This is the best video on Solar I have seen on you tube. Your pointers on the field use benefits of the Suitcase / Portable Solar Panels are priceless. I am a retired engineer customizing a Van to go temporarily Homeless ( no offense intended) in the National Forests/ Parks of our Great Country. Your videos, Bob Wells videos and the Canadian Van Weirdo videos (love his dog Cruz...) have been the source of my inspiration and learning curve. Keep up the good work and may the Force be with You and Heidi always...
I've had good luck with placing an empty (used) tp tube on the glass of the panel. Move the panel and when there is no shadow from the tube you are pointed directly at the sun.
The simple way I learned it was; solar panel facing south. The angle of the panel is the latitude you are at plus 10 degrees in the winter and minus 10 degrees in the summer. But your method is alot more accurate for getting the most solar benefit.
Would like to see a video with a meter to measure the difference in power output between the optimal angle as measured by these devices, and panels that are simply guestimated.
Taught me something for sure. IDK half of what you told me. Just higher & lower sun in the summer and winter. Sure I knew it was off a few degrees from east and west BUT NOT THAT MUCH. Also angle setting, I figured flat or 30° settings was more than sufficent. Thank you.
I use simply solar a free iOS app for iPhone. Gives your location, the position and the angle for your panels. It shows you where to point them you then use the phone on the panel to get the correct angle.. Really quick and easy.
I try to use a tip I got from you a few years back when selecting a campsite to point the nose of my vehicle south so as to maximize my windshield’s sun exposure to place folding panels at an angle. Plus, there is always shade on one side or the other of vehicle. Will give the sighting compass & app/website info a try.
All I need is a can of whatever. U place the can on ur grid. Position the grid so the the can has no shawdow from the sun . That’s ur maximum position to achieve the most power. Thank you
Though I know the mechanics of it I never new about the great app, so thanks for the share! Am still old school with the accurate sighting compass! Happy New Year!!!
Thanks so much. While we're waiting for our solar panels to arrive for our new Bluetti, I'm going to use my solar oven to practice using this app, seeing how hot I can crank the temperature up.
Is the app showing the degrees in "true north"? You need to know the "magnetic declination" for your location. Also be aware a large metallic object can affect your compass.
Howdy. One more factor emerges when you have a solar homestead. How does your site work? Panels are so much cheaper than batteries. I use lead. Navajos get up with the sun, and so does my recharge. You sacrifice an awful lot of ultraviolet charge by aiming largely sunup and sundown. You also get an earlybird charge on your batteries and sun only power for fans and fridge right till sundown. Longer charge. Less charge. Less batteries. Run the vacuum at noon. That's how I like it.
Perfect weather to compare mono/poly (Renogy?HQST) vs amorphous (Harbor Freight 100w kit) solar panel output. Amorphous produces under any cloud cover conditions.
Good video. I think back to when you made the early videos of buying your rv and leaving your apartment. Hope you are still loving the life on the road.
Ephemeris! So that's what that thing is called. Thanks for the info on the site and app. I need to learn more about lighting conditions if I am to be a better amateur photographer.
I put wheels on my panels and a level for my cat. She eat 3x a day so if she wants some food she has to push the panels to the correct position so the food will drop into her plate.
The 3D View of an app called Sun Seeker will let you lay your phone on the solar panel and point it where you want on the suns track line. You will need to flip the screen by pressing the 1X circle in the upper left corner and then the third option which flips the screen. There is a Moon Seeker app as well if you can get solar power from the moon. I laugh but question if that is actually possible.
Did you include the best way to determine angles/degrees? How do you know what 12 degrees is? BTW: Thanks I have Never been able to understand how a compass works till now!
Holy shit! I didn’t even know I needed to learn this. Very useful detailed info. Thanks! Loved the example of what we were learning to drive the concept home!
You don't know, what you don't know. You know? I rely on TH-cam to teach me. I'm going before the board in a week to be licensed for Brain Surgery !! :-) ;-) :-D
Remember.... moss grows on the north side of the tree bears shit in the woods and wet birds don't fly at night and oh yeah, if your electric heater relies on a solar panel..consider investing in extra flannel
cool info, found a deal in Idaho for surplus un-used 210W Solyandra panels - round tubes instead of flat glass- well under a hundred without the high shipping to Idaho from San Tan. I couldn't find much info except they said this design is best for flat roof installs. I have a flat horse shed roof right next to my trailer. Is this a tech fail or would it work for a simple system to just power three 12 volt vent fans , some led lights and a bit of computer use from a AGM battery?
