BIGBEARJT Posted October 11, 2015 Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 picked a dirt cheap 135w solar panel from a yard sale, $20, brought it home cleaned it up and works great, so i was thinking, perfect opportunity to build that solar generator ive been wanting to do for a while. I had a spare large dewalt tough box laying around and thought, hey why not use that to house everything? Im constantly making improvements, but this is how my current setup looks and working, have a 100ah deep cycle marine battery, 1100w inverter, charge controller, on a good sunny day like today im able to easily charge all my toys, other batteries, as you can see i charged all 6 of my makita batteries, 4ah capacity, all without breaking a sweat, i plan to add outlets on the outside, and other 12v accessory ports, but overall, its a great little setup to charge all my stuff anywhere, and its in a tough box, its heavy but its quiet, zero maintenance and portable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poisonfangs85 Posted October 11, 2015 Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 Awesome stuff! A solar charger would come in handy. Charging tool batteries on a remote job site would be awesome and save on gas from driving back and forth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimboS1ice Posted October 11, 2015 Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 picked a dirt cheap 135w solar panel from a yard sale, $20, brought it home cleaned it up and works great, so i was thinking, perfect opportunity to build that solar generator ive been wanting to do for a while. I had a spare large dewalt tough box laying around and thought, hey why not use that to house everything?Im constantly making improvements, but this is how my current setup looks and working, have a 100ah deep cycle marine battery, 1100w inverter, charge controller, on a good sunny day like today im able to easily charge all my toys, other batteries, as you can see i charged all 6 of my makita batteries, 4ah capacity, all without breaking a sweat, i plan to add outlets on the outside, and other 12v accessory ports, but overall, its a great little setup to charge all my stuff anywhere, and its in a tough box, its heavy but its quiet, zero maintenance and portable.More importantly, can it run a coffee pot? LolJimboSent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGBEARJT Posted October 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 Yeap I do love my coffee, but i use a coffee press, I don't use a machine. I despise preground coffee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WigWagWorkshop Posted October 11, 2015 Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 Sweet project! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimboS1ice Posted October 11, 2015 Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 Yeap I do love my coffee, but i use a coffee press, I don't use a machine. I despise preground coffee.I love my press too but time isn't always on our side.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comp56 Posted October 11, 2015 Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 best coffee I have ever tried.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hathatyl Posted October 11, 2015 Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 Damn 20 bucks is super cheap. We made a few solar chargers in one of my college classes once for a class that was going to Belize. Used those 30$ aluminum briefcase things from menards. Keep at it Bigbear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
locksmithmatt Posted October 11, 2015 Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 That's great , is the solar panel fitted on top of the box ? I mounted sockest on the out side of my power box Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondo1310 Posted October 13, 2015 Report Share Posted October 13, 2015 Awesome setup guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EEtwidget Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 I built one of these in a Ridgid case. It works great and has plenty of power. Mostly use it on camping expedition. Besides the charge controller, DC inverter is most important. There are two basic types. Pure Sin and Modified Sin. Modified Sin is the most common but due to the nature of the 'AC' produced, modified sin inverters are not recommended for inductive loads. That means you can't plug anything with a motor or heating coil into the inverter. This eliminates most power tools. A pure sin inverter produces a true sinwave and can operate motors and heaters. These are often found in RV's and big rigs or boats. Pure a Sin is better but also $$$$. I don't know if you have preformed any load calculations but please be sure to fuse your generator and size the wires properly. Otherwise your generator turns into a bomb. Also be aware that electronics produce gas, the gas is flammable and can explode with arc flash. Generally the battery should be isolated from any switching gear. Although this may not be practical, proper venting should minimize arc flash dangers.My version of the solar generator is not complete. In fact I only had a few hours to throw it together. Drilled a hole on the side of the case and used a plug to seal it. I use this to pass solar and power wires through. Eventually I will install proper bulkhead fittings. (Too many projects, not enough time)Ridgid Tools In Action - Pro Edition Solar GeneratorMessy but functional LED light strip, just because 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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