This is brilliant. I have 4 200 watt portable panels from pecron. Only problem they are only splash resistant. I live in Florida its summer we will have periodic daily thunder storms for the next 2 months. It's a real pita this time of year. After that no worries. Companies sell water resistant portables but the prices are off the chain this is a ingenious solution. Thank you!
Well, I've devoured pretty much all of the "movable" solar panel setups. I thought I had seen them all and had quit looking. But something had me look one more time; that's when I stumbled on you and your simple, well-explained setup. If imitation is the greatest form of flattery, add me to your list. The quick pins in the top were already on my list, having seen another setup that used threaded screws like yours and thinking "how long would it be before I dropped a screw in the grass and couldn't find it?". No tapping with the quick clips. As I plan to move the "suitcase" around with a hand truck, I'll be adding small spacer/bumper blocks on the bottom ends of the panels for clearance. The last thing: the PT Hood Prop: You mentioned something sturdier. Do you have something in mind already? Thanks much for sharing your rig with us. I'll now be going back so see what else you have shared.
Wow, well glad this helped you out and thanks for stumbling over this way. There is a lot in the solar section play list and more. I haven’t found another rod but I think it would only be needed with those size panels as they are just a little heavy. Smaller suitcase models they would be fine
I love your idea, I recently bought one 100 HQST panel, but I love how you turned it into a suitcase , thanks for sharing bro so much. Keep up the good work man
Your welcome. Yea having the choice is kinda nice of one or two when you may need it. And having more is always useful. A little big but the thing works great.
A very clean, nice build. There is nothing I would change, except maybe putting the boxes at the top but I understand your concern on tripping. I was looking into building one of these myself. When looking for parts I did find some really nice cam lock legs on Amazon. They are on a camera tripod for only $14 ..not bad. Eventually I instead opted for the Renogy 200W suitcase....lazy I reckon and when I did the math it really was not too bad at $324. The two 100 watt panels would have come in at about $170 and an equivalent controller about $25. I figured with stainless hinges, latches, and legs I would be into it for about $250 or more, and no case. The Renogy case it comes with is very impressive with very heavy cordura nylon bonded to a hard clam shell which is sandwiched inside the nylon and with great zippers. It offers great protection. I was so impressed with the first one I immediately ordered another. I upgraded to a MPPT 40 amp controller and some Y connectors to series or parallel connect the two units. I have 4 100 Ah LifePo 4 batteries so 400 watts is just squeaking by. The second panel should be delivered today so no idea yet if I have enough or what the VOC is. Hopefully I will have some room to add another one if needed. All that being said, your design is awesome and would be a fine and fun project.
Very nice project! I recently purchased 2, 50 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Renogy Solar Panels for $42 a piece. I have often thought about doing exactly what you did and making a solar panel suitcase. Granted, it would only be a 100 watt solar suitcase, but my requirements are small, and it would be more for experimenting with solar energy more than anything else. Thanks for the great video! You have given me some ideas.
That’s really nice. It sounds better to say solar briefcase for TH-cam, but I think I’d compare it more to one of those outdoor folding tables. Looks like it may be comparable in weight and convenience.
Very creative how you decided to take two rigid panels and created y a suitcase. Good explanation of how you did it which may even be what i do for my upgrade that i am currently trying to decide on and plan out. My "last year" system was a Renogy 100w mono rigid single panel connected to an EPSolar 10w MPPT controller which is then connected to my 75ah AGM Centenial battery that i use with my T@B fully self-contained camper that i have had for 6 years and travelled to 20 states and 15000 miles. I additionally bought two 25-ft extension cables to better be able to reach sunlight in more situations. I also bought a Samplex 300w pure-sine-wave inverter to power an electric drill to fix stuff but have never used it so far while camping. Everything works very well; however I find i need to have a little more capacity in panel and battery so I have tentatively decided to just "double" the system by getting a single 200w panel and 20a charge controller connecting to my already purchased Interstate 150ah 12v flooded battery.. After watching your video here, maybe I should consider 2 larger watt-hour panels and piece together with a still-larger charge-controller. Thinking. .... Have decades of experience with Lead-acid battery chemistry that i understand, so haven't considered making the more-expensive-up-front cost jump to LiFePO4 as of yet. Benefits of Lithium are: (1) less physical weight 1/3 (2) higher depth of discharge - 90% vs 50% and (3) faster charging possible - 100a vs 30a and (4) longer life - 5000 cycles vs 500 for lead. Down side to Lithium: (1) 3-4 times initial cost (2) fire danger if shorted and contacts water
The jump to lithium really is a game changer. And the prices have been coming down. The amount of capacity you can buy now for $500 is impressive. And no fluids or checks. Now lithium ion was a little more problematic but the new lithium iron phosphate battery types are proven to be alot better.
