Solar "Generator"

[maki2]

If your primary reason is the convenience of portability so that you can move the battery from the rear to the front..

There is a simpler and lower cost solution, get some extra wire, and fused sockets and install them in the front of the vehicle. That way the battery system can remain stationary. A little labor up front will lead to greater convenience as you don't have to move anything. You can even put some water proof outlets on the exterior of the vehicle but be sure you put a shut off switch for them in the interior.

The bigger advantage of the portable all-in-one units is if you have more than one vehicle or if you also have a house where you might want to bring it inside during a power outage or if you want to take it to an event such as some type of picnic or public event such as a farmer's market, craft fair, etc.

But for portablility inside of a vehicle that is already of limited size then that is more easily solved with a few extra wired outlets.

Think it through, what is it you need, are you in need of a remote location power device or are you just trying to save a few hours of labor because you are afraid of doing some simple wiring?

 

[XERTYX]

Maki2 makes a very valid point. I didn't even consider that. Toting the battery around inside the vehicle would be very tedious work. I was thinking you just wanted the extra peace of mind that your vehicle battery would have a backup charging method.

 

[Firebuild]

Not to the best of my knowledge but then again I've never looked for any as I see them as wasteful but I can see their functionality. So let me ask this then? You are worried about the weight of them and being portable. If you were able to wire your starting battery and house batteries together so they kept each other charged would you still need a portable unit? If so what would you power? For instance if you didn't have to worry about a dead battery on the bus because your solar kept it maintained as well as the house batteries would you still need a portable battery for your campsite? If so what would you need it for? Lights around a picnic table? Phone charging? Music speaker? If so you might find a viable option like a USB battery bank or some bluetooth speakers also have a USB outlet to charge your phone while using it. 

Just my way of thinking but if you just hooked up what you have now with an additional part like a battery Isolator you wouldnt need to lug it around at all. Install it and set it and forget it. Then address portable power options IF you still need them.

Personally, I would never wire it into my starting battery. I have a finicky 27 year old diesel school bus that needs 2 batteries just to start and my past experience has taught me not to mess with that. It's just not the path for this particular vehicle, though it sounds like a great way to go for others. 


As far as what I need it for, I am still working and expect to be for a long time to come. I have an e-commerce site. Plus I design and build websites, and offer technical support and maintenance (including screen share sessions and the like). I'm also a writer, and submit all my work through the internet. So I have multiple hotspot devices and and boosters to maximize the areas in which I can get service. That's in addition to some of the usual things people use power for. I don't run a fridge or a microwave. I don't think my needs are particularly extreme, but they're not tiny either. I do expect to power my cell phone and main modem off the car battery, but I don't feel comfortable going any further than that. 

I don't understand why solar generators would be considered wasteful. I guess because the battery is not replaceable in most of them? The Kodiak (not to keep harping on that one, but I truly believe someone will come out with a cheaper competitor at some point, possibly soon) has 2000 charge cycles. If you do the math, that's not going to come out as wasteful. It's not even going to come out as particularly expensive, but the upfront cost is ridiculous, yes. Why is why I didn't just buy one and keep my mouth shut about it. 

Since everyone harps on how they're not really generators, I have to point out that NO generator actually MAKES power. If you're going to be a word Nazi about it, the Webster's definition of a generator is: "A dynamo or similar machine for converting mechanical energy into electricity." A generator CONVERTS. It does not MAKE. A gas or propane generator stores fuel and turn that into usable power; no fuel, no power. It's a storage device, just like the solar generator.  The current standard setup for solar requires multiple devices to complete that conversion, all the solar generator does is offer the possibility of honing that down to one device. Personally, I think it's fear of change that makes everyone so jumpy around this. 

Anyway, I didn't post this to defend solar generators. I don't have one, have never used one. I'm curious, that's all, and open to the idea, and wanted to see if anyone with experience could tell me what they've found by using it. I love the spirit of helpfulness they makes everyone want to answer the question, but it's really aimed at anyone who has maybe used one.

 

[XERTYX]

Okie dokie. I havent used one either. I have seen people make their own mounting a small panel on top of a battery box and put lead acid batteries inside to take to their hunting camp. To each their own. My first solar setup cost me a total of around $80 maybe less and this was 10 years ago when solar was a bit pricier. It wasnt a beast but once I adjusted my needs to suit its limitations it worked ok. I'm sure in time the price will come down on these things given time. I just find it difficult regardless of how fat my wallet is to pay so much for one when I know I can build one for a fraction of the price. If the $125 one I mentioned was $20 I'd buy 5 of them. Seriously. But since they arent I cant see that price point as reasonable. But then again if i won the lottery i wouldnt find the price of a Lamborghini to be reasonable. But I would have a hell of a solar setup if I did.

 

[Firebuild]

If your primary reason is the convenience of portability so that you can move the battery from the rear to the front..

There is a simpler and lower cost solution, get some extra wire, and  fused sockets and install them in the front of the vehicle. That way the battery system can remain stationary. A little labor up front will lead to greater convenience as you don't have to move anything. You can even put some water proof outlets on the exterior of the vehicle but be sure you put a shut off switch for them in the interior.

The bigger advantage of the portable all-in-one units is if you have more than one vehicle or if you also have a house where you might want to bring it inside during a power outage or if you want to take it to an event such as some type of picnic or public event such as a farmer's market, craft fair, etc.

But for portablility inside of a vehicle that is already of limited size then that is more easily solved with a few extra wired outlets.

Think it through, what is it you need, are you in need of a remote location power device or are you just trying to save a few hours of labor because you are afraid of doing some simple wiring?

