zio
Senior Member
Posts: 1667
Loc: Wellington, Ohio- the pla...
Reg: 05-25-03
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 09-15-05 10:17 PM - Post#65747
Alright, I doubt I can get help on this one but I just got an industrial sized solar panel (2x3ft) It puts out 17amps and 100 volts on a cloudy day. I do not have a real use for this but to charge my batterys. My charger of course uses 14 volts with a 7 amp fuse, its my old hobbyco mk2.
Now of course theres a large variation of voltages there, but I think it would be cool as hell charging my batterys with a solar panel. Heck thats flying for free! 
Is there any way I could drop the voltage down by 86 volts and 15 amps? I could cover the solar panel but If the sun comes and goes, the voltage would change which would be bad for a charge.
Thanks once again guys. 
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reddragon
Full Time Senior Member
Posts: 3870
Loc: Brooklyn, NY
Reg: 01-22-03
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09-15-05 10:43 PM - Post#65752
In response to zio
I wish I was an electrician. 
I have to see the answer to this one. Z. you have too much time on your hands!
-Wayne
Fly it like you stole it! |
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Anonymous
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09-15-05 11:39 PM - Post#65759
In response to reddragon
Such is true, but I'd rather see him spending all that free time on experimenting with helicopters, instead of doing less fruitful things like running with gangs, doing drugs, or mixing nitro fuel in his drinks and trying to argue about CCPM. 
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zio
Senior Member
Posts: 1667
Loc: Wellington, Ohio- the pla...
Reg: 05-25-03
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09-15-05 11:43 PM - Post#65760
In response to Buddykitchen
Quote:
Such is true, but I'd rather see him spending all that free time on experimenting with helicopters, instead of doing less fruitful things like running with gangs, doing drugs, or mixing nitro fuel in his drinks and trying to argue about CCPM.
Trying? 
Are you saying they are talking about me? 
It might be a while till I can find something to drop the voltage down to a useable level. I might end up useing it to charge my big battery and having a few of them and just storeing the energy.
Bk, At least im not investing in credit cards.
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Anonymous
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09-15-05 11:49 PM - Post#65763
In response to zio
I was joking about Jim, Z. You're doing fine... keep experimenting and forget all the other nonsense.
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DMTekScottC
New Member
Posts: 31
Loc: Eastpointe, MI
Reg: 04-22-04
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09-16-05 02:49 AM - Post#65775
In response to Buddykitchen
Ok Z, here goes nothing.... you cannot use the panel to charge your batts directly, what you need to do is run an inverter off the panel to convert the DC voltage from the panel to AC voltage to then power your normal battery charger. Ideally you would have your solar panel connected to a battery bank which is then hooked up to an inverter to run your charger. ( what we are trying to do is have the panel charging a battery bank, the battery bank running the inverter, the inverter powering your RC battery charger, which finally would charge your RC Batts. ) While this is not the most efficient method, I think it should work.
Scott 
| If I join the New World Order, Can I fly one of those cool Black Helicopters? |
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zio
Senior Member
Posts: 1667
Loc: Wellington, Ohio- the pla...
Reg: 05-25-03
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09-16-05 03:11 AM - Post#65777
In response to DMTekScottC
Oddly, I understood that exactly.
Solar panel to inverter to make lower power AC current then use my normal wal wart charger to charge a battery to power my charger to charge my battery right?
I was thinking the same thing.
But I have no idea where to get a inverter this size. I was thinking about hooking it up to the houses power box and then have its own circuit.
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johnws
Member
Posts: 26
Loc: Kirkland,Wash
Reg: 12-15-04
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09-16-05 03:36 AM - Post#65781
In response to zio
something else to look at is the solar panel that comes with a volkswagan you plug it in your lighter socket and it keeps your battery charged I checked it one sunney day and found it putting out 28 volts but it won't over charge the 12 volt battery
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Anonymous
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09-16-05 11:24 AM - Post#65786
In response to zio
Quote:
But I have no idea where to get a inverter this size.
I've seen them at Wal-Mart several times. If not there, any truck stop worth it's weight will have them (they're a trucker's staple).
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zio
Senior Member
Posts: 1667
Loc: Wellington, Ohio- the pla...
Reg: 05-25-03
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09-16-05 07:06 PM - Post#65801
In response to Buddykitchen
Of course wal mart would have it.
I think I might invest in this a bit further.
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reddragon
Full Time Senior Member
Posts: 3870
Loc: Brooklyn, NY
Reg: 01-22-03
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09-17-05 05:07 PM - Post#65814
In response to zio
Quote:
I was thinking about hooking it up to the houses power box and then have its own circuit.
Now I do have good friends who are electricians and that is not the way to go. Stay away from the power box in your house. You will cause another blackout like you did in the Summer of 2003! Remember that?
I walked home for ten miles the next morning. 
-Wayne
Fly it like you stole it! |
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zio
Senior Member
Posts: 1667
Loc: Wellington, Ohio- the pla...