Very nice build. I'm planning on making one with the two 100watt panels i have and i love your design. I will be using Allen bolts as well because i prefer them over pins. Greetings from Jamaica.
getten ready to make mine/ great idea's/mine are 100amp each to power 350w solor generator for my wife's CPAP,other wise:we were dry campers and just used our truck lighter socket to charge our phones
Nice work man! I like this set up alot. I personally have a 180W mobile set up right now. I have been looking into getting two 150W panels exactly like this. My inverter has a solar charge controller built into it as well with a max wattage of 300W so this would be perfect. I am wiring up two more 6 volt batteries on my trailer so I will have a total of 460AH of batteries. Excellent video!!
Awesome sounds like a good setup. Yea you need more because you always have that amount of loss. The 300 watt setup will be probably 285 watts on a perfect day from the panels but once hooked up to the controller probably be about 275 give or take. Again on a perfect day with no clouds, haze or other contaminants. That’s why bigger is better unfortunately because even on a cloudy day or overcast you could still pull 75-150 watts out of it pending reflection and such. Thanks for the comment and thanks again for watching 👍🏼😀
I really like this design-well thought out, and clever use of simple standard parts to achieve a rigid form. Moving the angle across the two panels is very clever. Maybe a thickish rubber door mat could be affixed for friction/grip tape? As I was looking I kept thinking of windy days, and wondered if a double wide flat-or maybe a T shape could make the bottom rigid-and the protruding half give you a place for Thru holes to tap in some steel tent pins to secure it? For sandy or loamy soil they could do the trick. I like to use rare earth magnets as they seem to give you enough grip for close, but easy enough to pop open. KJmagnetics is the site I use to pick these as they have clever force calculators. The thing I like most about your design is the clever offset plastic that keeps the glass from touching-or pinching and cracking-brilliant! I’m going to steal most of your ideas-THANKS-also subscribing-really clean look. BTW someone commented about putting your charge controller on the panel. I’d not do that. You have it right now-keep the high voltage for your distance runs for less resistance/loss or a need for bigger costlier wire! Thanks for posting your great ideas! Best video I found! You a design engineer or just handy LOL?
Thank you !! Yea I though about magnets but the aluminum wasn’t helping. And yes keep the charge controller close to the battery. And I wish I was a design engineer, but I’m just used to building and playing with stuff since I was young 😀👍🏼 Thanks for subbing and joining the group and hope to find other videos that will help or help out in conversations if you like 👍🏼👊🏼😀
Nicely done. I think I will plagiarize your idea. I don't have a tap set some I'm curious if the pin idea worked? I did find the answer about what time of pin. This is really great.
“Because it is a little bit heavier.”. ( that would have been the ideal point to TELL US what the weight is )... ok I see 48 lbs. Thanks for posting your solar suitcase build 👍 im thinking i might try this with flex panels first, they have to be close in power to the foldable panels and lighter than these with aluminum frames.. we’ll see.
I kinda did tell you what the weight is I’m just not sure you were paying attention lol because it’s in the video. Maybe look again because you don’t have to look it up yourself I did the work for everyone. Let me know if you have more questions 👍🏼😁
This can be true sometimes. But most times if you use the panel for a mobile mount like a suit case they may also void warranty as well because they will say its supposed to be solid mount on roof or pole. So kinda a crap shoot.
Yeah someone else suggested that. As far as the link for Amazon i was gonna add a Amazon link, but currently unavailable. So i dont have a link for that panel thru them. So you might have to buy from another supplier or direct from HQST
A couple of suggestions. It would be better to have your junction box at the top of the panels. Les chance of moisture getting in. I would also silicone a three way switch to one panel and connect your solar panels to it so you can select 1 panel or 2 panels or both off. On the other panel I would silicone mount a charge controller. On the battery wires out of the controller I attached a 5-0 amp Anderson connector so I can connect different ends to the battery Leeds like male cigarette plug to charge through a cigarette lighter or battery clamps to connect to a battery. This is how I did my portable panel and it is truly portable. The switch for your panels is necessary because you need to connect your battery before your solar panels or you will wreck your controller.