Thanks for all your valuable information I have 200 w panels on top of my van connected to bluetti 1500w I saw on a video that I need 30 amp solar fuse between the panels and the power station Do you see that necessary Thanks SH
Tom: Great vid. I learned a lot.... What would be the effects if you would put reflective panels on your Solar panels? Would you gain more energy from the sun to the panels? Inquiring minds want to know! Thanks Again Tom! JR
I have a class c that is solar prepped with the only connection on the roof. I don’t want to use roof panels. Would I lose a lot if I hooked the wires for my ground panels to a long set of cables running from the roof connection down to them?
Now that was greatly informative! Question, are you using the app in magnetic mode and trusting them to do the ever evolving magnetic deviation or set to true north and doing the addition (west of the Mississippi) yourself?
I'm a newbie boondocking in So Cal and it's been cloudy. I ran my generator and didn't see any change on my Zamp Solar Charge Controller. Had 12.3 V to start and 45 minutes later it had only gone to 12.4V and it was daytime, so I figure a little solar was coming in. I have 340 on the RV roof. Should that charge coming from the generator show up on the solar controller? Thank you for your instructional videos.
For durable, efficient and inexpensive small wind generators check out the John Daniels TH-cam Channel. The information is sound, although the videos are kind of erratic and may be hard to follow
as a general rule, I watch/let all your ads play. Here's the problem. Ads are playing like this every 45 seconds of video, there are 1:15 of ads. A LITTLE ridiculous....
@@HOBOTECH I figured as much. but if you can put a bug in someone's ear at YT.... Also I would to really like to come camping with you someday! (as soon as my wife lets me LOL)
Thanks but too much dependency on internet can paralyze us in an actual contingency situation. Nice if and only one has learned to track at best without internet.
I been considering one of their 40 amp DC to DC so I can fully charge the lithiums while I drive. The 50A w/controller isn't that great because it can only handle 25v of solar. Useless for most setups.
@@HOBOTECH Tom I like all of your videos. You and Heidi are pretty awesome people!! Your solar generator videos are awesome. I generally point my solar panels towards the sun or where i think the sun will be mid day. The replies that you have gotten from a lot of people shows me that there plenty of people that need help with this. My mistake!
This is the best video on Solar I have seen on you tube. Your pointers on the field use benefits of the Suitcase / Portable Solar Panels are priceless. I am a retired engineer customizing a Van to go temporarily Homeless ( no offense intended) in the National Forests/ Parks of our Great Country. Your videos, Bob Wells videos and the Canadian Van Weirdo videos (love his dog Cruz...) have been the source of my inspiration and learning curve. Keep up the good work and may the Force be with You and Heidi always...
I've had good luck with placing an empty (used) tp tube on the glass of the panel. Move the panel and when there is no shadow from the tube you are pointed directly at the sun.
Yep. I use the same method, but use my beer can instead .(Tall 16oz work best! 😎 )
The simple way I learned it was; solar panel facing south. The angle of the panel is the latitude you are at plus 10 degrees in the winter and minus 10 degrees in the summer.
But your method is alot more accurate for getting the most solar benefit.
Would like to see a video with a meter to measure the difference in power output between the optimal angle as measured by these devices, and panels that are simply guestimated.
May you and your entire family & friends be continually blessed this New Year and always.
~ Sis Lynn
Exceptional information! Thank you! Hobotech is the gift of information that keeps on giving!
Taught me something for sure. IDK half of what you told me. Just higher & lower sun in the summer and winter. Sure I knew it was off a few degrees from east and west BUT NOT THAT MUCH. Also angle setting, I figured flat or 30° settings was more than sufficent. Thank you.
I'm in Majic Circle Arizona. I drove here from Charleston SC 3 weeks ago. I'm set!
I use simply solar a free iOS app for iPhone. Gives your location, the position and the angle for your panels.
It shows you where to point them you then use the phone on the panel to get the correct angle..
Really quick and easy.
I try to use a tip I got from you a few years back when selecting a campsite to point the nose of my vehicle south so as to maximize my windshield’s sun exposure to place folding panels at an angle. Plus, there is always shade on one side or the other of vehicle. Will give the sighting compass & app/website info a try.
Great video content! I loved it!
Your comment section was also informative to read!
Happy new year, Tom!
All I need is a can of whatever. U place the can on ur grid. Position the grid so the the can has no shawdow from the sun . That’s ur maximum position to achieve the most power. Thank you
*L-O-V-E* the blooper/out-takes!
Oh, yeah, and the content was good, too.
Thanks!!!
I use a water bottle as a sun dial. I can follow the sun . its low tech and cheap. Just use the shadow of the bottle to help you position the panels.
Thanks! I have learned so much from your videos and luv the humor too!
Though I know the mechanics of it I never new about the great app, so thanks for the share! Am still old school with the accurate sighting compass! Happy New Year!!!
