diy solar

diy solar

help with simple solar setup

Oosti_1

New Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2023
Messages
3
Location
Western Australia
Hello!

Im looking for a cheap & simple solar setup to get some light at my wood shed/storage spot. I only require roughly 10/15 minutes of light for when I go to chop wood at night.

The location is under some trees/has no sunlight - so I would have to run cable to a solar panel roughly ~10m away. Looking to jsut pwoer a simple LED strip or something
(maybe this -->? https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p...--fyXyFbajZrvDbCRrxoCe_8QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds)
(Or this? not sure which is better --> https://www.jaycar.com.au/48-led-aluminium-led-strip-with-switch/p/ST3930)

Im hoping the solar panel will generate enough power in winter (im located in australia so fairly sunny)

  • What components do I need?
  • What size battery!
  • solar panel wattage etc
  • What wiring do I use to run to the solar panel ~10m away
 
Last edited:
Chances are you can buy a rechargeable battery powered work light that you carry to your shed for a lot less money. Do not know what available in Au but here in the US there is no shortage of such portable work lights we can buy.
 
you would need an enclosure to protect things needed like charge controller and battery (weather, heat and cold). More equipment needed than it looks like.
Mattb4 has a better solution.
 
The second battery had Specs that it ran at 1.5 amps. The first link had no specs.

If you only need it for a few minutes a day like you state, a 10 ah or 20 ah lead acid battery would be fine. You could choose any battery type of that size; lead acid is a bit tougher to the elements.

The wire could be as thin as 14 AWG, but I’d prefer to use 10 AWG to minimize outage loss.

Any Solar charge controller would be between the panel and the battery.

Panel wattage could be around 50 watts, but you’d need to check that in a solar calculator for your location. There is a link in my signature block.

Don’t forget a switch.

I do agree that a rechrgeable battery would be cheaper.
 
The second battery had Specs that it ran at 1.5 amps. The first link had no specs.

If you only need it for a few minutes a day like you state, a 10 ah or 20 ah lead acid battery would be fine. You could choose any battery type of that size; lead acid is a bit tougher to the elements.

The wire could be as thin as 14 AWG, but I’d prefer to use 10 AWG to minimize outage loss.

Any Solar charge controller would be between the panel and the battery.

Panel wattage could be around 50 watts, but you’d need to check that in a solar calculator for your location. There is a link in my signature block.

Don’t forget a switch.

I do agree that a rechrgeable battery would be cheaper.
Thankyou!
Yeah I agree a rechargable light would be better - thats actually what I use at the moment. But I find this solar stuff interesting and want to create this as a project for some fun and learning.

Im considering using these lights instead (https://www.4wdsupacentre.com.au/pr...ed-light-bar-insanely-bright-combination.html)
They use 25W for the pair - so if my calculations are correct, a 12Ah battery should be more than enough.

Do I need to run a fuse inbetween the battery and the lights? Would I connect the two lights into one wire and have that 1 run to the battery? or two separate lights that run to the battery. If you know what I mean
Thanks for this! was a huge help.
 
Just to throw it out there, and trying to go for the superior 220v metric Australia system:

Something like a 12v AIO for all your AC needs (I wish they made this kind of thing in 120v, but we're limited to 1Kw on US power)
A 100Ah-ish FLA leisure battery (FLA versions are about $100usd out here and gets you 50Ah or 600+Wh of power usable for cheap)
Some used panels from your local market

That's about as simple as it gets and still gives you power to run the lights AND power tools.
 
Im considering using these lights instead (https://www.4wdsupacentre.com.au/pr...ed-light-bar-insanely-bright-combination.html)
They use 25W for the pair - so if my calculations are correct, a 12Ah battery should be more than enough.

1.74A @ 14.4V.
1.74A for 15 minutes is 0.44Ah. You could go as small as 4Ah, maybe smaller, depending upon battery chemistry.

Do I need to run a fuse inbetween the battery and the lights? Would I connect the two lights into one wire and have that 1 run to the battery? or two separate lights that run to the battery. If you know what I mean
Thanks for this! was a huge help.
Yes you need a fuse. Something could short, and you would quickly overwhelm the wire. One wire is fine for that level of current.
 
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