Thank you for the video. I like your pole extenders. I have 2- 200 watt Rich Solar panels that I want to do the same thing. I did hear that it may be better to protect the backs of the panels because they just have a thin layer of protectant, the glass is very durable.... Your thoughts? Thanks again....
Hello Dr. Powell, I went back and forth on that several times. And both ways are good but having the glass outside is more prone to scratching and chipping p because the glass is directly on the outside. Even though it is strong it still can break. One time i did see a panel fall flat on its face, glass side and hit smack on the ground. Concrete. It shattered the face. Was surprised. Although the panel still worked even though several cracks were in it obviously it couldn't be used. Now with the glass in you have a frame protecting the glass. So when it falls there is a 1.5 inch gap. As long as it doesnt land on a rock or other object its fine. Well most times. But you are exposing the inside to be damaged say during transport from site to site. So its kinda 50/50. I wanted to protect the side you see. Plus for the most part im the only one handling it. But still, i wonder if i should flip it. But then i have to add a external handle verses keeping smooth sides. Any i hope this helps.
Great idea but weight is issue - ive ordered ac380w Jinkgo panel thru ebay similar size to yours - and they said under 6kg - l dont believe them but why leave glass in as not permanently outdoors and glass sucks 5% of light - add weight dont need - just add core flute packing? What do you think?
It depends what you are trying to gain. The glass also protects it as well. But yea that suitcase build was a couple years ago. 2 years is along time for solar panels. Imagine two more years.
@@johnnysweekends ill see if glass adds torsional rigidity but if its only out on non rainy days glass is useless - i will let you know as can always put it back - thanks
Torsion for sure, but all depends how much you move it. Like a flexible folding panel they can twist a lot once they warm and if done to much you can hear cracking of the etfe and possibly the cells lol. Maybe try two set ups, one with glass and one setup with out?
I really like your setup. Can you give me the size of the bolts, spacers, and nylon locknuts? What are the brass looking spacers inside the telescoping rods? How high off the ground did you drill the rod holes? Thanks
1/4-20 up top 3/8th for rods And I drilled about 70% of the way up. Didn’t measure and write it down. Sorry. I don’t have it anymore or I would look. The brass i I just used as spacers. Just stuff I had in my garage.
Thanks very much. I already purchased the rods and went to Ace hardware to get the spacers. The only ones they had were nylon with a max length of 1". I need 1/4" more to clear the inside edge of the panel so I guess I'll need to a 1/4" spaces is they have it.@@johnnysweekends
Do I actually drilled and tapped it for the small bolts but was thinking of doing pins instead ..would be much quicker but would have a little wiggle in it. But would be fine.
Very informative video my young friend. Thanks for sharing it. I would have been nervous drilling into the aluminum frame of those panels. Looks like fantastic setup that I will try to duplicate for my 22ft. trailer. Should work well down in Arizona where I do a fair amount of gold prospecting.
Your welcome. I've always wanted to do some gold panning and go find some small creeks to play in. There are a ton up here where i live. Yea the solar set up works great on the mppt controller i have in the trailer. And i will have or add quick connect pwm to male the suitcase stand alone as well since the pwm are way cheaper. Plus with the set up i can pull the pins and only use one panel if i want.
Oh I just had the bolt kinda tight so it would free swing much but once the weight is on it, it didn’t move. In strong wind I would lower it though. I don’t have any more a friend bought it
This is what I was using but for the size panels I did I think if you use it a lot and don’t make it sturdy they can move a little. amzn.to/3eIVlSY There is also these …amzn.to/3d4QRFS
Nice; just the thing I have been looking for. Question: I'm looking for something as a backup to my gas generator should we have an extended outage and run out of fuel. I'm looking for a solar setup where I can use batteries (I used to use deep cycle ones before i got a generator) and an inverter to keep my stand up freezer powered. I figure on two batteries, the second one charging up while the first one is in use. How well would this system do for my needs?
