Been interested in DIY solar for some time but finally starting to enter the fray ... or at least trying to learn a bit before getting in over my head.
IMO, when you do it yourself you can take more pride in the results than if you just plunked down the $cash. I've been into diy speaker design/building for several years. More recently, learning the basics of reading a schematic by building a vacuum tube preamp from scratch. Than came another tube preamp. Now working on a Tripath amp with matching woodwork. There's just something about learning a new skill and putting it to use.
Starting small and working my way up. Dad has a small hunting cabin which needs improvement above his single car battery and Harbor Freight panel. If the power were available, he would occasionally use various hand tools like a skill saw, saber saw, table saw, and more often lights, fan, radio, tv, etc. and I would like to get him a small AC unit for the hot summer months. The AC is iffy. Off grid only. He's there maybe a week per month during the hot summer, but ~two weeks or more per month, during the winter.
Due to the location of the cabin, it is fairly likely anything expensive couild be stolen by a meth head, so this must be an economical build. Plans are of ordering a pallet of used cheap panels from someone like SanTan, Signature, or off the Bay, and using 4-6 panels on the cabin for ~1-1.5k (the wooded surroundings will have an effect on output). A low cost charge controller (maybe something like the Fangpuson 50a charge controller), and if possible, 24v batteries. Some of the Trojan FLA golf cart batteries can be had <$200. Then add a pure sinewave inverter of what, 3k?
Am I going in the right direction? Where am I messing up and how do I fix it?
IMO, when you do it yourself you can take more pride in the results than if you just plunked down the $cash. I've been into diy speaker design/building for several years. More recently, learning the basics of reading a schematic by building a vacuum tube preamp from scratch. Than came another tube preamp. Now working on a Tripath amp with matching woodwork. There's just something about learning a new skill and putting it to use.
Starting small and working my way up. Dad has a small hunting cabin which needs improvement above his single car battery and Harbor Freight panel. If the power were available, he would occasionally use various hand tools like a skill saw, saber saw, table saw, and more often lights, fan, radio, tv, etc. and I would like to get him a small AC unit for the hot summer months. The AC is iffy. Off grid only. He's there maybe a week per month during the hot summer, but ~two weeks or more per month, during the winter.
Due to the location of the cabin, it is fairly likely anything expensive couild be stolen by a meth head, so this must be an economical build. Plans are of ordering a pallet of used cheap panels from someone like SanTan, Signature, or off the Bay, and using 4-6 panels on the cabin for ~1-1.5k (the wooded surroundings will have an effect on output). A low cost charge controller (maybe something like the Fangpuson 50a charge controller), and if possible, 24v batteries. Some of the Trojan FLA golf cart batteries can be had <$200. Then add a pure sinewave inverter of what, 3k?
Am I going in the right direction? Where am I messing up and how do I fix it?