Going off grid
…a little bit
Chris Elsmore & Steve Pike
@elsmorian & @stringfellow
Purpose
http://www.flickr.com/photos/doug88888/4612035503 http://www.flickr.com/photos/88364173@N00/9331718347
EMF Camp 2012
Camping, Making, Hacking, Fire & Club Mate!
Good low power DC Photovoltaic test bed
https://www.emfcamp.orgMaking A Solar Panel?
Making A Solar Panel!
Making A Solar Panel!
Made A Solar Panel!
Charge Controller
Birds Nest Of Cables
Parts & cost
Panel:
- B-grade cells - eBay, £40
- Acrylic Offcuts - Homebase, £10
- MDF - B&Q, £15
- Battery - eBay, £80
- Charge Controller - eBay, £30
Sensing and reporting
Arduino & ACS712 Current Sensor
EMF Day 2 - Generated power
It worked!
Charged phones, torches and Macbooks, pumped up airbeds…
Nintendo64!!
Goldeneye..
Nintendo64!!
.. & Wipeout64
Current status
Water damage..
Worth it?
- Not monetarily or for longevity..
- But could be if sealing wasn't an issue
- Learnt a lot about capabilities In Real Life
- Definitely worth it as it inspired Steve…
Low effort install
Put up a solar panel?
Put up a solar panel!
Parts & cost
- Biard 100W Monocrystalline PV panel (ebay, £119)
- Numax 110AH Motorhome battery (ebay, £84)
- Victron BlueSolar 5A regulator (ebay, £28)
- Misc wires and stuff (ebay, ≈£30)
Total: ≈£260
Sensing and reporting
Sensing and reporting
&title=100W%20solar%20panel%20current&show_axis_labels=true&detailed_grid=true&scale=manual&min=0&max=5&timezone=UTC)
Hiccups
- Dodgy wiring - use a crimp and solder!
- Cables too long? MacBook Pro charging bit tricky...
Current status
You're looking at a PV-Python-Pi-powered slide deck!
Router, Pi + Arduino powered by PV :-)
Current status…
Daily use
Worth it?
???
Stuff we've powered
N64, MacBooks, iPhones, iPads, router, Pi, Airbed pump, LED lanterns, UAV battery charger…
Questions
@elsmorian | @stringfellow
http://www.elsmorian.com | http://goingoffgrid.tumblr.com