You need to do a power audit… like how much energy does you fridge use in a 12 hour period or at least hourly do give you a idea of how many watt hours you need. Then you can calculate a battery or two. Then the solar size is more in how fast do you want to fill your batteries like at a gas station. Two small solar panels will take a while But 6 could fill it in 3-5 hrs verses 10. So something to consider. This make sense??
For the most part all panels work better and worse in different temps. A 200 watt panel at 40F and a clear day will produce pretty much a 100% output. Verses a 95F the output could drop 30%. Heat creates more resistance so In order to gain back the loss you can use a larger wire but that isn’t going to give you back the full power of the panel. Hence in warmer climates you need a little extra solar to compensate typically if you don’t get vary many cool days. For my house my best months if it’s sunny a lot is April May June. Even though I have more sunny days in June and July and August my best two months will be May and June before the heat really hits.
On a perfect day and angle I was just over 360 some watts, most times about 330 ish give or take at the controller. I no longer have this set up and it’s was pieced out 😂
I use 4 - 100 watt panels set in two portables banks. Very easy. I also make my frames from PVC - I was originally nervous about their strength but so fan no troubles. I really like your frame arms.
Awesome.....yea i figured i wanted one big set up or i can just pull the pins and use one if i want. The arms work grate but need a good attachment for the weight. I wouldn't put them on bigger. But smaller would work great. Thanks for watching...😊👍
don't know if you know there is a switch you can swap the desired volts. Works for solar panels and for batteries. Here in this video you can watch how it works. keep the good work and cheers. th-cam.com/video/dK7gVgz2zbI/w-d-xo.html
I kept the box low to keep the wires low to the ground so they would lay more flat so just in case of kids or people walking by it’s a little less a trip hazard.
One of the best thought out DIY solar suitcase designs I've seen. Nice job
Thank you, check out the Harbor freight one as well. Super simple since the legs are already there 😀👍🏼
Very nice design! I’m going to replicate this but opt for thumb screws instead of Allen key bolts on the bar.
Real easy numbers! I'm all about the simple solar. What's up boss. YT rec'd this video and I'm watching so I thought I'd leave a comment.
Dude awesome, glad you liked. No reason to over complicate things.
Thanks for watching.....😃👍
This is brilliant. I have 4 200 watt portable panels from pecron. Only problem they are only splash resistant. I live in Florida its summer we will have periodic daily thunder storms for the next 2 months. It's a real pita this time of year. After that no worries. Companies sell water resistant portables but the prices are off the chain this is a ingenious solution. Thank you!
Your welcome. If i was to change anything I think for the panels some beefier legs wouldn’t be bad
Well, I've devoured pretty much all of the "movable" solar panel setups. I thought I had seen them all and had quit looking. But something had me look one more time; that's when I stumbled on you and your simple, well-explained setup. If imitation is the greatest form of flattery, add me to your list. The quick pins in the top were already on my list, having seen another setup that used threaded screws like yours and thinking "how long would it be before I dropped a screw in the grass and couldn't find it?". No tapping with the quick clips. As I plan to move the "suitcase" around with a hand truck, I'll be adding small spacer/bumper blocks on the bottom ends of the panels for clearance. The last thing: the PT Hood Prop: You mentioned something sturdier. Do you have something in mind already? Thanks much for sharing your rig with us. I'll now be going back so see what else you have shared.
Wow, well glad this helped you out and thanks for stumbling over this way.
There is a lot in the solar section play list and more.
I haven’t found another rod but I think it would only be needed with those size panels as they are just a little heavy.
Smaller suitcase models they would be fine
Really nice design. Easy enough to put together. Thanks for putting this DIY video out !!
Your welcome glad it helped. I have another video as well for 100 watt panels..👍🏼😀
I love your idea, I recently bought one 100 HQST panel, but I love how you turned it into a suitcase , thanks for sharing bro so much. Keep up the good work man
Your welcome. Yea having the choice is kinda nice of one or two when you may need it. And having more is always useful.
A little big but the thing works great.
A very clean, nice build. There is nothing I would change, except maybe putting the boxes at the top but I understand your concern on tripping. I was looking into building one of these myself. When looking for parts I did find some really nice cam lock legs on Amazon. They are on a camera tripod for only $14 ..not bad.
