Solar Panel, SuperCapacitors and a Buck/Boost

One of those fun days messing around with a solar panel, supercapacitors and a buck/boost converter :)

[@JerryEricsson]

As I watch this, it comes to mind, doesn't take much to entertain you but then I realize I just sat here and watched this video without once being bored. Great videos by the way, and thanks a million for putting them up. I always maintain that the way to keep one's mind active and young is to try and learn one new thing every day. Thanks again for keeping my mind young.

[@bwack]

Hi. Disable the automatic power-off feature on your DMM. from the manual: "To disable the automatic power-off feature, press and hold down any button while rotating the mode selection dial from OFF position." Similar with my Fluke (press Hold when powering on the unit to disable power-off feature).

[@JulianIlett]

Thanks for that - I didn't know that was a feature - RTFM I guess :)

[@bwack]

Julian Ilett I'm happy it helped :)

[@Traderhood]

Felt at times like watching a hockey game. The blue capacitor led light coming on, no wait a minute it just turned off again, and there it is again. Yes, yes it is on as another 2 lights are coming on ... goooooooal. 3 led lights on!!! What a day this has been. :-) (keep up good work. It was fun as I learned something from you)

[@JamesLewis]

Perhaps use another buck/boost circuit, with the Under Volt (UV) pot set to the Vmp of the solar panel, so that you can control the solar panel voltage... and then you can set the output voltage to the desired value for the supercapacitors... this would mean you would regulate the input voltage to the Vmp of the solar panel and get much more power.

[@robhobbo8669]

I was thinking the same thing. I haven't a clue about this sort of thing but I would love to see if it worked.

[@himselfe]

Now to build yourself a sun tracking solar panel rig. Maximum solar tracking and MPPT for all the maximum.

[@daniellapain1576]

Been testing these concepts in my solar setup. The batteries are working alongside ultra capacitors. The results are great but now I have the idea that if I grab another ultra capacitor bank then I should place it between the mppt controller and the solar panels. The effect I think will happen is that the excess power that the mppt controller usually ignores when charging the batteries will be stored until the mppt controller can make use of it. Capacitors can handle this load much better than batteries can so long as the rating of voltage is above what the solar panels can produce. Capacitors are strange when it comes to this. Logic says it should keep filling up but they never go past the highest voltage produced.

[@spikeydapikey1483]

The joy of solar projects in the UK :oD

[@jamesthomson7634]

We really need science to figure out rain power already.

[@vylbird8014]

I did run the calculations to determine how much power could be extracted from a micro-turbine on my house drainpipe. Not a lot.

[@davey2k12]

Spikey DaPikey yeh if ya cud catch a square mile of rain and pipe it a mile straight down to blast a turbine then we cud talk rain power lol ......other than that it's already been dun with dams lol water power

[@davey2k12]

Vyl Bird make ya drain pipe store water like a capacitor stores energy then make a turbine not a micro crap

[@ArcanePath360]

@@vylbird8014 Lol, yeah I saw them for sale on ebay once. I did laugh.

[@ErnestDuarte]

Great video fun to watch. At one point in the video your super capacitors where discharging once the sun went away. I believe that not the buck/boost drawing current but the solar panel it self. If you hook a solar panel unmanaged, directly to a battery it will charge during the day and discharge the battery at night. I would try adding a diode between the panel and the capacitor bank so when the panel voltage matches the capacitor voltage the current cannot flow backwards. IMO

[@trif55]

I just commented on another video with the same question but looking at this one it definitely looks like it limits the current output as the input voltage limit kicks in rather than a hard shutdown! (which means it can be used to keep a solar panel near it's peak power point, in this case 16v and then charge the super capacitors faster! :-) )

[@deslomeslager]