Yes, I sell at events, so there is that convenience also.  There are lots of reasons why, if there was a great, cheap device, it would be a better option. But right now, there isn't, at least not that anyone has brought to the thread so far. I will continue to be looking out for future developments. 

I'm not afraid of wiring, just a fan of simplicity. I'm not looking to be moving stuff around the vehicle either; generator or no generator, it's staying in one spot unless I take it outside for some reason. But as you travel, you tweak the setup, and the more places something fits, the more honed you can get. I don't think a generator approach actually removes the need for wiring, either.  If I had one, I'd still set up outlets in various places for convenience.

 

[Firebuild]

Okie dokie. I havent used one either. I have seen people make their own mounting a small panel on top of a battery box and put lead acid batteries inside to take to their hunting camp. To each their own. My first solar setup cost me a total of around $80 maybe less and this was 10 years ago when solar was a bit pricier. It wasnt a beast but once I adjusted my needs to suit its limitations it worked ok. I'm sure in time the price will come down on these things given time. I just find it difficult regardless of how fat my wallet is to pay so much for one when I know I can build one for a fraction of the price. If the $125 one I mentioned was $20 I'd buy 5 of them. Seriously. But since they arent I cant see that price point as reasonable. But then again if i won the lottery i wouldnt find the price of a Lamborghini to be reasonable. But I would have a hell of a solar setup if I did.

Well, everyone gets to set their own priorities - that's what's so GREAT about all this FREEDOM!

 

[Firebuild]

Price out a small system that includes a charge controller, converter, and the various plug receptacles that you can carry with one hand.

Also, read and think before knee jerking.

Thanks! I too am anti-knee jerk.

 

[Hoot]

Firebuild, I've no opinion myself, don't know enough to discuss, have learned much from reading maki2's and others comments but saw the yt one below the other day, perhaps adds to your information.

Google for youtube, Enigmatic Nomadics: “Best Off-Grid Portable Power Station Yet! Jackery Explorer 240”
or here's link:

Given what you've shared occurs to me other videos by Jamie/EnigmaticNomadics might be of interest to you.

 

[Firebuild]

Firebuild, I've no opinion myself, don't know enough to discuss, have learned much from reading maki2's and others comments but saw the yt one below the other day, perhaps adds to your information.

Google for youtube, Enigmatic Nomadics: “Best Off-Grid Portable Power Station Yet! Jackery Explorer 240”
or here's link:

Given what you've shared occurs to me other videos by Jamie/EnigmaticNomadics might be of interest to you.

Thanks, that Jackery one I believe only takes 120V of input which is the problem for most.
I've seen a few of those videos but not many, will check 'em out!

 

[XERTYX]

I watched the video and it will charge from 12v. Although it looks like it's a proprietary connector. They also sell a solar panel for it though I didn't look at the pricing on that. If the promo code mentioned in the video still works that makes it $149 right now. Not too shabby. The input did say max 40w so it's not gonna charge up crazy fast and it has I think a 16.8AH battery so also not going to last for days and days. But a good little gadget.

 

[Firebuild]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DVSWLSR/ref=sspa_dk_hqp_detail_aax_0?psc=1

This is the one I won on auction and then cancelled, all looked well until they told me 120V max of solar input. The auction price was I believe $154.01. (Shipping was about $20). I could find only 1 review of it anywhere, which bothered me, but I didn't see anything WRONG with it. It just wasn't going to work for me.

 

[XERTYX]

I think you dodged a bullet on that one. I didn't see where it said it was lithium so probably NIMH or AGM Battery. Also it has inconsistencies in its description. One says its X amount of mah others say its Y amount. Also it says 500w output 0.67HP. I didn't know there was a conversion from watts to horse power. It says also its 288Wh but it says it will power a 50W fan for 6 hours so that's 300Wh. Yeah. That one seems a bit shady.

 

[Firebuild]

I think you dodged a bullet on that one. I didn't see where it said it was lithium so probably NIMH or AGM Battery. Also it has inconsistencies in its description. One says its X amount of mah others say its Y amount. Also it says 500w output 0.67HP. I didn't know there was a conversion from watts to horse power. It says also its 288Wh but it says it will power a 50W fan for 6 hours so that's 300Wh. Yeah. That one seems a bit shady.

If you scroll down to the specs you see that it contains 2 lithium ion batteries. 

There is a conversion from watts to HP, and the stated amount looks right to me. 1 watt = something like .0013 or .0014 hp (there are a bunch more decimals in the HP part of the formula which is why it .67 is probably right for 500w). 

The difference in mAh is the difference between continuous and peak. 

As far as the fan goes, yeah, it should say 5.75 hours not 6.

 

[Wabbit]

Have you thought about making one yourself. Googling - diy inergy kodiak solar generator - comes up with a few hits and videos. That way you can make it exactly how you want it. Best of luck no matter what direction you go.

 

[RVTravel]

Txsturgis has a diy thread on making your own.

 

[Firebuild]

Have you thought about making one yourself. Googling - diy inergy kodiak solar generator - comes up with a few hits and videos. That way you can make it exactly how you want it. Best of luck no matter what direction you go.

Thanks, I'll check that out!

 

[Firebuild]

Interesting DIY version but it STILL cost $787 to make it.

 

[RVTravel]

The utube diy is spending too much...120 plus just for case.

 

[Firebuild]

I know, right? A $20 tool box would have worked.

 

[Meterjoe]

this is the one I’ve been looking at and I’m really tempted on buying. I don’t know anything about them but all I need to power is lights and a phone so I feel like it might do the trick.


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