Eventually I instead opted for the Renogy 200W suitcase....lazy I reckon and when I did the math it really was not too bad at $324. The two 100 watt panels would have come in at about $170 and an equivalent controller about $25. I figured with stainless hinges, latches, and legs I would be into it for about $250 or more, and no case. The Renogy case it comes with is very impressive with very heavy cordura nylon bonded to a hard clam shell which is sandwiched inside the nylon and with great zippers. It offers great protection. I was so impressed with the first one I immediately ordered another. I upgraded to a MPPT 40 amp controller and some Y connectors to series or parallel connect the two units. I have 4 100 Ah LifePo 4 batteries so 400 watts is just squeaking by. The second panel should be delivered today so no idea yet if I have enough or what the VOC is. Hopefully I will have some room to add another one if needed. All that being said, your design is awesome and would be a fine and fun project.
Yea the prices of the renogy suitcase have come down a lot. Many solar suitcases now. So its almost worth it now. Considering your time as well.
Very nice project! I recently purchased 2, 50 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Renogy Solar Panels for $42 a piece. I have often thought about doing exactly what you did and making a solar panel suitcase. Granted, it would only be a 100 watt solar suitcase, but my requirements are small, and it would be more for experimenting with solar energy more than anything else.
Thanks for the great video! You have given me some ideas.
Glad I could help..👍🏼😀
Great idea ..... hope by now you have gone ahead and done it. It'll work just like you think it will.
That’s really nice. It sounds better to say solar briefcase for TH-cam, but I think I’d compare it more to one of those outdoor folding tables. Looks like it may be comparable in weight and convenience.
Very creative how you decided to take two rigid panels and created y a suitcase. Good explanation of how you did it which may even be what i do for my upgrade that i am currently trying to decide on and plan out.
My "last year" system was a Renogy 100w mono rigid single panel connected to an EPSolar 10w MPPT controller which is then connected to my 75ah AGM Centenial battery that i use with my T@B fully self-contained camper that i have had for 6 years and travelled to 20 states and 15000 miles. I additionally bought two 25-ft extension cables to better be able to reach sunlight in more situations. I also bought a Samplex 300w pure-sine-wave inverter to power an electric drill to fix stuff but have never used it so far while camping.
Everything works very well; however I find i need to have a little more capacity in panel and battery so I have tentatively decided to just "double" the system by getting a single 200w panel and 20a charge controller connecting to my already purchased Interstate 150ah 12v flooded battery..
After watching your video here, maybe I should consider 2 larger watt-hour panels and piece together with a still-larger charge-controller. Thinking. ....
Have decades of experience with Lead-acid battery chemistry that i understand, so haven't considered making the more-expensive-up-front cost jump to LiFePO4 as of yet. Benefits of Lithium are: (1) less physical weight 1/3 (2) higher depth of discharge - 90% vs 50% and (3) faster charging possible - 100a vs 30a and (4) longer life - 5000 cycles vs 500 for lead. Down side to Lithium: (1) 3-4 times initial cost (2) fire danger if shorted and contacts water
The jump to lithium really is a game changer. And the prices have been coming down. The amount of capacity you can buy now for $500 is impressive. And no fluids or checks.
Now lithium ion was a little more problematic but the new lithium iron phosphate battery types are proven to be alot better.
Thinking of doing the same thing, that top angle brace is a good idea, thanks
You’re welcome and thanks for watching ..😀👍🏼
Very nice build. I'm planning on making one with the two 100watt panels i have and i love your design. I will be using Allen bolts as well because i prefer them over pins. Greetings from Jamaica.
I have a single harbor freight 100 watt panel that I want to add another 100 watt panel to make a suitcase like you have showed here.
See if this helps let me know..😀👍🏼 Harbor Freight Solar Suitcase DIY
th-cam.com/video/f9n_HvVvWoY/w-d-xo.html
getten ready to make mine/ great idea's/mine are 100amp each to power 350w solor generator for my wife's CPAP,other wise:we were dry campers and just used our truck lighter socket to charge our phones
Awesome...yea these really are great no matter the size....