I live in a house, but that app will be invaluable during power outages when I have to use my portable solar system. thank you....Happy New Year!
Ha! Just when I think I know it all... ephemeris! (Spell check didn't know it either, so now I feel better.) Happy New Year!
Thanks so much. While we're waiting for our solar panels to arrive for our new Bluetti, I'm going to use my solar oven to practice using this app, seeing how hot I can crank the temperature up.
I was a victim of identity theft last month, since then my credit rating has gone up-- awesome!
Some one stole my credit cards a while back, but I never called it in because the thief still spends less than my wife .
Is the app showing the degrees in "true north"? You need to know the "magnetic declination" for your location. Also be aware a large metallic object can affect your compass.
I couldn't find any information if the app uses magnetic or true north but since it syncs with the compass in the phone I'm assuming is magnetic.
Howdy. One more factor emerges when you have a solar homestead. How does your site work? Panels are so much cheaper than batteries. I use lead. Navajos get up with the sun, and so does my recharge. You sacrifice an awful lot of ultraviolet charge by aiming largely sunup and sundown. You also get an earlybird charge on your batteries and sun only power for fans and fridge right till sundown. Longer charge. Less charge. Less batteries. Run the vacuum at noon. That's how I like it.
Heck, in Michigan that looks pretty Good!
Excellent video Hobotech!!!!!
THANKS TOM ! TAKE CARE..
Perfect weather to compare mono/poly (Renogy?HQST) vs amorphous (Harbor Freight 100w kit) solar panel output. Amorphous produces under any cloud cover conditions.
Amorphous are more efficient in partial shading conditions but in heavy overcast no solar panel technology is going to provide much power.
Good video. I think back to when you made the early videos of buying your rv and leaving your apartment. Hope you are still loving the life on the road.
Just watching this and learned so much!!! Thank you!
Very enjoyable. Thank you
Bloopers are always cool! LOL 😎😁
this woud werk fer gardeners also ai,m thinkin,,,HAPPY NEW YEAR an a safe one,,,,,,,, thank ya fer the video
Thanks Tom! Hope to meet you @ the RTR!
Sun Position Map is an ephemeris and is similar and free. I use the Android version. Don't know about iOS. Good video.
Ephemeris! So that's what that thing is called.
Thanks for the info on the site and app. I need to learn more about lighting conditions if I am to be a better amateur photographer.
Wishing you and yours good health, safety, and a Happy New Year! 👍😊🇨🇦
See you next year.
I put wheels on my panels and a level for my cat. She eat 3x a day so if she wants some food she has to push the panels to the correct position so the food will drop into her plate.
I have that same incentive for my girlfriend.
@@bentnickel7487 My cat isn't dangerous and obey my command as requested.
Thanks, another use for my Photo Pills app.
Great information on tilting! Great timing on the video! I'm in gloomy Arizona too! Thanks for the info!
The 3D View of an app called Sun Seeker will let you lay your phone on the solar panel and point it where you want on the suns track line. You will need to flip the screen by pressing the 1X circle in the upper left corner and then the third option which flips the screen. There is a Moon Seeker app as well if you can get solar power from the moon. I laugh but question if that is actually possible.
Very informative Hobotech Professor Man. Happy 2020👍👌✌️
Very helpful. Thanks, Hobo!
Good stuff! Thank you! And happy new year to you and yours!🎉👍👌
Maybe do another video on how to aim them if you are around to change the angles about once an hour...it should be a much shorter video!
Feed them panels enuf ‘klinky’ and they will tilt and turn all by themselves !
Did you include the best way to determine angles/degrees?
How do you know what 12 degrees is?
BTW: Thanks I have Never been able to understand how a compass works till now!
I just eye ball it. If you split 90 degrees to get 45 you can split again to get 22.5 so those angles cover you most of the year.
You just use a simple angle finder. I have a small inexpensive plastic one that I got where they sell tools.
I love the name hobo tech 😁😁
Holy shit! I didn’t even know I needed to learn this. Very useful detailed info. Thanks! Loved the example of what we were learning to drive the concept home!
You don't know, what you don't know. You know? I rely on TH-cam to teach me. I'm going before the board in a week to be licensed for Brain Surgery !! :-) ;-) :-D
Ho ho hobo Tech ! See you next Christmas, and remember to be a good boy ! Don’t be a Hack !
Thanks Hobo that was great info
Remember.... moss grows on the north side of the tree
bears shit in the woods
and wet birds don't fly at night
and oh yeah, if your electric heater relies on a solar panel..consider investing in extra flannel
All very true....just one other pertinent thing....Wolverine is the Only naturally Frost Free Fur
Great tips Tom, Happy New Year.
Great video Tom, Thanks !!!
Happy New Year!
