REPowered.co.uk - Renewable Energy Website

Me - 06/Nov/2008, 03:45PM
Tried to post this 3 times but wouldn\'t let me post a link. Anyway your panels need to be aroun 10 degrees to work well in winter. My 24W panels put out around 0.7A into a 12V battery. Would link to my blog but it won\'t let me :-(

God, the allmighty one - 05/Nov/2008, 09:40PM
Maybe get a new laptop ? My acer draws 25W - 50W through an inverter, probably less direct. Better than 100W

Tramadol_BoypeTypecery - 26/Oct/2008, 02:02PM
Your Web Site is really wonderful and I bookmarked it. Thank your for the hard work you must have put in to create this wonderful facility. Keep up the excellent work!

Admin - 29/Aug/2008, 05:15PM
Ian, No this is not possible, for the simple reason that you cannot harness energy from nothing. Watts is watts, the value never changes, no matter what the application is or how you use it. If the panel is 40watts, thats all you can get from it. Plus, a solar panel is DC, and transformers operate on AC, thus even if you tried it would not work.

Ian - 28/Aug/2008, 06:31AM
Is it possible to use a step up transformer to push a 40w (from a solar panel) to higher wattage output like 100w or more?

bob - 17/Aug/2008, 02:05AM
hi great site 10x

Zjdflvth - 01/Aug/2008, 01:03AM
hi great site 10x

nick - 30/Jul/2008, 12:50AM
G74KAw hi! hice site!

DamonHD - 26/May/2008, 11:35AM
Hi, If you can scrape some pennies together consider buying some of the special offer amorphous panels from Maplin at <£4/Wp. I\'ve bought 12W and a 2.4W panels and they seem good. Rgds Damon

ben - 20/May/2008, 02:43AM
interesting site man

bob - 20/May/2008, 12:15AM
see this thanks

ozone - 10/May/2008, 07:37PM
You can drastically reduce the power consumption of a laptop by replacing its hard disk with a piece of compactflash media in a suitable adaptor. Many modern high-capacity CF parts are capable of UDMA.

Admin - 05/May/2008, 10:47AM
Billy Gonzalez, A 1.2A charger should be fine providing it can charge to a voltage of at least 14.2v. If it cannot then the battery will never charge properly. You can use a higher current charger if you wanted to but the same as above applies. You could also charge a higher Ah rating battery but the higher the Ah the longer it will take to charge. Rough charge time can be thought of like this: (Battery Ah / Charger Current) + 2 = Number of hours to charge. So with that charger your 17.2Ah battery will take approximately just over 16 hours to charge.

Billy Gonzalez - 05/May/2008, 02:59AM
can a 12v DC 1.2A battery charger be used to charge up a 12v DC 17.2Ah battery? can a battery be charged with a higher ampere? A? Ah?

nakita07@aol.com - 04/May/2008, 03:56PM
I want to use solar power to power the lights in my barn. I usually run 6 60watt regular light bulbs overnight in the winter. How much solar power (panels) do I need to do this? (newbie, of course)

Admin - 07/Apr/2008, 09:32PM
Hello suranjanroy@hotmail.com, You cannot use a solar panel to directly power anything. The huge voltage fluctuations and current fluctuations will simply damage anything you connect other than a battery. You must use at least a very small battery to stabilise the voltage enough to power anything. A 1.5watt solar panel is not enough to keep a car battery charged. The most that a 1.5watt panel shoul be used to keep charged is around 17.2Ah. Anything higher in capacity needs more solar power to keep charged. For a 1.5watt panel I recommend using a 1.3-2.4Ah 12v sealed lead acid battery. You should also buy a cheap charge controller to avoid overcharging (just like my first one on the 6watt panel page should do it).

suranjanroy@hotmail.com - 07/Apr/2008, 09:28PM
firstly, Thank you for providing such great resources freely. You are a generous soul. I had an idea for a project, your feedback would be appreciated. I have a 1.5watt panel (kid stuff!) at 17.5V to top up car type - you may have seen them - basic. The idea is to bypass the trickle charging of the car battery completely. I want to build my own USB charger. Typically a USB charger puts out 5V and a max load of 500ma. The panel puts out 17.5V peak, but may go as low as, say 1V. Will your Zener diode circuit work in this scenario - to regulate the output of the panel directly to 5V 500ma to charge an MP3 player directly ? Given the huge fluctuation in input voltage?