Thanks for the comment and thanks again for watching and Subscribe 👍😃
Nice work man! I like this set up alot. I personally have a 180W mobile set up right now. I have been looking into getting two 150W panels exactly like this. My inverter has a solar charge controller built into it as well with a max wattage of 300W so this would be perfect.
I am wiring up two more 6 volt batteries on my trailer so I will have a total of 460AH of batteries. Excellent video!!
Awesome sounds like a good setup.
Yea you need more because you always have that amount of loss.
The 300 watt setup will be probably 285 watts on a perfect day from the panels but once hooked up to the controller probably be about 275 give or take. Again on a perfect day with no clouds, haze or other contaminants. That’s why bigger is better unfortunately because even on a cloudy day or overcast you could still pull 75-150 watts out of it pending reflection and such.
Thanks for the comment and thanks again for watching 👍🏼😀
Great video I’m starting to learn about solar etc and this was a great idea
Thanks, glad it helped and of course there are several ways to mix this up.
Very nice little set up
Thank you, and thanks for watching 👍🏼😀
Good build, I like it. Thanks for sharing.
Your welcome and thanks for watching 👍🏼😀
I really like this design-well thought out, and clever use of simple standard parts to achieve a rigid form. Moving the angle across the two panels is very clever. Maybe a thickish rubber door mat could be affixed for friction/grip tape? As I was looking I kept thinking of windy days, and wondered if a double wide flat-or maybe a T shape could make the bottom rigid-and the protruding half give you a place for Thru holes to tap in some steel tent pins to secure it? For sandy or loamy soil they could do the trick. I like to use rare earth magnets as they seem to give you enough grip for close, but easy enough to pop open. KJmagnetics is the site I use to pick these as they have clever force calculators. The thing I like most about your design is the clever offset plastic that keeps the glass from touching-or pinching and cracking-brilliant! I’m going to steal most of your ideas-THANKS-also subscribing-really clean look. BTW someone commented about putting your charge controller on the panel. I’d not do that. You have it right now-keep the high voltage for your distance runs for less resistance/loss or a need for bigger costlier wire! Thanks for posting your great ideas! Best video I found! You a design engineer or just handy LOL?
Thank you !! Yea I though about magnets but the aluminum wasn’t helping.
And yes keep the charge controller close to the battery.
And I wish I was a design engineer, but I’m just used to building and playing with stuff since I was young 😀👍🏼
Thanks for subbing and joining the group and hope to find other videos that will help or help out in conversations if you like 👍🏼👊🏼😀
i love your project
Thank you and thanks for watching 👍🏼😀
Nicely done. I think I will plagiarize your idea. I don't have a tap set some I'm curious if the pin idea worked? I did find the answer about what time of pin. This is really great.
Thank you, it’s a good set up and put out a lot of power. A buddy needed it and eventually sold it to him.
“Because it is a little bit heavier.”. ( that would have been the ideal point to TELL US what the weight is )... ok I see 48 lbs. Thanks for posting your solar suitcase build 👍 im thinking i might try this with flex panels first, they have to be close in power to the foldable panels and lighter than these with aluminum frames.. we’ll see.
I kinda did tell you what the weight is I’m just not sure you were paying attention lol because it’s in the video. Maybe look again because you don’t have to look it up yourself I did the work for everyone.
Let me know if you have more questions 👍🏼😁
SmallRig have that kind of screw with a quick half circle metal handle on it, to go fast with you Camera equipement, tripod etc.. Look for that.
Very cool!
Thank you....👍😁
Forget to ask - where did you get extenda legs? Chop an old tripod lol? Thanks
I ended up using these prop rods and drilled through them but I would use them for anything heavier than what I did.
amzn.to/3IG08B6
👍
Most solar panels warranties are voided when you drill additional holes in the housing so check yours before drilling!
This can be true sometimes. But most times if you use the panel for a mobile mount like a suit case they may also void warranty as well because they will say its supposed to be solid mount on roof or pole. So kinda a crap shoot.
Nice setup. Amazon links would be great, plus you might become an affiliate and get some extra $$.