Reg: 05-25-03
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09-17-05 08:02 PM - Post#65822
In response to reddragon
Remember it? I was there when it happened. Fun stuff but I dont know much about the power box except metal and electric shouldnt go together but the power box is made of metal.
Think it would be worth while investing in electic helis ?
Although a few months ago I explained how I disliked them, now I cant help the convinence. 
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Anonymous
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09-17-05 08:06 PM - Post#65823
In response to zio
I'm all for innovation, but it seems like you're kind of reinventing the wheel here. By the time you spend the money to get the hardware to drop the 100 volts down to 12 volts (that the inverter can use), and then convert it to 110V AC so that you can convert it back to DC output for your battery, you would have spent enough money to pay the electric bill for hundreds of recharge cycles!
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DMTekScottC
New Member
Posts: 31
Loc: Eastpointe, MI
Reg: 04-22-04
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09-18-05 11:31 PM - Post#65844
In response to Buddykitchen
Hey Buddy, since when does logic and reason enter into this wonderful hobby of ours? Here we are talking about FREE power for our batteries and you interject reality into the conversation...JK anyway it would be an expensive way to charge batts, the better way is one of the plug in solar panels that are designed to keep your car battery charged and hook that to a regular car battery, then tie that into an inverter to power your wal wart charger. I haven't tried this but I believe it would work.
Scott
P.S. I think there are at least 1 or 2 different alternator setups I have read about here or on Run Ryder, that would also work to keep our batts topped up?????
try this link http://www.runryder.com/helicopter/t190393p1/?highlight=alternator
| If I join the New World Order, Can I fly one of those cool Black Helicopters? |
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zio
Senior Member
Posts: 1667
Loc: Wellington, Ohio- the pla...
Reg: 05-25-03
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09-18-05 11:51 PM - Post#65846
In response to DMTekScottC
Well the solar panel it self costed $3000. We got it for free though.
A $3000 panel with a $1-200 inverter vs the price of nitro and electric bills. I am seriously considering going to strictly electrics. Im just sick of tuning and wondering if it will start although OS engines always starts. I just can no longer help the convinence vs the power loss.
Any one ever convert a pMAX 90 to an electric? I might even buy a cheapo rappy and modify it with this glow-electric conversion I found.
Next thing you know, Ill be splitting nitro atoms.
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chase
Senior Member
Posts: 1643
Loc: Oklahoma city
Reg: 03-20-05
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09-21-05 10:22 PM - Post#65890
In response to zio
I use to work for a trucking company and we tried useing solar panels to to keep the batteries charged. It worked pretty good but the power inverters that the drivers was using was too much. I kept one of these small (2inch by 4inch) panels. I use it directly to charge my stater battery and even the 9v battery for my rc truck starter. I will look and see if there is a part number on it. I'm wanting to say we payedd around a hundred dollars for these little jewels.
But I have never had any problems out of doing this. I do not use it to charge my tx and rx battery.
Justin
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zio
Senior Member
Posts: 1667
Loc: Wellington, Ohio- the pla...
Reg: 05-25-03
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09-21-05 11:13 PM - Post#65891
In response to chase
Well my panel is about... 2x4 feet. I finaly got to thinkin and said hey what if I put newspaper over the unneeded area of the panel and reduce the voltage like that? Just like how a cloud would reduce the power being made, I'd justforce it. And if a cloud does come, further reducing the panels capacity, that would be a problem.
I am tempted to solve this by building a robot out of legos. Now before you laugh, think about this first. I could use a programable light sensor to check how much sun light there is and as the ambient light drops, I will have a modifyed motor hooked up to a rotation sensor pull a small section of news paper back at a time. This DOES pose a few problems since it is not able to watch the voltage.
Fun stuff ..fun stuff.
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Tree_Top_Chop
Senior Member
Posts: 438
Loc: California
Reg: 08-14-02
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01-13-06 10:54 PM - Post#69536
In response to zio
are you sure you read that right? 100V's and 17A'?
on a cloudy day? a single 2X4 panel putting out 1700 watts of power?
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Topcat
Senior Member
Posts: 905
Loc: NW Indiana
Reg: 12-10-02
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01-13-06 11:05 PM - Post#69537
In response to Tree_Top_Chop
a 2x4 solar at 100 volts and 17 amps? DUDE I WANT TO BUY IT! I will give you 1000 dollars for it. I don't have a thousand dollars and there is no way a 2x4 foot solar panel will put out 100 volts at 17 amps. I work in the RV business and a 2x4 solar panel may put out out 15 volts at 25 amps and they cost over 1000 dollars. Please I am sorry but this must need proven. I would buy a half dozen of these and power my house for free
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Anonymous
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01-14-06 03:59 AM - Post#69552
In response to zio
Hey Z, are you sure you don't mean 100 watts at 17 amps? I've been looking at several industrial solar supply sources, and I can find 100 watt panels at 17 amps, but not 100 volts.
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