Hello all,
The name is Kevin. I am an all around diy type of person. Most of my background is in finish carpenty and my college education is in Ecology. If you need more info than that about me just ask.
I have been working on a little project that is best described as a portable 12v power bank primarily for use with small electronics. (Several children with phones & tablets, a wife who cannot live without a social media, etc). Here is the lowdown:
> 36amp hour (2 x 18ah) SLA-AGM deep cycle batteries by Mighty Max
> 20Amp max JVR TL49 PWMsolar charge controller
> 20watt 1.15 amp 12v solar panel (to be expanded to 4 panels that will be folded up and stored when not in use)
> 12v accessory outlet
> 12v/ 5v USBports 1x 1.1a and 1x 2.1a (future plans to add another of these on for multiple tablets/phones)
>400watt inverter
> SAE battery connector for 1amp trickle/ maintenance charger.
> All this is neatly contained inside a small, portable, locking plastic crate with an o-ring to prevent moisture doing damage.
>future LED 12v work light.
Now, for the most part, I tried to research and size things appropriately. Really, this is more of a "fun" project than anything serious. But as an emergency preparedness tool (72hour kit kinda thing, not long term), or entertainment (small projector) for an out door movie night, this thing has posibilities.
Where I am needing a little guidance is in wiring and safety.
The exterior wiring is taken care of. I oversized the solar panel wiring to 10awg (PV, outdoor uv resistant etc). Basically that leaves plenty of room for expanding the solar panels to about 4.60 amps if I stick with my current panel (1.15amps) and get 3 more. Or more with bigger panels (100w x 2). So now moving inside the box.
I started with simply making sure I had an inline fuse on each line:
>5amp on the solar panel line before and after the charge controler to the battery
>5amp on usb accessory
>2amp from the SAE power conector for the AC trickle charger.
>15amp for the 12 accessory socket.
> and the inverter has its own fuse in the back of the box.
>CB185-100 -Bussman 100 Amp Type III Circuit Breaker (this acts as a main switch for all loads on the batteries, simply push the little red button and it kills all loads)
*side note* The 100amp DC breaker is very overkill and really serves no purpose except as an on/off switch at this time. It was intended as protection for a 1000/1500watt inverter to prevent overloading the system. However, it wasnt until later that I learned that the most I could get out of the 2 little batteries was going to be around 18amps. Not 100. So the inverter got downgraded and the 400watt will eventually be wired more directly to the batteries via the breaker. Currently it can be plugged in to outlet for use on the 15amp fuse.
Now you may think I have this well in hand... but honestly there is a difference between knowing what I am doing and doing it RIGHT. All of these are inline fuses and frankly that makes a bit of a mess. Especially if I am going to add any extra accesory outlets or USB charging ports. I bought a 6 way blade fuse box that can be mounted for easy access and replacement specifically for accessories (the fuses before and after the charge controller will remain the same).
Feel free to critique and or berate my ignorance and unsafe practices.
Fuses are not necessarily to protect the loads or batteries they are to protect the WIRE. So what type of wire should I be using? (Yes, this is a question)
I have the batteries jumpered together parallel with 4awg wire (thick strands) to prevent resistance from high draw. But I simply bought stuff from the hardware store and it was stiff and problematic getting them to play nice. After some research I found that specific battery wire should have been used. So that will be on my "to be replaced" list.
The two inline fuses for the charge controller are on very flexible 10awg wire (possibly silicone wire?) which was much easier to connect/crimp/route. The negative wire for the same connections was just plain 10awg stranded that (again) was very stiff and obviously the wrong type of wire for my application and gave me trouble (hardware store).
The accessory stuff are wired in with what came in the boxes. I think 23gauge on the USB and 18gauge on the accessory plug (switched for 12gauge that I found lying around). I plan on getting new wire, sized to the loads and the connections, to redirect into the blade fuse box.
Can someone explain what kind of wire I should be getting for this use? I have found a lot of different types/classifications of wire such as:
>hook up
>primary
>silicone
>marine grade
>THHN/THWN (this is what I grabbed from the hardware store, obviously wrong)
Etc
Is there some types of stranded wire that will give me better conductivity than others?
One last item. What about voltage use/ variability? While I don't plan to start a car with this, should voltage drops due to usage be a concern? If I have a phone and tablet plugged in charging and someone decides to use the inverter for something, should I be adding something to filter/condition/prevent voltage irregularities and damage to whatever else is hooked up?
So, fuses? Wiring? Voltage variations? Any other helpful advice or should I put my self in a hospital ward for missing obvious safety concerns.
I can load up pics tomorrow after work and I figure this forum all out.
Thanks for your patience and taking time to actualy read this badly writen novel (thats what happens when you want details!).
