DIY Portable Solar Generator #2

[@FloryJohann]

12 volt ......18 AH (amp hour) battery. Very nice detailed video. Nice build. I still would put a fuse inside.

[@701overland]

Sweet set-up! I have a few extra of those cases that I bought from wally world on clearance!

[@ncprepper100]

I am glad that you found some good stuff from my video. Let me know if you build one yourself.

[@cvega48]

This is great! We have lots of sun down here in Nicaragua. I will definitely try this. Thanks for the inspiration pal! Great work!

[@ncprepper100]

Thank you!!

[@tman50551]

NC, i love your solar generator case and I'd like to ask you to do a video which shows your wiring connections step by step more clearly so i can wire mine like yours. Solar Burrito may have started it but yours is neat and nice.

[@ncprepper100]

That is a great idea. I will try to get that video up very soon!

[@LIVINGRETIRED310]

I just ran across your channel. What about a power inverter inside to run small AC items

[@GoatZilla]

Not bad; a couple of good ideas in here.

[@belkenator]

Very cool! Put a little little rubber ended nub on the lid so that it clicks off the voltmeter when the lid is shut. (or a similar concept).

[@alanread6596]

Excellent video very informative and gives me some ideas to build one for myself Alan in the UK

[@ncprepper100]

Glad it helped

[@TheRealKirkHammett]

I got my inspiration from solar burrito as well, is there anyway I can get your wiring diagram? I have all my parts, but i am trying to come up with how i want to wire it.

[@calimesacox]

Looks good I think you have a usable item. I would make a few suggestions like the main bolts going out with power, I would do a slow burn 25amp fuse or circuit breaker, another this is to secure the leads to the bolt the though the plastic side you will cause heat from the poor contact and melt and burn the plastic.

[@ncprepper100]

That is a great idea. I will definitely look into adding a circuit breaker. Thanks for the tip!!

[@h.michaelmcgurn8891]

i'm a little confused as to how you wired the switches. Great job, thank you, I learned quite a lot.

[@ncprepper100]

H.Michael McGurn I just posted a new video showing the wiring of this generator in more detail. Hopefully this will help you out!! Thanks for watching.

[@charlesadamski_197]

hmm, inspiring. I'm planning on retiring in the Philippines so the sun is perfect but they do have those tropical storms that shut down the grid for up to a week and everyday is stormy and cloudy. . A system like this that has the option of charging from a vehicle then taking it inside to charge cellphones and run some small lights I think would be ideal.

[@johnmckinney1493]

Working on mine, thanks for the info. Im using 2 20amp gel cells.

[@BobWa43]

You should fuse the main lead from the battery. It is almost certain that at some point someone will short the main terminals which could lead to a burn, melted wires or fire. Easy to put an inline 30 amp fuse on the positive feed..

[@makesaveinccomm]

Hi, Thanks for the idea. You just remind me that I have the case like that. The case that hold the Type Writer. I saw that you make it looks very nice and organize. But if you can organize rearange it again, you can put in 3 batteries in there I think. Thanks Thumb up.

[@sized4spills]

You just earned a subscriber keep up the awesome work! I'll definitely put this on my list of things to do.

[@ncprepper100]

Thank you! I really appreciate it!!

[@Dduerto]

Thats really cool dude! Good job!

[@tman50551]

Thanks NC. I'm excited

[@SkillzFilmz-zd8rm]

Awesome brother

[@rosskilpatrick934]

Hello from Australia love the video. Do you have the battery vented? Is it ok to have the battery on its side?

[@ncprepper100]

Thanks for your comment! Yes, it safe. That is the great thing about Sealed Lead Acid batteries. That can be mounted at almost any angle.

[@rosskilpatrick934]

@@ncprepper100 Ok great thank you

[@jerrybates5791]

I haven't been able to find the SAE receptacle that you have on you box. Can you send where we can buy them. Thank for the great project and information.

[@ncprepper100]

Jerry Bates In the past I have gotten them from different place. Here is a link to one that is for sell now, ebay.to/1JgTWdH. Thanks for watching and commenting!!

[@ianhayden2839]

Hey, I really liked the video. I just made a portable solar generator as my most recent project that I built. Very handy and useful. Thanks for sharing you build. Keep up the great work

[@gussi123]

Great work. What crimper did you use for the non-insulated terminals.?

