Recent content by 50ShadesOfDirt

The complexity involved in 48v rack-mount batteries is: ... add another one, done. The complexity involved in my 24v battery-bank (of 12v batteries) is: series the 1st two, add busbars, series the next two, parallel both series. Pairing (paralleling) the first two sets of batteries was ok, but...

If you've already made the decision to go with 48v100ah batteries, then you've chosen 48v for system reference voltage ... From what I see of your requirements, and most specifically the need to start out small and/or inexpensive, I'd put in a 48v AIO, and try to get one that can be paired with...

The existing system seems to be old? If the existing 24v inverter wasn't high quality to start with (a LF magnum, etc.), then this would be an ideal time to flip over to 48v & LiFePO4, unless the higher costs of 48v are holding you back. In that case only, a 24v system might be appropriate. I'm...

I'd like to see them start off with off-grid and/or parallel use case, which would really spur the market for both solar and going off-grid from the many grids & co-ops out there. This (mostly) avoids all the permitting & grid-connected headaches, and possibly electrician expenses, unless folks...

Not quite apples to apples, but ... Magnum & affiliates have (always had) a 4024 "pre-wired unit" consisting of: ms4024pae, midnite solar 150, and pre-wired base, all connected together. This is what I put up on the wall of my utility shed almost 10 years ago now, when we built off-grid. It was...

WAG, but ... Get a stable power supply (smps wall wart) and power the RPi (or whomever's PI) through that. With that power in effect, maybe not as much grief from power trying to come in over USB, and RPi not liking that (not booting). Adding more shields and such, and replacing SD with SSD...

Using the bolded sentence in OP, a search reveals that this sentence is in lots of other co-op agreements. That, to me, makes it feel more like a protection for the co-op, as in, we provided service to your property at great expense to ourselves (and you through the setup fees), so don't go...

For the micro-community of TinyHomes, I would ensure each tiny home (TH) has its own off-grid system; fully independent, capable of running just that (TH) household. Their battery-bank is sized to support just their household for design period (3-days or more). As the group of TH's are near...

All my solar gear *is* in a separate utility building, an intentional design from the start, for various colorado reasons. Been on LFP for 3+ years now, and FLA for years before that, and there are no problems. Pre-wired Magnum 4024, 4x 12v300ah battery-bank ... this stuff is rock-solid. Don't...

Any US store-bought solar generator has a number of compliance marks, so it would take digging to figure out which marks each one has; Goal Zero, other big names. It's an appliance ... My comments aren't meant to imply U/L 1741 (inverters hard-wired, AHJ & such), but it does mean that a...

Rule #0 might be to find out what the apartment rules & restrictions are, as you seem to be a tenant. As quietly as you can, find out what the owners/managers think about such things. If your solar gear burns down the apartment, or the entire block of apartments, things could get iffy in a...

Also keep in mind your cycle depth choice ... while every battery vendor says "our battery can go down to .00001 percent of remaining capacity"**, it's perhaps wise to think about your choice, say, 90% depth of discharge, and try to get within 10% of full. That's about 80% per cycle, and a cycle...

I, too, would apply new design principles to your "existing" (built by someone else) situation: 1. reduce, and the good news here is that much reduction has been done for you (propane, wood heat, solar gain, etc ... all good stuff); only thing left to discover is what your family can do...

I bought into LiTime batteries ... had no problems buying vs building, trading money for time & labor. While sealed, batteries are well-packed, clean & simple, and installed in minutes. SOK has batteries that you can open up and repair, but for more money. So, with LiTime, Chins, etc., you'll...

I couldn't imagine using a 30aH battery in a system, even though it's a 48v model ... the smallest I'd go is 48v100aH. Not sure why you'd want a 30ah battery (one at $700?), but it would take lots of calculations to see if it would serve your needs, and, that 30ah battery is probably...