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Here you'll find info about artists, rumors, camping tips, and the infamous Roo Clues. Have a look around then create an account and join in the fun. See you at Bonnaroo!!
Found a cool website that teaches you how to make your own solar powered generator for less than $300 - look fancy shmancy without the fancy shmancy price...
Well the solar generator really wouldnt create enough power to run much, would it? For your compound you should try getting a power inverter and running it off of your car battery, just make sure u bring jumper cables or an extra battery u can switch out.
Also, for your compound I would suggest rounding up all the old rugs you can find, the last 2 years me and my friends have the extra space in our RV spot filled with EZ-up tents(4 of them) and rugs. When you cant sleep in the RV it is soooo nice to just be able to put a sleeping bag down and pass out anywhere, and finding little pieces of paper in tall grass just sucks.
go get a deep cycle battery like they use for RVs. A car battery isn't meant to hold a charge for a long time (gets powered up by the alternater) The deep cycle batteries last longer and are easier to charge up. They'll last all weekend and you won't have to worry about killing your car.
Or just get one of these... That one is about $80 but you can get a smaller one for less
Post by spookymonster on Oct 19, 2007 14:08:22 GMT -5
levus said:
Well the solar generator really wouldnt create enough power to run much, would it?
If I read the article right, the solar panels are just there to act as a trickle charger. Most of the heavy lifting is done by the deep cycle battery, not the panels. The panels just top it off whenever the battery's not in use.
Yeah, I noticed they mention a 140W inverter which is equivalent to running just over 1 amp. That's enough for one large fan, maybe, and might not work some coffee makers.
Basically, a 10AH deep cycle battery with detachable 5W solar panel. Has 2 AC outlets, 1 DC outlet, and a USB port. All for about $130!!!! Think I'm gonna put this on my Christmas list...
alyroo: well i dont think the batteries in my truck are deep cycle, but they are red top optima batteries, i always keep a spare in my truck and it has never failed me.
and last year at roo i hooked 3 yellow top optima batteries together and this ran a radio, powered some string lights, and charged batteries on cell phones, cameras, ect.
optima batteries are the shiz, i have only used the yellow and red ones, but they have other kinds also
w have a Honda 2000 generator . it is super quiet and it runs everything at bonnaroo for us .. we even have a A/C unit that we use at Bonnaroo.. after all is said and done . remember you get what you pay for. if you want toget out the cheap way . rent a generator for bonnaroo, the items ive seen above sound good but are super cheap. and what if its cloudy ? very little sun? i'd rather spend a little more and be sure, than to bank on a cheap unit..
Post by blackbirdflyfree on Oct 23, 2007 10:19:19 GMT -5
spooky - that's an awesome generator! I'm seriously thinking about getting it.
as for charging it, I don't think it needs to be super sunshine out for it to charge solely from the sun. plus, it says that it can be charged from an outlet or from the car battery, so if I had it I would make sure it's charged before I left home and ran back to the car to recharge if the sun's not doing it's job
"I like too many things and get all confused and hung-up running from one falling star to another till I drop. This is the night, what it does to you. I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion."
central park in the summertime... the closest thing to nature
I'm trying to find what will cost the least amount, be the least annoying to my neighbors, and not crap out on Friday afternoon.
Any suggestions would be great.
Oh, and please explain in easy terms, because I'm new to this whole power thing. =)
That would work depending on exactly how much you actually use it. The battery in that device is probably a combination starting/deep cycle since it's intended to run appliances and start engines. I use that type battery and an inverter mostly to run a laptop computer. A dedicated deep cycle battery and inverter would be the next step up. In order to make a combination battery, there is a compromise of deep cycle life involved. Before this year's Roo, I plan to add a deep cycle battery to my combo, which is over a year and a half old and starting to drain faster than it used to. When it was new, it could keep my computer powered for at least 3 days continuous. Now it lasts less than a day before needing a recharge. I'm also going to get a solar charging system of some type. I'm considering building something like the one on this page. I hope this helps.
Post by SouthGA_Festival Machine on Feb 10, 2008 3:16:42 GMT -5
joga said:
Okay. So, a deep cycle battery and an inverter would be the better thing, it sounds like. How big, how much, etc etc?
Thank you and karma.
