well though. The RYOBI BMS' are pretty good (I don't trust the knock-off brand ones). I've been meaning to do some experiments with a fully charged and empty battery to see what happens.
I'm ignorant about this stuff AND have seen some dangerous & incorrect info folks put out about other electrical stuff, I just need a solar charger that will charge my 18v Plus 1 Ryobi batteries, does ANYONE produce one that DOESN'T have to be rigged? Just hook up a specified panel & roll ???????? Thanks
Just charge by electricity at home and put roof top solar panels, no need to spend huge money on these especially if you use your tools at home. Those solar blankets and Mppt charge controller are junk and unnecessary.
Another option would be the MPT-7210A. Similarly priced, but the user interface is superior in my opinion. I've been playing with just using a simple boost DC/DC with voltage and current adjustment. Set the voltage to the peak battery voltage (42.0V in your case) and the current to the max power point of the solar panel (2.85A in the case of your Renogy). I think I paid about $10 for the 600W version I'm experimenting with. Worked great for charging my 18V packs from a 50W panel, and has the added benefit of it doubles as a vehicle based charger.
I've used boost DC-DC converters on other projects ( ua-cam.com/video/d2r3jbL78iQ/v-deo.html ). Some of them had overstated specs. and seemed dangerous to me. The heavier duty ones where more expensive and didn't have a case. I'll have to check out the MPT-7210A, Thanks!
hi, i bought these for my 72v battery pack. they work great when solar pannels are connected but makes ahort circuit when nothing is connected. I fear that at night when there is no sun, the charger would create short circuit??? have you tested it at night? how does it behave
hi, i bought these for my 72v battery pack. they work great when solar pannels are connected but makes ahort circuit when m is connected. I fear that at night when there is no sun, the charger would create short circuit??? have you tested it at night? how does it behave
Same hear .
Great job in giving me another diy project. Keep up the no bs to the point format. I don’t subscribe to many people but stumble across u and subscribed, liked and commented first time. Wasn’t what I was exactly researching but gave me a different angle to approach. Thanks
I just bought one of these yesterday based on a previous video that you made. Thanks Chris.
Great info. I'm trying to go solar with my Ryobi tools at home and possibly at work too. The charge controller is amazing value and makes setup very easy. Subscribed!
Ryobi should hire you as a consultant.
Wow.. My Question Answered.. I Have 300w On My Van & I Need A Quality Vacuum Because Dirt Piles Up In The Freedom Van Lifestyle. This Is Exactly What I Was Looking For Specifically.. Thank You..
I use this with Hikoki 36V power tools (cnc router) and it works great together a 100W 12V solar panel.
I can work from the morning to evening and i never discharged my battery (2Ah 36V)
GREAT videos Chris! You rock :-) Can I use the MC4 connectors on the Ryobi charging cable vs XT60 so i can avoid soldering and just use a crimp tool for 10g wire? It seems like the wire for ryobi charging unit will be very small - i hope mc4 will work
Ordered most of the parts for this project :) Have a couple of questions though. 1) whats the wiring for charging the 2 18v batteries and 2) where did you get the wiring hook up with the fuse and 3) whats size wire are you using. Thanks
The fused wire came with the solar charger. The 18V battery connector model is at: swww.prusaprinters.org/prints/39638-ryobi-one-18v-battery-charge-adapter-for-solar-pow . I used 10AWG Stranded Silicon Wire ( amzn.to/36q6BgU ).
This is a great idea - people can charge up their tool batteries while working out in a fied or on a roof. Building sites often dont have enough temporary power sockets for everyone.
Have oou thought about making kits to sell so nobody has to add on their own connectors?
I just ordered one of the charge controllers from Ebay. Have a question. I thought of cutting off the Ryobi power supply and just using a custom boost controller to supply the same 42VDC @2A in its place. I'm assuming the charging circuit etc is in the Ryobi charger and the power transformer/supply is providing a constant 42VDC @2A. Am I wrong? Thanks in advance
Unfortunately I haven't figured how to hack the 40V battery to put it into the charge mode yet (I did figure it out for the 18V batteries). So you need the Ryobi charger to handle that function. The solar charger controller replaces the normal charger brick
Just ordered one last night
I set up the the adjustable charge controller. Where did't you come to the conclusion it it be set to 41.7 volts. The battery charges up to the 41.7 volts but the charger doesn't show the battery fully charged. The green light still flashes on the roybi charger. Doesn't turn solid green. I checked the voltage coming from the 120v wall adapter that was supplying the charger originally and it's putting out 45v. Is there a reason your charging the battery with 41.7v and not 45v? I was waiting for the roybi charger to indicate the battery was fully charged for ever and never got there. It was charged to the 41.7 v for hours. Is there a reason for not fully charging the battery? Having to monitor the charge controller to see it reached 41.7 rather than the green light stop flashing indicating the battery is fully charged on the ryboi charger module seems inconvenient. I would like to understand why you under charge the ryboi battery slightly with 41.7v
That's a good point...he should be supplying 45v to charger and letting the charger control the cutoff voltage
@@jime9305 That's exactly what I was thinking. Although when I put the battery into the 40v Rapid charger it don't finish the charge and indicates the battery is fully charged and will not charge it further. Was wondering if 41.7 volts was maybe to extend the life of the battery. But I guess my question wasn't worth answering by the creator of this system.
