Solar Battery Charger (LiPo/Li-Ion) || DIY or Buy

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In this episode of DIY or Buy I will have a look at a commercial solar battery charger. That means I will conduct a few tests with it and afterwards create my own DIY version that improves the functionality of such a solar battery charger. And after finishing testing the DIY boad, I will conclude whether DIY or Buy is the winner. Let's get started!
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Music:
2011 Lookalike by Bartlebeats
Killing Time, Kevin MacLeod
(incompetech.com)

[@SurvivalLilly]

I have waited for this video for years. Thanks for finally making it

[@greatscottlab]

No problem :-) You're welcome

[@pauljackson2126]

I was troubleshooting the problem of my solar project at my university and you did help me with this video, right at the moment I was about to quit...Thankyou ​GreatScott!

[@greatscottlab]

No problem :-)

[@UselessDuckCompany]

Let's face it, you are almost at a million subscribers!

[@immortallusofficial9465]

udc power bank personal heater

[@sinus4784]

Hellooooo

[@anycatdessai]

Deserving

[@zelrex4657]

I think I subbed at 200k or something

[@rolandberendonck3900]

Let's face it, Scott is the best :)

[@dennisyoung4631]

Another way of soldering Surface mount parts: 1)tin the pads with a minimum amount of solder. You want little more than a thin even film. 2) apply a past or gel type flux. 3) maneuver the part into position. Tweezers work well. 4) hold the part down with a bamboo skewer, then touch the soldering iron tip to each pad in turn. 5) when finished, clean with alcohol, e.g. 99% isopropyl or denatured alcohol. I recall doing this with sot-23 transistors, surface mount leds, 1206 resistors, and perhaps a few others. It gave neat results.

[@R2053]

last time i just hooked up my 5.5v solar panel with a diode to my tp4056 board, to charge and power my weatherstation at the same time, worked very well :P

[@vaguedirector_7342]

I did the same, I got a 1.5W 12v (Voc) solar panel and cut the traces on the back to convert it to 6v. Then I got a protected tp-4056 module for charging and a ht7-333 linear regulator for 3.3v output to an esp8266. imgur.com/a/CYQwCev

[@SirJohnBorlaseWarren]

@@vaguedirector_7342 Thanks for sharing, I've just started playing with esp8266's and have been looking for easy solar options for projects, can you share a little bit more detail of the circuit with me, please? Pete

[@Ziplock9000]

@@vaguedirector_7342 Linear regular with a solar panel project /sigh

[@vaioskaliakoudas6388]

Well, for an high-skilled electronics guy like you, for some of them, the DIY solution is the best choice, because as you did it, you can make your own pcb circuit and customize it during the mock up, but a common buyer/maker, will choose a commercial one, without caring about its lacks because he may not have all the skills he needs to fully understand the product's spec sheet, and find out if it's the perfect one for him

[@m4gmu5hell]

Maybe it would have been better, if you used SMD pots for the R9 to adjust the MPPT voltage for use of other solar pannels. But all in all a pretty nice circuit!

[@greatscottlab]

I like the idea. Thanks for the feedback.

[@m4gmu5hell]

@@urugulu1656 Whats wrong with a pot? If you use a 10k one, range souldn't be a problem. And it looks way more elegant than having a resistor flapping around in the breeze ^^.

[@necronomicon1472]

@@m4gmu5hell Bro, have you ever used SMD pots? You turn them literally 3 times and they're broken! (Or at least the ones I've seen before)

[@m4gmu5hell]

@@necronomicon1472 I rarely use SMD Pots indeed, but I had no problems at all with the ones I utilised before. Maybe you have heated them up to hot and they have become bad that way. I use ones from BI Technologies. They are quiet decent.

[@necronomicon1472]

@@m4gmu5hell I guess there are good SMD pots as well, but the extremly small ones kinda suck. It might be because the ones I used were cheap (on a chinese stepper motor driver) or because they are only good to be set once.

[@TheBigBadButler]

Actually, I just soldered 4 5V Z-Diodes on 2 Solar Cells, and was able to load a power bank with that. The Z-Diodes kept the Voltage under 5.25V, and the power bank just took whatever it could, which resulted in changing current (50 mA to 1 Amp), but actually, that wasn't a problem. (The solar cells were rated max. 7 Volts, with an optimal voltage of 5 Volts)

[@TheFinalRevelation1]

Make a followup with a high-efficiency DC DC converter before the charger

[@Doeff8]

Yup, I'd like to add a variabel DC output next to the 5V one.

