Tag: renewable-energy
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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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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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12V Toaster Oven! Build your own for about $25 DIY / HOW TO Video
12 volt toaster ovens should be very cheap and readily available – the world needs them. I’ve been working on a 12v DIY volt toaster oven prototype project for over a year in the solar workshop. Wouldn’t it be great if the DIY solar power enthusiast could build a portable 12 volt toaster oven in…
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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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20 Watt Solar Panel Boils an Egg! My ultra efficient solar electric cooker prototype (Video Added)
Cooking food with only 10 watts of solar power sounds unattainable – but it’s not. This was recently proved in my solar workshop. I used a combination of an insulated food container with a diode chain solid state heating element to efficiently extract heat from a solar panel. The result is an ultra efficient mini…
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Bateria Power 20A MPPT Solar Charge Controller review / bench test
Recently a company called Bateria Power offered to send me their 20A MPPT charge controller (SunRock 20pro) for review. I was not even aware it existed, so I decided to give it a try. This unit is really small! It has no fans or moving parts, and appears to be totally sealed with an IP45…
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