Admin - 19/Feb/2008, 10:14AM
Will Riley, The laptop was not converted in any way, it simply worked on 12v straight off. Since it is an older laptop it tends to be happier than modern laptops are running directly from 12v.

Will Riley - 19/Feb/2008, 10:13AM
Hi, This site is really interesting, I particularly like the 12-volt laptop bit and would be really interested if you could post some more details and pictures about how you converted it to 12-volt power - perhaps a howto for other budding ecomentalists.

Graham Smith - 26/Jan/2008, 09:56AM
I have 2x12 forklife batterys as my bank to mke 2x24volt thay are off a old fork life i think thay are 2volt if so what would be thay full charge ie sould i have 12 batterys or maybe 11 if the full charge was say 2.3? which is best to keep them full charged or run 12 and may be half charged

Buck - 25/Dec/2007, 08:59PM
for someone wanting solar I stopped and watched a guy mount panels on his house but used them as false shutters on his windows. They looked good he also put his house at an angle for the best solar rays used I talked with him and he said that they had a large pigeon problem but this solved it. He put then on a hinge that would let them tilt out from the bottom. Just an idea for someone to use.

zaman - 24/Dec/2007, 02:29AM
would do you think of the weza crank energy from free play

Admin - 07/Dec/2007, 08:03PM
Graham Smith, apologies, the wording was slightly confusing. I would not series different voltage wind turbines because they are not designed for it. You would have undesired effects. For one thing the power would most likely be limited to that of the lowest power turbine, however I cannot be 100% sure as I don\'t own any wind turbines yet. Your best bet would be to ask on fieldlines and see what they have to say about it.

Graham Smith - 07/Dec/2007, 07:35PM
Hi i was talking about the wind turbines

Admin - 07/Dec/2007, 11:36AM
Graham Smith, You can do this providing they are of the same Ah capacity. You connect + on one battery to the - of the other and then the remaining terminals are your normal + and -. Don\'t connect them together in series if they are of different Ah capacities as you will kill the lower Ah capacity battery very quickly.

Graham Smith - 07/Dec/2007, 11:16AM
Thanks for that i can make one into 24v i have a 24v battery bank so would you put the 24v and 12v togerther to mke 36v and if so how ?

Admin - 05/Dec/2007, 07:13PM
Graham Smith, Yes you can do this but it is not recommended. There are several reasons for this. The main reason is that its likely that not both turbines will be producing 12v at the same time, so if one is 0 and one is 12, the total is 12. You would be better rewiring a single turbine for 24v, or better still do both and then parallel them.

Graham Smith - 05/Dec/2007, 06:58PM
Can you tell if i can wire two 12v wind turbines together to get 24v out

Jerry Parker - 19/Nov/2007, 08:03PM
Need Wind generator that will handle a wind that blows strate up vertacal Thank You Jerry Parker

Admin - 31/Oct/2007, 08:44PM
hiker, I\'m not on the air much myself. Kind of lost interest in the hobby when I moved house away from all my Ham buddies. I haven\'t got started on a wind gen yet. I\'ve not had time unfortunately but I hope to start on one some time next year.

hiker - 31/Oct/2007, 08:42PM
nice radio shack--havent fired up my old radio in some time--just a cb radio with side band--with a 5/8s wave ground plane anttena--on sideband i could talk to the lower 48 and australia-#37 lower--cb radio users have kinda fadded away up here-except for truckers and a few diehards...hows your wind gen workin out???

Admin - 31/Oct/2007, 09:14AM
Hello Sulaiman. Apologies for the late reply. I believe it is totally legal because it syncs with the grid, then power flows offsetting your household usage. If the grid fails, the inverter will shut down until the grid comes back, to prevent electrocution of linesmen working on the line.

Sulaiman - 28/Oct/2007, 08:08PM
Hi I am new to solar. I have a soalr panel (180w) attached to a 200W inverter for on grid connection which I simply can plug in into the socket. But I am told this is not legal in UK...That itneeds to be WIRED in NOT plugged in. is that correct? Is this also the case for the US or Germany? I would greatly Greatly appreciate your help on this. Thanks.

