Solar Ammo Box Generator Overview - DIY

This is my incarnation of a solar generator. I'm pleased with the results and have a ton of other projects I would like to build out.
Please see the following blog for additional details:
goo.gl/8wXjxJ
I will add more information as time permits. Please feel free to ask questions, provide feedback, etc. Glad to help anyone I can with their project.
Thanks for watching and please subscribe as I have a lot more projects in the works.
Step by step video on how to build this unit:
• Solar Ammo Box Generat...
Spec Overview:
12v/10A system with 12v/12Ah SLA AGM battery
Morning Star SunSaver 10L solar charge controller (with low voltage disconnect)
Powerlet Plug and Socket for external solar panel connection.
Here's a link to the entire playlist that covers this project:
goo.gl/T7EoUJ
Overview of the entire project:
goo.gl/8wXjxJ
Parts List:
goo.gl/7DRbIs
Wiring Diagram:
goo.gl/WsFrjb
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[@ChrisJones-xk4db]

"Woudn't it have been eaiser and cheaper to buy one?" Whats the fun in that? I have learned so much by diy projects! Knowledge is power, and will be a life saver WHEN SHTF. When people say "Where did you buy that" i love saying, "i didn't. i made it".

[@MattLesak]

+Chris . Jones Amen and I've learned a ton. The part that amazes me is the amount of configurations I've come across along with how this concept scales while sticking to the same four components.

[@brentjohnson6654]

New subscriber here. Nice approach to your design and explained well.

[@murphyzlaw13]

Great video bud...I'm currently building one of these. I have bought a ammo can, USB socket, cigarette socket, and wires and connectors. I still need the batteries, and solar controller also the hook for the solar panel or panels. Thanks for the video!!!

[@MattLesak]

Thank you! I’m surprised people are still finding this video after all these years. I’ve made several updates since creating this video so check out the other vids.

[@murphyzlaw13]

@@MattLesak I will for sure...I just watched this video 3 times in a row, lol...but I appreciate the video...if I questions in my build, can you email me or contact through my KZbin channel..??? It's nice to learn something everyday, and I feel like I just learned something. Also new subscriber!!!

[@1GUNSQUIRREL]

i made one 3 years ago full size battery in battery box solar controller and 100 watt solar panel mounted on my truck...been working great

[@MattLesak]

Nice!

[@markhager8321]

Great job Matt. Very detailed and very clear. Thank you

[@MattLesak]

Mark Hager thanks Mark! Made the video a few years ago but concepts haven’t changed. So many good options out there now compared to what was available then.

[@DwaineMacDonald]

Awesome video Matt, I just built one for our camping trip next week to charge our cell phones and lights for the campsite. Love the insight on the low voltage cut off very important! Already planning an upgraded version for next year. Thanks for the video it really helped!

[@MattLesak]

Dwaine MacDonald Thanks Dwaine! Glad to help and let me know how it worked for you. Enjoy your camping trip! FYI - I'm working on an upgraded version and will post a video once it's done and I'm happy with it.

[@DwaineMacDonald]

Hey *****​, Yea love to compare ideas for the upgraded version I started a wish list of what I like to see in my project based on requiments that is see useful. I'll leave you to the KZbin channel. :) I just order the USB voltage meter that you recommended, definatly a great tool to see the load on the unit. Will let you know how it worked out with the camping trip I'm pretty stoked about it!

[@DwaineMacDonald]

+Dwaine MacDonald Hey Matt, Well my solar ammo box worked great for camping all summer! Thanks for the video it really helped and looking forward to your next video!

[@MattLesak]

+Dwaine MacDonald Glad to hear! Any feedback on what worked well, issues you ran into, etc.? Anything you would do different?

[@DwaineMacDonald]

Hey Matt, I built a two 2.3 ah battery unit (just enough to charge our phones) The controller that came with the panel showed a low voltage light when it hit below 12 volt and was a bit confusing since I didn’t bring my tester with me and thought the batteries were running really low (not the case) While not in use I’m finding that there is a very low drain on the batteries, I’m thinking it may have to do with the USB ports. The other issue when camping is that your always moving your solar panels to get the optimal light (trees seem to have this effect on them! Lol) I did go from a 40 Watt panel to two 40 Watt panels and connected them together with a hinges that allows me to fold and transport the panels easier and more power. Other than that it works out pretty good and I’ve had people stop by our camp site asking about the setup they were impressed :) I’m now looking at making another one this spring with a single 55ah battery and an voltage analyzer to see what my source power feed, I want to change the solar controller and there seems to be more options out there at a lower price but I need to see how well they are. I would add on a port that allows me to connect a battery charger to keep it topped up but really I could just open the top up and connect it. The other thing I was pondering was adding a solar tracker to the panels.