I'd love to hear what Chris says about 41.7 vs. 45v. I noticed the same thing today, the last green light never stopped blinking.
I'm so glad I kept scrolling and found your comment. I have the identical situation on two chargers and two MPPT charge controllers using the method detailed in the video. Everything works great except the grand finale. The 4th light is content to blink forever. Tonight after seeing your comment I checked the bricks via multimeter. The OP403 brick puts out 43.9v. The sister charger OP404 is even higher at 45.8. No wonder the chargers won't finish. I'm going to reset the respective controllers to those numbers tomorrow.
On edit: That's all it took. I raised the voltage today, as described above. The Ryobi charger finished with no problem. If this had been yesterday I would have been out there several times staring at a forever blinking left light
Thanks for another useful video, Chris. Is the current displayed on the unit the solar current or the charging current? I'm curious because those 40v clip on chargers are rated at 1.5 amps (which could just be an artificial limitation of the AC transformer), so if you are improving on the rated charging speed that makes a project like this even more impressive.
So I just built one of these and using the clip on charger you can in fact charge at a much faster rate. I noted 6.5ah on my current meter. Typical Ryobi tactics artificially limiting the charge current so they can sell you the 'fast charger' for 3x the price.
@@IM_A_BEAR_LOL are you charging 18v or 40v batteries? What type of solar panel are you using and how long does it take to charge your batteries?
@@IM_A_BEAR_LOL - It is also worth mentioning that charging NMC batteries "faster" results in fewer charge cycles before they drop below 80% DOD, aka their service life.
Hi! Great Video, How long does it take to fully charge a 40v battery using the 100w panels?
Since it is using the Ryobi charger, it takes the same as if you plugged it into AC. A 4Ah 40V Ryobi battery is rated at 144Wh. The small Ryobi 40V charger puts out 63W. So it should take around 2-3 hours to fully charge and empty battery.
Looks like a cool unit.
Looks like that setup would pair up very nicely with a $40 SanTan 240w panel
I'm loving your videos. I'm getting ready to start my truck camper build. I would love to see your charging setup and the Ryobi tools you use while camping. Do you rely completely on the Ryobi batteries? I wanted a chainsaw since I'm in the PNW and the newer 40v Ryobi chainsaw seemed to be the best balance of usability and cost. Have you started playing with any of the 40v Ryobi stuff yet? I love my prusa and was happy to see you get one :)
check out my jayco trailer videos
@@SerendipitySue Thanks!
Is it safe to connect the Ryobi 40v battery to the unit BEFORE setting the custom 41.7 voltage on the unit? I tried without a battery and it didn't work. Specifically it didn't cycle back down to 24 after crossing the 80 something max
Is there a solar system you recommend over any other?
Specifically what panel should we get to be able to charge both 18v annnd 40v Ryobi?
The flex panels typically don't last that long. You would need to have two 21V panels in series to be able to do the 40V charging.
This was great stuff! Totally worth a like and sub 👍
What made you use 41.7volts out from the mppt? When i metered the power brick it was producing 46 volts despite being rated for 42volts.
that was probably an unloaded voltage.
Can multiple 40V Ryobi Chargers with the AC/DC Power Adapter be ganged (say 3), connected in parallel with an XT60 for Solar charging, then connected to a MPPT Controller to Solar charge multiple 40V Lithium batteries concurrently? If it can be done, how many 100W 12V Solar Panels would be needed, and the MPPT Settings?
The MPPT controller says it output < 300W. So at most, you could have is three 100W panels. The 40V charger says it takes 1.5A at 42V or 63W. In full sun, you might be able to power three 40V chargers
Thanks for tip👌
Thanks for this but I was hoping for a more efficient solar charger. This simply powers an inverter to generate AC power which then can run the standard ryobi AC charger. That's an inefficient process because there are power losses in each conversion step. The 40V batteries are more challenging to charge but for charging the 18 volt batteries, it would be more efficient to use 24 volt solar panels connected to a very efficient DC-DC converter that steps down 24 volts to the correct charging voltage for this battery chemistry as well as providing the optimum charge current. You'd have to cannibalize the standard AC charger to have the connector and base. In theory, you could do the same thing for the 40V battery using 24V solar panels in series to provide 48V input to the DC-DC converter.
