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    Weird question, anyone rewire a panel for different voltage from the cells?

    It says up to 25vdc for 12v or up to 50v for 24. Unfortunately the only inverter available here (im waaaay off the beaten path, imports are logistical nightmares) is for 12v. it’s a 36 cell panel, worried it might not make enough volts at three cell strings in parellel, and dangerously close...
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    Weird question, anyone rewire a panel for different voltage from the cells?

    I have some 250w santan panels, 36v nominal. I wanted to give one to a friend who is very remote and has zero access to any panel whatsoever. His charge controller is only for 12v, (Chinese pwm, no brand). has Anyone tried opening the back panel and gotten different voltages out of it?
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    How fragile is the victron Multiplus II?

    My Quattro saw worse. It hit the ground so hard multiple times the toroidal transformers bolted to the side walls, pulled the walls inward significantly. I opened it and bent the case back out to keep proper internal clearances. Seems fine. Oh, the bottom case tabs were bent, but bent back easy...
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    Series string shading summed up in 4 pictures

    Absolutely true, I just threw it in so others reading knew that such a setup even existed or might even be optimal For them. each Should be designed for where it is and what is expected of it. though I’m now working on adding pico hydro to the system for true redundancy, and many have asked that...
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    Series string shading summed up in 4 pictures

    Neat thread. For even more fun, let’s throw an oddball into it. I run an Electrodacus system, so no charge controller. It direct connects panels to batteries At 24v .I use a configuration of 60 cell 250 watt santan used panels That is in pairs to a single 10ga cable, x 8 for a total of 8 pairs...
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    Solar panel angle optimizers!

    Pvc gets noodley real fast in the summer. Solar panels get real hot. i would be very concerned about them falling. You might be able to make legs out of pvc, and connect it to metal Fittings at the panel. I run screws through the side of my panels to brackets to hold them, and anchor the...
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    large panels and road shock

    Well, i use to use smaller panels (250-320) and would only get 6 per bus. You don’t want overhang on the front as it scoops air off the window, you proba want a smaller to no gap up top as panels wider than the vehicle create hazards when parking (trees) and may even gain the attention of...
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    Pre-Charge Switch

    Seems right, it’s just how I did mine. It’s an easy fix, though many have rube goldberged the heck out of it. just have to use a voltage meter on the output the first time and see how many seconds you need to get it up close to batt voltage. Even 1 second gets you half Way, 5 seconds maybe 18...
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    Self discharge a side effect of PET tape, commonly used on lithium battery cells. Neat article.

    https://www.dal.ca/news/2023/01/16/dalhousie-battery-discovery-self-discharge.html
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    My Best cabin purchase ..

    I also used a filter on my water fill, 15 micron pleated, then another screen Before the water pump, and a carbon after it. My new system incorporates a UV Inline filter as well. I like clean water. I filled up random places (rv) amd would every so many months run some bleach through the...
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    Wind Turbine PMA for Backup Human Powered Bicycle Generator. Looking for advice on volts, cooling, manufacture, charge controller, ect.

    As an interesting note, Lance armstrong was able to produce about 100 watts max on a continuous basis. They tracked it as part of his training, tech people, bicycle people, doctors, nutritionists, special energy bars…. The Works. I live in a rainforest, some days we can’t see the sun or...
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    Crimp Alone -vs- Crimp + Solder

    For severe environments as this thread is, a perfect crimp is only as good as two I disable metals touching. The copper softens and the pressure lessons. Air and moisture migrate in. Solder creates a bond, better than touching. the White paper posted from trojan is a case study of an initial...
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    My Best cabin purchase ..

    I redesigned mine with drain lines all sloped towards a drain, added low point drains for fresh tanks, pressure tanks, etc. open 4 Valves and it ddrained dry. Close again in 5 min and ignore till I fill it all up again And kick the pumps on. air is problematic from a health standpoint, you Can...
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    Thermal Energy Storage

    This reminds me of a trip to Alaska I did. MEt some crazy and crazy smart people Out there. One designed passive homes using a monolithic stone in the center. He carefully calculated the stone mass, heat loss, seasonal variation. Sun angles through windows…. Honestly it was beyond my skill...
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    Crimp Alone -vs- Crimp + Solder

    Thi this was exactly what I would experience in industrial applications. The presence of corrosive vapors hastened the degradation of the joint and increase the heat which in turn increased the corrosion and the terrible circle of doom continues.
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    Crimp Alone -vs- Crimp + Solder

    explosion welding I believe can Create a good weld, I don’t have one. I tested the best (and silly expensive) crimped side by side with a low tech method, and it failed. there may be no air initially in the contact area, but they are not one metal, just a close fit. Heating and cooling...
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    Crimp Alone -vs- Crimp + Solder