[@ncprepper100]

Thank you!! I used a tool that I got from Harbor Freight to do the wire cutting and crimping. www.harborfreight.com/9-1-2-half-inch-wire-crimping-tool-36411.html

[@bernied9415]

What size of solar panel? Is it 40w or 80w?......or? You did a great job. I have built 2 portable power supplies much like this, all out of scrounged parts and pieces. The first one I built in a ammo case from Walmart...and it is just right for a small 12v battery. You can also mount a small 300 or 400w inverter to it, that will give you 120v/ac too. Thank you for your time.

[@Cabmaker]

How many watt solar panel is that? Looks like you did a nice job on the build

[@ncprepper100]

cabmaker That is a 20 watt Solar Panel. The charge controller is rated for 10 amps so you could definitely use a much bigger panel and charge the batter in a lot shorter time. Thanks for watching!!

[@jd1295]

What are the specs of the fuse your using, and I like how you placed the connection to the panel on the side with a rubber top when not in use where did you get it?

[@ncprepper100]

Jesus De La Cruz I have a 10 amp fuse, which is pretty common for cigarette lighter type outlets. I bought that lighter outlet at Radio Shack. I am not sure if they still sell that type or not anymore. They don't have them on their website at least. I am really glad that you liked my video. Thanks for the comment!!

[@chichinwofor4325]

Good job. When do you plan to max produce. I want one.

[@ncprepper100]

Chichi Nwofor I am really glad that you liked my project! This was really just a video to give inspiration to build one yourself. I would not be able to build them very cost effectively when you could buy the Goal Zero Yeti 150 for around the same price, astore.amazon.com/ncpr06-20/detail/B00CWBABRM. Thanks again for watching my video!

[@ROCKY7896]

great vid bud

[@nordicbritprepper]

Really nice project dude. You could try using a smaller battery and use two of them to create from 12 to 24v if you needed a higher voltage all though what you got is pretty sweet. I was thinking of something like a pack of smoking to go with my goal zero and battery or something similar. All the best, Robert

[@ncprepper100]

I have another case and battery exactly like this one and had thought about making another one just like it. Then, I could connect them together to get more amperage if the need ever came up. Thanks for checking out my video!

[@tman50551]

i have a question for you NC. what size mini fuse are you using on the fuse to your battery?

[@ncprepper100]

I believe that I have a 10 amp fuse for the battery. I am being to show the video on how to wire this generator and hope to have it up soon.

[@SoundMediaVibes]

Good job!

[@believeliveloveandlaugh3844]

What number is the cable? Is it the same awg for the whole project? I am starting out a project. Thanks. Ana - Puerto Rico

[@ncprepper100]

I used two different sized wires in this project. Most of the wire in the generator is 16awg and the wire that is hooked to the terminals with the screw on caps is 10awg wire. Mainly, because it handle a lot more amperage. Good Luck with your project and I would love to see what you end up making!! If you have any questions, please let me know and I would be happy to help!

[@handicamper101]

where did you get the solar panel? im looking for a 20-30watt for my project. Great vids as always. really want a goal zero boulder 30, but the are really expensive ..

[@ncprepper100]

handi camper I am really glad that you liked the video. I got the panel from Amazon, here is a link to the panel www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CMH6V6Q/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1. The Goal Zero IS really expensive, although you they do have nice looking products!! Let me know what you end up doing.

[@jimthvac100]

People need to put a switch between the charge controller and the battery when your not going to hook up a solar panel to it for a few days. Because that charge controller circuitry puts a load on the battery just being hooked up to it. And it will run a small battery flat after a while.

[@MikeAndNary]

I also built my own. Thanks for the inspiration. Did a video of my build on my channel if you would like to see it.

[@jacksmith3951]

what kinda battery lead acid battery ?i have 1100 watts inverter in box 12 volt deep cycle battery 75 amp 900 watts i have lead light on it i have two 110 AC out on ti i have dimmer light switch on it and i have fused bwteen my positive of my battery and positive of my inverter to turn it off nice video

[@johndavidcopeland1617]

do you think it would power a cpap machine all night for camping?

[@ncprepper100]

That is definitely something that you would want to test at home, if you are really dependent on your machine. It would all depend on the amount of current that your machine requires, so it would be hard to tell without more info.

[@thatgadgetguy3051]

Hello there, I am making the same set up. Does yours have a power inverter. I am making mine to run muychilds asthma machine in the event of a power outage.

[@ncprepper100]

This particular unit does not have a built in power inverter. That is the reason for the side posts. I can then directly connect the inverter to the posts and use any type or wattage inverter I would like or need. I think that is a great usage for this type of generator. You could even leave under their bed or in the closet to get quick access and get their machine up an running quickly. Good luck on your unit!!