Would the efficiency of my system be less than using inverters? Depends on the inverter and standard charger circuit vs. DC-DC converter efficiencies.
FYI you can also buy inverters at auto stores that can be connected to your car battery as well (Or buy the new Ford F150 lightning all electric truck!) then plug your standard Ryobi AC charger into that.
It's actually not using the AC adapter. The MPPT controller is sending DC to the Ryobi Charger. But now I finally figured out how to hack the Ryobi 40V batteries to put them in "Charge Mode"... so now you can connect directly to the battery ( ua-cam.com/video/ChC_vQpG3_M/v-deo.html )
Thanks for the info.
Would this set up work for 2 Milwaukee batteries wired in series? Or is there a specific reason you’re using ryobi batteries. Like perhaps Milwaukee batteries have strict charging parameters compared the the ryobi batteries. I’ve found very little helpful information on directly charging tool batteries from solar panels before coming across this video!
I use RYOBI batteries because they have a BMS built into them. Some manufacturers have the BMS built into the tool. I don't own any Milwaukee, so I don't know
What value is the resistor going from the third terminal to the batt positive? Thanks
1.2K
@@SerendipitySue thanks😊👍
love these videos
How long does it take to fully charge a 4AH 40V battery on a 'normal' day?
The standard 40V 4Ah battery is 144Wh. So a 100W solar panel in full sun would take around 1.5 hours.
Would you know any way on tricking the charger t1 sensor to produce 40v from the charger. Would like to charge my ebike battery that can slide into the charger. The battery has a bms and it just needs 42v input on the battery. Thanks
I use this and other solar controllers to charge my ebike batteries ( ua-cam.com/video/CRZOvl0v_YE/v-deo.html )
Are those Boost mppt controller still available because I can't find them anywhere
The link in the video description still seems to work? It looks like it is a newer model
the resistor over the 18v charger is 1ohm? this triggers the voltage over charge? since 18v charge ports are in parallel, can you put different amperage size batteries on your charger? I was thinking since you probably can't put one battery in the 18v charging system there always needs to be 2? and what happens to the charge if one battery charge completes before the second battery?
it's a 1200ohm resistor. This MPPT charge controller can't go down to 21V. So putting two in series allows you to charge them. It's best if they are the same size/charge level. Ideally you are using them in serial as a "40V" battery.
How do I charge multiple batteries at once? And maintain batteries?
It's not easy to do safely. The batteries could be at different voltages. You also want to limit the charge current to each battery. I guess you could get multiple MPPT controllers
I want to try the same thing for my Black and Decker 20v Li batteries. Doable?
I don't have any of the Black & Decker tools/batteries. Is the BMS (battery management system) in the tool or the battery? If in the battery, you should be good
If I have the RYOBI 12volt charger... What is the most basic Solar Panel system I would need to make it work? Could I plug the RYOBI 12 volt charger directly into the Solar Panel without a Charge Controller?
You can't plug a solar panel directly into the 12V Ryobi charger. Most solar panels range 18-21V. Also I believe the 12V charger needs a certain amount of current to work. My P131 says it takes 12 at 6A
What value resistor did you use on the 18v battery charging contactor cap, the one going from neg terminal to the middle terminal? I am guessing this is a thermocouple terminal your bypassing?
1200ohm
@@SerendipitySue can you explain what this is for? i thought i saw in another of your videos you use this as a passthru so you can charge and use it?
Do you have a wiring schematic for it and a list of the things needed to make.
Great idea by the way
Look at the video description for the list of parts used.
Would this possibly work for the Ryobi six battery 18v supercharger? As the batteries are only charged one at a time, I didn’t know if this would be possible? Thank you in advance!
No, the RYOBI six battery charger takes 120VAC, not DC. It's a shame it doesn't use a "wall wart", because then we could
Your solar panels are giving you how much volts/watts?
you should use a solar charge controller. Don't directly connect the solar panels to the battery
Does anyone know if the current reading on the charge controller is measuring the amps going into the charge controller, or the amps going out once the voltage is boosted thus making the amps lower?
I'm worried since I got a 150watt panel setup to charge my ebike battery at only a little over 2 amps max when I calculated (75% efficiency) 110watts at 48v is a little over 2 amps. However, this charge controller shows about 5-6 amps with panels/battery plugged in which makes sense if measured at the solar panels output of about 21v. So I'm almost positive that the output is a little over 2 amps to the battery at around 48v, but I feel a small amount of concern since I can't directly measure it. (unless I strip my wires a bit and try the multimeter, which I probably will).