Julian, just a week ago I received a couple of mppt dc2dc circuits (from Ali). You can set (limit) the output voltage, output current, and as well set the maximum voltage of your solar panel. I did this with a test set of 3 panels of each 10 Volts which had a maximum voltage up to 31 Volt. But I got less power using it that way (up to 10 Watt at say 12 Volt). As I now use the mppt converter, I can set it at its maximum PP at 24.x Volt. Now the power out goes up to (and above) 20 Watts! Also note that using this circuit on your capacitor bank will also work great. The circuit is max 5A (in or out), so at low capacitor voltages the current will go up, up to the maximum of 5A, and this happens at the mppt as well, so it is a win-win situation. Note 2: Ali sells those with and without a meter on it.The meter is attached with a connector so to reduce load you can take it off. I had the luck that delivery was fast (10 days), bought it at shop 'module sky' described as 'MPPT Solar Controller Solar Panel 5A Step-down Constant Current Voltage Module', and it cost me only 4 euros in total (4.30 USD, the one without a meter, which I would recommend). I do buy them one at a piece, to have free shipping.

[@jimthvac100]

If you hook up the solar panel to a second buck boost converter input and adjust its MPPT pot to 17.5 volts and the output charging the Supercapacitors Then the solar panel will never drop below 17.5 volts and be able to generator power at maxim output (depending on how much sun you have of course) This would help when the capacitors are at a low discharge state and they wont pull down the solar panel voltage below 17.5 volts. I am sure you figured this out later though.

[@pauls0416]

I cycle my (solar charged) lead-acid batteries daily, using the power in the evening to run/charge my computer and phone and power some lights. Even though I'm not letting the batteries drop to a very low voltage, I know the life of my batteries is diminishing. It's inevitable. I really wish a super capacitor bank (of equivalent watt-hours) was not ridiculously expensive. I'm obsessed with the idea of things lasting "forever". What you're demonstrating is a small-scale representation of my dream :)

[@dougle03]

LFP will get you somewhat there albeit with a cost, but they have great cycles in them and should last about 10-14 years with daily cycling...

[@jarrellestes1793]

Great video! I really like your show!

[@nickpelov]

I've got one of these supercap banks. They get to 2.85V and leds don't help much - some of the caps still reach more than 2.7V even I started all from 0. I ordered undervoltage reset chips for 2.63V to try and replace the built in balance chips

[@keeweeros]

Hi, I was wondering if the converter used in this Demo is a SEPIC converter?, If not what's the difference between "Buck/Boost" & SEPIC, Thanks a million

[@milvolts1]

Good morning and thanks for video. I have a 16.8v lithium battery and would like to power up a device that needs 18v and 2 amp max. How can I achieve that with a boost converter?

[@CykasAppleTV]

Julian, nice one. Another VIDEO IDEA, since you like solar power subject: "Solar power for beginners - basic solutions review." There is a lot of scattered information everywhere about solar power, but would be nice to have a simple overview of various size solutions. E.g. Low power solar system, with 2-3 18650; mid size system with maybe small 12 v and larger power with regular acid 12 batt. What controllers would you use, what size of solar panels would you use; options to connect the load etc. Can the theoretical only. E.g. Walk through what's on eBay and can be built with it. Just a thought.

[@andrewtitcombe8378]

Had a play with this with a cheap MPPT circuit to Super caps. that then go through a lipo charger to charge a small lipo and then a buck converter to 5v usb output.. This was a prototype to power an ESP32 Lora. Found that the circuits involved just did not create enough power to sustain the ESP32 during the night. Upscaling the panel. Would mean upscaling the MPPT module etc. Which then increased cost to the point it would be just better use a larger panel and a MPPT into a lead acid to a 12v to 5 volt buck converter. With that scale the esp32 project was no longer discrete in size.

[@ArcanePath360]

Is it possible to put a small solar panel on a buck converter set to 3.5v and hook up to 2 AAA rechargable batteries? I'm hoping I can keep an outdoor water timer from having dead batteries.

[@amicklich6729]

Thanks for the video. Your solar videos have inspired me to get into solar electronics : )

[@stewartcaldwell5299]

Julian, Very useful info. Thanks very much.