[@thatgadgetguy3051]

ok. I'm playing with several ideas. I have two inverters, one with the back pole connecters and one with a lighter socket plug. I mage just make two generators since I have a 15 watt fixed panel and a 14 watt folding with two USB's.

[@ncprepper100]

Thatgadgetguy30 Sounds like a good idea, just be mindful and what amperage batteries you choose for your generators. Also, you may already be aware of this, but the 14 watt folding panel with the two USB ports is only going to give you 5 volts from either port, so that one may not be a good choice for this application. Just my two cents...

[@thatgadgetguy3051]

I appreciate it, it was just a thought. Im new to solar and wiring in general, I feel so lost, I have some parts and the rest coming in the mail. the battery is a 20AH AGM sealed, it was gifted to me brand new. My main concern is the length of time the asthma machine will run. it pulls 1.7amps, or at least thats what it reads on the bottom label.

[@ncprepper100]

Thatgadgetguy30 Another problem that I see now that I know the battery that you are talking about. You are going to need a bigger panel. It takes approximately 10% to charge the battery back up. So, with a 20AH battery, you will need 2 amps or more to charge the battery back up during the day to use it again the next night. You will need to all the amperage that you can get because 1.7 amps will almost kill that battery overnight. Let me know what you end up doing. Good Luck!!

[@ricksilk485]

I thought it was cool ..... if you offered a wiring diagram I'm sure people would be interested . Correctly wiring the thing is the tricky bit. Thanks for the video , I'm sure it will inspire many people to make similar thing even.

[@ncprepper100]

I will try to work on that!

[@fadiskaf1736]

Great job buddy. Wish you were my neighbor. I would ask you to help me make one.

[@lakhorkholakhor]

very nice

[@cynthiajean3774]

Love to buy this!!!!

[@mattdg1981]

If you're interested, let me know. I can size small systems for whatever your needs are. Anything from 150 watt to 750 watt. Anything larger than that the prices start getting much larger.

[@RPMIDAHO]

verry cool i will have to try this i also subd thanks

[@ncprepper100]

Thank you very much!! I really appreciate it!!

[@MrMinecrafter49]

How much did it cost you to make it?

[@ncprepper100]

I had almost all of the stuff on hand when I built it and most of it I had gotten on sale at some point. I will put together a list at Amazon and post a link and that will give you an idea of what it would cost for you to build one as well.

[@ncprepper100]

NC Prepper I have added several of the big items for this build to my Amazon Store. this should give you a good idea on how much it will cost to build a unit like this.astore.amazon.com/ncpr06-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=3

[@fingerpicker1234]

what size fuse do you use? thanx in advance

[@ncprepper100]

I have a 10 amp fuse in there right now.

[@supergokue1]

Great job on the generator.

[@ncprepper100]

Thank you. I really appreciate it!!

[@jimhayes7497]

What are the practical capabilities of this? How long does the charge last, powering which types of devices? From 0 how long does it take to recharge?

[@ncprepper100]

+jim hayes I have used this from charging multiple devices to running a fan in my tent all night long during the summer months.

[@MrMinecrafter49]

you should make and sell those

[@ncprepper100]

I am such a perfectionist that I am not sure that I would ever be happy with something that I would build to sell to people. But, thank you very much for the comment!!

[@srtcodesnake496]

no fuses no breaker ????

[@tman50551]

You watch and see NC, when you make this video God is going to increase your likes and subscribers 100 fold. You have very good knowledge and what I'm feeling in my spirit about you is that you're just a good brother. Tman5055

[@ncprepper100]

Thank you for your kind words!

[@ncprepper100]

tman50551 Sorry for the delay in getting the Solar Generator wiring video posted. I hope that you like it and find it useful. Thanks again!!

[@campbejouc]

I like it

[@ncprepper100]

James Campbell I am really glad that you found some useful information. Thanks for watching the video and commenting!

[@1shahky]

Sub you bro,nice efforts, I gana make it thanks

[@Dduerto]

Shoulda have just used lithium ion batteries or ordered the cells to make your own.

[@arielmarin6968]

U don't have a inverter .soo what's the point

[@ncprepper100]

ariel marin I have several inverters, they are just not built into the generator. I connect whatever one will do the job. Thanks for watching my video and commenting!

[@neobreaker91]

Nice case! by the looks of it you could fit a second 18ah battery in the case.

[@ncprepper100]

+Neobreaker The is extra space in the case, but there is not enough space for two of them.

[@neobreaker91]

+NC Prepper You could always get 2 15ah batteries to fit they would be smaller and give you 30ah total