Admin - 14/Oct/2007, 07:36PM
Hello Niamh, The solar controller should take the alternator power just find providing the alternator cannot exceed the voltage/current ratings of the controller. You would be best off running separate lines from the alternator to the domestic battery and letting the alternators regulator control the power rather than your solar controller. Two controllers trying to fight against each other will only cause problems.

Niamh - 14/Oct/2007, 05:56PM
Hello I live on a barge and have a couple of solar panels (total wattage 88 watts) which I have wired through a 16A solar regulator - the Juta regulator. All is well and the panels are providing all my power needs. What I am now wondering is - is it possible to run the boat engine - ie take a little trip up the canal - with the domestic battery wired into the regulator. The panels, domestic battery and mains (12V) are all wired through the regulator now and it would be a bit of a nightmare to have to disconnect everything everytime I wish to take a trip. The domestic is charged while the engine is running by an alternator and will therefore fill up. Will this damage the Juta regulator? I would appreciate your advice on this before I go any further. Many thanks Niamh

Admin - 01/Oct/2007, 09:03AM
Geoff, If you get a GEL battery or SLA, they do not gas. I have a 90Ah SLA in my bedroom and its perfectly fine. For 40Ah+ You really need 20w or more, and even then its barely going to maintain it (mine struggles). I would not bother with a battery protector, just get a voltmeter and use that as a guide. If using 12v, keep the wiring run as short as possible and use as thick a wire as you can afford to reduce losses.

Geoff - 01/Oct/2007, 08:59AM
Cannot start drilling holes in the wall. Best I can do is open the window. I put in front of open window for a couple of hours, when not charging at all through glass, the \'on charge\' LED was brightly lit. That is going to have to do, unless and until I can afford a bigger panel and find a way to get it inside. I thought anything more powerful would best not be charging a battery in a bedroon due to possibilty of any gasses venting. I suppose I will leave this as is and start planning a bigger (20 W or more ) panel and >= 40 AH battery in the garage, where I could bring 12 VDC possibly with an inverter inside. I can see how to get a cable into the garage and from there into the utility room reasonably easily. Thanks for your input. Any ideas re a battery protector to take the minimum from the battery ? I think the KEMO one was 1.5 mA. Over 24 hours that is still a large percentage of what 2 W of panels can add ( 6 W but effective outpout 2 W behind glass ) in winter with an hour or so of charging per day.

Admin - 28/Sep/2007, 07:58PM
Geoff, Your best bet would be to get as large a panel as you can afford and place it outside. Run a cable inside either through a window or drill a hold in one of the walls near where your box will be and seal it up with silicon sealant. Apart from that its all I can suggest. I got my 18w panels for £70 each on eBay. The seller still sells them so if you look on the page on the site the eBay link is there. Unfortunately during winter even my system struggles to run a 5w light for a few hours a night and thats 40w. Do you have msn so we can chat there? If so add msn [at] m3ezw dot co [dot] uk.

Geoff - 28/Sep/2007, 07:46PM
Problem is getting the power through a closed ( in winter ) window. I changed the angle to 45 degrees a couple of weeks ago from the 35 or so they were through May - August. Unfortunately I cannot put them outside unless I go outside with both panels and box. The whole thing is supposed to be poratble - that was the whole idea. Maybe I have to save up for a third panel just to run the bedside light for 15 mins or so a day through winter. £25 per panel..... The light is 8 Watt. So I wanted at least 6 watts of panels to run it for 40 mins a day through winter. Now I have 2 watts rather than the 6 I thought I had. I will have to just charge the phone from April to Oct or thereabouts as well. Any ideas for a battery monitor that will take the minimum from the battery. I was thinking of the Kemo one to cut off power going out when the battery dropped below 12 Volts. I have a battery protector through a ciggy adaptor to switch off at 11.6 Volts. ( This was to power a car DVD player in a power cut for the kids until just before the point the battery was damaged ). I can\'t spend too much more on RE......

Admin - 28/Sep/2007, 06:18PM
Geoff, Yes double glazing reduces the output to around 30%. Even if you can just put them on the other side of the glass it would help. If you have a window you could open and easily attach them to then this would be of an advantage. Also you should adjust the angle of the panels for best power output too. As it is winter they need to be tilted up more than they do in summer.

