Harbor Freight 100W Solar Kit. - Day 2

Day 2. Sharing my second day using the 100W Harbor Freight Solar Panel Kit. This is the new July, 2017 version of the Harbor Freight Solar Panel Kit. The kit now offers 4- 25W panels and a modernized solar controller.

[@argospilotsigyn]

Thanks, Dan, for your solar panel videos. I bought this kit in the early part of this year. I mounted the panels above my patio, and use them to charge my power box. At night I bring the power box indoors and run my lap top or charge tablets and cell phones. I like the fact that these panels can get power even on the most overcast days. I liked the kit so much that a couple weeks ago I bought another kit just for camping trips. The power box and these panels provide enough energy that I no longer need propane lanterns or a gas generator. I only do dry camping, so this is perfect when I just want to setup camp and listen to the peace and quiet of the outdoors. The LED lights that come with these kits draw so little power; and the length of the power cords make them ideal for lighting up the campsite at night.

[@danr97123]

That's how I like to camp too. Once you switch to battery/LED lighting you will never go back to propane lanterns. These panels are a little big for transportation, but if you had a base camp for 5 days or more it would be worth it. Thanks for commenting, Eduard.

[@MCOult]

Jim, now that you've had (and, I assume, used) this kit for about three years, has your opinion of it changed? -- Old Matt

[@argospilotsigyn]

@@MCOult Hi Old Matt. I still have no complaints. The panels in the patio, and the panels I use for camping trips still work just fine. I especially appreciate the long power cords because I can park my tent under shade and extend the panels way out into the sun. That way, I stay cool in camp, but still get the full charging capacity of the panels.

[@douglasmiller8940]

Again thank you for your review and follow up video on these new 100 watt panels.

[@rezyness]

Thanks for the info. If would be nice if you did an update on your shed installation and how it is working currently or not. Thanks

[@danr97123]

thanks. yes i need to make a follow up video.

[@moriver3857]

6.1A with no load (assuming the fully charged voltage shown)? You should check the resistance on the wiring, including your DMV leads for the voltage discrepancy. On the first video it was showing nearly a full 1V discrepancy. Though the wiring appears to be the same length, the wire gauge may not be. I wish they sold a 50W or 75W kit with less footprint.

[@jasonknochenhauer2086]

Have you tried wiring around the easy plug and see if there was an increase power? Alison your first video mentioned how bad the clamp felt, did also replace those to see if there was an increase?

[@danr97123]

+Jason Knochenhauer after reading the manual, i think the charge controller doesnt even report the input voltage. The reading was likely on of 3 voltage trigger points for charge, float, or low power cutoff. Sorry for the confusion.

[@binaryman937]

Thanks for showing the current input there at the end, that's the real truth teller of how well it's charging the batteries. The power out isn't too bad considering the VmP those panels are putting out and the fact that it's not a MPPT charge controller. With such a high VmP you're getting I would think this panel setup would be a great candidate for MPPT. Also, I would double check before running your panels in series going into that cheap little controller, it's likely not rated to handle much more voltage.

[@danr97123]

You are right. I will not run these in series. Glad you mentioned the MPPT controller; this is something i have been researching for my "real" solar panel array on an upcoming cabin project.

[@binaryman937]

I have an MPPT controller in the little battery box I built and I love it. It really does make a noticeable difference on the power you can get from your panels. I especially like the flexibility of being able to put in a wide range of voltage (up to 70v on my particular controller) and it not only corrects it back to my battery's system voltage but it cranks up the current I get! I've found that running more than one panel in series or using higher voltage panels can yield more power producing hours in a day since you have more voltage to work with overall, the system keeps pumping out power later into the day than a lower voltage/parallel setup would. Taking advantage of the higher voltage input capability is where MPPT really shines.

[@freakasis]

2:06 Don't you have to hook the meter up in series in order to measure current? Looks like you have it attached to where you measured the voltage from. Am I missing something?

[@j5892000]

yeah you do so because amps measure how fast electrons are blowing past a certain point. they need to flow through the multimeter to a load... idk wtf he's doing .

