kelabar
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Post by kelabar on Jul 17, 2020 0:29:15 GMT 10
One thing that is never mentioned about solar panels is they weigh a bloody ton. Well, not exactly a ton but they are made of heavy duty glass and aluminium. This is good because they are difficult to break (they can fall off the top of a vehicle and still be fine, damhik) but lugging them around isn't easy. They also need special care during transport. Laying them flat either under or over other items risks damaging them. So they need special protection or to be transported upright. And the higher the wattage the bigger they are. There is never enough room in a vehicle.
The solar panel blankets look to be a lot lighter and smaller but I have never seen one.
Anyone got one? What is it made of, both the backing and the panels themselves? Are they really light?
IMO repeatedly folding something will always weaken it. How are the panels connected? Is there a chance of metal fatigue and breaking in the wiring?
I'm looking more at the higher wattage ones, around 80W minimum, but all info and experiences appreciated.
I have also seen folding solar panels that have 4 sections instead of the standard bi-fold/2 sections arrangement. Anyone got one of these? Are they easier to manage?
TIA.
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Jul 17, 2020 10:13:36 GMT 10
I bought one recently but haven’t tried it yet. I’ll get it out in the next week and have a better look at it - can’t do it right now, sorry.
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blueshoes
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Location: Regional Dan-istan
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Post by blueshoes on Jul 17, 2020 10:58:32 GMT 10
I have a 20W folding solar panel - the online spec says it weighs 550g. it feels like a flexible cardboard/thick plastic. It's only 20W so it will charge a big smartphone on a good day and that's about it, but i've had it for a few years and moved house with it twice and it's coped fine. It's 'blitzwolf' brand, and the wiring is all hidden under canvas so it's hard to see whether it's actually solid - it but it's held up pretty well so far...
the only gotcha i've found with this one is that to get max power from sunlight, you sometimes need to prop it at the right angle (depending where you live - in Adelaide, it charged the phone in three hours flat on the ground, here it takes 5 propped up). the folding canvas ones are joined together and it can be tricky to prop all the sections at the right angle to get sunlight - a solid panel just needs a rock or something under it, a string of panels needs a bit more work to get it set right
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Morgo
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Post by Morgo on Jul 18, 2020 23:10:00 GMT 10
I have a few, my largest is 200w.
Never had an issue with any of them yet. I was concerned about fatigue from the folding and I still think its something that will happen eventually though now I think it will take quite some time before its an issue.
They are much lighter, I think the 200w is around 6kg and folds up much smaller taking up much less space and being a soft material its easier to pack/store not having to worry about it damaging something else either.
The only downside is I don't leave them out in the rain, they can handle it but being fabric its obviously going to have the draw backs of getting wet which is a hassle that's easier to avoid, if you can.
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Post by spinifex on Jul 19, 2020 13:30:46 GMT 10
What brand is your 200w blanket? I wouldn't mind one with that capacity.
Also ... can it be rolled? Or is it specifically designed to be folded?
And where is it made?
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Morgo
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Post by Morgo on Jul 19, 2020 13:49:18 GMT 10
I think I bought the 200w from 4x4 superstore when it was on sale. I added an upgraded MPPT controller from Aussiedirect from memory. The PWM controllers are handy to have in a pinch or when on a budget but try to get a MPPT controller as they do increase performance from a panel noticeably. I've not tried rolling it and I'm pretty sure they really wouldn't like it. Folded up it takes up very little room in comparison to the old style, so much so that I don't ever worry about where or how its going to fit.
edit; my 200W is this one
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Jul 20, 2020 18:36:19 GMT 10
I think I bought the 200w from 4x4 superstore when it was on sale. I added an upgraded MPPT controller from Aussiedirect from memory. The PWM controllers are handy to have in a pinch or when on a budget but try to get a MPPT controller as they do increase performance from a panel noticeably. I've not tried rolling it and I'm pretty sure they really wouldn't like it. Folded up it takes up very little room in comparison to the old style, so much so that I don't ever worry about where or how its going to fit.
edit; my 200W is this one
Pretty sure that’s the one I have too. |
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pugs
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Post by pugs on Aug 2, 2020 19:17:36 GMT 10
I just run a 250w folder from Kings that lives in the caravan along with a 15m lead and the kings battery boxes with deep cycle batteries courtesy of work , the van runs 3 Batts and 2 more batts and a150w folder lives in my trailer for camping also with a 15m lead to place the panels in the sun while we’re in the shade .
The deep cycles from work happily run my waeco and led light sets with no issues also charges everything needed at the same time ....