Geoff - 28/Sep/2007, 04:24PM
I have a 7 AH SLA in a small box with charge controller etc on top and 2.1 mm DC sockets in the lid for IN and OUT, to run a light and a phone charger through a convertor to cig socket and a car charger. This has 2 200x100mm 3 watt panels on a windowsill behind double glazing. I did not think this was charging properly ( hence the second panel ) - you are saying that having these behind double glazing makes them output 30% or so of their max rating ? So I get about 2 watts from the potential 6 peak ? I cannot mount outside and having them on the windowsill means I can pick up and go so I will leave them where they are, maybe getting a third panel......

Admin - 25/Sep/2007, 10:37PM
Chris from Swavesey, do not attempt to run a wind turbine from this controller. This controller open circuits when it reaches float level which will make the wind turbine over speed and rip itself apart. You need a controller specifically designed for wind turbines or a dump controller to dump excess power.

Your NameChris from Swavesey - 25/Sep/2007, 07:28PM
I have one of koekrafs charge controllers for a solar panel.I intende to feed a small wind turbine into it as well. Is this likley to cause any problems. Thanks ,Chris.

Robin Symonds - 21/Sep/2007, 10:35AM
Dear Sirs, We supply and install audio systems to museums, visitor centres and theme parks. We would very much like to be able to run some of the equipment for about a minute by some kind of hand crank (wind up) to supply the power. The unit takes about 300ma at 12v. Have you any items that might do this? Can you suggest where we might find a circuit or parts to make one? Thanks, Robin.

Admin - 13/Sep/2007, 08:40PM
I need to know more information before I can suggest anything. Eg what Ah rating the battery is, what you intend to run from it and for how long and how much power it uses, what % of discharge you would like to go down to. Lots involved, its not a straight forward question to answer.

John kwakwa - 13/Sep/2007, 06:03PM
I need to know what size of soral panel ican use to charge battery N 100

Admin - 14/Jul/2007, 10:39PM
Ian from NZ, It is a Triathalon laptop, I don\'t know the model, but the specs are on the RE Laptop page. It didn\'t require any modification, as all I did was simply plug in a 12v lead from my cigarette sockets and it worked, however the internal battery must be removed when operating on 12v as it will not charge and runs off it instead of the 12v input.

Ian from NZ - 14/Jul/2007, 09:24PM
Hi Andy, nicely laid out site. Any chance of more info about thr RE laptop? ie: brand & model and how you modified it to run on 12v? cheers

Admin - 27/Jun/2007, 11:25PM
Damon, message received and I\'ve made a reply, and thanks.

Damon - 27/Jun/2007, 11:23PM
Yes, money is a big issue for solar! Enjoy your trip. Rgds Damon

Damon - 27/Jun/2007, 11:22PM
Sent

Admin - 27/Jun/2007, 11:21PM
Damon, my obsession is getting more solar but with no job and no money at the moment 38w will have to do. 90Ah is a lot to keep charged with so little solar... Anyway I must dash since I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow. Im on a 180 mile trip by coach. 5 hours! Need my sleep tonight as I\'m up at 7am :-) Look forward to the e-mail from you.

Damon - 27/Jun/2007, 11:19PM
Glad you like the site. Currently my obsession, and I just bought a 62W panel at <£4/W from Midsummer Energy...

Admin - 27/Jun/2007, 11:18PM
Damon, Mail me at webmaster @ abyssunderground .co.uk and I\'ll remove this address and yours after you have received it.

Damon - 27/Jun/2007, 11:15PM
No MSN (etc) chat for years! Look at the low-power laptop on that site. Mail me as \'d\' at hd o r g

Admin - 27/Jun/2007, 11:14PM
Damon, Ahh yes, I had a nice look round your site the other day after I came accross it. Very interesting read! :-)

Damon - 27/Jun/2007, 11:13PM
Earth o r g u k.

Admin - 27/Jun/2007, 11:12PM
Damon, I\'ve made my hard disk spin down after 3 minutes but it doesn\'t seem to use that much power. By the way if you have MSN my address is msn @ m3ezw.co.uk if you wish to chat there.

