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Not arguing or debating any particular point... I don't get into discussions on politics, right or left, simply because it's a huge waste of time. 99.9% of the time it's someone with an agenda and ZERO EDUCATION. No, the opposite of communisum isn't capitalism. It's democracy. Capitoliam is...

I saw solar panels mounted on big wire spools sitting on the ground... Just roll the spool. Nail a 2 x 4 across the spool where you want the roll to stop. My first pipe mounted string was on a fence line between two pastures, Tall posts to keep the livestock from rubbing on the panels, pipe up...

I'm squarely in the 'It Depends' camp... ;) Trying to track with rooftop panels will drive you insane. o_O Ground mount isn't too difficult. A north/south row of posts, A pipe through the posts, Panels on the pipe, Rotate the pipe and the panels track the sun east/west really easily. The issue...

For ground mount like Mr. Sandals posted, don't reinvent the wheel. Reduce to most simple terms... If you live in the lower 48 of North America, 'Summer' is going to be just off 90° to vertical facing south. Low winter sun is more like 45° between vertical & horizontal. This means you have two...

'China Mart' FINALLY delivered some of the components, and some stuff I wanted to try, so things are evolving a little. First, the terminal blocks for combiner, Like 12ea 8Ga 'IN' and a 2/0 out to charge controller. Yes, I'm aware I don't need anything like 2/0Ga to the charge controller, but it...

I won't try to sell this as a home game, your batteries have to be fairly closely matched with your panels, But I bypass the charge controller blocking diodes and allow batteries to heat the panels and the crap will come off fairly easily. The panels become a 'Load' and warm up, you only have to...

My first book on electronics, 1st grade, I learned to read on this book... Morgan wrote a series of these and they are very interesting. I was constantly saving money, scrounging pop bottles to afford something from these guys in the late 60s- all through the 70s. I always got cloths for...

I started 30 years ago off grid, everything was lead/acid, and you fall into the mindset of getting batteries at 100% SOC and keeping them there... That ment I was forever on the hunt for MORE PANELS. Get the Watts, get them in the batteries at all costs. So about 10 years ago I started with...

I'm not sure I agree with that having taken 5 lightning strikes in the past 20+ years... The lightening arrestors in combiner boxes saved most everything from combiner on through charge controllers, had no effect at all on batteries. Fuses in the panels, and I fuse again at panel string boxes...

Watts are King. The more Watts you convert/make the more you can do! People say I'm over paneled, but I'm off grid, I have to make everything I consume on the shortest day of the year or run the generator... I'm fond of skylights, geo-thermal, passive & thermal solar, anything that reduces...

I hope people don't argue about this AGAIN, but this is what your Diodes in the BYPASS POSITION do. The diodes used are pretty common, where they are placed determines the function. There is no difference in the diodes between BYPASS POSITION, and BLOCKING POSITION, or Isolation position, etc...

Just a bypass from battery power (positive battery connection), through the rheostat, switch or resistor, and to the panel positive terminal of the charge controller. If you have external blocking diodes (Isolated/Combiner Boxes) to the panel side of those diodes. You simply jump batteries to...

Same Diodes, Used In The BLOCKING POSITION... With A Diode In The BLOCKING POSITION... Blocking Position Diode In Each Series Strings When They Parallel. Notice NO CHARGE CONTROLLER... The first thing current 'Sees' in a charge controller is a diode in the Blocking Position...

*I* (personally) think this thread proves this forum is headed down the path to venting and rants rather than information sharing. Pointing out something silly on boobtube is one thing, but taking the 'My Way Or Highway' approach gets nobody anywhere. When I said I was 'Testing' LFP, they were...

I worked with a few different race car companies and those guys are a breed unto themselves. We used to get things back once in awhile saying this or that didn't work... We looked over the returned products and could find anything wrong. The owner had a great idea that worked really well, In 3"...

Solar Photo Voltaic (PV) comes in three parts, and the numbers count, If you don't do the math, you are in for a world of pain and expense. 1. Solar PV panels, and the top half of the Charge Controller that will accept the power from the panels, converting it to something the battery bank can...

I would start here... -------------------------------------- In the thread about arc over of DC circuits I *Tried* to point out metallic ionizatin, the 'Glow Discharge' or 'Ionizatin Kernel' and that differential is the cause, But the resident 'Experts' that shouted me down and plastered the...

People talk about the "The Fear Of Hook-Up", afraid it will melt or crash... I can see why when you spend a lot and do it for the first time. NOW YOU ARE CLEAR! You NAILED IT! Next comes the expansion itch... ;)

The FAR Right Wing are actually pumping the 'Theory' the reason we have 'Climate Change' is Solar Panels DAMAGE THE SUN! My sister actually called me to ask if it was true when then Governor Rick Perry said it out loud in Texas... Rick Perry just resign from heading up the EPA. After being...

Depends on what you decide on... Notice I don't speak in absloutles, the design has to fit YOUR situation, odd corners in property lines, codes about how far things have to be away from property lines, buildings and right of ways, etc. The two biggest mistakes I made... 1. Too close to the...

I spoke with Battle Born about threading the terminals for extensions to get the terminal out to the sides of the batteries, and they use a version of low Electrical Resistance brass (opposed to structural/tool brass). For those that don't believe the bolt can or would conduct electrical...

You say 'Socialist' like it's a bad thing in every instance... How about the rule of law? That's 100% socialist. How about streets, highways, interstates? That's all 100% socialist. How about clean water supply, sewage disposal & treatment? That's all 100% socialist. The right to travel...

While the controller is able to allow just what it needs through to feed the Load (Batteries or Inverter) the components have a Volt/Amp top end limit. Excessive Voltage can blow through internal insulation, handling excessive Amperage will overheat and break down components. Anything left on...

Well... You must be bored to research what one hillbilly living in the woods with too many solar panels wrote... I'm NOT a climatologist, I don't have a PhD in biology... but I know a couple of guys that do. Actual experts. Now, when I break a leg, I don't scream to be taken to Fox News the...

Well.... No. First off, the delusion there is some sort of science that's not 'Pure' kicks your post off into the trash bin. Science, by definition is to get to the KNOWN FACTS of things. Facts as we know them can change, but the science is always pure because it's looking for the absloute...

I'm not kidding about burning off my eyebrows, I've done some stupid shit! I learned NOT to chassis ground an angle iron battery rack and use it for a negative buss bar when I took a main positive loose, but neglected to secure the 4 Ga. Charge cable crimped in it the 2/0 cable. When the 4 Ga...

That's pretty cool! I want the Tesla/Frankenstein open throw switch you get sparks from! <div class="tumblr-post" data-href="https://embed.tumblr.com/embed/post/Li6NtW4O3NHi5FHiYyMbRw/173470906858" data-did="da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709"><a href=""></a></div> <script async...

That would take actual effort, forethought & planning back at the Moose Cave & martini bunker...

Ego, being convinced I was 110% 'Right', Combined with ignorance has cause me no end of pain and money. He'll, I was STUPID enough to defend what I did after the failure CLEARLY PROVED I was dead wrong! Ignorance is not knowing the difference, Stupid is ignoring you were ignorant. While I...

DUTY CYCLE... This is DEAD correct. A 1,200 Watt coffee maker only runs about 10 minutes, 1,200 Watts ÷ 1/6 hour (10 minutes) = 200 Watts per pot. A fridge that runs twice an hour for 10 minutes each (20 minutes = 1/3 hour), 100 Watt fridge running for 1/3 hour is 33.3 Watts per hour. 33.3...