Bigger is better for both. However, prices go up fast for bigger inverters. My main inverter is rated at 700 Watts/1500 peak. That means it should operate appliances with a total wattage usage of 700 watts. The peak rating is not as important but some thing like motors (fans) use more power when first turned on. But this can be minimized by not starting up more than one fan at the time. (Turn one on, wait a couple minutes and turn the other on.) I just looked at the battery I have and it is only rated in Marine Cranking Amps and Cold Cranking Amps, neither of which is relevant for Deep Cylcle operation. I'm going to be researching batteries in the next couple days to try to find a good battery at a good price for that type of use. The inverter I use, I bought on clearance at Walmart for (I think ~$30 which was half price at the time. The battery was between $70-80, so I've got $100-$110 invested. Someone was talking about using their car to recharge the battery, if necessary but that's not really practical, unless you plan to run your engine for at least an hour or more. I think a solar charger is worth looking into, it won't help you if the battery dies, but if left charging constantly, it can extend the useful life of the battery while camping. But really, if you're careful about not wasting power, you may be able to get by for four days, without recharging, if starting with a new fully charged battery.
Here are some things you will need to know before building your portable: 12 Volt battery powered inverter.
Batteries You will need a deep cycle battery, battery capacity is measured in amp hours. The Amp Hour rating tells you how much amperage is available when discharged evenly over a 20 hour period. The amp hour rating is cumulative, so in order to know how many constant amps the battery will output for 20 hours, you have to divide the amp hour rating by 20. Example: If a battery has an amp hour rating of 75, dividing by 20 = 3.75. Such a battery can carry a 3.75 amp load for 20 hours before dropping to 10.5 volts. (10.5 volts is the fully discharged level, at which point the battery needs to be recharged.) A battery with an amp hour rating of 55 will carry a 2.75 amp load for 20 hours before dropping to 10.5 volts.
Inverters Q- What size of inverter do I need? A- Choosing the right size of inverter depends on the power requirements of the appliances you expect to operate at any given time. You should consider both the continuous and surge power rating of your appliance. The continuous rating must be high enough to handle all the loads that may run at the same time. The inverter must also be capable of handling the starting surge of all loads that may start at the same time. Loads typically take many times their continuous rating to start. Q- How long can I operate my inverter? A- The length of time you can operate an inverter depends on the amp-hour capacity of your battery
OK now with the two items you have 120 Volts...now you also need to do some calculations on how long this charge is going to last on your 12 volt battery.
Charging Obviously you will need to recharge your battery at some point. you could use simple jumper cables form your existing car battery toy recharge your deep cycle, remember you would need to start your car and let it run during this process. The time it's going to take to recharge your deep cycle battery is going to depend on: how big is the battery, how discharged is the battery, what is the amp rating on your cars alternator.
A small solar panel could also recharge the battery, this would depend on the size of the collector. I know we have a small 10 watt panel on our camper to "maintain" the charge for our batteries. Panels are not cheep, the one we have is around $150. Another disadvantage is you need full sun for a panel to be efficient. Part sun or cloudy days will do nothing for you.
OK now with that all said........Please look into a portable generator to rent. But please make sure it is a quiet generator like a EU series Honda or EF series Yamaha. Call around not only to rental companies but to dealers who sell the above listed generators, ask if they rent. Renting a small 1000-2000 watt generator with 5 gallons of gas for the weekend will make you life a lot nicer. Remember you will not be able to run RV air conditioning (maybe a small 5000btu window unit with a 2000 watt) with a small generator.
Post by spookymonster on Feb 10, 2008 19:06:00 GMT -5
I admit, it's not the most powerful thing, but it depends on what you're looking to do. For me, I just need something to keep my cell phones charged and the tent lit at night. Tried using those battery-powered micro chargers, but they're pretty crappy and fragile. I could use my car to charge 'em, but that means having them out of earshot for a bit (I doubt they'd drain the car too much). This doesn't. I've got battery-powered tent fans that'll work all weekend long, and even if they don't, they use rechargeable batteries (so I can hook 'em up to the power supply during the day).
Amazon has 'em for $127... Think I'm going to pick one up tomorrow. I'll let you know what I think of it if/when I get it.
Post by CreativeUnderclass on Feb 10, 2008 19:47:36 GMT -5
spookymonster said:
I admit, it's not the most powerful thing, but it depends on what you're looking to do.
I think my ideal generator would be able to power a fan at least for a few hours a day, perhaps 4-6, and let me charge my cell overnight. I know I can definitely find one that charges off a wall outlet or a car, but the solar power makes it quite attractive for obvious reasons. Would probably be cool with a battery powered generator but dunno if I'd find such a thing.
battery powered fans huh? how powerful are those suckers?
Save your money on the portable air conditioner, they work on evaporative cooling. It is to humid in the south east for them to work efficiently. Now if we were in Arizona it would be worth looking at.
To charge your cell phones the only thing you need is your car charger. Just plug it in, no need to even start the car. They do not use that much at all.