[@Greystone76]

Thank you so much for posting this video!! I have been looking into small portable solar generators for camping and have experienced the same things you have as cost, etc. So seeing this done is so great!

[@MattLesak]

Wes F Thank Wes! I'm glad you liked it and let me know how your build comes out.

[@Not_Sure_]

Great video. I've watch some of the updates you've made to this box. Have you considered making a bigger box with 18-650 type LiOn batteries with greater capacity ?

[@MattLesak]

A B I have and made several. The concept scales which makes it straight forward to build bigger.

[@gardentechniciantom4845]

Looks very neat wiring and safe

[@MattLesak]

Thank you!

[@terry2cows]

Hi Mat This is a awesome video you have made full of great information and well done this is a great unit indeed. You are so right about the high cost of retail units out there ( and some dodgy ones ) I hope after watching videos like ours and others like we have done viewers will take the small challenge of learning and building their own then just like we have found they will get great satisfaction and also be able to make improvements and repairs yet alone saving a wallet full of money.

[@RGRundeRGRound]

Very Well Done! I am a professional electrician (see avatar) and I am inspired by your work! I have lots of parts already, about all I would need is a charge controller and photo-voltaic panels. This is right up my alley ;) I think a good thing for you to look into is Battery Reconditioning, Matt. Lead Acid batts can have a lot longer life than any Lithium cells, with the right chargers. I also believe that the Tesla Charge company has a charge controller that incorporates this strategy. Might add a good bit of cost, however. I will explore this myself. SUBBED, and viewing MORE of your stuff!

[@MattLesak]

+RGRundeRGRound Thank you for the feedback and for subscribing!

[@RogerBarraud]

Excellent - plenty of detail in the 'show notes' links - Well done! :-)

[@MattLesak]

+Roger Barraud Thank you Roger!

[@davidbean5807]

Looks good. One idea though that might give you more room to add more connectors. Place your Off/On switch and 10A breaker through the lid which would open up a little space for connectors on side. I am planning on building a little larger unit one of these days but really like your design for this smaller portable unit. I want to go larger though so I can also install an inverter and have AC available on outside of box as well. I am planning on using two deep cycle marine batteries that are already on my system So my box is going to be semi portable. Really liked the quick connect for the solar panels. If I ever get around to building it I'll send you some pics.

[@MattLesak]

Thanks for the feedback and I've seen others place components on the lid as well. Good luck with your build and look forward to the pics.

[@bradleyjohnson452]

What a great little project and well thought out. Have you considered the ability to expand or add additional battery ammo boxes to the solar generator? For many applications this would be sufficient, however camping or ham radio use it would be nice to add additional batteries. Thanks for sharing your research with us.

[@MattLesak]

Bradley Johnson Thanks for the feedback! Expanding this wouldn't be difficult. You could add another Powerlet socket/plug and connect it to another 12V battery. Building out another ammo box with just the battery and Powerlet socket would be easy enough to do. For me, if I wanted more capacity, I would build something bigger all together which I plan on doing this summer/fall. I have some ideas and look forward to sharing. That's the beauty of this concept, you can scale up/down. I sized the panel to charge the unit in under 3 hours and keep in mind, you can discharge while charging the battery with this controller and most solar charge controllers.

[@bradleyjohnson452]

***** Very good information. I think I am going to build the first one based on your ideas. I agree with you in that many of the videos look scary. Looking forward to seeing your next project. Have you been able to locate a good reference for what this will charge/power and for how long. I think I might a separate socket for a trickle charger. Keep up the great work.

[@MattLesak]

Bradley Johnson The simplest way to figure out capacity is to convert everything to watts. In this configuration, it's a 12V 12A battery which equals 144W of total power (under ideal conditions, etc.). I invested in a USB voltmeter and a kilowatt meter (both devices available on Amazon and plenty of reviews to research). Anything I plug into this generator I measure so I can ballpark power consumption. For example, if my phone draws 1A @ 5V = 5W. If I continue to draw that much power, that battery (in theory) should last 28.8 hours. Would it draw that much power in real life? No. It would reach a full charge and drop down to a smaller Amp draw (I've seen it go .1 or .2A). The tricky part is there's so many variables involved and measuring consumption, in my option, is the best way to determine how long a battery will support your use case(s).

[@MattLesak]

By the way, you would never fully discharge the battery, so my 28.8 hours isn't realistic. Since you don't want to discharge more then 50%, you would get 14.4 hours. Same goes for total power calculation. 144W is if you drained every last electron out of the battery. Again, take 50%, so 72W is realistic. I'm using 50% discharge since you want to prolong the battery as much as possible. The charge controller cuts you off @ 11.5V to prevent over discharging the battery and causing damage. Hope this helps.