[@Slider2732]

Enjoyable stuff :) Hmm, the supercap LED's light up then seem to be replaced by others reaching their threshold...you could make switching logic gates out of that, for animated indoor viewing of sun conditions if it used

[@christiankulmann3325]

My 660Wp SunTracer Solar Tracker ➡️ kzbin.info/www/bejne/jmHPnox8rLSkabc Powercap Supercaps 36× 500F Accu Battery 2,7V Farad ➡️ kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5m2lGp4n8Sih80

[@milkparker4479]

why didnt you disconnect the converter from the caps so it could charge faster

[@kalamatagames2631]

Milk Parker omg that capasitors need at least 30A to charge fast that panel make 1A

[@slucas601]

it appears to be of some importance the angle of the solar panel to the rays coming from the sun. Are there devices that manipulate the mounting angle of the panel to maximize the power collected?

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

That thing you where working on yesterday could be turned into a radio receiver where the VCO operates at 4 times wanted frequency which drives the Quadrature output and one lead tapped onto one output would go back to Fin on the PLL which drives a Quadrature Sampling Detector circuit which gives I and Q would drive a AF phasing array which would drive a power amp to drive a loudspeaker and allow you to listen to the LW or MW Broadcasting band, of course the QSD needs a balanced feed and a BALUN will work for that but you will somehow have to find a way to connect to the connection on the coax side. I know that this is off topic but but would make an interesting project.

[@das250250]

I suspect when the voltage stalled at 4.4 v the buck converter kicked in and started to absorb power , taking away from the charge situation.

[@tupai62]

this buck/boost converter can use as solar charge controller for SLA 6v battery?. is it has battrry overcharge protection?

[@princedemiterios2488]

What a system perfectly explained wondering where to purchase the supercapacitors charger bank ??or any schematics? All the best.

[@Putzerlblade]

Have you done a reverse engineering video on this charger board? Which parts does it use? Thanks.

[@captainprototype187]

I bought 2 small hobbby panels. They cant even run a 3v motor. Any Idea what I can use em for?

[@markflack9191]

Another great fun video. I also enjoy playing with solar, i have a small garden workshop, the shed, totally solar powered, I have lights a radio and a 12v soldering iron, so i can work away and use no mains power at all.

[@paulsengupta971]

The problem with the Mediterranean workshop idea is that for most of us here, we're relying on your UK experiments to try and find things which work for us in our, well, changeable environment. The fun isn't making something easy work, it's making something difficult work!

[@LEO-xo9cz]

So you are powering the bank which is powering the converter? What would happen if the output charged the bank?

[@deangreenhough3479]

This is a very interesting subject, I hope you and Adam both give it a shot🙏

Julian can you explain how this protection circuit works and how to create something similar by yourself.

[@nightmareinaction629]

Uroš Golob he already did

[@marekl8805]

Nice system Julian. Just need to find some practical usage for it. I can imagine a bathroom lighting system? Maybe replacing the bulb with some cre leds?

[@TheDefpom]

I have 700w of solar panels on the roof of my motorhome, as they are flat they only get up to about 550w in summer in full sun, in NZ, which has the sun a little higher in the sky.

[@independentliving252]

If I remember right. That supercap bank isn't all that high in farads. However, if you have a charger connected to it then you could wire in a GTI on the backend. I know a bloke I have been watching for years. he is using 10 banks of what I think is around 400F per cap. Even if you didn't want to do that. You could setup a bank to run experiments. SuperCaps have low leakage for a cap. Well, I need to get back to sorting out Arduinos as am picking up Muffet. I'll box up the prototype when ever I can. The parts for the initial setup must be on a dingy coming from China.

[@valveman12]

Julian there is a fellow selling a capacitor board with LEDs to indicate charging. If you are interested search Lasersaber. He has a store where he sells the board. I purchased the board and put on some high quality caps and it works well.

[@renxula]

How do those supercap protection circuits operate, do they just drain the caps into the resistors? Does the current happen to be just right to light those LEDs too?

[@JulianIlett]

The voltage (2.7v) is just right to light the LEDs

[@MyIronman8]

That's why you use a blocking diode so voltage goes in and not the other way around

[@juhanasiren6824]

Out of curiosity, what would it do if the buck/boost converter was between the panel and the capacitor bank, and the load was connected directly to the capacitors?