[@nvlvdave]

Electrician for 30 years here - you are absolutely right; meter needs to be in series not parallel to circuit.

[@robertvulliet3278]

thats what i just posted although i did describe it inserting the amp meter into the circuit not series ( off to edit).

[@ZomBeeNature]

With these panels you could use a few CFL bulbs during the day. They would be dark at night when you need them. I obviously don't have solar panel knowledge. Would it cost you more to set up solar energy than to just use the normal power grid?

[@jackgrant4795]

Loved the video, very informative. Asked a buddy of mine thats an electrician about why the power loss issue, multimeters use either an 18-20 ga. Wire, the panels probably have 12-16 ga. Wire. He said different gauge wire requires differrent power requirements, thicker gauge sucks more juice..... At least thats what he said. I have no idea, i just build stuff.

[@danr97123]

thanks for sharing that

[@michaelchase4582]

The 14v you are reading with your multimeter at the battery is the charge rate because you have the panels hooked to it.

[@UseYourManners123]

What can you do with the energy from this kit?

[@bricolageultra]

How many watts can support the controller? Please!!

[@joeestes8114]

Thanks for posting a review! iam thinking about purchasing of these set ups and it seems like everyone has good things to say about these panels.

[@MrMoises27]

On what application are you planning to use this set up? Thanks for posting this video.

[@hellshade2]

@danr97123 hello! i would not worry about the minor discrepancy between the voltage on the charge unit and the voltage on your meter. the meter is going to be way more accurate than the charge unit. i was wondering about one thing with this kit.if it is an 100w charging exactly what is the output from the panels?100 watts an hour?12 hours? if you catch this comment i would love a reply :) thxs!

[@danr97123]

The rating in full sun is 100W at any given instant. Watt hours is typically a battery rating.

[@PedroPerex]

How is this kit working for you? I bought one and was impressed the first day but today the charge controller keeps showing an error code E11 and shutting down? Any suggestions? Thanks

[@girlonlaptop]

Do you have a video on how to hook it up to an appliance like a fan or whatever you hook it up to? Thanks!

[@pajohn2798]

If you connect a mostly discharged /dead but otherwise good 12V car battery to a 10 amp battery charger, it will draw very close to that maximum available 10 amps for a short period of time, and then the amperage draw will begin to decrease as the battery slowly recharges. On a manual charger (meaning no electronics to monitor battery charge and turn itself on and off as required like the more expensive _maintenance_ chargers do) once the battery is fully charged it will only draw a bit less than about 2 amps or so. As you know, forgetting to disconnect a battery from a manual charger can slowly cook it dry if left go long enough, so I will _assume_ that the HF solar charger regulator pack will sense a fully charged battery condition, and switch itself off and on as required like a proper maintenance charger does, to keep that battery in a fully charged ready to go condition without overcooking it, so to speak. Anyway, seeing that 6 amp current draw tells me your new Harbor Freight battery was sucking up a lot of power to recharge at the time you measured it, drawing 6 amps of power from a system that theoretically can only provide up to 100 watts / 12 volts = 8.333 amps, on a good bright sunshiny day under ideal conditions. Even so, simply knowing you basically have a ~6 amp 12V battery charger in bright sunshine is pretty good performance right there, especially if someone can catch this solar kit on sale and use a 25% off coupon like all of us HF shoppers like to try to always do. Thanks for the video!

[@williamsotelo4677]

PA John 8

[@robertvulliet3278]

how was it measuring current? the meter was in parallel to the input you can get voltage that way but not current. you have to insert the current meter into the circuit (in series) to measure the current.

[@j5892000]

@@robertvulliet3278 yeah I saw that too and was a bit perplexed.

[@allenhenry1113]

Dose it have a battery protection. To keep from over charging?

[@joejones6968]

What do you do with the battery? What's the point of that? I'm asking because I have no clue about solar energy, but I'm very interested.....

[@danr97123]

the battery is used to store solar energy for use when the sun is down. it can also help meet burst demand and/or help fill in the gaps when clouds block the sun.

[@deanhenthorn1890]

Google it! That’s what people do to learn.

