FYI: solar panels on sale at Harbor Freight on Black Friday.

[msomnipotent]

http://www.harborfreight.com/solar-panel-kit-45-watt-68751.html


This kit will be on sale the day after Thanksgiving at Harbor Freight for $133.33, for those of us that are near a Harbor Freight. I do realize that they are not top tier, but I am toying with the idea of attaching these to the top of my pergola in my back yard just to get my solar feet wet. Panels are not allowed in my subdivision, so they are cheap enough to throw at the people that complain about my solar panels.

[ElevenBravo]

Thanks for the heads up... but Ill have to put too much on the AK lawaway to be able to get it in this time frame. However, I *DO* want to get a solar kit!!

EB

[FL-Jeeper]

My SO has also expressed great interest in getting our feet wet with a low end solar setup so gifted me a HF 45w Thunderbolt kit for Christmas.

Fully realizing it's limitations, the current intention is to use the system when we are primitive camping and around the house, should a hurricane roll through, provide supplemental/backup power to our existing gas genny.

I wasn't real thrilled with the idea of dragging around all the loose components in our current camping gear so I fabbed up a mounting system in an actionpacker tub for the charge controller, 35Amp/hour battery, a 2000/4000W inverter and the cables and 12V lights that came with the kit.

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p175/rock_scott/2013-12-26120036_zps543caceb.jpg (http://s128.photobucket.com/user/rock_scott/media/2013-12-26120036_zps543caceb.jpg.html)

I had some aluminum plates I scavenged from radio antennas a while back and they worked very well for the base plate and battery bracket. The base plate is bolted through the bottom of the tub and makes for a very rigid mounting base. I made all the cuts with a carbide tipped circular saw and while it made for some clean lines, what a freaking mess it made!

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p175/rock_scott/2013-12-26120059_zps0581129a.jpg (http://s128.photobucket.com/user/rock_scott/media/2013-12-26120059_zps0581129a.jpg.html)

I was sure to make the base of the battery bracket wide enough to accommodate a wide range of battery sizes, up to standard automotive size.

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p175/rock_scott/2013-12-26120139_zps3753e891.jpg (http://s128.photobucket.com/user/rock_scott/media/2013-12-26120139_zps3753e891.jpg.html)

And the cables to the inverter are long enough to work with, set the lid on the ground, etc however all the electrical outlets, AC and DC, are readily accessible by lifting the lid slightly.

[bacpacker]

Nice looking rig. I think I may hit up our local HF and see what kinda deal they have on their solar kits right now.

[Metrocruiser]

Yes.. Fl thats awesome!!

[FL-Jeeper]

Thanks, I'm pretty stoked about the way it turned out. This project really got my gears turning on how I might slowly, incrementally & compartmentaly introduce solar power to our residence. I'm thinking a switchable 12v system to run alongside the existing 110v system...