Damon - 27/Jun/2007, 11:10PM
On Linux there are various things such as laptop-mode (to allow discs to spind down more often) and cpudyn and the \'governors\' to control clockspeed. But this is all theory for me this week. Next week I hope to actually get my machine!

Admin - 27/Jun/2007, 11:10PM
Damon, unfortunately due to spam I\'ve had to filter out e-mails and URL\'s, however you can get past it by spacing it out and using anti-spam in the e-mail address.

Damon - 27/Jun/2007, 11:08PM
Can\'t seem to post you my URL or email here!

Admin - 27/Jun/2007, 11:08PM
Damon, my laptop uses around 25w idling and 70w maxed out on its 19v mains PSU. I am yet to measure it on 12v since it doesn\'t like 12v all too much. Im using a program called RMClock to reduce the speed of the CPU to 398MHz instead of its normal 798MHz minimum. That decreases the power somewhat as well. Unfortunately its a Windows only program and only seems to work properly with AMD CPU\'s.

Damon - 27/Jun/2007, 11:05PM
Well, a MacBook does 25W normal and 60W flat out in terms of mains power (7W wasted in the adaptor), and I\'m hoping to be able to get down to 20W from 12V DC with an efficient adaptor with Linux. Rgds Damon

Admin - 25/Jun/2007, 11:48AM
Damon Hart-Davis, that would be good if you can keep me posted. I find that laptops don\'t always have as low a power consumption as people sometimes think.

Damon Hart-Davis - 25/Jun/2007, 11:46AM
I\'m building a Linux laptop with a power draw a bit less than yours and a much higher spec; I\'m happy to keep you posted on progress if you like. I\'m user DamonHD at OP. Rgds Damon

Admin - 31/May/2007, 08:27PM
Hey Mark (Curly G), I wish that was possible but my solar isnt powerful enough! :-)

Curly G - 31/May/2007, 08:20PM
BUILD ME A TELEPORTER!

Wilson 18463 - 19/Apr/2007, 10:14PM
Hey Thanks very much for your advise on the bike blender. I tried to email you, but it was returned. I could use your input. #Email Address removed to prevent spam# Thanks King

Admin - 04/Apr/2007, 03:58PM
Heinz Neidl, Ideally, each power source should have its own controller. The panels can all be put in parallel and linked into the one controller but the wind generators should have their own. I know nothing about the dumpload controller you have unfortunately.

Heinz Neidl - 04/Apr/2007, 03:48PM
Hello,I have a Battery-Bank,4 - 12Volt,wired for 12 Volt.Have a Hornet Generator Wind 24 Volts and several smaller Wind Gens and also some Solar Panels.My Questio:Can I Wire all Gens. Wind and solar directly to the Batterys ,or does each Power source need its own Controller.I have a SEA-50 Dumpload Controller from Survival Un----. Would you by any chance have a Diagram for somebody that is an electronic Zero. Thanks

Admin - 01/Apr/2007, 09:05AM
Dano, glad you like the site! I hope you keep returning to see what Ive been up to. I envy those in the USA being able to get the cheap HF kits! We can\'t get them here in the UK.

Dano - 01/Apr/2007, 02:47AM
Hey there Abyss! Nice site and I\'m glad your toys are working out well. We conversed a few months back on the Otherpower site. I have one 75 watt BP panel and the HF kit for 45 watts...it\'s all good. Keep it up. I\'m in lower Michigan, USA.

Rufus - 01/Apr/2007, 12:16AM
Hope yall dont mind a yank joining your group first time here for me

Admin - 25/Mar/2007, 04:06PM
Heinz, It depends on the maximum output of the wind generator as to what controller you need but you need one that will divert power to a dump load when its charged. For the solar, any half decent solar charge controller will do. Even the one I have would work since I only have 36w of solar on my setup (but make sure you get the 24v version).