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kelabar
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Post by kelabar on Oct 14, 2020 10:38:55 GMT 10
Bought a 50W one from Altronics. Not sure if it qualifies as a 'blanket' as it is rigid but it is softer than a glass/ally panel.  It came in a cardboard box, 90 x 355 x 385mm, and weighs 3kg (yay!). Laid out it is just over 1.4m long. It has the four panels and there is a pouch on the outside (underneath in the picture) which holds the wiring and controller. The wiring is attached inside the pouch permanently. I felt around between the panels and they are connected by wire. It doesn't protrude much and doesn't look like it will be a wear point. It feels fairly rugged so I don't anticipate much wear or trouble for quite a few years. It has the standard blue PWM controller with it which was already wired in (easily removed) and also included a small screwdriver for attaching the alligator clip wiring via the screw terminals. Nice touch! The fabric is a heavy duty canvas and the velcro to hold it closed when folded works well. The panels are possibly backed by a HD plastic or boxboard sheet, not sure. Very little flex in them although I didn't try too hard! This will make it fairly easy to orient them to the sun as 4 props could be used. But there are also small loops running along the edges so maybe a thin multi-section tent pole or length of dowel could be used to make the unit fairly rigid for easier propping. Not sure yet. When folded the panel stack is only 35mm high  , so very little space is needed for them if the controller and wiring are kept elsewhere. As Morgo says, I wouldn't want to leave it out in the rain (glass/ally panels are fine in rain as long as the controller is waterproof or sheltered) and it may blow over fairly easily being so light, but the weight and small size is a definite advantage. |
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Post by illuminati on Oct 16, 2020 3:35:25 GMT 10
I bought a Engel 30W blanket, which is actually PowerFilm. Was cheaper to buy it as Engel. PowerFilm is a good brand from my research. The cells are thin film which are meant to work better in cloudy conditions and stuff.
After buying it I’m thinking I should have got a mono panel, that’s same or higher wattage and smaller dimensions (and weight too possibly).
What the thinfilm mob don’t show is that whilst the voltage drops less during shadow/shading, they are less efficient, about only 6% vs mono that’s around 26%. So same wattage they are around 4-6x the size. A same dimensions/weight mono would provide far more power and with shading/shadowing may provide more power despite a big % drop. Even if it dropped to near zero, depending on the duration, the high performance good time’s may mean overall better performance. Needs testing.
I found indoors the open circuit voltage seems good. But when you connect a load it collapses. You need decent sun on at least some of the panel. As said above being flexible, it makes tilting all of it a pain. Could be fixed if you had a board or something to make it ridged, but adds weight and complexity. Being flexible is a trade off. Has pros and cons.
The SPF30W comes with very large connectors. The don’t seem popular. Local Jaycar didn’t have it. I’m tempted to mod it to use a different connector.
It came with cigarette lighter port and I got a cigarette USB adapter, I can use this simple setup to charge a smart phone directly. If there’s enough sun, otherwise the voltage and current drops too much and it won’t charge. I think this setup isn’t very good though. The USB charger wants to do a constant current and will sag below 5V if there’s not enough sun. Rather than doing 5V at a lower amperage. I think this is related to the “smartness” or USB negotiating current etc. I’m not that good at electronics, so I’m probably wrong about it all.
I think better setup would be to charge battery off panels and the. Use that battery to charge smart phone. Charging the battery should need a high enough voltage and then it will take as much current as available. I think this will work better with the varying power than trying direct USB charging.
My idea for the setup was something I can use in a blackout as a way to keep my phone charged. Relatively portable. Still quite heavy and bulky for hiking. NP in car.
I suspect a mono panel would be better on foot.
If thin film can work in doors, through windows it could be pretty advantageous. Could be enough to recharge or keep topped up a phone. Without leaving shelter or revealing your presence etc. power is probably too low in this more to keep phone going 24/7 but it could be enough of frugal with power usage, using phone only briefly, turning it off or using power saving modes/features.
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Post by illuminati on Oct 16, 2020 9:59:03 GMT 10
I haven’t gotten the charger controller it came with to work. Not sure if I’m testing it wrong just had a multimeter. Don’t have a battery to try it on, yet. Perhaps the charger doesn’t provide any power if there’s no battery detected. Or perhaps it is faulty (DOA).
I believe it’s PWM. MPPT is better. I’ve seen mono crystal camping panels come with MPPT with USB out but I haven’t found small ones available separately. Separate ones always seem to be bigger power and bulk/weight. Might need to scavenge one from an integrate panel.
If I do the connector mod I can move the MPPT controller between panels to experiment. I think the controllers input would take a range and not be too tightly bound/optimised to the integrated panel.
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kelabar
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Post by kelabar on Oct 16, 2020 16:58:27 GMT 10
I haven’t gotten the charger controller it came with to work. Don’t have a battery to try it on, yet. Perhaps the charger doesn’t provide any power if there’s no battery detected. ROFL. I did the same thing! Was getting 23V out of the panels, but no LEDs or power anywhere else. Was thinking " damn, dodgy controller" then remembered that they don't work without sensing a voltage through the battery wiring!  You can just connect it to a car battery while you test it. I am interested in getting a controller that will provide power without needing to be connected to a battery if anyone knows of one that will do this. |
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, so very little space is needed for them if the controller and wiring are kept elsewhere.