[@wildrootsfarm1975]

Great review! Thank you for taking the time.

[@danr97123]

you are welcome. thanks for the encouraging comment.

[@michaelbright9162]

Your camera shadow is constantly blacking out the digital displays.

[@RallyRat]

I'm curious to know how much power the unit can put out. The short circuit current on the panels you measured here isn't very instructive. It would be great to know how much current it puts into a battery with a load connected. Maybe hook it up to a car and turn on the headlights and interior fan or something while measuring current.

[@Mybored001]

22vdc is open circuit for these panels most likely. I would bet your charge controller is reading a full battery and would now dump your panels to load.

[@MCOult]

Dan: Good video -- and much appreciated! Are you still happy with the HF kit? Thanks, --Old Matt

[@danr97123]

for the price i am still satisfied. i do not leave these outside year round though. only set them up when needed for camping or experimenting. i do agree that they are not for 24/7/365 use as they may not last more than several years. happy nonetheless.

[@JBs_trucks_and_whitetail_bucks]

3yr later how has these held up ?

[@Jlui83]

I'm looking at picking up this Kit and the lead acid battery that you have from harbor freight. My plan is just to charge the battery and running this system in case we have a power outage. Does the battery discharge by itself? Is it maintenance free?

[@danr97123]

i've had two of those batteries for about 1 year now. they are supposed to slowly loose charge but after checking at the 3mo mark, 4 times now, i have noticed only a slight discharge (maybe 10%). not sure if it will always be this way.

[@darylphipps8663]

sounds goo so far. wonder how well they would hold up with a 100 amp hour battery is being used(moderately) while. hot wires , burned connections? idk. just thinking out loud as well as this enquiring mind wants to know.

[@Godshole]

The wires supplied with the kit will be rated for the panels to the charger and should be fine. At 6 amps, per hour, approx, it would take 10 hours of strong sunlight to put 60 amp/hours of charge in a 100 amp hour battery. ( you should never discharge a battery more than half capacity if you expect it to last very long. ) So it could, at a push, in summer, just about charge a 100 amp hour battery, assuming you only took 50 amp hours out of the battery, a day. BUT, things are not 100% efficient. I think what you are asking is would the 100 amp hour battery be too much for the charge controller. Well, no, the solar 'side' and controller don't care overly what capacity the battery it is. They will and can only provide what charge they are able to. Where you will get a problem though is, for example, if you tried to plug in lots of 12 volt appliances that draw a lot of amps/watt and/or a 1000 watt inverter into the charge controller 'load' output. The two screw hole connections at the far right of the connectors ( he has the battery connected in the middle two, just to orientate you. look at his first video for a better view) I suspect that these 'load' outputs, and the round plug ones (3) on the front where he plugged lights in, will have an internal fuse and you would have to look at the spec sheet to see what that is. This will not be fused high enough to power things like inverters, usually. The way round this is to connect your inverter directly to the battery with the cables and fuses that come with the inverter but you MUST then keep an eye on the battery voltage because it will no longer be 'shut down' by the chargers auto shutoff ( it is not in that circuit anymore ) Most inverters have a low voltage alarm or auto shutoff but some cheap ones will just drain your battery till it is screwed and then you are left with a very expensive, large, paperweight. Hope that helps. there is a chap called tinhatranch and if I remember rightly he does a few very good vids on amps/watts and capacity ect.

[@texjames2000]

Thank you for showing the amps... My 45 watt sits around 2 amps, so was wondering if the 100 watts were more effecient.

[@0623kaboom]

the mps reading is not accurate amps MUST be read in series or by a flux meter doing in parallel like he did doesnt give a reading that is useful in any regard

[@glgermain]

I don't understand what that charge controller is doing in its different modes. Does the voltage to the battery change when you adjust the settings? Maybe it's not automatically adjusting the voltage as the battery fills and you're supposed to do it by hand?