[@OTuit]

Great fun! I have one of those panels. Keeps my lawn mower battery charged. But I've had to order a solar controller because of you! Heehee!

[@wrongsideof40]

V interesting, as usual. But what is the alien life form that appears between the patio slabs at 3'01"?

[@fergal33]

Is this set up acting as a crude MPP converter for a connecting a pv panel to a fixed load? As I understand it, the capacitor bank is scaled so that it's maximum charge corresponds to the Vmp of the your panel. Does this mean the panel outputs near its Vmp when the capacitor bank is full (regardless of the irradiance)? Really enjoy your vids!

[@christopherwarren8518]

Very interesting you are useing a buck converter to maintain the op voltage. How long will the supercapacitors last workout the solar panel?

[@stonersmurfstonersmurf3244]

Could u use a boost convertor to charge your battery bank? Or would it be better to put it after battery bank ?

[@josephf151]

Great video, and now I want to do that. we have two 100W solar panels sitting around at school which I am trying to get to run a lead acid battery power bank. With ultra capacitors being so cheap, I should have considered some of those. The current system is 480Wh.

[@mit4601]

hi julian.. Got a question for you... I wanted to charge my 12v battery and I'm boosting 12v to 16v & then using a cc-cv converter I'm droping it back to 13.5v but can't charge it completely can u help me with this.. I'm using a pc smps as power supply.

[@StickyBit7777]

Amit 7805 I believe the charging voltage for a 12v lead-acid battery is 14.4v

[@mit4601]

Chuck Stickelman thank you for your reply... I'll pump it up to 14.4v today....

[@JanRasmussen]

A Solar panel related question: How would you maximise the wattage output on the solar panel? Would putting a buck/boost converter directly on the solar panel (before the super cap bank) allow the panel to output more watts as it would not be pulled down in voltage as hard as if it is connected directly to the super cap bank? The panel in the video has it's max wattage written at a given voltage. Is there any way to calculate the max voltage for max watt output from nominal wattage and open circuit max? Thank You again for the awesome videos! Jan Rasmussen

[@babylonfive]

Yea, that's what a Max Power Point (MPPT) converter *does* -- it limits the current so that the panel generates max power, and not necessarily max current or voltage. Google MPPT Controller to get a look at this technology and how it does what you asked. Solar Panel detailed specs do include the OCV (open circuit voltage) as well as other indicators of the power output at various non-MPPT loads. Julian has done several vids about his various MPPT adventures, including a product he designed and manufactured.

[@vader0ne]

Where did you get the cap banks and the limet board?

[@NamacilHDx]

there is also a way batteriesor supercaps discharge thorugh the solar panel i got a 4s lion batpack and i put a diode inbetween both even do its not that efficent

[@linksmith1057]

Where could one find that kind of DVM? I've searched and been unable to find them anywhere/

[@SolarizeYourLife]

Shouldn't that capacity Bank be about 20 farad? 120 divided 6... Anyways, I want to use supercapacitors with the solar panel because while travelling with the solar panel, it will get lots of shading and I want to have a consistent voltage for charging USB output...

[@mosfet500]

It looks like the caps discharge into the panel when the panel voltage drops below the cap voltage. Is there a schottky diode in the line to prevent this? Rob

[@oudotcom]

Well done Julien. Where do we get this supercap protection circuit ?

[@BeezyKing99]

overunitydotcom look on fleabay. Aka EBay.... that’s where he gets his stuff. Geez.

[@Valenorious]

Hhm, seems like hooking up te dc-dc converter between solar panel and capacitorbank as a Mppt converter (where 'm' means 'manual' ;) ) would charge it quicker.

[@JulianIlett]

Yes, it would, because that would increase the current.

[@jyvben1520]

does the the dmm not need a lead acid battery ?

[@TheDefpom]

You should only expect about 75% of its stated wattage, you will do a lot better if you tilt the panel towards the sun.

