Can one buy solar panel kit?
like a starter kit, what bits do you need
Im thinking of using one to charge smart phones and laptops, something under 100 watts
CrazyNeutrino said:
Can one buy solar panel kit?like a starter kit, what bits do you need
Im thinking of using one to charge smart phones and laptops, something under 100 watts
plenty of solar chargers available.
Postpocelipse said:
CrazyNeutrino said:
Can one buy solar panel kit?like a starter kit, what bits do you need
Im thinking of using one to charge smart phones and laptops, something under 100 watts
plenty of solar chargers available.
yes, Im having a look at some on ebay
Yeah, you can buy micro solar kits or put together your own, but the charge voltage for smart phones is lower than notebooks .
My smart phone charges on 5V DC & My notebook charges on 19V DC, both via regulated output.
So the charge current is also different.
smart phone: 0.85A (~4.5W) 5VDC
notebook: 3.5A (~66W) 19VDC
You’d need to have a separate charger for each or one with a selectable voltage output and hope someone doesn’t try to charge yr phone while it’s set at the higher voltage.
CrazyNeutrino said:
Can one buy solar panel kit?
like a starter kit, what bits do you need
Im thinking of using one to charge smart phones and laptops, something under 100 watts
Following through, it looks like all of pages 320 to 332 cover the sorts of things you’re looking for.
Amorphous solar panels produce 1 to 15 Watts at a maximum voltage of 17.5V (nominal 12V).
Monocrystaline solar panels produce 5 to 120 Watts at up to 21.5V (nominal 12V) or 200 Watts at up to 45V (nominal 24V).
Then there’s mounting hardware, cable, power connectors, circuit protection, regulators and charge controllers, all designed for solar power.
A hobby kit gives 1.5V but can be hooked together in modules for higher voltage.
There are also inverter chargers and power management systems for solar power.
They have an “off grid” remote solar power package to power a home that is not connected to the electricity grid.
And on top of all those, on pages 273 to 276, they have solar power kits specifically intended for caravan and marine purposes including
. Packages for 160 and 320 Watts solar power, 1500 Watts battery power, 12V
. A Package for 700 Watts solar power, 3000 Watts battery power, 24V
And recreational solar package deals for 80 to 240 Watts at 12V complete with charge controller and connectors.
That’s from 2013, there are probably more by now.
mollwollfumble said:
CrazyNeutrino said:
Can one buy solar panel kit?
like a starter kit, what bits do you need
Im thinking of using one to charge smart phones and laptops, something under 100 watts
Yes, there are so many options that it’s difficult to figure out which would suit you best. Looking up the index on the Jaycar 2013 catalog under the heading “solar”.
Solar
. Amorphous panels
. AA battery charger
. Books
. Briefcase chargers
. Cable UV stable
. Car battery booster
. Cell regulator built
. Cells
. Chargers
. Connectors
. Folding panels
. Holiday project panel
. Lighting and power kits
. Lights, torches
. Monocrystalline panels
. Mounting hardware
. Pond Pump
. Recreational packages
. Regulators
. SLA battery charger
. USB charger
. Ventilator
. Water pump.Following through, it looks like all of pages 320 to 332 cover the sorts of things you’re looking for.
Amorphous solar panels produce 1 to 15 Watts at a maximum voltage of 17.5V (nominal 12V).
Monocrystaline solar panels produce 5 to 120 Watts at up to 21.5V (nominal 12V) or 200 Watts at up to 45V (nominal 24V).
Then there’s mounting hardware, cable, power connectors, circuit protection, regulators and charge controllers, all designed for solar power.
A hobby kit gives 1.5V but can be hooked together in modules for higher voltage.
There are also inverter chargers and power management systems for solar power.
They have an “off grid” remote solar power package to power a home that is not connected to the electricity grid.And on top of all those, on pages 273 to 276, they have solar power kits specifically intended for caravan and marine purposes including
. Packages for 160 and 320 Watts solar power, 1500 Watts battery power, 12V
. A Package for 700 Watts solar power, 3000 Watts battery power, 24V
And recreational solar package deals for 80 to 240 Watts at 12V complete with charge controller and connectors.That’s from 2013, there are probably more by now.
Thanks for that, we have Jaycar here in Ballarat, 10 minute drive from here.
CrazyNeutrino said:
Can one buy solar panel kit?like a starter kit, what bits do you need
Im thinking of using one to charge smart phones and laptops, something under 100 watts
This package might be the closest to what you’re looking for. $260
80W Recreational Solar Package
The blurb says:
“Clean renewable energy wherever you go. Solkar convert a 4WD or caravan to generate sufficient power to operate several appliances – including a laptop, portable lighting, CB radio and 12-24V camping essentials. Just add a battery or two for a self-contained solar powered setup.”
mollwollfumble said:
CrazyNeutrino said:
Can one buy solar panel kit?like a starter kit, what bits do you need
Im thinking of using one to charge smart phones and laptops, something under 100 watts
This package might be the closest to what you’re looking for. $260
80W Recreational Solar Package
The blurb says:
“Clean renewable energy wherever you go. Solkar convert a 4WD or caravan to generate sufficient power to operate several appliances – including a laptop, portable lighting, CB radio and 12-24V camping essentials. Just add a battery or two for a self-contained solar powered setup.”