[@danr97123]

After reading the manual a bit further, it seems these 'modes' are configurable cut off points. For example, you can set the voltage point at which the DC output is stopped; this could be when the battery voltage is low. There is also a cut off for when the battery is helplessly low; this one seems odd to me, but it is an option. As best I can tell the unit does report battery voltage, but not amperage or panel voltage, and its voltage report is not aligned with multi meter readings. If anyone knows otherwise please share. I had to pack up the panels to transport to the cabin so have not used them more than about two days so far. I still think its a good value.

[@glgermain]

You're right. That's pretty good. The manual description of the low voltage cutoff says that it cuts off charging, rather than cutting off the load, but the picture suggest that it cuts off the load. I'd try setting the cutoff at 11.8v or higher, and see if it cuts off the load when the battery gets down to that voltage. Also, I wonder if you can set the voltage to match a meter by holding down and adjusting. Might be a very good controller.

[@joeblow8593]

If you are running an inverter and drawing 2 amps at 120 volts, you are really drawing 20 amps at 12 volts from a battery which is a 10:1 ratio. This means your 6 amps per hour replacement from the sun is at a 14 amp her hour deficit meaning that you'll need another 2 1/2 kits in order to replace that 20 per amp draw. If plan on getting serious with solar power, then do it right from the beginning. Go with a 48 volt system. However you'll need more solar panels, more batteries, a 48 volt charge controller and a 48 volt sine wave inverter. But the advantage with going with a 48 volt system is that the ratio changes from 10:1 to 2.5:1 . So instead of drawing 20 amps at 12 volts to produce 120 volts at 2 amps, you are only drawing 5 amps at 48 volts to produce 120 volts at 2 amps. But then the problem is how to power 12 volt stuff off a 48 volt system. Well some use two separate systems, a kit like the one in the video and and a more professional 48 volt setup. Some use various transformers and or convertors to bring down 48 volts down to 12 volts. Keep in mind the 10:1 and 2.5:1 amperage draw average is just that. An approximate average....It is not absolute. Because there are other things to consider in the scheme of things such as inverter efficiencies which vary 90 to 95% +/- , and exact working voltage because a 12 volt system is just a point of reference as it can vary from 11.5 volts to as much as 13.8 volts as can a 48 volt system vary as much as 47.8 to 50 or 52 volts. Anyway, good video. Harbor Freight kit in the video is a good first step especially for those on a budget and have no future plans to expand beyond this. Otherwise, save your money and go with a 48 volt system and build up from there.

[@EileenHagerman]

Thanks for the video. Is there a way to tell how long it will take for the panels to fully charge the battery? In other words, is there a formula you would use to calculate that based on panel wattage and battery capacity?

[@TradingSuccessCoach]

Hi there, for anyone who was wondering the same, this page might help (no affiliation, just info) www.electricaltechnology.org/2013/03/easy-charging-time-formula-for.html

[@joewilson2258]

I bet that this would be great for a ham radio field day .

[@robertvulliet3278]

depends on how clean (Electro Magnetic Interference or EMI Free) the charge controller is. the cheap one are noisy on the HF frequencies, there are more expensive controllers that are a lot less noisy,

[@antfarmmining7824]

how is the battery holding up? thanks

[@jaywarrenclark6263]

But you don’t tell us what we can do with it in the real world: country cabin, shed, trailer, workshop, etc.

[@hmax1591]

You really need to be told what to do with solar panels? Did you see him charging a battery? How old are you? like 12?

[@carolmccollum9341]

@@hmax1591 I'm 73. Other than two light bulbs there, what else would you use this for?

[@pstoneking3418]

So take the panel voltage and multiply that by the panels amperage to see what real wattage output you are getting from your panels.

[@PhaQ2]

I'm interested in knowing if you can set peak voltage and cut off voltage? The idea being, can I set the controller up to charge 12.6 volt max/11.8 volt nominal/9 volt minimum, lithium battery?

[@robertvulliet3278]

look for a solar charge controller that is set up for Lithium batteries like these: www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_11?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=li-ion+solar+charge+controller&sprefix=li-ion+sola%2Clawngarden%2C184&crid=2K3FOLSDVQ3SR

[@GBLynden]

I would love to have a portable version of something like that to charge my batteries when I am out flying for the day!

