what solar panel to use

[dwh]

I think you are using the wrong formula to determine current draw. The inverter is only supplying about 12.5A at 1500W. 1500w/120vac=about 12.5A. Or maybe I am mistaken!!

You got bit by the decimal point gremlin.

What Phil just said.

Or, to put in electrical math terms:

1500w / 12v = 125a (input)
1500w / 120v = 12.5a (output)

It's still only 1500w, but when you drop the voltage by a factor of 10, the amps goes up by the same factor.

 

[GlennA]

I am mistaken!! Sometimes a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Especially in my pea brain.

You got bit by the decimal point gremlin.

What Phil just said.

Or, to put in electrical math terms:

1500w / 12v = 125a (input)
1500w / 120v = 12.5a (output)

It's still only 1500w, but when you drop the voltage by a factor of 10, the amps goes up by the same factor.

 

[rideglobally]

thanks dwh, good to know that you live in Los Angeles, i also live in Los Angeles. i am definitely looking at the Samlex charger on the link you send me, 140. dollars on amazon, definitely with in my budget range. the Xantrex ProSine inverter/charger 1000. dollars plus definitely not in my budget. i think i will end up with a separate charger and an inverter. the combine inverter/charger are over my budget at least the ones i have seen so far.

i know you say that any old inverter will do but do you have recommendation? i looking for a pure sine inverter a 1000 watts has been suggested to me from the people who sold me my solar kit. do you agree with this?

like i said i am in Los Angeles, it would be great to hook up if we can.

 

[dwh]

Wow, the price went up. Last time I looked, I'd seen them for as low as 90 bucks.

As for an inverter...

Do you NEED a 1000w inverter? What loads are you planning to run?

PSW is the best way to go, but the only things I've personally had ruined by MSW were a couple of Ryobi power tool battery chargers. Which is why I got the car charger.

Samlex also makes inverters, and PSW inverters too:

http://www.donrowe.com/inverters/puresine.html?gclid=CKXBmbe7tbACFQhahwodECNR9g#Samlex



Yea, I'm in L.A. a lot, but a lot of the time I'm not around. I like to disappear into the hills or the desert for weeks at a time whenever I can. Glen Heggstad recently got a great deal on some acreage on Palomar Mountain down by San Diego. He's already got a well drilled and a septic system installed and is dragging a tailer up there to serve as a solar powered off-grid cabin. His old ranch he had that he sold to help finance his around the world trip was also off-grid solar.

I was talking to him about it yesterday, and I might end up spending a few weeks at a time up on his property on the mountain. Actually, I might like it too much and end up spending a lot of time up there. Being snowed in in the winter and not having cell phone service won't bother me.

 

[rideglobally]

lap top, iPhone for sure and small amplifier, small television sometimes.

 

[Honu]

Iphone can charge off your car or USB

TV ? maybe a honda genny would be good option the small ones are near silent

laptop my thoughts if you are going to do a computer for sure get PSW unless you dont mind flipping a coin on damage to it ? or if a laptop get a couple spare batteries and if possible a way to charge them out of the laptop ?
can you get a 12V convertor for the laptop might be more efficient than a cheap convertor ? I have seen those for some laptops

just some thoughts form another angle

 

[lostworldexpedition]

Get the Morningstar 300w SureSine. Pricey, but reliable and quiet... A Morningstar distributor replaced our charge controller (that I fried) while we drove through Guatemala at no charge. Great customer service and distributors in many countries...

We charge most Gadgets on USB directly from battery and use the SureSine for the laptop because we use apple computers and couldn't find a DC-DC adapter.

We started off with a MSW 3 or 5 hundred watt and the fan was brutally annoying, dumped it before we even left the US.

 

[rideglobally]

is this a pure sine inverter, read through the specs can not find it.....http://www.tripplite.com/en/products/model.cfm?txtModelID=2905 ... thanks

 

[rideglobally]

http://samlexamerica.com/products/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=6 ordered ....... thanks dwh

now i just need to figure out inverter, i like the morningstar 300 recommendation especially the fact that it does not have a fan. i use a small inverter plugged in to my cigarette lighter that fan is annoying. my question is will 300 watt enough for my application? can you tell me what a 300 watt inverter can handle? can it handle a small amplifier, coffee grinder, led lights, small flat screen tv, lap top ..... of course we would not be running all of this at once.... thanks

 

[dwh]

is this a pure sine inverter, read through the specs can not find it.....http://www.tripplite.com/en/products/model.cfm?txtModelID=2905 ... thanks

Not PSW. Tripplite does make some PSW inverters:

http://www.tripplite.com/en/products/product-series.cfm?txtSeriesID=970


MSW won't hurt a laptop power brick. I charged mine like that for quite a while before finding a decent gizmo to power the laptop from the cig lighter. (I burned out a couple fo cheapo ones before finding a good one.)

Dunno what you mean by amplifier. Guitar amp?

TV. Dunno, haven't owned a TV for decades. Probably be fine on MSW.


I'm not seeing any 1000w loads here.

USB stuff - 5w maybe.

60w laptop power brick...well 60w tops, but when the battery is charged it probably won't pull even half that. My Acer netbook draws 14w when charging and 9w otherwise. My HP netbook draws around 20w charging and 15 otherwise. Both came with (IIRC) 30w power bricks.

TV. Won't be much. Around 100w I'd guess for a 19" LCD.

Amp...what amp?

 

[Honu]

http://samlexamerica.com/products/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=6 ordered ....... thanks dwh

now i just need to figure out inverter, i like the morningstar 300 recommendation especially the fact that it does not have a fan. i use a small inverter plugged in to my cigarette lighter that fan is annoying. my question is will 300 watt enough for my application? can you tell me what a 300 watt inverter can handle? can it handle a small amplifier, coffee grinder, led lights, small flat screen tv, lap top ..... of course we would not be running all of this at once.... thanks

I would say get one of the Kill a Watt devices about 20-30 bucks and check your stuff out might be the most accurate way
my grinder is a large Mazzer so not your normal
a 24 inch LED lit LCD should be easy but a 42 inch plasma will have issues same thing with the amp really depends
laptop no problem I would see
LED lights I know wont be a issue and many can run on 12V since the inverter takes power to work anything you can run on 12V is better IMHO as long as it does the same job of course

 

[rideglobally]

Small amplifier for a PA system. We like hanging out in remote villages/reservation. The PA amplifier is connected to inverter, inverter to car battery programs goes on whole day by end of day 3 cars would not start cause of dead battery. .... Be great to help out.

In any case, from what I am learning here I am getting convince that the Morningstar 300 is sounding like a good option. Saw it listed for $187.

By the way the samlex cost me $113.

Thanks

 

[rideglobally]

solar installed

thanks all for your help. here is how i spend my weekend. the solar panel is fix and is potable for those rare times i need to make it portable. that pipe looking thing is marine grade plug in, i am able to unplug the solar panel place it at a remote location, connect to the connector on the roof using an extension cord. the panel can also be tilted 45 degree on the roof when the pop top is not open, i probably got a little carried away with the design but, had fun doing it.....:victory:

the AC battery charger should be here soon..... thanks again

 

[dwh]

Nice! Don't forget to post an update with some performance numbers. Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[rideglobally]

soon as arb fridge strap arrive i will be installing fridge let the fridge run, then on July 3 we are going on a 3 to 4 week ride through Zion, Moab, South Dakota, Kamloop Canada and back, no fix route just some destination.

my Samlex AC charger also came in today and the morningstar 300 should be here next week.

will post data and thank again for all your help it has been fun and educational, i know nothing about solar when i started this thread, now it is time to test it on the field see how it works, i will keep posting data.