[@kilakila5431]

This is what I was looking for ....just loved it ...

[@americanengineering2063]

you were looking for 35% effeciency? at a cost of 10$ per board and 2 hours of labor? there are simpler. better. circuits suited for this type of project.

[@kilakila5431]

@@americanengineering2063 u r correct, its costly ...but i was attracted for MPPT and over discharge protection functionality .Any way its outdoor efficiency was 62%..

[@epicgames44]

Could this power a raspberry pi zero w?

[@kilakila5431]

@@epicgames44 I can't say because i dont know much about pi zero w...we need to check its data sheet and verify if it is suitable to use with pi zero w

[@americanengineering2063]

Yes it will run a pi zero w. if im not mistaken the pi zero w runs on 5v. but if you plan to use a solar panel, get a decent size. the tiny ones he showed at the beginning are only 1w and aren't strong enough to even charge a AAA battery. why did he even show those tiny things. his board does not work with small panels as such. so make sure u get atleast a 10w panel

[@AmnesiaPhotography]

Would love to see a higher power version of this. I really like The idea of having a charge controller, mppt, and inverter as one unit. Saving space, and extra cabling.

[@nobody2254]

That moment when I start a random video; and hear this voice and accent then yell: it’s GreatScott! And think : This guy is great; and video definitely is worth watching. Mit freundlichen Grüßen Von Portugal

[@micky6045]

I know right

[@brandonbrand2338]

Agreed, the DIY version is definitely a winner, especially considering the added features. Nice video Scott. Always great!

[@keshavawasthi268]

Everytime great scott comes with a great idea his ideas and projects are pretty useful and his build up projects are also good

[@greatscottlab]

Thank you :-)

[@lkahfi]

This kind of episode I've been waiting for... good job!

[@noudlindeman1931]

Almost one million!!!🎉🍰 Your channel is growing so fast! I’ve been here for 4,5 years now and you content is still the same good quality!

[@vadnegru]

Almost 2 now

[@fbach2100]

Awesome job ! For soldering, I prefer to pre-tin the pads slightly with the iron and then add a bit of flux and sit the small components in place using twizers and hot air. I find it to be much faster.

[@peterraeth4963]

Excellent Video!! Convinced me I really do need a commercial solution and informed me as to necessary features. Thank you for your clarity.

[@nosafetyswitch9378]

Nice project. I also spent a couple weeks building my own MPPT charge controller using this chip and it works pretty well. I get 80% efficiency at around 10W input power and a bit less, 75% ish at higher power like 15W+. I am using a 20W panel. If you have lower then expected efficiency, it is important to note that the input capacitor ESR and the inductor DCR are very important as I discovered (!) so keep these as low as possible!

[@samsoo2785]

Can u please mention Al components and circuit diagram asap?

[@nosafetyswitch9378]

@Sam Soo I have a feeling that if I do, I will see my design for sale on Aliexpress in a couple of weeks😂 Let me know if we can discuss this via email.

[@zaneenaz4962]

@@nosafetyswitch9378 ...so you have my curiosity. your channel doesn't seem to have any content so i'm puzzled by your offer to share designs. my personal feeling is that these types of units should be designed to accumulate charges and then pulse charge, or better discharge into the battery in cascading manner. The 60%+ efficiency of this video shows there is room for more creativity. cheers

[@nosafetyswitch9378]

@Zane Enaz hi, I haven't uploaded any videos yet unfortunately, who knows maybe one day. I just thought I d share my thoughts. I now want to charge my 10cell ebuke battery and i am actually considering whether it is worth adding those modules in series or start a new design with a chip that can charge 10 cells but those are not very easy to come by...

[@zaneenaz4962]

@@nosafetyswitch9378 ..could you share your design with me ?

[@teoval1827]

One note though, the Maximum Power Point of a panel is not constant but changes according to the light it gets. The 18 volts is the standard MPP voltage at standard full brightness conditions. The 'T' in MPPT is the tracker which finds the best voltage according to lighting conditions for the specific panel.

[@beyondwhatisknown]

Exactly.

[@procrastinator1842]

Yep. A true mppt will be wY more efficient too.