Yeah someone else suggested that. As far as the link for Amazon i was gonna add a Amazon link, but currently unavailable. So i dont have a link for that panel thru them. So you might have to buy from another supplier or direct from HQST
@daniel Avenson .... I have Amazon links now 😁
A couple of suggestions. It would be better to have your junction box at the top of the panels. Les chance of moisture getting in. I would also silicone a three way switch to one panel and connect your solar panels to it so you can select 1 panel or 2 panels or both off. On the other panel I would silicone mount a charge controller. On the battery wires out of the controller I attached a 5-0 amp Anderson connector so I can connect different ends to the battery Leeds like male cigarette plug to charge through a cigarette lighter or battery clamps to connect to a battery. This is how I did my portable panel and it is truly portable. The switch for your panels is necessary because you need to connect your battery before your solar panels or you will wreck your controller.
Where did you get the prop rods and how did you put that together?
The solar suitcase case was made for people that tent camp then a smaller battery for lights in tent and fill it up during the day!
Thank you for the diy build plan. I stole all of your design, except I used 15LB high temp velcro on the angle iron instead of pins or bolts.
Nice…👍🏼😀
Thank you for the video. I like your pole extenders. I have 2- 200 watt Rich Solar panels that I want to do the same thing. I did hear that it may be better to protect the backs of the panels because they just have a thin layer of protectant, the glass is very durable.... Your thoughts? Thanks again....
Hello Dr. Powell, I went back and forth on that several times. And both ways are good but having the glass outside is more prone to scratching and chipping p because the glass is directly on the outside. Even though it is strong it still can break. One time i did see a panel fall flat on its face, glass side and hit smack on the ground. Concrete. It shattered the face. Was surprised. Although the panel still worked even though several cracks were in it obviously it couldn't be used.
Now with the glass in you have a frame protecting the glass. So when it falls there is a 1.5 inch gap. As long as it doesnt land on a rock or other object its fine. Well most times. But you are exposing the inside to be damaged say during transport from site to site. So its kinda 50/50. I wanted to protect the side you see. Plus for the most part im the only one handling it. But still, i wonder if i should flip it. But then i have to add a external handle verses keeping smooth sides. Any i hope this helps.
@@johnnysweekends thank you and I appreciate your explanations and thoughts- makes sense to me. I guess a case is the best protection. 🙏🏻
for 200 Amp hour battery you need a minimum of 400 watts of panels. I find 600 is better and 700 is good... and that's with a LifePo4
Yea depending on battery setup and usage you will need more. For sheds and small RVs 350 is not to bad but more is always better when you can.
Great idea but weight is issue - ive ordered ac380w Jinkgo panel thru ebay similar size to yours - and they said under 6kg - l dont believe them but why leave glass in as not permanently outdoors and glass sucks 5% of light - add weight dont need - just add core flute packing? What do you think?
It depends what you are trying to gain. The glass also protects it as well. But yea that suitcase build was a couple years ago. 2 years is along time for solar panels. Imagine two more years.
@@johnnysweekends ill see if glass adds torsional rigidity but if its only out on non rainy days glass is useless - i will let you know as can always put it back - thanks
Torsion for sure, but all depends how much you move it. Like a flexible folding panel they can twist a lot once they warm and if done to much you can hear cracking of the etfe and possibly the cells lol.
Maybe try two set ups, one with glass and one setup with out?
I really like your setup. Can you give me the size of the bolts, spacers, and nylon locknuts? What are the brass looking spacers inside the telescoping rods? How high off the ground did you drill the rod holes? Thanks
1/4-20 up top
3/8th for rods
And I drilled about 70% of the way up. Didn’t measure and write it down. Sorry.
I don’t have it anymore or I would look.
The brass i I just used as spacers. Just stuff I had in my garage.
Thanks very much. I already purchased the rods and went to Ace hardware to get the spacers. The only ones they had were nylon with a max length of 1". I need 1/4" more to clear the inside edge of the panel so I guess I'll need to a 1/4" spaces is they have it.@@johnnysweekends
Nice work! Do you use any revit nuts at the of top the panel?
Do I actually drilled and tapped it for the small bolts but was thinking of doing pins instead ..would be much quicker but would have a little wiggle in it. But would be fine.
Very informative video my young friend. Thanks for sharing it. I would have been nervous drilling into the aluminum frame of those panels. Looks like fantastic setup that I will try to duplicate for my 22ft. trailer. Should work well down in Arizona where I do a fair amount of gold prospecting.
Your welcome. I've always wanted to do some gold panning and go find some small creeks to play in. There are a ton up here where i live.