[@pstoneking3418]

GBLynden's RC harbor freight has a small fold up solar charging system. Of course the output is nothing like this 100 watt system shown here.

[@ChanseyhaEng]

Thanks for video do you have video convert battery DC to AC 110 so I can use some of light?

[@Bishop545454]

Dan, can you help me out please? How would you go about hooking a lead cord up to this?

[@aussiesandtrails]

I have the same kit. Do you know the differemce between the charge controller this kit came with and the Thunderbolt Harbor Freight Charge Regulator?

[@danr97123]

+Acousticstrings sorry i do not know, but lets see if another viewer does. From the little i have seennof the other HF charge controller i dont think its worth "upgrading". I am considering some 3rd party options, but not ready to recommend any others yet.

[@aussiesandtrails]

danr97123 Wait which is newer the one that came w the kit or the regulator?

[@mastermechanicfelipe4641]

can you connect more than 1 100w kit together if so what would you need

[@lighthouseworshipcenter3748]

what type of power tools do you think you can run, at any given time with the system. if you know let me know. thank you.

[@danr97123]

it would be limited by the battery bank size. you could charge all your power tools and run lights for sure. a generator would be required for those high current draw items like table saws.

[@michaelcabasag3514]

sir where is the inverter..just asking because im planning to set up my first solar panel.thanks

[@sojourn1544]

@tdidan why a low voltage shutdown?...

[@ProBoatMan]

Thank for the review just a reminder the panels not water proof you can but 1 125 watt water proof for 100.00 on amazon

[@offiternecunoscut578]

I just want to know if I can keep them under the porch cover with the glass is that secure or not

[@Sbkh-yz3hx]

Give is more videos.... Are u still using them? How are they still preforming? My wife and I are living full time in michigan in our rv an ive been debating this kit but with 5 or 6 batteries and an inverter... I could so use ur help ... Idk maybe if u can't do videos could u message me an tell me if its a good deal an how it works long time on cloudy days an in winter

[@MichaelSmith-jv1vn]

You can buy 12 volt 100 watt solar panels on ebay or Amazon, for about $100 each you will need a charge controller and an inverter.You can go to 2,000 watts on a 12 volt system which is a 200 amp draw. This would run just about all your lights,tv,computer ,ect if you have the 5-6 12 volt 125 amp deep cycle cell batteries, I suggest a Trojan L16 which is a golf cart type and they will last you longer than a deep cell. This will be your biggest costs for a system. Remember to not draw your batteries down more than 75% and they will last, I would also purchase a device called a Kill a Watt monitor, this device will help you know what each product is drawing in a hour or a whole day and will help determine how big of a system you need. Hope this helps you folks, I also would suggest the book called "Solar Power for dummies" it helps you with questions that will arise!The HF system is good if you only want to charge a phone or a light or small fan, look into 12 volt RV products then you won't need the inverter.

[@krissabroff8672]

Are these panels polycrystalline?

[@endeeray4295]

I bought this a week ago and the instructions are pretty basic. Im concerned because the information is not clear if the charge controller will protect the battery from going too low or back charging. Makes it sound like you have to constantly check it and if it drops too low you have to charge the battery elsewhere if it hasn't already been damaged. Seems to defeat the point of a chg. Controller. Or is this just bad technical writing!

[@danr97123]

+anne bornet the way i read it, there is a low battery cut off, but only if the load is connected to the controller and not directly to the battery. However recommend testing it yourself to be sure.

[@Timelessplays]

Do they fold say i wanted to install the battery and all that in my car storing the panels stacked to pull them out when camping and whatnot would that be possible

[@timetotravel5886]

But what can you power up with 100watt solar ...like freigator, t.v, radio, water pump, coffee maker, lights all at the same time..????????

[@robertbates6057]

The panels charge the batts. the batts. provide the amperage to power loads larger than a tv or lights. It takes a lot of battery to power coffee makers, window units, etc...