[@Brutaltronics]

i love it when DIY wins

[@stanleykubrick8786]

What I think is that I'm amazed that you can order this kind of circuit, typically for outdoor gardening applications from any big box store and there you have it, battery, solar panel and circuit, complete. You make a great instructable video but for some applications striping apart a ready-made commercial sollution might just do the job.

[@NIKFLICK707]

Bro what about that DIY oscilloscope that you told that " might be your future project"

[@Cheese_1337]

Didn't he make video already about it?

[@pjsivley]

I think it was one made from an old tv, more for proof of concept.

[@NIKFLICK707]

No that review of Chinese jyetech 20$ oscilloscope video he told that he can make one so I thought he will

[@greatscottlab]

No DIY oscilloscope in the making. Sorry.

[@NIKFLICK707]

@@greatscottlab No problem bro, thankful I ordered my USB oscilloscope and that will be coming in this week, what do you think about that bro will it worth, and USB oscilloscope coz I'm just a school boy and can't afford a 200+$ oscilloscope

[@xavierdemers-bouchard2747]

Such a perfectionist..... Goes to test a solar panel outside. Gets frustrated by inconsistent solar radiation hahaha I'm with you sir.

[@szoszaty]

Nice project! Maybe you can add an update at summer, how it performs on good lighting.

[@ilenastarbreeze4978]

Honestly this is the first time i have seen that board creation and it looked really cool

[@MCsCreations]

Fantastic work, dude! I had no idea such board existed! 😃

[@WarrenGarabrandt]

That DIY option turned out much better than it usually does. I'm happy to see that.

[@georggross1232]

Yuuuuuuuuuuush! DIY wins! And money and time for materials and soldering is not much of an issue for me, because I'm patient. VERY patient :P

[@RomanoPRODUCTION]

GreatScott, the builder of Winter Home Sun

[@ClokworkGremlin]

I was thinking about doing something like this last night. PWM solar charge controllers run $10-20 on Amazon for the cheap Chinese runs, and MPPT controllers run in the $100+ range, and honestly neither tracks a lot of the data I'd like to be able to see. A $30 MPPT solar charge controller with I/O charge tracking would kill it on Amazon.

[@gboyspeed]

Oh the quality of shooting paper and writing is top notch

[@akai454]

Great job Great Scott :) . Yes , I've been frustrated by the lack of a perfect solar to Lithium charger/ 5V boost circuit for a long time too . So I used a small buck converter to step down the solar panel voltage to 5.2V to power our favorite 1S Lithum charger board . It doesn't use MPPT and I'm sure it's efficiency is Horrible . Great Circuit , Thanks for doing the thing that We've all been wanting in a solar 1S lithum power circuit :)

[@greatscottlab]

Glad you like it :-)

[@epicgames44]

Absolutely amazing timing, been trying to figure out how to do this for weeks with no luck.

[@parameshpavin2708]

That's nice diy circuit but little bit lag in efficiency overall its good

[@cristianpopescu78]

Who needs University ? ! Best teaching here!

[@greatscottlab]

Thanks ;-)

[@vgamesx1]

For the buy option, not sure why you looked for a special board to do it when a TP4056 provides similar results and on the slightly more expensive boards it actually has battery protection for as little as 30 cents, I'd say that's the better route to go unless you need more power/bigger battery.

[@vgamesx1]

@@embededfabrication4482 It's similar to a liner regulator, it feeds the battery as much as it can provide and as the voltage increases past 4.2v it'll burn that excess power as heat, so yes about the same as plugging in usb, the only downside is it has an absolute maximum of 8V input so that somewhat limits your panel options especially if you want to be able to charge in lower amounts of light.

[@vgamesx1]

@@embededfabrication4482 Yes but very unnecessary, it depends on your module of course but as far as I'm aware it'll work perfectly fine all the way down to 2.7v (so completely drained) with 3.3v being typical.

[@sobertillnoon]

I love how the best solution for putting the larger panel next to the light was boxes you had to black out stuff on.

[@Lambrosz]

Nice video ! It would be beter to use an smd trimmer for mppt . I have done something similar but i used much cheaper method . Using a board with MP1584EN and a li-ion charging module based on TP4056 ic with battery protection and then a boost converter 3.7 to 5v connected to a switch for open close, my sollar battery bank still works like a charm for 4 years now with the same batteries . The only problem with this method is that you have to find solar panels 9v not 6v .The maximum panel voltage is 28v . My battery bank was fitted on my backpack and it was charging constantly every day , now im about to upgrade it .