Heinz - 25/Mar/2007, 04:03PM
Hi,Have a 24 Volt Hornet wind Generator.4 12 Volt Batterys and about40 Watts of solar Panels.What would you recommend for Charge Controller and Metering for this setup

Admin - 23/Mar/2007, 02:08PM
Borg, thanks for the suggestion. I have been working on a stand for the panels for camping and I may use this for when at home too. I havent quite decided yet. Ill be posting a page soon with the construction details on it.

borg - 23/Mar/2007, 10:21AM
heres a possible solution to ur panels get a metal framed bed loads about try freecycle and use base bolt 1 end to wall and then u can adapt the frame to hold panels in place try the slot approach a 6ft bed u could get a few panels on it on the other end get a car wheel and fill it with water the wieght will hold the other end down and the rubber will stop it from slipping

RichardKB - 12/Mar/2007, 02:10PM
Agreed thats why I said if all they want it for is backup, but if like you and me we are mainly doing it for fun. With approx 25year payback you would not be doing it for any other reason than for fun or to be green.

Admin - 11/Mar/2007, 11:57AM
RichardKB, isnt it all about the fun rather than ease or cheapness? :-)

RichardKB - 10/Mar/2007, 11:45PM
If you only want it for backup power it is cheaper to go to B&Q and buy their £40 generator.

Admin - 09/Mar/2007, 07:37AM
Borg, sounds like quite a set of batteries you have there. Im sticking with 90ah for now because I only have 36w of solar left to charge it. Im after a small wind gen to help this along but I dont have the time or money at the moment to do it. I should get more time in the summer to do some work on it though. Having neighbours come round is quite amusing, some even want their own backup power after seeing it!

Borg - 09/Mar/2007, 01:56AM
i too have some heavy batteries for a back up power supply 6x 6groi 150ah =12v @900ah in 1 bank and 20x prc12150x 150ah = 12v@3000ah in bank 2 and about 8 misc car and bike bats runs my shed pretty good we had a power cut 1 evening and i had some neighbours keep coming around wondering why i had power i got my main bats from company that went bust and a factory that replaced security system after only 2 years and the bats have 10 year life i live in suffolk with the biggest windmill in uk

Admin - 08/Mar/2007, 07:36AM
Borg, I can assure you this is not off a bike! Its way too big and heavy. It weights 28KG. Your 18Ah battery will be much smaller, likely the same size as my 17.2Ah battery.

borg - 08/Mar/2007, 12:38AM
your 90l battery looks like a motorcycle battery. I use from a harleydavidson wont crank the engine over but ideal for my use heres the specs Maintenance-free AGM design *Non-spillable construction *Replaces/Upgrade for YTX20L-BS battery *12 volt 18 amp hour *6 7/8\"L x 3 7/16\"W x 6 1/8\"H *Powerful 310 cold cranking amps *Heavy duty terminal design *Shipped with seperate acid pack for your convenience. *12 month free replacement warranty I got it off a friend i use it for my rc cars and a 12v battery drill if u get a battery pack from b&q old stock for £5 open it it contains 1.2v 1200-1800nh batteries wired in parrallel i split them to make power stick i sometimes get 2 sets although usual price per stick is £14.99 might be of some use to u borg

Admin - 23/Feb/2007, 01:36AM
Johnny, Unfortunately I do not know of any books but its not too difficult to wire up a cabin with solar. Since I operate mostly with solar you can probably work out most of the detail from my website. If you have basic electronic knowledge it should be enough.

Johnny - 23/Feb/2007, 01:33AM
Hi there, love your site here, I need to ask if you can tell me where can i get a book on how to wire my small cabin using solar, thank for your help if you post it where do I look for it.

RichardKB - 08/Feb/2007, 12:15PM
Hi I have fitted the mppt charge controller now, and have found an unwanted problem. When the input is below 20W it keeps stopping the charge and restarting trying to find the maximum power point. so I will wire with switches both controllers and for now manually switch between the two depending on the weather.

RichardKB - 30/Jan/2007, 04:36PM
Yes I did see this, I have about 100W at the moment I am hopeing that the MPPT controller just does not work correctly at lower levels but still passes power. I am on the look out for more panels though.

Admin - 29/Jan/2007, 09:22PM
WoodyG, these panels are almost certainly a fake. They cannot get more than 1000w/sq/m which is what they are claiming with their 3000w/sq/m. A DC-DC converter would not increase the wattage. It can only change the voltage and current. Wattage stays the same. Remember that DC-DC converters have losses too so it would be impractical to use one anyway.