[@Antno]

NICE you use the same brand as my charge controller my charge controller is a 20L

[@TheTekSone]

I like this, I will look through your updated videos as well. If I like will you build me one? With all of the examples I've see on KZbin, I just got exhausted. I like yours the best, it is simple. I just need a small portable one for small items like iPhone, iPad, Ham radio, USB lights, etc.

[@MattLesak]

+TheTeksone Thank you! This build is perfect for what you described.

[@TheTekSone]

Which would be better for me? This one or the LiFePO4 one? How do I PM you?

[@jrward7060]

I like this portable power device as a neat project. But one thing that seems overlooked is that in a power outage situation, you can perform all of these functions in your car for about $25. Or am I missing something?

[@MattLesak]

+JR Ward Sure you could but portable plus renewable was the one of the main objectives.

[@brandonwhitehead2444]

Can you use the powerlet socket to charge it off of a wall charger? I guess using it as a battery tender when you are not charging it with a solar panel?

[@MattLesak]

+Brandon Whitehead You could if you wired it directly to the battery. In this case, I have it wired to the controller for the solar input.

[@brandonwhitehead2444]

Thanks for the reply! Looks like I might install two of them. Nice build!

[@MattLesak]

+Brandon Whitehead You’re welcome and thank you for the feedback!

[@johnweber8677]

Nice video - nice design. Keep 'em coming.

[@rodneyroden7002]

Wow! What a great build. Really well done! How about making as an add-on to this unit a box #2 (and perhaps even box #3) of additional batteries wired in parallel?

[@MattLesak]

rodney roden I plan on making one to showcase how to do it. Bradley Johnson asked me about this a few months ago (see comments) and I'll add it to my list. I'm thinking the best way to wire this up would be to connect an additional Powerlet plug directly to the battery terminals on the charge controller. This way, you could still leverage the switch and fuse. Once the Powerlet plug is in place, you could create a double male Powerlet socket and connect it to a second unit. From there, you could expand to whatever fits your needs. Another option would be to approach this from a modular fashion. Remove the battery all together from the first unit so it's just the controller and whatever load outs you need. Mount the charge controller in the same fashion as I secured the battery, and then connect whatever 12V battery you want that will fit your needs in a second box. Sounds like another item to add to my list ;-)

[@kcarmical]

Great work! I just discovered your channel, so now I have to go and see how your Li-Fe version turned out. :-)

[@MattLesak]

+Kevin Carmical Thank you! Let me know if you have any questions after watching the other videos. Very happy with the LiFePO4 setup.

[@remiakinremi2898]

I surely like this, have one like yours but difficult to wire it together. I saw some connectors and would like to use them too. If you can in touch will send a picture of it to you. Thanks.

[@MattLesak]

Remi Akinremi Check out my other videos. I have a wiring diagram posted as well in one of the links.

[@SamBeyers]

Hey Matt, checked out your video a few weeks back, nice job!

[@MattLesak]

Thanks Sam! More to come as time permits!

[@golferbird1975]

Great job! Full of a ton of information.

[@MattLesak]

Thank you!

[@Not_Sure_]

This container is so small. And the battery capacity is also small. It's really light weight.

[@anthonymarino4260]

always learning

[@adriannyasia]

Good man and good presentation!

[@MattLesak]

+adriannyasia Thank you!

[@potc420]

If you build a big one definitely use a mppt charge controller

[@MattLesak]

Check out my newer videos. I changed several components and MPPT was one of them.

[@potc420]

Nice!! It's great that mppt controllers are coming down in price more and more very rapidly. You are definitely correct when you said do your research. I'm still in the process of building a fully off grid home. I started small scale just in a camper for a summer to see how feasible it would be. Then for months and months (winter) all I did in my spare time was read and research solar and battery technology. Once I thought I knew it all I went back and read it all again! There is definitely a ton of incorrect info floating around. I've even talked to solar suppliers that don't actually understand the mppt controllers

[@MattLesak]

Very true on many levels. Good luck on your build out and hopefully you can share your results!

[@timm1139]

Well done.

[@MattLesak]

Tim M Thanks Tim!

[@ShanLiuGBM]

how about lithium?

[@MattLesak]

Shan Liu That's what I'm working for the next project. Stay tuned and looking forward to sharing with everyone.

[@MattLesak]

+Shan Liu I just posted a wiring diagram with my updated build. goo.gl/WsFrjb Video coming shortly

[@nelxonmiranda]

I don't c the generator eh. Where's the gas go? Where's the engine?

[@GUSS34]

Gut...

[@johnrossSorbie]

why you teach the people how to make it.

[@MattLesak]

Why should I not?

[@blaspaulonicolas8538]

you talk too much...

[@MattLesak]

The mute option does wonders to address this issue...