Easier for me to think in watts... 150W = 20V * 7.5A = 54V * 2.8A. But you rarely get the full panel rating. I have used these little meters to measure ( amzn.to/3wwXRTp )
I’m new to solar. Question: Would it do any good or bad if the solar panel was a 200w or higher for this setup?
you could go with a larger solar panel. It would help when the sky is overcast.... but the Ryobi charger will never take more than the rated 1.5A at 42V
@@SerendipitySue Thanks.
I like your channel, especially your modded and hacked Ryobi tools video. Just subscribed.
Ryobi has a solar panel out soon.
It's been "coming Soon" for over a year now :-)
If I put the controller on 24v can I charge one 18V battery? or will that damage it
so I have a 100W solar panel connected to the solar boost controller connected to ryobi 12v vehicle charger. does this make sense?
you need to set the charge controller to 21V or you could cause serious problems
Vvvv good thank you . 😲💥😱🇦🇺🇦🇺👍
What does the P stand for in the charge controller?
Solar Panel Voltage
@@SerendipitySue Any idea why I’m not getting any current? My battery isn’t gaining any bars for hours. My P voltage is averaging 20. Current is reading zero. Any suggestions?
@@christopherowens2635 did you put battery in charge mode?
@@SerendipitySue I don’t know what you mean by charge mode. But I cut the ryobi charging cord in half and hook it up to the controller just like yours, and set the voltage to 41.7v.
@@christopherowens2635 sorry, I thought maybe you were doing two 18V batteries in series. Not sure why it's not charging. Does it charge if you wire it back to the AC wall wart?
Isn't it dangerous to run those 18v batteries in series without being balanced or having a bms?
RYOBI batteries have the BMS built in the battery. Good idea to put them on a regular 18V charger every once in a while
@@SerendipitySue Thanks you're right, I was thinking more along the lines of the Milwuakee m12 batteries where they have a balance lead to each cell for charging.
One should be careful charging two 18v batteries in series because one could be overcharged while the other 18 volt would be undercharged. I am interested if the ryobi brand batteries have overvoltage protection when you charge without the ryobi charger?
Agree. I try to use the official 18V charger with temperature sensors when I can. This seems to work pretty well though. The RYOBI BMS' are pretty good (I don't trust the knock-off brand ones). I've been meaning to do some experiments with a fully charged and empty battery to see what happens.
The batteries should have a built-in BMS.
@@GoatZilla Most don't have a BMS. The power tool has the discharge cutoff and if you are not using a power tool then the battery has no BMS.
@@uhjyuff2095 Name one.
@@GoatZilla Black and Decker lithium.
I use ryobi for tools, I can order one of the charger adapter? Thank you
sorry, I'm not in a position to make/sell adapters. I put them on the 3D print sites for free
I really like how you able to charge one of ryobi battery. What is the 2k resistor for again?
@@rayjones2381 the 1200ohm resistor between the + and T1 sensor puts the battery into "charge mode"
Will it stop charging when all the lights bar stop flashing?
Im currently trying to use my 12v solar panel to charge my 18v ryobi batteries anyone tried it or done it?
I'm ignorant about this stuff AND have seen some dangerous & incorrect info folks put out about other electrical stuff, I just need a solar charger that will charge my 18v Plus 1 Ryobi batteries, does ANYONE produce one that DOESN'T have to be rigged? Just hook up a specified panel & roll ???????? Thanks
You can use the Ryobi RYi150CBTVNM charger inverter. It can solar charge 18v batteries via the included USB-C cable
what type of wire are you using?
I like to use the silicon multi-strand copper wire. I get it on Amazon ( amzn.to/31GKu6e ). It comes in different gages
@@SerendipitySue is 12gage pretty standard for using solar panels to charge ryobi batteries?
@@jonathanyokley large solar panels usually have 10 gage wire. Depends on how many amps you are pushing and at what distance
How about a crank or pedal input, to keep the kids busy? Lol
already did ;-) ua-cam.com/video/h_Xy4qnguVc/v-deo.html
It doesn't look like that MPPT Solar Boost Controller is on eBay anymore.
search for MPPT Solar Boost Controller. There are other vendors. www.ebay.com/itm/143979981457
Most of this stuff is unavailable in May of 2022.
Thanks for letting me know. Stuff changes so fast! I updated the links.
Just charge by electricity at home and put roof top solar panels, no need to spend huge money on these especially if you use your tools at home. Those solar blankets and Mppt charge controller are junk and unnecessary.
I use these when I'm off grid camping. I plug into house AC when I'm home.