[@ukmateo]

Hi Julian, A quick question for you if I may. Would you be able to construct same circuit but with normal capacitors? I would love to see it working with all the protection etc. Thanks for your effort!

[@kokopelli314]

Lasersaber did this with a large supercap bank to run a skill saw

[@JulianIlett]

I've been meaning to watch that - I'll do it now :)

[@AverageJoe2020]

Is there a diode to stop the caps back-feeding the solar panel

[@JulianIlett]

+Average Joe I'm pretty sure the solar panel has a diode inside.

[@daveluxton8317]

the cheaper panels sometimes don't have a diode.

[@immrnoidall]

please help me find a cheap charge controller for my 24 volt unisolar ,144 watt panel,to charge my 24 volt ,109 amp hour battery. the panel can go up to 42 volts. i keep getting controllers that say MPPT but then find they won't convert voltage higher than the battery used. i'm getting tired of paying to ship back things sellers lie about.

[@RoyvanLierop]

Maybe the solar panel itself is draining the supercapacitor. Have a look at Ideal Diodes to place in the connection.

[@TrungTran-hw7ws]

Love your video, keep up your good work. I also have a question. If I want to charge a lead-acid battery with a lab bench power supply with the LTC3780, what should I do with the fall left TRIM POT? Thank you

[@multimargejta123]

Did you maybe calculate the efficiency of that converter?

[@TheSlinq]

If you put a lead acid battery in parallel with the supercap bank you could keep your voltage closer to the maximum power point, I guess the disadvantage would be that you're only using the top end of the supercap charge capacity. Is this a crazy idea or a good one? I'm not really sure..

[@JulianIlett]

The crazy ideas ARE the good ones :)

[@ronalddhs3726]

Another great video.

[@JulianIlett]

Thanks :)

[@alexutzzzu123456]

Hello and sorry for this question, but where could I get that specific model of buck/boost converter I mean which model is it?

[@JulianIlett]

just search for LTC3780

[@alexutzzzu123456]

Julian Ilett Thank you , but on ebay its showing me the exactly that you use in this video is only buck , exactly the same coil and arrangements on board, but the others one is what I am looking

[@mit4601]

alexutzzzu123456 maybe you should check it on bangood..

[@JulianIlett]

Not sure what you mean.

[@michaeltempsch5282]

If you're using a 'national' ebay, like ebay.de or ebay.ca instead of ebay.com, try using the .com version - lots of listings with LTC3780 step up / down in the description when I just now searched.

[@John-gm8ty]

Imagine what fun you could have here in sunny Queensland Julien! soo much sunlight. SOOOOO much UV too ha. would you like to start burning in under three mins? inquire within. (never mind the snakes and spiders, they don't eat much)

[@realflow100]

I have a 20W solar panel. and a 100W solar panel. I think my 20W solar panel is perfect for something like this.

[@mikemotorbike4283]

you can put a white board, tin foil or what 'ave you around the solar panel to reflect more light onto it. or a giant lens suspended 6 feet above haha

[@tecter100]

So are you just essentially using the caps as a buffer, enabling you to run direct from Solar without voltage fluctuations? - Thanks for the vid!

[@jimekus]

I came back late to this thread looking for just the thing. From another learning project, 2x 1.5 watt direct input tiny 12V panels.don't put out enough voltage to trickle into my SUSUKI GSX1250FA until the new Bike Alarm drains the starter battery below 12.1V, by which time it's too late to find some sun. Whilst I'm keeping an eye on the voltage and riding more than usual, the buffer in my case would not need to be continuous, but spit balloon charges into my lead acid battery, said capacitor staying concentrated untill needed, unlike a leaky cistern loss into the confluence. Tomorrow's job is disconnecting from my car and separately battery powering, an unused 12v bluetooth relay, then enabling its Windows 10 Task Scheduler to stop the loss of power between this buck/boost and the capacitor. Anything bigger and I'll need an outdoor carpenter to design and get approved portable framing in front of my bike to support a 20W solar panel tracker and hang a waterproof electrical cabinet off a wedged-off hurricane fence area outside the sidewalk!

