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OWJones

Free Power (well, after you pay for it, then it's Free!)

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I bought one of these a few months back - http://www.harborfreight.com/solar-panel-kit-45-watt-68751.html?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=3413FD&utm_source=1040 when it was on sale for $149 - it's on sale again, this time for $139, but the sale ends today (8/25/13).

 

I added the biggest deep cycle marine battery from Menards ($89) and a 410W inverter ($22) to it and it provides more than adequate power to run my computer and cutter at events.  I don't think it will keep up with constant use for an entire day, so I turn off the inverter between cuts and since I'm using a laptop, it keeps running without the need for external power.  I did have a 12V fan that I kept pointed at my dogs (it got hot those two days!) and it ran nearly constantly off the other 12V output on the charging controller, and I used the two cold cathode lamps for lighting in the evenings and still didn't kill the battery.  I had planned to buy a 2nd battery if I ever ran out, but it hasn't happened yet.

 

I used it at the What Cheer Flea Market (in What Cheer, Iowa) for two days and never ran it out of power - they were both bright, sunny days, so that helped.

 

The plastic tube frame that holds the panels is a little flimsy in my opinion - it's not meant to be moved around a whole lot, so I'll eventually need to upgrade the supports, and the charging cable that runs between the controller and the battery is small gauge wire and the clips on the battery end are cheap.  I'll eventually replace that with larger wire with real battery terminal fittings on the battery end so they don't wiggle loose when one of my dogs runs through the wires for the 89th time...

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Cool idea when you are on site somewhere that you don't have power.

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I have a friend who does wood turning at craft shows..he powers his lathe and lights with one. In fact his entire shop at home is 100% solar...and he is working to get his house off the grid too.

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The  "cool factor" is worth something ---  if this was being used to run the cutter on-site somewhere, I would add a sign specifying that my operation is Solar Powered.

 

However, it's really not solar power directly --- according to what's being offered, it seems to be a charging station for a 12v battery.

 

Thanks for bringing this setup to our attention, OW, it's very interesting.

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The  "cool factor" is worth something ---  if this was being used to run the cutter on-site somewhere, I would add a sign specifying that my operation is Solar Powered.

 

However, it's really not solar power directly --- according to what's being offered, it seems to be a charging station for a 12v battery.

 

Thanks for bringing this setup to our attention, OW, it's very interesting.

Almost all solar setups including off the grid homes use solar power to recharge battery banks. I don't think I have seen one that runs directly from solar to the end product.

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Thanks for this post and your other posts about these HF solar pans in the generator Alternatives thread OWJones.

My wife and I picked up a set a few days ago at Harbor Freight and look forward to trying them out with our new mobile setup we are putting together.

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