Year: 2024
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The Most Important Prep For Survival? Water Storage and Purification Alone is not enough…
There is one resource any Survivalist or Preparedness oriented person should be an expert on first and foremost. You must have skills in retrieving, storing and processing it – or all the rest of your preps simply don’t matter! Having the right mindset is still top of the list, yet everything still depends on this…
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A Quick Post On LiFePO4 C-rate – charge, discharge and treating storage batteries right
What is C-rate and why is it important? Recently, I tested a 200 amp-hour LiFePo4 12v battery for a video review I did for my YouTube channel (Timeusb 200ah, posted on this page). Although it was not the main focus of the video itself, during the review I made some comments about C-rate and decided…
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14 Watts Can Do WHAT? Getting smarter about solar power, efficiency and high-tech survival
Hi folks, most survivalists know how much food & water they need to survive “X days” in the jungle”. That’s because they are smart and take time to think things through! But have you ever wondered, how many slices of toast can that 12-volt 10 amp-hour lithium battery make?? Note: this article is about an…
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Solar panel has voltage but no power – what’s wrong? DIY Solar Troubleshooting Skills
Introduction Hi folks, in this blog post (and associated video) I am sharing some of my first hand experience in over a decade of working with solar power and electrical systems. A problem that a DIY solar power enthusiast may someday face is to find a solar panel [or a whole solar panel array] has…
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Boiling Water with 14w of Solar Powered Induction (plus video) EXPERIMENTAL
It’s that time again… another solar powered experiment at the outer edges of “feasibility”. Part of my work and research in solar power the past few years has been about finding ways to do “more with less“. Often I try to accomplish a task using only the solar panel itself, using minimal to no electronics…
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Mini Peltier Freezer Powered by Solar – solid state refrigeration prototype (plus video)
For the longest time, I’ve been fascinated by those small Peltier based fridges and coolers for sale on the internet. They generally drop the temp to something pretty “cool” but they often fall short of an actual “refrigerator”, let alone freezer. (Video of my test freezer – article continues below) What I’d really like to…
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24 Volt car radiator fan, 50 watt solar panel – A Perfect Match for Solar Shed Ventilation?
Are 24 volt car radiator fans a good option for solar shed ventilation? Sheds tend to get very hot in the summer, and my two sheds are no exception. For the past several years, I’ve been using simple configurations of solar panels connected to fairly powerful DC fans to cool them off. This video shows…
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Video: PV-to-Wall – Direct DC Solar Power – Direct Drive Solar
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Solar Air Conditioning – Direct PV DC – Project Updates and Video
Note: ongoing project updates will be posted towards the end of this page. Thinking in terms of a grid-down scenario, besides food, water and shelter, air conditioning is one of the most important modern benefits to society. There is nothing that can boost morale like a good cold AC and a place to rest after…
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How Many SOLAR Watt-Hours does it take to cook? (Documented Experiment plus Video)
Kitchen-Grade 12 Volt Cooking Appliances are an untapped industry in my opinion. There is a pressing need all over the world for simple, durable and affordable 12v cooking appliances, but most of the ones available are not designed for the rigors of daily use. After years of searching for alternatives, I could not really find…
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Insulated Solar Electric Cooker – simple DIY! affordable off the shelf option plus video
An insulated solar electric cooker, sometimes referred to as “ISEC” is an insulated container that takes a direct solar panel input to cook food. These appliances are generally a DIY project and not something available off the shelf. A good example is my small solar electric cooker which I used to boil an egg with…
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DIY Bus Bars for lithium-ion cells – handmade in the workshop
Recently I needed some copper bus bars for a lithium-ion pack I was building. This pack will be used to power a prototype cooking appliance. But I did not want to buy any pre-made bus bars and decided to try the DIY option. There is also a video documenting this technique posted down below. First…
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Off Grid AC and LiFePo4 Battery Upgrades for my Solar Workshop – ongoing updates and videos
Update 8-11-2024 – the upgraded off electrical grid system has been operating for a few weeks now with no problem. I can run my air conditioner all day, shop tools, air filters, lights and everything else. However I still use a lot of direct solar electric power, bypassing the batteries, inverter and charge controller wherever…
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Pure 12V Off Grid Cooking With a 200AH LiFePo4 Battery! Article and video
A larger 12v lithium ion battery offers a renewable energy source for cooking. In fact, such a good sized battery can replace the fuel tank typically used for cooking in some scenarios. Recently I received a sample of Power Queen’s 200ah deep cycle LiFePo4 battery. I put it to the test by simultaneously operating three…
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200ah LiFePo4 battery runs an AC for how long? With video test / review
Full disclosure, this battery was provided for review by RedODO. I do not accept sales commissions. I was curious how long a 5000 BTU air conditioner would run on a 200 amp-hour LiFePo4 battery. That was the main part of my recent test and review of the RedODO 200ah deep cycle battery. Test Setup For…
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Solar DC Direct Drive 12v / 24v / Series car radiator fans – Bench Test with video
In this article and video I compare the performance of different car radiator fans in a direct PV DC driven (PV-to-Load) shed ventilation scenario. Overview A 50 watt solar panel and a simple car radiator fan makes an extremely simple and robust DIY shed ventilation solution. 12 volt fans are very common and affordable, but…
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Pecron E600 LFP – solar generator endurance test and review
A solar generator is a great way for people who are new to solar power to get started without much effort. Just plug in the solar panels and go. Over past years I have collected, purchased and repaired over 40 solar generators and portable power stations of various kinds – definitely enough to experience their…
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Building a Solar Powered Ryobi 18v Battery Supercharger x3 – Project Overview plus DIY video
If there’s one thing that has changed DIY over the past few years, it’s cordless lithium ion powered tools. I use a lot of Ryobi 18v batteries to run tools and have become addicted to their flexibility and affordability. But the charger usually is plugged into an AC outlet. Why not simply plug a solar…
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