[@bengmo64]

Are those tile boxes you have the electronics resting on?

[@LemoUtan]

Maybe use it to power the multimeter?

[@CarterColeisInfamous]

any place to get the super capacitor board?

[@CarterColeisInfamous]

umm have you seen the quality of search results? and i meant in an economic type sense like "can i buy that?"

[@BoomBrush]

Fun project: Could you use your supercapacitor bank with the solar panel to collect energy reflected during the night from the moons surface and light up an LED briefly?

[@JulianIlett]

No :)

[@BoomBrush]

I saw this done on a Cody'sLab video, I thought it would be pretty interesting. Impractical, but interesting.

[@ThatGuy-nv2wo]

That would not be efficient, doubt it'd work at all

[@ufohunter3688]

I have done this exact thing by using a tuned jewel thief. I can charge a 1.2v NiCad battery at about 50uA in starlight and about 100uA in full moonlight. used a 1 watt monocrystalline solar cell. When I have money to through away, I want to try it with a 120 watt panel and see what I get. Easy enough to by pass the jewel thief after the voltage on the panel passes a set threshold. In my case its set to 1.4v.

[@MaxMax-dq1lu]

UFOhunter ... U used a mono cell with no magnifying or tracking? Which way did u point it? Flat, vertical, angled? What was the cells specification Vmax, Imax? How long did it take 2 charge the cell? Please help as I would like 2 recreate your results 2 show others. Thanks.

[@moltam99]

That exact same buck/boost died in my setup one month in.. wasn't too happy :/

[@paulstaf]

How about some links to where you got the super cap bank?

[@-yeme-]

theyre from ebay, search "super capacitor module". also if you look through past uploads on the channel you'll find a couple more videos about it

[@MultiMikim]

For a second I was confused as to why the solar panel was acting so strange. "Weird.. Mine works consistently and it's garbage I got from Harbor Freight" but then I noticed the accent and I was like 'Oooh, because he's not in the desert here in the US. Right.' Keep forgetting you guys don't get any sun out there. So little that you guys wrote one of the best songs about sunshine ever. Brb, listening to Mr. Blue Sky.

[@JulianIlett]

lol :)

[@AdamWelchUK]

Interesting little experiment. I've all the bits here to replicate, but my smallest solar panel capable of 16v plus is 10 watts. Thought about buying some properly rated (assuming those ones aren't) super caps and building your own management circuit? You might find once it's up and running it holds more charge for the cloudy bits.

[@JulianIlett]

I just ordered a 6x 500F supercap board - that has 4x 10ohm resistors in parallel per capacitor, so it can probably work with a 10W panel. I'm kinda hoping Robert Murray-Smith will invent some weird-ass battery/capacitor hybrid using hemp and hand cream that will make all our lithium cells obsolete ;) P.S. I bought that MPPT you were showing the other day :)

[@AdamWelchUK]

Thanks for the tip, I've just subscribed to his channel - looks interesting. Hope the charge controller arrives in time for some sun.

[@gr1f1th]

I knew it! I knew you were a Robert Murray-Smith fan! Love both of your videos!

[@packratswhatif.3990]

Hahaha ....... Julian, you are my "Sunshine" !

[@ericjackson7810]

Hi Julian, I need some advice if possible.... I have made a battery bank with x2 12v 12ah SLA batteries (In Parallel) to obtain a longer capcity. I charge most things on it, it runs my led lights, but when i plug in my phone to charge it (via a 5v usb connector), it interferes with my dab radio (also plugged in via the same usb socket as is also 5v). i was thinking that it is an unstable 12v dc supply causing the issue?? can you please give me some advice on how to resolve this, would i be right in assuming some sort of dc/dc converter to smooth out the voltage? Many Thanks in advance. Love you videos by the way. keep up the great work!

[@ericjackson7810]

I have done a bit more research and it turns out that dab signal is not very strong, and any cable running charge through it could actively "soak up" the dab signal. Would you have a workaround for this Julian?

[@JulianIlett]

How are you regulating 12v down to 5v? Switching regulators can be noisy.