    Interesting experiences. Mine was in a metal plating facility, a giant steaming pile of corrosive everything imaginable. A textbook hydraulic hex crimp on a big low volt power supply to say a steel cleaner tank (6 volt 400 amp) would be hot to the touch with crimp alone in 12 hours. I did...
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    Another Cell Compression Thread, this time about foam

    Here’s a pic, though terrible. https://diysolarforum.com/threads/my-pre-charge-resistor-answer-for-my-inverter.50186/ This end was bolted and glued together with bolts from the sid3s. The other end the bolts pull the end cap into the sides of the batteries. I used 1” oak. The flex of the...
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    Another Cell Compression Thread, this time about foam

    Trying to attach a pic, not working…
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    Another Cell Compression Thread, this time about foam

    The movement or growth of each cell individually is tiny, but added together in series would mean each cell closer to the springs needs to move further and the last cell moves most. With bus bars rigid then you have tension on top amd a fanning at the bottom. I went with foam (eBay mouse pads)...
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    Pre-Charge Switch

    I think the blue seas version is the same, any 2 battery bank switch should be fine.
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    Don’t place panels flat on the grass

    I dunno… I’ve never seen anything kill grass so fast and for so long. Worth a try, mow a spot and drop a panel there on a morning, remove at end of day and see how long it takes to grow again. much less toxic than glyphosate.
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    Electric Hot Water Options

    To be clear, I use dc to the water heater elements, I do not use the temp switch that comes on a AC element, but a digital temp controller and a SSR to shut it off when it reaches temp. I also use low voltage ( parallel panels at 20-32vdc typically). I found the 36v elements were just a...
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    Keeping LiFePO4 Battery Banks cool in Australia

    So, where you are sounds hot and dry, and while it may nearly simultaneously evaporate, you could get corrosion which is a world of issues. swamp coolers need constant air from outside, in a sealed room they swamp it up amd stop working so make surre it’s ventilated. here’s an option, point...
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    Solid state water heating element

    I used old 60 cell 250 watt panels I bought cheap (40$ ea) and they will wire directly to a 36 v water heating element with the right resistance. There is a voltage drop with 1 , less with 2, and minimal with 4. I got 400 watts reliably from 2 parallel panels directly wired panel to heater...
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    Electric Hot Water Options

    I have a small tankless propane unit, works great. Smaller than a briefcase Only needs 2 D batteries That last 6 months. problem is only the function of temperature relating to usage. Only the very fancy ones have controlled output temps, every other one has a gas valve, so a shower head using...
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    Pre-charge resistor seems crazy

    @Britman https://diysolarforum.com/threads/my-pre-charge-resistor-answer-for-my-inverter.50186/
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    My pre-charge resistor answer for my inverter

    I was asked to post a pic, finally dug enough junk out to get to the battery. I built it nearly a year and a half ago and haven’t seen it since, it’s been working flawlessly the resistor is wired from position 1 to output, battery is position 2 to output. turning from off to 1 allows a 10/sec...
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    Stand alone solar system to power small cold storage.

    I used these for a similar application, worked fantastically. input surge load reduced to maybe 2x running amps. Less noise, no lights flickering. Compressor supposed to even last longer. Used it on an off grid ac systen. https://www.microair.net/collections/easystart-soft-starters
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    Too much compression? Attempted crushing...

    some have tried compression after using the pack awhile, some resulted in internal shorts and fire. i squeezed mine gently between neoprene sheets because they aren’t flat surfaces and I didn’t want pressure hot spots. at some point I imagine the burst relief will pop and make a bad day out...
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    Don’t place panels flat on the grass

    Why does no one mention the wonderful use of killing grass/weeds without herbicide? I did this too, just a few hour test of some panels. Absolutely dead under it for a month, then realized I could use this to start new garden beds. Works better than anything else, and if you’ve ever had to dig...
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    67 amps… how in the world did this happen?

    Neat, I’ll look it up. Thanks!
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    67 amps… how in the world did this happen?

    It was variably cloudy, and I thought maybe just a Whole in the clouds for a bit. reflection Off the clouds?
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    67 amps… how in the world did this happen?

    So I have a stack of santan old panels. Marked at 250 watt. Running though an Electrodacus to a 24v lithium battery pack. Normally I see 30 or 40 amps, sometimes mid 40s on charge. In testing when I got the panels I could get a reliable 200 watts out of them On a hot day. I have 6 panels...
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    Pre-charge resistor seems crazy

    I suppose I could, next time I dig in there I’ll get pics. Battery is sort of buried at the moment, glad it’s working without intervention.
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