Kevin
The name is Kevin. I am an all around diy type of person. Most of my background is in finish carpenty and my college education is in Ecology. If you need more info than that about me just ask.
I have been working on a little project that is best described as a portable 12v power bank primarily for use with small electronics. (Several children with phones & tablets, a wife who cannot live without a social media, etc). Here is the lowdown:
> 36amp hour (2 x 18ah) SLA-AGM deep cycle batteries by Mighty Max
> 20Amp max JVR TL49 PWMsolar charge controller
> 20watt 1.15 amp 12v solar panel (to be expanded to 4 panels that will be folded up and stored when not in use)
> 12v accessory outlet
> 12v/ 5v USBports 1x 1.1a and 1x 2.1a (future plans to add another of these on for multiple tablets/phones)
>400watt inverter
> SAE battery connector for 1amp trickle/ maintenance charger.
> All this is neatly contained inside a small, portable, locking plastic crate with an o-ring to prevent moisture doing damage.
>future LED 12v work light.
Now, for the most part, I tried to research and size things appropriately. Really, this is more of a "fun" project than anything serious. But as an emergency preparedness tool (72hour kit kinda thing, not long term), or entertainment (small projector) for an out door movie night, this thing has posibilities.
Where I am needing a little guidance is in wiring and safety.
The exterior wiring is taken care of. I oversized the solar panel wiring to 10awg (PV, outdoor uv resistant etc). Basically that leaves plenty of room for expanding the solar panels to about 4.60 amps if I stick with my current panel (1.15amps) and get 3 more. Or more with bigger panels (100w x 2). So now moving inside the box.
I started with simply making sure I had an inline fuse on each line:
>5amp on the solar panel line before and after the charge controler to the battery
>5amp on usb accessory
>2amp from the SAE power conector for the AC trickle charger.
>15amp for the 12 accessory socket.
> and the inverter has its own fuse in the back of the box.
>CB185-100 -Bussman 100 Amp Type III Circuit Breaker (this acts as a main switch for all loads on the batteries, simply push the little red button and it kills all loads)
*side note* The 100amp DC breaker is very overkill and really serves no purpose except as an on/off switch at this time. It was intended as protection for a 1000/1500watt inverter to prevent overloading the system. However, it wasnt until later that I learned that the most I could get out of the 2 little batteries was going to be around 18amps. Not 100. So the inverter got downgraded and the 400watt will eventually be wired more directly to the batteries via the breaker. Currently it can be plugged in to outlet for use on the 15amp fuse.
Now you may think I have this well in hand... but honestly there is a difference between knowing what I am doing and doing it RIGHT. All of these are inline fuses and frankly that makes a bit of a mess. Especially if I am going to add any extra accesory outlets or USB charging ports. I bought a 6 way blade fuse box that can be mounted for easy access and replacement specifically for accessories (the fuses before and after the charge controller will remain the same).
Feel free to critique and or berate my ignorance and unsafe practices.
Fuses are not necessarily to protect the loads or batteries they are to protect the WIRE. So what type of wire should I be using? (Yes, this is a question)
I have the batteries jumpered together parallel with 4awg wire (thick strands) to prevent resistance from high draw. But I simply bought stuff from the hardware store and it was stiff and problematic getting them to play nice. After some research I found that specific battery wire should have been used. So that will be on my "to be replaced" list.
The two inline fuses for the charge controller are on very flexible 10awg wire (possibly silicone wire?) which was much easier to connect/crimp/route. The negative wire for the same connections was just plain 10awg stranded that (again) was very stiff and obviously the wrong type of wire for my application and gave me trouble (hardware store).
The accessory stuff are wired in with what came in the boxes. I think 23gauge on the USB and 18gauge on the accessory plug (switched for 12gauge that I found lying around). I plan on getting new wire, sized to the loads and the connections, to redirect into the blade fuse box.
Can someone explain what kind of wire I should be getting for this use? I have found a lot of different types/classifications of wire such as:
>hook up
>primary
>silicone
>marine grade
>THHN/THWN (this is what I grabbed from the hardware store, obviously wrong)
Etc
Is there some types of stranded wire that will give me better conductivity than others?
One last item. What about voltage use/ variability? While I don't plan to start a car with this, should voltage drops due to usage be a concern? If I have a phone and tablet plugged in charging and someone decides to use the inverter for something, should I be adding something to filter/condition/prevent voltage irregularities and damage to whatever else is hooked up?
So, fuses? Wiring? Voltage variations? Any other helpful advice or should I put my self in a hospital ward for missing obvious safety concerns.
I can load up pics tomorrow after work and I figure this forum all out.
Thanks for your patience and taking time to actualy read this badly writen novel (thats what happens when you want details!).
Kevin