[@JOHNDANIEL1]

Seems all the controllers they sell are checking their own voltage on the hot side of the Diode from the second stage mosfet. They are getting that reading after a 12% drop in voltage that runs the display which has to run through a 1/4 watt 560k resistor. Goofy design. Set your boost rating to 14.1 to keep your battery from getting 14.9 in boost stages.

[@danr97123]

excellent tip!

[@fatwod]

Has anyone actually figured out the menu and settings for the charge controller? For example, when I press and hold the 'DISPLAY' button I get a menu of battery types, Usr, Sld, Fld, Gel, and buried in those are numerical 'plus and minus' values. I DO NOT have the capability to 'adjust' the Normal, Boost, Float, Low or Recovery settings. I am connected to an Optima AGM 12 volt 55 A battery

[@adamsjustin8]

Likely your meter is true rms with much better resolution than the controller shouldn't affect it too much.

[@danr97123]

ok. thanks for commenting!

[@robertvulliet3278]

true RMS helps with pulsating DC or AC but does very little for true DC. however the controllers use very cheap meters and the bigger meter that you were using is more accurite.

[@tractorboy31]

How many amps will it push

[@joanneprice9666]

You are set at ac voltage on you meter

[@frankyfranke8226]

u were shorting ur panels out by paralleling ur meter to the panels in current setting which means ur voltage would drop to almost nothing... not good for ur panels... cutoff voltages r different for different types of batteries... glass matt... gel cell... lead acid etc... would be nice if there was a setting for lithium.

[@keith5017]

Franky Franke Yes I just watched this and noticed that too - need to have the meter in series to measure the current ... not sure exactly what the effect was with the panel shorted out like that

[@isaacwhite7411]

Your not testing the cells at full power some of that amps is being pulled by the battery,mine does about 9amps with no battery .

[@chasesumner0728]

Where is the inverter connection point? So you can't use AC loads?

[@danr97123]

you can connect an inverter directly to the battery. i suppose you could connect it to the 12V output too, but if clouds come out or it starts getting dark you'd have unreliable, ad likely intermittent, power.

[@repairvideoforfilterqueenv7011]

My math says 137 WATTS output 22.5 volts X 6.1 amps Pretty decent

[@brianpitts4006]

I have purchased the same system and and getting the same readings as you with only one problem I checked the output charge rate going to my battery I am getting 2.3 volts charging the batteries at at any setting I am getting almost 23 volts coming from the panels but they GHIN going out to the battery I am only getting 2.3 volts you must disconnect the clips from the battery to check this has anybody else ever thought of checking?

[@ДмитрийМонастырев-х5л]

This panel can put out close to 100 watts kzbin.infoUgkxOqI2yqX0XVrhR2BMJciTWrHJpG8FhJyg when positioned in the appropriate southernly direction, tilted to the optimal angle for your latitude/date, and connected to a higher capacity device than a 500. The built in kickstand angle is a fixed at 50 degrees. Up to 20% more power can be output by selecting the actual date and latitude optimal angle.The 500 will only input 3.5A maximum at 18 volts for 63 watts. Some of the excess power from the panel can be fed into a USB battery bank, charged directly from the panel while also charging a 500. This will allow you to harvest as much as 63 + 15 = 78 watts.If this panel is used to charge a larger device, such as the power station, then its full output potential can be realized.

[@fredclark5306]

132 watts?

[@ozzyfranf]

So, what are we going to power with this system?

[@danr97123]

I will charge batteries that will power some LED lights , cell phone chargers, and a small cellular modem. This will be used at my tiny off grid cabin. I just need enough power to get me through a 3-day weekend once or twice a month.

[@ozzyfranf]

Whats the largest thing you can power with this you think?

[@ericrodgers5646]

Thank you ✌

[@tonyblackmon6356]

Volts times amps equals watts. Those are the best for the money.

[@bkpickell]

You were getting 120 watts in full sun. 20v x 6A=120w

[@danr97123]

Thanks for commenting. The 100W spec must be typical not max. I think you are right at 120W at that moment.