[@andynguyen1505]

The diy solution is very impressive. Im currentlu working on the exact dame circuit for my research project and i was trying to change the resister devider to retro fit an 18v input. But like you said it had no protection on the battery side. Im going to be using this video for my research thank you

[@Towsti1]

Can you do a video comparing different energy harvesting methods (e.g. RF, solar, piezo or thermal)?

[@greatscottlab]

I can put it on my to do list

[@serhii710]

@@greatscottlab and hook up some cool MCU like nRF52 to create a real autonomous sensor node. It would be perfect. And for everybody looking into EH topic - take a look into DOI 10.1109/mssc.2010.936667. It's the best science article on EH I found so far. Alongside with DOI 10.1109/SURV.2011.060710.00094

[@Jadinandrews]

@@greatscottlab also,mini inline generators to power smart water meters

[@jhh-jiynks6568]

OMG thank you for being so expressI've and thourough in this presentation of your efforts. I'm excited to watch more of your videos. Best wishes !!!

[@anandhakrishnant6788]

Great video scott!

[@kellylowrance3144]

I have been looking for a video about small solar powered projects. This is exactly what I needed! I subscribed as soon as i saw your Channel name. Great Scott! I say that all the time! 😁

[@mobzi2644]

JLCPCB.... only 2 dollar... + 20 dollars delivery to Europe.. why you never mention it?..

[@Twometer]

With regular mail instead of DHL Express you have a lot less shipping costs

[@jaro6985]

@mobzi264, yeah its a bit disingenuous to say "boards shipped for $2" when the shipping cost is about 10 times that amount. @Twometer I don't think he would get them in a few days if regular mail was used? Also to many countries they don't offer regular mail any more, DHL only.

[@Twometer]

@@jaro6985 no provably not in a few days.. also I really did not know some countries don't support regular mail

[@RichardVowles]

He lives in Germany, presumably he is using standard post. In other videos he says 7-10 days, which is pretty standard.

[@mobzi2644]

Yeah regular post would have been cheaper if available... Here, to France, for a 1.76€ board (2$) its a minimum of 16€ shipping in 7-20 days, and 19€ for DHL express. There is no "cheap and i'll wait" option like in other chinese website (Bangood, whish, aliexpress, ...)

[@james130362]

I REALY LIKE YOUR PROJECTS AND EXPLINATIONS. Magic man

[@jasonmhite]

As a followup, you should do a solar charging board for supercapacitors. I've been interested in making a low power sensor using a pair of the cheap 2.7V supercaps you can get as a reservoir, but I'm struggling to find a good IC for charging supercaps from solar.

[@greatscottlab]

I will see what I can do

[@jasonmhite]

@@greatscottlab Thanks for at least considering it!

[@polarijet]

Lipo charger works just fine for the supercaps. I replaced a lipo battery in my dashcam with a pair of 2.7V supercaps and the charging circuit in the camera handles them just fine. Maybe you'll want to add zeners in parallel to each cap to keep the voltage below 2.7V in case they become unbalanced.

[@jasonmhite]

@@polarijet Yeah, TI has a really nice chip for doing this (the BQ24650) that integrates a boost converter and MPPT controller etc. I've just been stuck on 1) having a chance to lay out a PCB for it and adjusting all the values for supercaps and 2) figuring out protection and stuff for the supercaps. Having a hard time finding a coherent explanation of what is required to charge them properly, especially in series.

[@jacksprat7087]

I use 10 watt solar panels and a variable input Buck Converter set for 3.5v maximum (LiFePo4). For 6v output to my game camera I use a 2 Amp boost converter that shuts off when the battery drops to 2v. The batteries are 6000mAh, 1S3P, and don’t need balancing. I have 3 game cameras which have been running unattended for 15 months.

[@joopterwijn]

Just noticed... 31K to go,.... (~8 vids or so) 😮 found your channel around the 60K ...keep up the great work!

[@r0_]

30,010

[@greatscottlab]

Thanks for watching :-)

[@klin4200]

I'm an EE and i like so much your vids bro!!

[@Inquire98]

"Thank You", thank you very much. I believe, feel, KNOW, think and trust, this is the BEST instructional video I have seen from you 😎😀 😎

[@josech5743]

This was a great project. I found it very interesting and useful. Just 30K more 😁 I hope you are already preparing the 1 million special 🙌

[@thepvporg]

I think you need an extra wide tipped highlighter.... :) Nice project.

