Testing the Solar System

[PonoBill]

I put this in kind of a weird place, so here it is again in a slightly less weird place.



This is my battery/solar power system test container, strategically located a long walk from my shop and the GMC motor home that will eventually get its house power from it. You might think this is excessively cautious, and if you do, I won't be taking any advice from you.



On the roof is potentially 930 watts of PV. I say potentially since I planned to connect them in series, but that triggers an overvoltage on my MMPT controller, so I'm only using two. If I get nutty I'll add a fourth panel and do 2S2P, but right now it's 620 watts at 82 Voc.



Inside are two Tesla Model S 100D battery modules and a silly number of LiFe cells. I initially planned to build my own batteries, but after dinking around with a lot of BMS's I decided my designs weren't ready for prime time and bought two big Tesla modules. By comparison, these modules look like they were teleported from 2100 while my BMS rocks like it's 1990.



Complementing the Tesla modules is an EVTV Model S controller. If you look at the cables you see I'm bringing a Vulcan cannon to a knife fight. This thing can manage 63 modules. I'm probably good with two. But that whole burning up in the RV thing seems to justify the expense, even if it is kind of eye-watering.



The big box 'o BMS's.



Yup, those are bandit Chinese 18650's, the kind that initiates cosmetic surgery on the faces of Vapers everywhere. Suitably ensconced in a fireproof safe. Of course, they don't test these things for a fire on the inside.

There's a lot more to go in here. The 6000-watt inverter, some contactors, a bit of wiring, and the air conditioner I replaced on the RV on the container roof as a load. I'll set it all up and let it rip until I'm ready to install it, which will probably be eight months from now.

I'm also building a seriously stout steel box that will go in a conveniently empty area of the frame. Total weight will be about 250 pounds, which isn't so bad for 10.6 KWH.

[Rider]

That’s cool Bill....Get back to us when you drive your RV around the USA. We’ve mostly all done it...

[PonoBill]

I did it in 2007 in my modified Airstream, a 34-foot airstream with a garage in back for my race car, and living quarters in front. This thing I'm not sure what I'll do with it. Mostly built it as a surfing safari thing.

And it tows this:

[Wetstuff]

Hey... Bill!   I haven't seen you over here...  https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewforum.php?f=38.   Maybe under a different alias?  I have had a Manx under a cover for a few years but been too distracted/busy to get to it.  It's fun sourcing period parts, especially for such a small project.   

Jim

[PonoBill]

I look at a lot of stuff that I never join into but I've never looked at that site. Interesting. But Archie, the fake Manx, isn't really a project other than building a roll cage for it, adding a wiper and turn signals, a tow bumper and replacing the rear cover with an aluminum one. It's just transport, at least that's what I keep telling myself.

[TallDude]

I put this in kind of a weird place, so here it is again in a slightly less weird place.



This is my battery/solar power system test container, strategically located a long walk from my shop and the GMC motor home that will eventually get its house power from it. You might think this is excessively cautious, and if you do, I won't be taking any advice from you.



On the roof is potentially 930 watts of PV. I say potentially since I planned to connect them in series, but that triggers an overvoltage on my MMPT controller, so I'm only using two. If I get nutty I'll add a fourth panel and do 2S2P, but right now it's 620 watts at 82 Voc.



Inside are two Tesla Model S 100D battery modules and a silly number of LiFe cells. I initially planned to build my own batteries, but after dinking around with a lot of BMS's I decided my designs weren't ready for prime time and bought two big Tesla modules. By comparison, these modules look like they were teleported from 2100 while my BMS rocks like it's 1990.



Complementing the Tesla modules is an EVTV Model S controller. If you look at the cables you see I'm bringing a Vulcan cannon to a knife fight. This thing can manage 63 modules. I'm probably good with two. But that whole burning up in the RV thing seems to justify the expense, even if it is kind of eye-watering.



The big box 'o BMS's.



Yup, those are bandit Chinese 18650's, the kind that initiates cosmetic surgery on the faces of Vapers everywhere. Suitably ensconced in a fireproof safe. Of course, they don't test these things for a fire on the inside.

There's a lot more to go in here. The 6000-watt inverter, some contactors, a bit of wiring, and the air conditioner I replaced on the RV on the container roof as a load. I'll set it all up and let it rip until I'm ready to install it, which will probably be eight months from now.

I'm also building a seriously stout steel box that will go in a conveniently empty area of the frame. Total weight will be about 250 pounds, which isn't so bad for 10.6 KWH.

Why does this look like a box of m80's ?

[stoneaxe]

I wouldn't close and latch that cooler. Might make a nice bomb with all those cells.