WoodyG - 29/Jan/2007, 09:12PM
I was researching anything I could find about DBK panels and ran across your comment on a OtherPower.com page. I\'m no electrical expert by any means but I do have a question if you don\'t mind. They claim rated power is at 3000 watts .. they also list that \"Voltage at Max. Power (DC Volts)\" was 220 volts. Also the input into the dc-dc inverter is 950 Watts. So the question is, would or could they be using the dc to dc inverter to step up the wattage output by dropping the dc voltage? If so, I would guess a static test is very different from a test under load .. yes??

Admin - 29/Jan/2007, 07:45PM
RichardKB, Looks nice but I just got a new charge controller which is working brilliantly for me now. Its much better than the other one thats for sure. Do you realise that C/C is for panel capacity of 68w and above? Not sure how much you have so I thought Id point it out incase you missed it.

RichardKB - 29/Jan/2007, 12:42AM
Sorry I forgot to post the link. HERE (Link modified to href by admin)

RichardKB - 29/Jan/2007, 12:41AM
I have just bought one of these for my set up this should maximise my charge from the panels.

Admin - 24/Jan/2007, 07:09PM
RichardKB, Yes I did get your warning, unfortunately it was beyond my control to secure them. I don\'t have the expertise to do it. Also, my Dad is the one that would do the work and since he is busy a lot at the moment, it was never going to get done. My smashed panel produces nothing now. Im debating whether to cut it up and salvage the uncracked pieces or not. I suppose I can only try. My friends site was offline because I accidently deleted the VHOST from the webserver when I was cleaning up. Sorry Angus! Its back online now. Thanks for noticing and letting me know.

RichardKB - 24/Jan/2007, 05:10PM
By the way your friends site is down at the moment.

RichardKB - 24/Jan/2007, 05:04PM
Hi I did warn you about the panel and the wind, it happened to one of mine and it now only produces about a third of the rated output.

Admin - 24/Jan/2007, 07:41AM
Dudevato, Glad I could help.

dudevato - 24/Jan/2007, 02:06AM
Abyss, you answered my post about how to find the size of solar panel I need to run some 12 volt motors. This was on the OtherPower web site. You info was just what I was after. Thankyou.

Admin - 14/Jan/2007, 02:01PM
AndyB, I did buy a similar laptop 12v PSU for my laptop but it did not work since the plug supplied was too small. The one you linked too is also not powerful enough for my main laptop. It requires 4.74A at 19v. However maplin do sell one with that rating but its £40! I\'ve checked ebay but they\'re the same price also. Thanks for the comment. Glad you like the site.

AndyB - 13/Jan/2007, 08:09PM
Hey, great site! I\'m doing something very similar at the moment with my room. On summer camp a couple of years ago, I bought one of these (http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=36836&criteria=Laptop%20Power%20Supplies&doy=13m1) from Maplin to run my laptop, for watching DVDs mainly. It steps 12v up to whatever you need (19v) and it\'s very efficient, I guess it\'s a switch mode boost converter inside. Draws 60mA idle, just tested it. Thought you might be interested! (and I don\'t work for Maplin :-p ) cheers, Andy (10183.co.uk)

Admin - 07/Jan/2007, 01:12PM
Brian, it would depend on the average output of the wind generator, the Ah rating of the batteries,the current drawn by the inverter with the pump connected and how much time there is between cycles. I am unsure on the type but motors often need a high surge rating inverter and sometimes motors don\'t run very well on modified sinewave inverters. I would think you will need about 2kW pure sinewave inverter.

brian - 06/Jan/2007, 07:02PM
hi i have a 24volt 400watt wind generator running a battery bank of 4 12volt lorry batteries connected together. do you think i could connect in a 24volt inverter to run my half hp borehole pump for 15 min cycles. if yes what type and size inverter

Roy - 25/Dec/2006, 06:56AM
I am looking for curved or flexable solar panels for the top of a green house doom

Tyrone - 20/Dec/2006, 02:57PM
Interesting. Bet it\'s not cheap though. But then again, think of the savings. Good work

Jonathan Miller - 28/Nov/2006, 10:48PM
Hi, great website, maybe you would like to do a link swap? Email me (e-mail removed by admin by request) ps could you delete this email address after you have sent a email to help stop spam, ty