[@jm8470]

Need a link to the solar panels 🤔🤔

[@dirkrieger8783]

www.harborfreight.com/100-Watt-Solar-Panel-Kit-63585.html

[@fredclark5306]

Over 22 volt and over 6 amps in direct sunlight that's over 112 watts

[@danr97123]

true. it was a very sunny day. i do believe that the 100W or 25W per panel is based on specific sunlight conditions and that day/time may have been a bit better than spec.

[@cpie777]

no i believe your math is wrong. you can't measure current with a meter across both poles! it must be in series across 1 pole. look up the proper way to use a multimeter. smh!

[@robertvulliet3278]

Again to measure current the meter must be in series with the circuit, not sure how it was seeing current.

[@abadperez1112]

Can you Explain amps vs volts? Thanks

[@danr97123]

+Abad perez the following water analogy helped me... think of current as the flow of water and consider voltage to be the water preassure. Also know that Power (W) = Voltage × Current.

[@pstoneking3418]

Abad perez Here is an easy to understanding of amps, volts and watts. www.newelectric.com/whats-the-difference-between-amps-volts-and-watts/

[@truckdrivinmilanr]

The voltage loss you're getting is through the controller. Great explanation here : kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYGWlZuwa7uGnZY

[@EdMorleyTube]

thats over 100 watts

[@lborate3543]

Edward Morley he also was not testingvamperage correctly...

[@countryboy6738]

Lmbo,,speak English please,,lol I'm a heavy equipment operator so electric and its terminology is mind blowing,, think I'll just hire a pro to do mine but was a interesting vid for me to start my research on going solar in my work shed

[@roberte.3541]

you need to learn how to measure amps

[@lolouro2266]

i feel bad for the ppl buying this kit thinking its a new improved system... this is ancient solar technology, combined with crap components with poor quality that wont last very long...

[@keith5017]

Lolo Uro I haven't looked into these ... Are there better ones for a similar cost? Any that you recommend considering?

[@lolouro2266]

Keith I make and sell systems for tiny homes, rvs, backup generators... all the way down to solar fountains.

[@lolouro2266]

Keith kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5imeaWon6x8r6M. this is my solar electric trike

[@keith5017]

Lolo Uro Wow! That's interesting - thanks for sharing!

[@lolouro2266]

Keith see each one of my panels are 100watts!! thats 300watts of power on the trike!! compare that to this pos harbor frieght and u can understand why its utter garbage... i dunno why all these suckers buy and review it. i can get the same power in one panel vs 4 panels!!

[@colincampbell3679]

Lovely reviewing sir.. I have tried so much to understand all the electrical terms But even though I am clever soul, it still hard going? Someone tried to explain it to me! But trying to understand Volts & Watts was hard going then when they started talking Ohms I gave up LOL : P The more people start using solar and wind and if possible underwater tadial power the better for the world.. It is a no brainer even like me you don't know the volts, watts stuff? Allot of people say why do it, Well the energy is free so after the 1st payment of buying the panels or wind turbine and setting them in place.. the energy it makes is free and clean and better for the world and us? With the Earth getting hotter and the storms getting worse, all those anti-renewable types in oil and gas just moaning because if you don't need their power then they go out of business and loose tons of money they got used to over the 100 years of fossil fuelled world.

[@SuperKingslaw]

Too bad you can't see anything because your shadow is in the way,

[@danr97123]

sorry about the shadow. it seems to follow me everywhere i go.

[@VoodooDewey69]

Harbor freight junk

[@todhollo1961]

junk

[@-GrimEngineer-1337]

Amorphous garbage. Can get mono panel on amazon that is 3 times smaller for same power for $114. And that PWM charger is junk, it throws away power because it doesn't have MPPT tracking.

[@spikey911usa]

Grim Engineer 3 times smaller is a bit of an exaggeration.

[@Godshole]

Good point, my 100 watt is indeed a 3rd the size, cost £1 a watt and is flexible, its encased in soft plastic type stuff so hailstones don't bother it but I had to make a frame for it. I bought an oversize MPPT so I can add panels later too...

[@Bacardibombillo]

Does it work just solar?? With no batt?

[@danr97123]

+Jerry Cruz it works best with a battery, but it works without too...but if the clouds block the sun you loose power :-)