[@ericjackson7810]

Hi Julian, I am leaving up to the 12v usb socket to regulate it down. see ebay item 232360867986. I also use a solar charge controller to control voltage coming out of the batteries. Is there a mudule that I can buy and plug int between the output of the batteries and the loads? Thanks Julian, much apreciated

[@ericjackson7810]

hi julian. sorry for the late reply. i am not regulating it down as such. i am using a 12v dual 7sb socket which brings the voltage down to 5v on its own. i suspect that its the cheap socket thats giving me the noise. can you recommend anything to put in my box to regulate the voltage before it gets to the 12v sockets? thank you. your help is very much appreciated. eric

[@hrnekbezucha]

Is there a way to convert the capacity in farads into amphours? Just for reference. Also, can you use super-capacitors like batteries? That's the main reason you're doing this right

[@JulianIlett]

Yes. Coulombs=Amps*seconds and also Coulombs=Farads*Volts

[@gregorykusiak5424]

Julian Ilett so farads = (Amps * seconds)/Volts In this setup, you’re looking at ~2AH

[@geoffgeoff143]

Have you done a vid on the energy available from the cap bank?

[@JulianIlett]

Planning one soon (with lots of sparks).

[@quaxk]

were those pizzas any good? :)

[@JulianIlett]

They're wall tiles :)

[@quaxk]

lol, I take they weren't so tasty then?

[@LemoUtan]

A tad hard on the teeth

[@CutterSlade001]

For how long have they been "living" in that corner?

[@Spector_NS5_RD]

jesus, do you guys ever get any sun over there? it's always dreary when you post a video. decent video though.

[@Nash4Nashville]

It's a wonder why solar is so popular there (or anywhere) for backup. So many great options out there to charge those supercaps without depending on weather conditions or daytime/nightime. Love the buck boost against the supercaps. Good thinking.

[@paulhicks9399]

I couldn't help but think about putting a screwdriver across the caps.

[@richardnanis]

6 x 2,7 = 16,2V (not 16,8) :-) Keep in mind, they are quite sensitive to overvoltage and degrade a lot! I really wouldn't go much over 16,2V together :-)

[@vk3hau]

Wow! Ryobi does multimeters.. who would of thought.

[@pleasecho2]

No diodes required?

[@kalamatagames2631]

very high capacity on capacitors you can use same watts with 2 A capacity or some type of capacitor with nF Not this with GF storage

[@BeezyKing99]

BEAT THE GAME care to explain GF vs nF?

[@enginbilgi]

Come to Konya/Turkey if you want to get the most power from sun. These days it is freezing under full sun.

[@vibasept7733]

As bayrakları as as

[@magicer83]

I love watching your videos about solar power! It has given me ideas and entertainment at the same time. I also like that you show what solar power can be used for. However ive noticed that 99% of videos on youtube goes like this "Hack" Device + battery = it works" But they rarely say how many hours/days it would last without sun.

[@j5892000]

2 .4 watts.. lol at 12 volts the hell what 12 bolt battery would that maintain

[@WIZ56575]

We have a new type of solar cell

[@battery_solar_ev]

ive had a 500F super capacitor work 5.2 amps for 4 seconds running an inverter and a 60 watt bulb the inverter shut down after 4 seconds

[@projectringan]

Voltage the capasitor? 2.7v right?

[@james10739]

Why do you even have solar panels in England

[@joinedupjon]

Ahh but if I remember my physics teacher can't you only ever get half the electrical energy used to charge an ideal capacitor back again? and isn't that worse than a lot of realistic batteries??

[@vylbird8014]

Not entirely true, though you are right in a sense. Yes, you waste half the power when charging a capacitor from a simple voltage source, but there are other ways to charge a capacitor.

[@joinedupjon]

Well I was mainly thinking about switching in the capacitors in a sequence in order to shorten the 'boot' time and increase the efficiency of the unit... probably a few things that could be done along these lines but my brain is too knackerd from work to think about it very hard I'm afraid. if it's novel obviously it would need a cute name though.