“Solar panel charger kits” for charging a nominal 12V (actual higher voltage) are cheaper but have lower wattage.
$30 for 5W
$50 for 10W
$90 for 20W
The blurb says “Quality solar panels with high efficiency and smaller footprint compared to our regular monocrystalline models. An easy way to keep your 12V batteries topped up and ready to go on your caravan, farm equipment, the spare car, or on the shed out the back. The dust and weather resistant panel features a robust frame, and is supplied with 3m long leads terminated with battery clips. Each version is fitted with a blocking diode, so they are suitable for direct connection to your battery as a trickle charger (take note of the minimum battery capacity), or as a low current charger to replace a load or current drain on the battery. A charge controller such as AA0348 is recommended on the 10W and 20W versions when there is not enough current drain to prevent over-charging of the battery.”
Add $30 for AA0348, 5 Amp battery charging regulator.
At that low a cost I’m tempted to get one myself, for keeping a laptop running in the field without worrying about the laptop batteries going flat.
mollwollfumble said:
At that low a cost I’m tempted to get one myself, for keeping a laptop running in the field without worrying about the laptop batteries going flat.
You can buy cheap solar rechargers designed for mower batteries and presumably sheds without mains power. I guess you just stick it It on the roof or something facing the sun and run a wire to the mower.
mollwollfumble said:
This package might be the closest to what you’re looking for. $260
80W Recreational Solar Package
The blurb says:
“Clean renewable energy wherever you go. Solkar convert a 4WD or caravan to generate sufficient power to operate several appliances – including a laptop, portable lighting, CB radio and 12-24V camping essentials. Just add a battery or two for a self-contained solar powered setup.”
I just checked that link, where on the page does it say the above quoted “blurb”
This kit won’t be suitable for charging a smart phone and only usable with a 12VDC laptop.
As far as I know the modern laptops use higher voltage than 12V, mine uses 19V charge voltage.
Aquila said:
I just checked that link, where on the page does it say the above quoted “blurb”
I copied the “blurb” from the printed catalog sitting in front of me, it’s not on that page. Did you notice that I said that nominal 12V solar panels actually generate up to, well, depending on the panel from 21 to 22.2 volts. That’s enough for a 19V supply to a laptop. It took me years to learn that. A nominal 24V solar panel actually generates 45.3V.
mollwollfumble said:
Aquila said:
I just checked that link, where on the page does it say the above quoted “blurb”
I copied the “blurb” from the printed catalog sitting in front of me, it’s not on that page. Did you notice that I said that nominal 12V solar panels actually generate up to, well, depending on the panel from 21 to 22.2 volts. That’s enough for a 19V supply to a laptop. It took me years to learn that. A nominal 24V solar panel actually generates 45.3V.
Well, that blurb is not applicable to the kit you linked. It sounds like just a general blurb at the start of that section.
Yes, the open circuit voltage of a nominal 12V pv panel in that kit is 21.8V
but you cant hook the panel directly to the smart phone or laptop!
-It will be connected to the supplied charge controller which is designed to charge sealed lead acid and wet cell batteries, so will give a charge voltage of 14.5VDC or 14.8VDC
It certainly won’t be suitable for charging phones via 5VDC usb connectors and it’s an incorrect voltage to charge laptop lithium batteries.
To utilize that kit to do what CrazyNeutrino wants to do, you would need to add a 12v battery and an inverter, so you can plug in your original appliance charge adapters into the 240V output of the inverter.
You could forget the inverter and wire one of these (using a socket to plug it into) up to the 12V battery for charging any usb devices like tablets and phones.
if its for working in the field you can buy a two solar panel kit that sits in a suitcase arrangement
This might do the trick for you, CrazyNeutrino.
It has 2 DC outputs: 18V for notebook & 5VDC USB port
28W in optimal solar conditions.
Looks like it has a built in voltage regulator.
States it has an 18VDC port but can (also charge 12V car batteries – not sure about if it adjusts to the correct charge voltage for car battery though)
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Foldbale-18V-28W-Solar-Panel-Charger-Battery-Dual-Output-for-Laptop-iPhone-6-5S-/201034840083
Looks like there’s a 60W version at $240 but it is ex China.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/18V-60W-Foldable-Solar-Panel-Charger-Backup-for-Laptop-Tablet-ipad-iPhone-6-plus-/191473358812
The 28W version for $120 is Aussie stocked
Yes