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Sunshine_Eggo, thanks again for your advice on this project.

Thank you. This was basically Sunshine_Eggo's advice on my first post on this project. I am not familiar with Canadian solar companies, but I guess I am going to have to spend some time trying to find panels on clearance. Thanks for your input.

Hi folks, Thanks to all previous posters and commenters, I have found a couple of MPPT options, but I am not 95% confident they will work. If anybody could help me understand the parameters that are actually critical, I would be very grateful. There are a lot of constraints I am trying to...

Sunshine_eggo, thank you very much for that. Thanks for the links to your previous post about boost controllers. It seems I am in a bit of a weird vintage spot, in that there are affordable 20A boosts for 24V and for 48V, but not many for 36V. This part confuses me, for two reasons: These...

Hi folks, I am an intimidated newbie with electronics and solar. I have bought an old 36V golf cart with new lead acid batteries that I would like to put a solar roof on. Naturally I am trying to do this on the cheap, with discount panels and a low cost controller. What I am seeing for...

Thank you for your quick response, and link to what you use. While trying to find threads in the forum, I ran across this discussion about the dangers of the unit failing and allowing direct current through to the device. They talk about "isolation" in this thread...

Hi folks, In my pursuit of an emergency USB charger I cooked my last purchase while trying to solder on some capacitors onto a solar charge controller. ? So, back again, this time looking at buck converters. Can I connect this doohickey directly to my 18V panel without worry? The detailed...

Thanks for your patience with me RC. If this was a carpentry project I would not be so clueless! So, just to make sure I understand... I should add specified capacitors to the spots C2 and C6. The longer lead on the capacitor will be positive, and I should put that on the "bottom" pad as shown...

Thanks RC. So, I could add an eight-pack of AA cells to the VN2, but that seems extreme. Are the filter caps a cheap little thing I would solder inline from the PV on VN1? So it seems like the board wants 12V input on both sides to be happy. Do you have any thoughts on what the...

Thanks Bud. That helps me understand more about how the board is laid out.

Thanks RC. Can I ask how you were able to identify this buck switcher? Do you just know what ones are used, or are there identifying features? And no, nothing on the other side. I hoped to just plug this into a panel to charge phones or whatnot in case of power outage.

:LOL: Yes, I started with them soldered to the other side and it didn't work, so I tried jumpers to this side, which worked. But when I moved them to this side it didn't work...until I jumpered it back. Is it normal or common to have to power both sides? I am happy to do more soldering, I...

Dang. Yes, both sides say 12Vin. The listed specs on the board say 5-30V, so I thought the panel producing 18 would be fine. What is S&G?

Hi Bud, thanks for reading. I have attached a couple of photos of the panel specs and the board serial number. The voltage is weird. It reads instantaneously on my meter... like it flashes the volts, then changes to 1. I have tried googling how to meter a solar panel, but have had a hard time...

Hi folks, I bought one of these "Solar Regulator Voltage Stabilizer Charge Controller with Indicator Lamp Design Dual USB Charge Voltage Controller Regulator" off Amazon (but see the same product here on Aliexpress). No documentation came with it, so I just soldered the red to one + and the...

Thank you so much for those links. I have not done the math at all because I was not even sure how to compare apples to apples. I am getting similar commentary on the post in the general area, with suggestions that I look at a Milk Crate Generator. Thanks for your guidance.

I hope the admins will look kindly on me. Since this post got not response here in the Beginner's Corner I added it to the main discussion group. See that post here, and I hope it gets some attention...

Hi folks, I posted this in the Beginner's Corner but have gotten no repsonses, so I am posting it out here in the hopes some experienced eyes will see it. I would like to expand our earthquake kit with a little electricity for devices and maybe flashlight battery charging. Jackery and the...

Hi folks, I would like to expand our earthquake kit with a little electricity for devices and maybe flashlight battery charging. Jackery and the like are a pricy option, but I am not looking to power my campground. What about automotive booster packs? Some booster packs come with one or more...