Category: Bench Test
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PV2L-MG: My Low Voltage DC Residential Micro Grid Goes Live! Direct Solar Photovoltaic
It’s live! After several years of testing and research, then a long and grueling move to the countryside, I installed the first Low Voltage DC wall outlets in my house. A full length multi-episode video documentary is in production to document the system. Within hours these outlets were powering up one of my DC cooktops,…
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Don’t Have Matches? I Started A Fire With A Lithium Ion Solar Generator – Was Just Curious!
High Tech Survival In this high-tech age, it seems people often lack the most basic survival gear, but yet they have a “smart” phone, wi-fi and many different gadgets. What if they were stranded out in the woods with only a solar generator or portable power station? Could they start a simple campfire to keep…
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Solar Hot Water! Semiconductor Immersion Heating Elements – my research project
Solar panels do so many things very well, but there is always room for improvement and new ideas. One application I find interesting is to directly drive a Hot Water Heater (HWH) heating element in a water tank with PV DC solar panels. But are there better ways to do it? I made a video…
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How Much Power Are You Losing? A simple introduction to voltage drop in wires and cables
Have you ever looked at an extension cord and wondered “how much power is it wasting”? And how about those cheap skinny solar MC-4 cables – maybe they’re not such a bargain either. Or perhaps you never gave any of this a single thought! It is a fact that using the wrong cable or cord…
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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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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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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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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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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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Nichrome and fuses melting at 1800x magnification – video
Recently I was asked by Joyalens to review their JL246MS digital microscope. I accepted in order to look at Nichrome and fuses up close. (Note I don’t receive any commissions for sales). Interestingly this microscope is USB 5v powered, so it’s easy to run even off of a battery pack if needed. Nichrome wire forms…
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Direct Solar Electric Cooking vs. traditional methods – A Grid Down Scenario
It’s happened, The Grid Is Down. Roads are closed. No gas stations are open. Nothing works. Electrical power and communications are gone. Chaos is slowly breaking out. But the Off Gridder feels fairly secure; solar panels on the roof, 20kw of batteries, a wondrous integrated inverter with bluetooth, MPPT charger all crammed into one giant…
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My 12 Volt Hotplate Cooktop Prototype – Cooking without an inverter
This project has the goal of the total conversion of a portable kitchen cooktop / hot plate to pure 12 volts DC operation – NO inverter! Second is to show and demonstrate that such an appliance should exist. I believe this type of 12 volt appliance should be common and affordable. With a 12 volt…
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VIDEO: Digital Multimeters for DIY Solar Power – Tutorial guide
Beginner Friendly! I have produced a second tutorial video about learning to use a Digital Multimeter (DMM) with DIY solar power. In this Part 2 video, I will teach you how do basic measurements and checks against some solar power components. In the video I will also be reviewing my Gochifix 3-in-1 digital multimeter and…
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