When free camping I would want to run a light, maybe a TV (not necessary), a laptop and that's about it.
cheers
ellen
bill12 said
05:16 AM Sep 2, 2011
I have the 80w version and can say that they are reasonably good with some reservations. 1.They don,t give out the watts they advertise. My 80 w version gives out 4.5 amps which is about 60 watts in full sunlight.2.They take forever to deliver. Mine too. 3 1/2 week to come from down south.The regulator seems good,and they are study for the price. I hope this helps you.Bill
oldtrack123 said
10:11 AM Sep 2, 2011
bill12 wrote:
I have the 80w version and can say that they are reasonably good with some reservations. 1.They don,t give out the watts they advertise. My 80 w version gives out 4.5 amps which is about 60 watts in full sunlight.2.They take forever to deliver. Mine too. 3 1/2 week to come from down south.The regulator seems good,and they are study for the price. I hope this helps you.Bill
Hi Bill
That is true of all solar panels
It is tied up with the standard method of rating them @ around 17v
80/17 =4.7amps
Peter
-- Edited by oldtrack123 on Friday 2nd of September 2011 10:11:51 AM
justcruisin01 said
11:26 AM Sep 2, 2011
Many of the ready to go units have very cheap regulators & wiring, which will reduce the output of the unit.
It is often cheaper to buy the pannel , A good reg & wire & assemble it your self.
I have personally had this experience with the ready to go units before I learnt a bit about them, had to rewire & fot reg, Now better than the original specified figures.
oldtrack123 said
11:44 AM Sep 2, 2011
justcruisin01 wrote:
Many of the ready to go units have very cheap regulators & wiring, which will reduce the output of the unit.
It is often cheaper to buy the pannel , A good reg & wire & assemble it your self.
I have personally had this experience with the ready to go units before I learnt a bit about them, had to rewire & fot reg, Now better than the original specified figures.
HI
While I agree that the regs & wiring leave much to be desired the max current is set @ the peak power point for the type of panel
For standard 36cell panels this PPP is around17v
80watts divided by 17v =4.7amps
Many panels sold on Ebay are not 36cell panels & will not charge a battery very well due to low output voltage
Peter
Mr Red said
01:37 PM Sep 2, 2011
Hi,
If you go to this web page Kulkyne.com.au and look at their 120w Solar Kit i would find this to a reasonable kit ????.
Of course it is only my opinion,may be a bit more to buy. You know what they say is you get what you pay for.
Mr Red.
davkar said
09:34 PM Sep 2, 2011
Yes we brought one off the same bloke at ebay and could not be happier with it, works great. Regards
Elle on Wheels said
10:31 PM Sep 2, 2011
Thanks all - my head starts to spin with the tech details no matter how much i revisit. But it sounds like this might be an ok investment. I'm thinking of just getting a folding panel and a couple of batteries rather than wiring everything up as it's all transferable to another van if I make a bad choice with my first van.
There is so much out there it's hard to know what's reasonable or not which is why this forum is so great. cheers ellen
03_troopy said
01:06 PM Sep 23, 2011
Mr Red wrote:
Hi,
If you go to this web page Kulkyne.com.au and look at their 120w Solar Kit i would find this to a reasonable kit ????.
Of course it is only my opinion,may be a bit more to buy. You know what they say is you get what you pay for.
Mr Red.
Sometimes you pay a lot more for what you get than what you should too though.
Happywanderer said
07:48 PM Sep 23, 2011
When I was camped at Greens Lake last week, the people in the bus just up the way from me had a portable solar panel standing on the ground at the edge of the awning. Seemed to be doing the job adequately, he was watching the motor racing on a TV and his wife was inside doing whatever. I saw them move it around to the sun as needed. I did hear a generator going in the night as well though so not really giving you any positive info there.
Ma said
09:21 PM Sep 23, 2011
We have just used our solar panels for two weeks straight without recharging from the car. We were camped in the same place for that time.
