Daily Archives: February 4, 2010

Fargo Power Box ~ Solar Power Output 2

cycling, quadricycle, technology • Tags: ,

Okay, we have collected some of the sun’s energy as electricity [Photovoltaic] and stored it in a battery [or batteries]. Now, what devices will use the output from the solar power system:

 

Battery charger [AA/AAA—could have been one of the storage devices—not listed there because it is not the primary storage device]—from Radio Shack. It also has a USB charging port.

 AA/AAA Battery Charger

Case cooling fan, to the left of the horn. Just in case, for really hot days. It is an exhaust fan.

 Case cooling fan, etc.

DiNotte Lighting [four 400L & a 1200L]. Connectors are beneath the flashlight: two 400L connectors on the right [1200L & then the amber headlights]; followed by the horn button connector; and then the 400L taillight connector, just behind the flashlight lanyard. The 400L pushbutton on/off switches are at the upper left @ the 11:00 position.

 DiNotte Lighting Jacks, etc.

Electric horn [REALLY LOUD off 12 volts versus the 9-volts I reported on earlier. The horn is in the foreground, closest to the viewer.

 Electric horn, etc.

Garmin Edge 305 [either from direct charge or running of 2 AA batteries charged by the battery charger above]. The solar USB connecter is at the top @ the 11:00 position and can be used to charge any USB device.

 Solar USB port, etc.

Garmin Nuvi 760 GPS plugs in the the cigarette lighter plug at the lower left-hand corer @ the 7:00 position.

cigarette lighter plug , etc.

Inverter [gives me 1110-120 volts of AC]—obviously from Radio Shack. I’ve used an inverter in my car for near 10 years. This was taken from the car. Bought it as a replacement on my most recent trip to Florida—Tour of Discovery ride with Mr. Giraldo.

 Inverter
iPod Touch & iHome Speaker running off its AC adapter plugged into the inverter. Noticed I shortened the case—no batteries—AC adapter only. This places the iPod Touch on iHome Speaker Power—PERFECT! It sits to the left of the battery. iHome Speaker, etc.
A portion of the floor... Outside, from the right side, as it will sit on the quad
DC Power
The floor continued...
Notice the AC power strip in the upper left-hand corner the the iHome Speaker AC adapter plugged in. At the top, just below the lid is the CableJive connector for my iPod Touch. Also visible is the speaker exterior—the larger black circular object Top picture: Cigarette lighter connector, with 3 plug-ins. from left-to-right: 12-volts power out from the controller; AA/AAA battery charger; & the 120-volt inverter. Bottom picture: To the left is a 12-volt bus to connect 12-volt devices.
 

I like the modularity I’ve set up most about this system. I do not have wires dangling or coiled up inside for connection to devices. I plan to neatly route wiring to my Power Box. At this point, I’ll connect my Garmin Nuvi 760, the horn button, and the iPod Touch. Of course there are the lights [back-up battery connected inside the box] and the solar panel input. The Edge 305 has its little AA box.

The only "new" item is the Nuvi. I’m testing its load today. The horn only consumes power when I press the switch. The lighting will be my main draw. DiNotte battery charging seems to require a lot of power—still to be fully tested. The inverter also comes at a cost. Again, at the end of the day, I want a battery that is near full charge so I can ride through the night. Remember I have backup DiNotte batteries and 2 ties of lighting still available to me. Hey, I’ve done a bit of night touring. This works for me.

My BROL Quad [Fargo] Setup Thread

Just in case-Map of the box face

SLA Battery [Fargo Solar Power Storage] 4

cycling, quadricycle, technology • Tags: , ,

Sealed Lead Acid [SLA] BatteryA battery’s storage capacity is frequently expressed in terms of amp-hours [Ah]. The larger the number, the larger the capacity—also the heavier the battery. If the concept of battery capacity, expressed as amp-hours is difficult to grasp, think of a battery as a lake. The larger the lake, the more it takes to see a significant change in its level. I am using an 18Ah Sealed Lead Acid [SLA] Battery. In addition, using battery chargers, I can also store the sun’s energy in other batteries. To the right of the battery in the photo above, you see a AA/AAA Ni-MH battery charger. During yesterday’s test, I charged 4 AA and 4 AAA batteries. At the end of the day, my 18Ah battery did not need additional charging to be topped off. I have been asked why SLA versus a lighter battery. Comment # 1 has the question and my reply.

Solar Charge Controller A solar charging system can use a charge controller to keep the battery from being overcharged or being excessively drained. I have such a controller. Think of it as a dam on the lake where you can maintain water levels [amp-hours (charging)] through its controls. The solar controller uses electronic gates. My controller has the following features:

  • Auto charge and cut-off power when 12V SLA battery is full or low
  • Protect battery from being overcharged and over-discharged to increase battery service life
  • LED display battery storage level
  • Built in fuse to protect short circuit and wrong polarity connection
  • Moisture proof design for outdoor use

Doc Wattson Meter Then, there are meters that allow me to view various levels. I am using 2 DOC Wattson Meters. One monitoring charging input [the solar panels] and the other, the battery. The meter measures 7 DC values:

  • Amp-Hours: (0 – 6554)
  • Kilo Watt-hours: (0 – 650)
  • Amps: (0-100 peak)
  • Watts: (0 – 6554)
  • Peak Amps & minimum Voltage ("sags")
  • Voltage: (0 – 60)

Although the sun’s energy is relatively free, I think I should use it responsibly. By that I mean, I should not consume power from the battery because I can easily charge the system [at no apparent cost] in my hotel/motel room. Doing so increases the carbon footprint and is less GREEN than being conservative. Please see my comment #2. As best I can, I want power to keep my lighting, navigation, and communications systems working. I’ll use mechanical power to maintain the iPhone 3GS charge. I’ll post about that system after I write about the output of the stored solar energy, likely tomorrow, Friday, 02/05.

My BROL Quad [Fargo] Setup Thread

Remember this graphic…

Photovoltaic [Fargo's Solar Power Input] Reply

cycling, quadricycle, technology • Tags: ,

The generation of voltage by a material that is exposed to light in the visible and invisible ranges.

P1010032
From light to electricity. I am using two PowerFilm® integrated solar panels connected in parallel to produce electricity and store that electricity in a 12-volt battery.
CRW_1013.CRW
 
P1010033

The wires with the red [on the left] and black protectors connect to my Power Box and deliver approximately 15.4 volts DC at 1.2 amps. PowerFilm® R15-600 Rollable Chargers individually operate at .6 amps or 600 milliamps each. In parallel, the voltage is output.the same [15.4 volts], but the current doubles. Of course, the amount of light and the panel’s angles to the sun’s rays affect the the chargers’ output. Please see the Solar Cell Video I posted earlier.

For use on my quadricycle, I will use the two solar panels you see, placed on the quad’s canopy. I have tied them together using indoor/outdoor mounting tape. I plan to secure them to the canopy using zip-ties or maybe the same mounting tape. For security, when not camping, I will likely remove the top and take it into our lodging for the night. The long wires you see will be shortened. I also want a neat way of concealing as much of the "Y" as I can. Shortening it may help.

My BROL Quad [Fargo] Setup Thread