[@Joshua-ju5uc]

Thank you for all the information on how the solar charger works and how we might be able to make our own

[@clbgrmn]

For these DIY vs Buy videos, can you consider/discuss why the manufacturers would exclude some of the feature you deem necessary?

[@raik1766]

Money

[@btk150]

Next time you need to solder 2 SMD resistor in parallel, solder the first one and add the second on top of it, its much easier and more clean

[@KACPER050599]

There are off-the-shelf cn3791 solar chargers on aliexpress for around 3.5$

[@greatscottlab]

What? Dammit!

[@jorgetucson8196]

Link?

[@DANGERTIM112]

seems this video needs a part 2 where those are tested in comparison with your DIY one

[@KACPER050599]

www.aliexpress .com/wholesale?minPrice=&maxPrice=&isBigSale=n&isFreeShip=y&isNew=n&isFavorite=n&shipFromCountry=&shipCompanies=&SearchText=mppt+lithium&CatId=0&g=y&SortType=price_asc&initiative_id=AS_20181209075824&needQuery=n&groupsort=1 here

[@jorgetucson8196]

@@KACPER050599 thxs

[@thebestofall007]

Try using incandescent lamps to supply light to the solar panels indoors. I've found incandescent lamps do better than LEDs or CFL lamps when you have to have a light spectrum similar to the sun for testing solar panels. This also helps explain why current solar panels are inefficient, because they work best on a narrow infrared range. If they were able to work with a wider spectrum of light, they would be more efficient.

[@greatscottlab]

Good to know

[@webchimp]

thebestofall007 incandescent lamp, Now there's a name I've not heard in a long, long time.

[@daoneTM]

Could you build an esp8266 weather station with that circuit for independent power delivery?

[@mupschiplayz1802]

I guess i have to say it OUR GERMAN ENGINEER IS BACK WITH ANOTHER AWSEOME VIDEO!!!

[@-indeed8285]

DIY OR BUY next video request. make a keyboard with arduino.

[@daedalus5483]

A few years have passed. Have you come across a viable alternative in recent years, or do you still prefer your DIY solution?

[@RickTizzy]

Thanks for another awesome project and result! Even though 62% is not fantastic, the whole is still better than anything out there at the moment for single cell use. Will definitely have a look at the instructable to see if my rather limited skills will be able to cope building some of them ;-) I defintely agree with the potentiometer option, that would be even more awesome!

[@blackturbine]

How is your comment a day old and video is few hour's old Edit minutes old

[@nickstanley5064]

@@blackturbine ,Great Scott's Patreon supporters get early access to his videos

[@blackturbine]

@@nickstanley5064 oh I didn't know that Thanks for clarifying

[@DJkillstyler]

Yo GreatScott, i have some ideas for projects you can try/create to make a new video :D 1. a mobile car heating for the driver area and windows 2. a present card, and if you open it will play your music 3. a little spy cam with memory for videos Hope this are good concept s for you ;p

[@TheChemicalWorkshop]

"JLC-PCB" i ordered from them too, yes 2$ but 6$ for 1 month shipping and 30$ for 3-4 days shipping...

[@SupremeRuleroftheWorld]

or buy board for 35 bucks and free shipping...

[@TheChemicalWorkshop]

@@SupremeRuleroftheWorld yepp, the Ad is kinda BS to me, i mean cheap but not that cheap... also i hope the quality is okay... i might do a mini "review" not beacuse i care but beacuse i hear "JLC-PCB" 100x a day...

[@tad2021]

I batch my PCB orders as well as combine with parts, makes the shipping cost easier. Plus and domestic fabs cost at least 2-300 times more with longer lead times. I can walk a block for my office and get a 10x10cm panel made for $200 each with a 2+ week lead time... or I can import 10 or more from China within a week for under $30. It's stupid that the later is the better option.

[@anjulkumar9183]

Your videos are amazing. I get to learn a lot from your videos. A very big thank you for the good you are doing for benefitting others...

[@SripalTAD]

I use tp4056 for solar charging my lithium cells. I am surprised how good is tp4056 with 6v panels

[@Luke-san]

Andreas also tested this. I also believe that with very small panels it is better to use something very very simple. You waste too much energy in the circuit itself.