Yea the solar set up works great on the mppt controller i have in the trailer. And i will have or add quick connect pwm to male the suitcase stand alone as well since the pwm are way cheaper.
Plus with the set up i can pull the pins and only use one panel if i want.
Brand name of the posts please if available.
I believe it’s in the links in description and comments section
What keeps the prop rods from swinging open or closed and the panel falling?
You twist them and they lock like a sliding rod.
@JOHNNY'S WEEKENDS I mean swinging forwards and backwards, not locking the telescoping.
Oh I just had the bolt kinda tight so it would free swing much but once the weight is on it, it didn’t move. In strong wind I would lower it though.
I don’t have any more a friend bought it
@@johnnysweekends Thanks!
What store did you get the two extension poles?
This is what I was using but for the size panels I did I think if you use it a lot and don’t make it sturdy they can move a little.
amzn.to/3eIVlSY
There is also these …amzn.to/3d4QRFS
Nice; just the thing I have been looking for. Question: I'm looking for something as a backup to my gas generator should we have an extended outage and run out of fuel. I'm looking for a solar setup where I can use batteries (I used to use deep cycle ones before i got a generator) and an inverter to keep my stand up freezer powered. I figure on two batteries, the second one charging up while the first one is in use. How well would this system do for my needs?
You need to do a power audit… like how much energy does you fridge use in a 12 hour period or at least hourly do give you a idea of how many watt hours you need. Then you can calculate a battery or two.
Then the solar size is more in how fast do you want to fill your batteries like at a gas station.
Two small solar panels will take a while
But 6 could fill it in 3-5 hrs verses 10.
So something to consider. This make sense??
@@johnnysweekends Yes, Thank you
You’re welcome 😊👍🏼
Are all the solar panels subject to cold temperature weather likes -10°c to 35°c ?
For the most part all panels work better and worse in different temps.
A 200 watt panel at 40F and a clear day will produce pretty much a 100% output.
Verses a 95F the output could drop 30%.
Heat creates more resistance so In order to gain back the loss you can use a larger wire but that isn’t going to give you back the full power of the panel.
Hence in warmer climates you need a little extra solar to compensate typically if you don’t get vary many cool days.
For my house my best months if it’s sunny a lot is April May June. Even though I have more sunny days in June and July and August my best two months will be May and June before the heat really hits.
Can you please tell me how heavy this is? I am sorry if you covered that already. I'm still learning how to use TH-cam
Yea in the video I compare it’s weight to that of a small generator. About 48lbs
@@johnnysweekends thank you!
You’re welcome 👍🏼😀
Thanks for doing this. Very well done. Do you have any "Watt" output numbers you are getting on the pair of 175 W HQST's. Thanks again!!
On a perfect day and angle I was just over 360 some watts, most times about 330 ish give or take at the controller.
I no longer have this set up and it’s was pieced out 😂
Any issues with wind blowing the panels over?
If its windy ill weigh them down or just drop them lower. If its bad ill lay it flat or just put it away.
Do you have a link for the prop rods?
Hmm i thought it was there....ill fix that...
In a moment
Link is fixed....
Let me know if it works
@@johnnysweekends Thank you. The prop rods are more expensive than the PVC solutions I have seen on TH-cam, but they are definitely more elegant!
Are you still using this setup?
No gave it away,
What do you guys think? Leave a comment and let me know what you are using. Curious to see what the average is..👍
I use 4 - 100 watt panels set in two portables banks. Very easy. I also make my frames from PVC - I was originally nervous about their strength but so fan no troubles. I really like your frame arms.
Awesome.....yea i figured i wanted one big set up or i can just pull the pins and use one if i want. The arms work grate but need a good attachment for the weight. I wouldn't put them on bigger. But smaller would work great.
Thanks for watching...😊👍
don't know if you know there is a switch you can swap the desired volts. Works for solar panels and for batteries.
Here in this video you can watch how it works. keep the good work and cheers.
th-cam.com/video/dK7gVgz2zbI/w-d-xo.html
Module should have been reversed keeping JB at the top side while mounting in your Suit case setup Technically !
I kept the box low to keep the wires low to the ground so they would lay more flat so just in case of kids or people walking by it’s a little less a trip hazard.