something solar 8

The new set up seems to be maxing out on the charge pretty early in the day thanks to the tracking circuit.  Before the original set ages too much - I decided to add a 4th battery to the mix to give it a little more depth.  89,98,66,0,B

something solar 7

Linked up the next piece of the something solar puzzle...the inverter.  Testing it out running my refrigerator via a 100' extension cord.  My only complaint so far is that the cooling fans in the inverter are rather loud - hence the name "WHISTLER", I reckon.    FYI - all this stuff is being located in proximity to the shipping container I will eventually move into - the long cord is for testing purposes only.  95,107,70,0,B

something solar 6

The tracker doesn't seem to want to work after dark but is happy to go back to work about an hour after sunrise to reset the rig pointing east.  That works for me.  93,102,75,0,B

something solar 5

Got the rig wired up by noon and test run went as advertised except for the east return function after dark. Will wait and see what happens in the morning.  Additional project expenses for Quikrete and wiring accessories came to $85.  96,107,73,0,B

something solar 4

Frame on the pole - parts gathered to wire it all up.  Update on the tracking circuit I ordered from redrok.com - I never got it and never got my money back.  A little research uncovered that Duane C. Johnson has a bad habit of accepting orders, cashing checks, and not sending out the goods...often claiming that it must have gotten lost in the mail.  Should have noticed the red flag when he said he doesn't do PayPal and won't ship orders with a tracking number.  So I found a better, cheaper, more reliable source right here in Texas.  http://www.homecsp.com/
95,100,69,0,B

something solar 3

Sitting around afraid to fly only lasts so long.  Until I figure out when and where to go for additional training, I decided I should probably finish up this solar project.  Found the bottom of the hole, prepped the pipe, and 13 bags of Quikrete later - the post for the tracking rig is implanted in my desert rock.  95,102,70,0,B

something solar 2

Hooked the panels all together, wired in the charge controller and the batteries, and tested out the LED string.  Added some #8 wire and these connectors to bring eight leads coming out of the panels down to two leads going to the charge controller.  3 of these  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FWO3RAE/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
1 of these  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006YZC23S/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
68,78,40,0,C,0

something solar 1

It has been awhile since I got to work on a project...I'm really out of practice.  Before I begin - I should say that this is not necessarily a HOW TO, but rather HOW I AM DOING IT in order to test this system and its' components.  Proceed at your own risk if you want to try this.  Hooked the batteries together today.  Carefully checked the water levels in them first (batteries contain dangerous acid too!).  I also checked the charge condition of the batteries with a volt meter - they all read about 12.5 volts.  The batteries are "wired" in parallel meaning all the plus sides are connected and all the minus sides are connected.  This keeps the 3 battery system at 12 volts but triples the amp capacity.  Sledge hammered flat two 16" lengths of 3/4" type L copper pipe and drilled appropriate holes.  Mounted threaded rod unions onto all the battery terminals to raise everything up a couple of inches.  Squirted a little dielectric grease (from AutoZone) into the unions before putting them on.  Fastened everything down with matching 1" bolts.  Because of the grease getting compressed in the unions - I had to crank pretty hard to tighten the bolts down.  Added connectors at each end of the run - one end for the charge controller wiring and the other for the inverter wiring.  Unions, bolts, and wire connectors are standard hardware store items.  All the threaded connections are 5/16".  With all that exposed copper, one has to be very careful not to touch a metal tool between the plus and minus runs - there will be a spark and it is not good for the batteries.  Under some circumstances, shorting out the batteries (direct connection of the plus and minus side) could cause a fire or explosion.  Wrapping the copper with electrical tape would be a good idea but I have a lot of experience working with electricity.  53,70,28,0,C,.23

Solutions From Science

Starting the "something solar" project this week.  On the eve of this demonstration, I thought I would share a scam warning (I think I have mentioned this site before).  NEVER get sucked into any of the products from Solutions For Science.  They have a variety of web sales sites - my favorite being  www.mysolarbackup.com.  Their products sell for a number of different prices depending on which site you go to.  I recently saw an ad for yet another of their sites where they were selling their solar generator at just over a thousand bucks with lots of freebies thrown in - 3 or 4 of their other overpriced items.  I can't remember the name of the site but it might as well be called   wehavealreadymadeafortuneoffourjunkfromsuckerslikeyou.com.  If you aren't careful, all their crap is still available at full price if you go to the wrong site.  52,68,26,0,C,0

got some parts today

Panels, book, led's, and inverter arrived - in perfect condition.  Waiting on my 3rd battery and the charge controller.  Just ordered some MC4 connectors to combine the panels together to go to the charge controller.  The quickest way to void the warranty on a solar panel is to cut off these special connectors.  Should be ready to do the step by step set up next week.  Keeping track of the cost of odds'n'ends for the final tally.  43,58,37,0,B,0

ordered parts

Ordered the parts for the "something solar" project.  I almost changed my mind on a few things - I already have a couple of spare inverters. a spare charge controller, and the book was really only a suggestion.  Decided to go ahead just as planned to test all the items I picked.  Wasn't going to order the book but decided even after 6 years of living off the grid, I am still a dummy so I will probably learn a lot from it.  34,37,33, .04",B,0