[@SripalTAD]

@@Luke-san they make great solar led light for garden. I made one with tp4056 protected module and a Ldr circuit (light detection) between cell and led.

[@EASsirenVids01]

Lol just got a parastetlic pump ad, now I might make a cocktail maker for my parents.

[@SindicatoLinux]

"PROFESSIONALLY INSTALLED" LoL

[@duanejohnston8982]

I Agree DIY sounds like the better option here. Going to use this example to build my own solar charger for a 3 cell Li-Ion!

[@sayantanmaiti2513]

But why did you get that poor efficiency at 10:20? Anyways great video as always!

[@colhany]

There are a lot of variables here, it might be the light or the efficiency of the panel itself I'm pretty sure this is not how efficiency is really measured correctly.. He just does what he can, but he doesn't have like solar panel testing equipment you know.

[@tuomaskinnunen8981]

It seems that the "MPPT" that he used was not actually tracking the maximum power point, but rather fixed to a voltage that should be close to the real MPP. "Real MPPT" would find the right voltage automatically without setting any hard coded value, and it would adjust it appropriately when there are changes to the light.

[@Jadinandrews]

@@tuomaskinnunen8981 Good point, I think you are right. I'm guessing that this dumb MPPT controller is at least better than a PWM based unit, but you would have to adjust it carefully for a specific solar panel.

[@RobertShaverOfAustin]

@Tuomas Kinnunen: I think the two resistors, R8 & R9, are selected by the engineer to match the specified voltage specified for the solar panel in ideal conditions. The regulator then changes the output voltage of the buck converter to optimize the current being fed into the battery so that it is receiving the maximum current the solar panel is capable of supplying based on it's the current operating conditions; solar radiance and temperature. There's more to it than that. Here are a couple of useful links. All About Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) Solar Charge Controllers: ( www.solar-electric.com/learning-center/batteries-and-charging/mppt-solar-charge-controllers.html ) Data sheet for 4A, Standalone Li-ion Battery Charger IC With Photovoltaic Cell MPPT Function CN3791: ( www.consonance-elec.com/pdf/datasheet/DSE-CN3791.pdf )

[@Jadinandrews]

@@RobertShaverOfAustin the point is that it's not 'tracking' the maximum power point, it's chosen with those resistors and doesn't change once set. The problem with this is that the maximum power point is dependant on so many factors, it changes throughout the day.

[@zr7699]

I'm so jealous, I need a solar charge controller for a 4s20p battery. A pcb that has a max voltage of 15.5, but a constant V and C. Unfortunately I don't think my knowledge base is quite there yet. That was super interesting

[@achintsingh210]

Could you please share the schematic of the circuit ?

[@duncyy7471]

did you look in the description? there is an easyeda link with the schematic and pcb layout.

[@Stefan_Van_pellicom]

He made plenty of pcb’s. Just buy one off him.

[@achintsingh210]

@@duncyy7471 ok Thanks

[@erlendse]

Well built. Just note: There is no "battery bypass" so the battery will cycle around fully charged if you have a load and sun is present. Otherwise, what is the deal with 5V? very little modern stuff use 5V. I would target 3.3V (and possibly 2.5V, 1.8V e.t.c.)

[@LucasJaluL]

Como sempre, excelente vídeo! Parabéns

[@BlazeOGlory]

You are like the German Tony Stark! Top notch project.

[@cedmanotro]

Adafruit.com they have nice boards for that and tons of other stuff too

[@piefadaseyt7893]

They 're great but not budget friendly i think

[@samwellfoden]

I’d love to see this video remade with more recent technology :)

[@luongmaihunggia]

What are the odd, I've trying to find a solar charger for li-ion battery recently. Are you spying on me?

[@greatscottlab]

Yes.....

[@luongmaihunggia]

@@greatscottlab *insert surprised pikachu here*

[@duncyy7471]

He is also spying on me. i have had this multiple times. I look at a solar tracker, 1 week later Scott has a vid of it. I look at diy esc, 1 week later Scott has a vid of it...... same with the battery pack, mistmaker, arc lighter, and a few more. mmmmm, suspicious.

[@purduephotog]

Love it! What about the addition of super capacitors? Charging them right off the panel to take advantage of changing lights levels. Although it's obvious you aren't charge rate limited.

[@varunr9231]

Bro video a about e-paper display please.

