2008 summer progress part 2.

[margusten]

Hello,

Now satellite dish removed and 20W solar panel on polar mount.

May be next summer I can add motor and some tracking electronics.

Inside of cellar I have 12 2V batteries. Now connected 12V and 900Ah.

And little bit modified old controller.

Only problem seems to be moisture. You can see small water bubbles. How long can electronics work in such place?

Tried new 4 PVC blade set on new alternator. Works but not as good 3 PVC blade set before. Probably too thin blades.


More news coming soon.

Margus

Margus: This will be interesting for many users but please re-post this Diary using resized photos, 1648px × 1171px images not allowed!

Photo Size is limited to 150K bytes and/or 640x480.. Please adjust your photos before posting them, whether they are on our server or yours. If you post large images, it causes large problems for other users who have slow internet connections and/or small screens.


Frequently Asked Questions

[Airstream]

Hope he posts back...

[margusten]

Sorry about oversized pictures,

Again with pictures.

Now satellite dish removed and 20W solar panel on polar mount.

May be next summer I can add motor and some tracking electronics.

Inside of cellar I have 12 2V batteries. Now connected 12V and 900Ah.

And little bit modified old controller.

Only problem seems to be moisture. You can see small water bubbles. How long can electronics work in such place?

Tried new 4 PVC blade set on new alternator. Works but not as good 3 PVC blade set before. Probably too thin blades.

More news coming soon.

Margus

[tecker]

 Moisture will take it's toll . Put your controllers in another enclosure .Calculate the highest wattage and install a resistance 20 percent higher than the max wattage to dry the air somewhat in windy weather .

[Ungrounded Lightning Rod]

I see you have the batteries on wood boards and shoved into the corner.

The insulation between them and the floor is good - helps to keep the batteries from stratifying and getting a voltage gradient driven by a temperature gradient.

But better would be to pull them out from the wall and adjust the supports under them so air can circulate all around 'em.

Also:  Be sure to vent the area so you don't have hydrogen and acid droplets collecting in the area.  (That will also help with the condensation.)  It only takes a LITTLE venting to avoid explosions and corrosion.