The only thing I can't work out is how to determine how many degrees my panels are angled now, how do I know how much 30 degrees is?
good morning my friend Professor Hobo.................................and my Earthly friends
it's like a retweet..............................sorta be safe
Great information
cool info, found a deal in Idaho for surplus un-used 210W Solyandra panels - round tubes instead of flat glass- well under a hundred without the high shipping to Idaho from San Tan. I couldn't find much info except they said this design is best for flat roof installs. I have a flat horse shed roof right next to my trailer. Is this a tech fail or would it work for a simple system to just power three 12 volt vent fans , some led lights and a bit of computer use from a AGM battery?
Should work.
Did you serve in the Army?
Thanks for all your valuable information
I have 200 w panels on top of my van connected to bluetti 1500w
I saw on a video that I need 30 amp solar fuse between the panels and the power station
Do you see that necessary
Thanks
SH
No.
HOBOTECH thanks solar professor
Just make a k motorized sun tracker
Tom: Great vid. I learned a lot.... What would be the effects if you would put reflective panels on your Solar panels? Would you gain more energy from the sun to the panels? Inquiring minds want to know!
Thanks Again Tom!
JR
No. That's not how solar panels work.
@13:55 windy day voiceover?
nvm.. sounds pretty noisy for the middle of nowhere.
Winter?
good info-
What happened to the white-clad Dr. Hobotech ?! :)
I have a class c that is solar prepped with the only connection on the roof. I don’t want to use roof panels. Would I lose a lot if I hooked the wires for my ground panels to a long set of cables running from the roof connection down to them?
If you use 10 AWG you should probably be fine.
Thanks
Mr. Wizard!
Now that was greatly informative! Question, are you using the app in magnetic mode and trusting them to do the ever evolving magnetic deviation or set to true north and doing the addition (west of the Mississippi) yourself?
I couldn't find any information if the app uses magnetic or true north but since it syncs with the compass in the phone I'm assuming is magnetic.
I'm a newbie boondocking in So Cal and it's been cloudy. I ran my generator and didn't see any change on my Zamp Solar Charge Controller. Had 12.3 V to start and 45 minutes later it had only gone to 12.4V and it was daytime, so I figure a little solar was coming in. I have 340 on the RV roof. Should that charge coming from the generator show up on the solar controller? Thank you for your instructional videos.
The controller will show battery voltage but 12.3-12.4 in 45 mins might be normal if your charger is slow or if you have lots of amp hours.
BREAKING NEWS!!! Hobotech will be doing a video on how he flat irons his beard without getting burned. Tonight at 11:😂👀
Please do it bro.
No sun; welcome to my world......... ;)
Is it possible to overcomplicate a simple procedure...
The real question is
Are there windy conditions??
Time to start testing some wind turbines
For durable, efficient and inexpensive small wind generators check out the John Daniels TH-cam Channel. The information is sound, although the videos are kind of erratic and may be hard to follow
Like #120. Thanks 4 sharing!
🙏✌❤ happy new year🎉🍾👨🍳🎅🥓🥩🌶🚌
as a general rule, I watch/let all your ads play. Here's the problem. Ads are playing like this every 45 seconds of video, there are 1:15 of ads. A LITTLE ridiculous....
I know. Timing and length of ads is set by Google. I have heard viewers getting 45 minute long ads on some videos!
@@HOBOTECH I figured as much. but if you can put a bug in someone's ear at YT.... Also I would to really like to come camping with you someday! (as soon as my wife lets me LOL)
Thanks but too much dependency on internet can paralyze us in an actual contingency situation. Nice if and only one has learned to track at best without internet.
Someone put my sticks on the campfire
and now my batteries are dead.
Captain DeStructo That's a really good excuse and funny. ;-)
Dude..... They must have updated the App...... and the price. That’ll cost you a $Ten spot, as of this morning....... Talk about inflation
That's only for Apple. They overcharge for everything.
👍🏻🇺🇸
Have you seen the DCC50S yet? GAME. CHANGER. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W84SS41/
I been considering one of their 40 amp DC to DC so I can fully charge the lithiums while I drive. The 50A w/controller isn't that great because it can only handle 25v of solar. Useless for most setups.
I really want to subscribe because you do some decent product reviews but this whole over the top dorky nerd routine is too much chief.
Too much information for nothing I like your videos but seems like your running out of things to talk about 🤣😂😂
I could do more Jackery videos if you like?
@@HOBOTECH 😂
@@HOBOTECH Tom I like all of your videos. You and Heidi are pretty awesome people!! Your solar generator videos are awesome. I generally point my solar panels towards the sun or where i think the sun will be mid day. The replies that you have gotten from a lot of people shows me that there plenty of people that need help with this. My mistake!
This was the most helpful video to date. Thanks.