[@greatscottlab]

It is on my to do list

[@varunr9231]

You are a osam youtuber and great video in your channel

[@robywankenobi32]

I made a LoRa node using a large panel (20volts output) fed into a stripped down car cigarette lighter phone power adaptor circuit to power a Adafruit Feather U32 lora board, it gives the board 5 volts directly bypassing the USB port (modded to stop USB reverse voltage), and thus charges a 14500 LiPo via the onboard 5 pin battery management chip, works great and somewhat acts like a MPPT in some way that the car charger is DC to DC so can even work right down to 5 volts if needed. During the night the DC to DC converter is off completely allowing the LiPo to discharge as it should to maintain health.

[@holetoanotheruniverse4690]

You can sell those as Kit

[@frankcomputer1859]

Great video! But this points up why I do not like lithium batteries. They are great for power density, but much too demanding on the charge apparatus. Even with the additional bulk, I much prefer NIMH. You can hit 'em with a wide variety of charge sources. They just don't care, as long as they don't overheat. I wish more experimenters would show more projects using NIMH power banks. They're so much less of a headache.

[@lazardjukovic1691]

*INCLUDES PAID PROMOTION* Of course it does.

[@mesharial6676]

I don't see how that would influence the results.

[@lazardjukovic1691]

@@mesharial6676 neither do i its just a joke mate

[@badraa7838]

The diy version looks so professional

[@Eduardo_Espinoza]

It's sad this channel has very little subscribers for this high level of stem content

[@WR3slo]

Efficiency below 75% for the buck converter is relatively bad. Try soldering different diodes, different mosfets and inductors that you have on stock. If possible reduce the operating frequency a bit. Just check the efficiency with power supply with resistor in series to somewhat limit input current with MPPT. Another more complex option to increase the system efficiency is to have buck converter on the output too. This means have 2 or 3 cells in series. This will also reduce current on the input and can increase the input buck converter efficiency too. Regarding PCB, I think some of the discontinuous current areas could be reduced with rearranging some of the components. Take a look at some of the EMI reducing videos. I know this project is probably just for you, and will most likely not produce any problems. But it is good to have that on your mind. Some converters even become unstable when layout is bad and than you are dealing with electronic ghosts when sometimes it is working and sometimes it is not :-D

[@BharatMohanty]

After a long time "diy" is winner.

[@greatscottlab]

I was happy about that too :-)

[@BharatMohanty]

@@greatscottlab ☺

[@DaNiKzz]

Always good to watch your videos!

[@rootvalley2]

I like to use lipos that have over/under volt protection built in, a lot of batts have this, cell phone batts for instance usually do.

[@trewmika1869]

Some lipos come with integrated protection board. I think that this is why the commercial solar charger does not have overdischage protection. If that is a problem, three NiCd ot NiMH cells can be used as one lipo cell. Charge voltage is the same in both cases, so I think that is why they list LiPo and Li ion, even though it may be dangerous.

[@ahsanmasood846]

Please keep throwing videos like this on batteries, charging circuits and solars every once in a while. Question, what's the max current that I can expect from a single cell li-ion/lipo with a 5V boost from some good circuit?

[@grgetcil]

Great Scot! what a fantastic video. I wish all DIY projects measure up to your standards. I do not know if i could get all these components in India. But perhaps I must scout around. 1,4 Million subcribers is truly a great way to Go!

[@sirpatrickrattschlegel2828]

good project, also your soldering skills getting better quality

[@senhalp5724]

Ships to Germany in only 3 days? That’s perfect

[@james-barnett]

You could also try dismantling a solar powered calculator. They must have some kind of regulation board.

[@RebornSplash60thearchiver]

One reason the store bot one didn't really work is because you connected the solar panel first, witch is a big no no for your suppose to connect the battery first then the the panel or you run the risk of damaging the Charge controller.

[@pardeepk21]

Just love your videos, it would be a great help if you make a video on charging of Lead-Acid Battery 24V 10A or higher Current Ratings

[@sullivanzheng9586]

Thanks for the great video ! Your test results actually tell me TP4056 linear charger board is a STRONG competitor on the market. It is cheap and widely availabe, and it is efficiency is a very high baseline (suppose you have a 5V solar pannel and Li-ion battery is @3.7V which give you 74% efficiency). It is generally quite hard to optimize the efficiency of DCDC buck converter to more than 75% in DIY proejcts....especially when the input voltage is somewhat variable.