Just moved them around to catch the sun........no problems whatsoever. They are 120w
PeterD said
11:28 PM Sep 23, 2011
The Kulkyne kits may look a little pricey but they do come with a Plasmatronics controller. That would add considerably to the price, you are looking at $430 compared to a less than $50 toy from Evilbay.
If you have a kit with one of the block regulators stuck to the panel, shifting it to the other end of the supply lead will increase the efficiency significantly. Any voltage drop between the regulator and the battery will reduce the charge voltage at the battery terminals. This will reduce the current the battery will accept. It is better to have any voltage drop between the panel and regulator, that way you will get a higher battery charge voltage.
03_troopy said
01:28 PM Sep 26, 2011
PeterD wrote:
The Kulkyne kits may look a little pricey but they do come with a Plasmatronics controller. That would add considerably to the price, you are looking at $430 compared to a less than $50 toy from Evilbay.
If you have a kit with one of the block regulators stuck to the panel, shifting it to the other end of the supply lead will increase the efficiency significantly. Any voltage drop between the regulator and the battery will reduce the charge voltage at the battery terminals. This will reduce the current the battery will accept. It is better to have any voltage drop between the panel and regulator, that way you will get a higher battery charge voltage.
Peter, the price you are suggesting for the regulator seems a bit high. Not sure if it's the same as the one Kulkyne use (They don't give a model number), but this 10A 12V Plasmatronic Controller is only $90.00.
Hi All
just wondering if you had any opinions about this product -
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/160W-FOLDING-SOLAR-PANEL-KIT-Camping-Caravan-Generator-/280649448815?pt=AU_Solar&hash=item415802bd6f
It seems like a really good price.
When free camping I would want to run a light, maybe a TV (not necessary), a laptop and that's about it.
cheers
ellen
Hi Bill
That is true of all solar panels
It is tied up with the standard method of rating them @ around 17v
80/17 =4.7amps
Peter
-- Edited by oldtrack123 on Friday 2nd of September 2011 10:11:51 AM
Many of the ready to go units have very cheap regulators & wiring, which will reduce the output of the unit.
It is often cheaper to buy the pannel , A good reg & wire & assemble it your self.
I have personally had this experience with the ready to go units before I learnt a bit about them, had to rewire & fot reg, Now better than the original specified figures.
HI
While I agree that the regs & wiring leave much to be desired the max current is set @ the peak power point for the type of panel
For standard 36cell panels this PPP is around17v
80watts divided by 17v =4.7amps
Many panels sold on Ebay are not 36cell panels & will not charge a battery very well due to low output voltage
Peter
Hi,
If you go to this web page Kulkyne.com.au and look at their 120w Solar Kit i would find this to a reasonable kit ????.
Of course it is only my opinion,may be a bit more to buy. You know what they say is you get what you pay for.
Mr Red.
Regards
There is so much out there it's hard to know what's reasonable or not which is why this forum is so great.
cheers
ellen
Sometimes you pay a lot more for what you get than what you should too though.
I saw them move it around to the sun as needed. I did hear a generator going in the night as well though so not really giving you any positive info there.
We have just used our solar panels for two weeks straight without recharging from the car. We were camped in the same place for that time.
Just moved them around to catch the sun........no problems whatsoever. They are 120w
If you have a kit with one of the block regulators stuck to the panel, shifting it to the other end of the supply lead will increase the efficiency significantly. Any voltage drop between the regulator and the battery will reduce the charge voltage at the battery terminals. This will reduce the current the battery will accept. It is better to have any voltage drop between the panel and regulator, that way you will get a higher battery charge voltage.
Peter, the price you are suggesting for the regulator seems a bit high. Not sure if it's the same as the one Kulkyne use (They don't give a model number), but this 10A 12V Plasmatronic Controller is only $90.00.
https://www.whitworths.com.au/main_itemdetail.asp?cat=123&item=80138&intAbsolutePage=1
under $80 here http://creativepumps.com.au/zpumps/plasmatronics/plasmatronics_solar_regulator.htm
$75 here https://www.planetearthsolar.com.au/show_prod.php?class_id=regplas&prod_id=pr1210
-- Edited by 03_troopy on Monday 26th of September 2011 01:39:30 PM