$.80 solar panels

[EldIr]

A while back, maybe months, maybe last year, someone posted a link to solar panels for 80 cents per watt. I've tried searching but can't find it. I've also looked around eBay and Amazon and can't find anything even close to $1 a watt. Anyone have a link?

[EldIr]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
The old cabin is closer to '53 than '93

My body is 7 years older than your "old" cabin. Pffftttttt!

Pfffttttt! Your body wasn't built by 8 drinking guys without a carpenter among them and hasn't been sitting in the same spot out in the weather all these years:) (and no foundation in a part of the country with long winters and lots of frost heave)

[MEXICOWANDERER]

The old cabin is closer to '53 than '93

My body is 7 years older than your "old" cabin. Pffftttttt!

[EldIr]

A big benefit of using an inverter more than what we do now, is we could use a Tivo. Right now they take so damn long to boot up (which they'd have to after every time we shut off the gennie) that we just haven't bothered using one. And since we all have them at home, it is a bit of an adjustment to have to watch tv in "real time". (technology spoils us quickly!;))

As it is, the new directv receivers boot so damn slow we have to remember to start the gen several minutes before we want to watch anything:M

[mena661]

You can get some really low draw 120V devices with some research.

[JiminDenver]

Go into a truck stop and you'll find lots of 12v stuff and yes, those TVs are pricy considering you can go into Best buy and get one that uses a brick much cheaper.

We have been collecting 12v gear since the 80s and I gotta tell you, most of it sucks. Most of it is smaller and slower than the 120v version and the cords/ plugs like on our 12v auto drip coffee maker is just not up to the job. I tested it once last year ring on the battery and the plug got so hot I couldn't hold it.

I did convert a 15 inch LCD TV/ DVD combo to 12v last year and it worked fine except the trailer has no 12v plugs. I used a 35ah gel cell to power it and that doesn't last long enough on a cold rainy day.

Next year it will just be easier to do a 180 and put a big PSW inverter on a big bank with it's own solar system, plug the trailer in and use 120v gear.

[EldIr]

I have a 15" 4:3 standard def Maganavox lcd that also runs on 12vdc. You're right that those could have been marketed at rv'ers for a much higher price.

[mchero]

BFL13 wrote:

EldIr wrote:

BFL13 wrote:
No way is that 3 amps with a 300w inverter. Something else must be going on there.

Eg using the 1000w inverter and a 120v CFL lamp I get a 2 amp draw showing on the Trimetric, vs a 3 amp draw with no inverter and one 12v two bulb lamp. The CFL lights up the whole place in comparison with the 12v lamp. ( I don't have the newer, better LEDs for the 12v lamps)

I won't be back to the cabin until the week after next due to work. I'll recheck the inverter manual and test the draw with my Fluke but I'd swear the manual said the inverter draws about 30w. It does have a cooling fan that runs any time it's on regardless of load and I know some of those aren't very efficient. It is quite old from before pure-sine inverters became all the rage. (back then, even the cheap modified-sine were still expensive not like the 30 dollar ones at the auto parts stores now.)

Back in the 90s 🙂 they had 12v TVs etc so you didn't need an inverter and RVers got the idea that it was easier on the batteries to use 12v directly instead of wall warts on 120.

Now that is all "so yesterday" with switch mode mofset inverters and LED Tvs, CFL or LED lights. etc etc. Today you can do it all via inverter and get better TVs and other things to run off 120v and forget the whole 12v idea unless forced to.

New cabin in 2013? Do a 20yr upgrade from the old '93 cabin 🙂

A number of years back I purchased a small GoVideo LCD panel for the motorhome. I was surprised to find out that the AC adapter dropped 120VAC to 12VDC!!!!! I pucked up an adapter at Radio Shack and BINGO I have a TV that needs no inverter.
If the Go_Video marketing guys had their heads togeather they could hae advertised the TV as RV\Marine frendly and tagged another $100 to the price!
LOL

[mena661]

EldIr wrote:

Having read all your replies, we will definitely look for a more efficient inverter for the new cabin and will most likely do away with all 12v stuff except maybe still a car stereo.

I should note that there also is a full surround-sound home theater setup with subwoofer for when the gen is running :C

Thanks for the update! Let us know what you end up doing.

[DryCamper11]

EldIr wrote:
The inverter at our cabin is an AIMS PWRI30012S. These are the specs:
No load power consumption - under 20w +/- 2w.

FYI, my MSW 1200W inverter from 10-15 years ago draws 1.5A in standby at 12V. That's 18W for comparison.

[EldIr]

mena661 wrote:
30W standby is WAY too much. Mine draws .26A and it's a 300W PSW.

The inverter at our cabin is an AIMS PWRI30012S. These are the specs:

No load power consumption - under 20w +/- 2w.

Efficiency - 90%

Maximum efficiency (1/3 load) - 95%

I did not have a chance to test actual draw with my meter, but I will try to get that later this week.

You can see why we tried to limit inverter usage and use some 12v product (car stereo, some lights, small fan) instead. 20w at standby and 30w at full load seems like a lot of wasted battery for such a small inverter. And I was assuming a larger inverter would be even more "wasteful".

Having read all your replies, we will definitely look for a more efficient inverter for the new cabin and will most likely do away with all 12v stuff except maybe still a car stereo.

I should note that there also is a full surround-sound home theater setup with subwoofer for when the gen is running :C

[mena661]

EldIr wrote:

We have cfl's and an lcd tv to run off the inverter, but we're still programmed to run the inverter as little as possible to save the batteries. That's why the car stereo and running the cell phone booster off 12v. I'll update the inverter draw as soon as I get back up there.

Car stereo is a great idea as home entertainment systems generally draw a lot of power. Although searching for the right components will find really low draw electronics. I found a Bluray player, while I was searching for something the 12V guys can use, that only draws 10W per it's specs but it's 120V only (not good for the 12v guys...found them something that draws ~14W).

[EldIr]

BFL13 wrote:

EldIr wrote:

BFL13 wrote:
No way is that 3 amps with a 300w inverter. Something else must be going on there.

Eg using the 1000w inverter and a 120v CFL lamp I get a 2 amp draw showing on the Trimetric, vs a 3 amp draw with no inverter and one 12v two bulb lamp. The CFL lights up the whole place in comparison with the 12v lamp. ( I don't have the newer, better LEDs for the 12v lamps)

I won't be back to the cabin until the week after next due to work. I'll recheck the inverter manual and test the draw with my Fluke but I'd swear the manual said the inverter draws about 30w. It does have a cooling fan that runs any time it's on regardless of load and I know some of those aren't very efficient. It is quite old from before pure-sine inverters became all the rage. (back then, even the cheap modified-sine were still expensive not like the 30 dollar ones at the auto parts stores now.)

Back in the 90s 🙂 they had 12v TVs etc so you didn't need an inverter and RVers got the idea that it was easier on the batteries to use 12v directly instead of wall warts on 120.

Now that is all "so yesterday" with switch mode mofset inverters and LED Tvs, CFL or LED lights. etc etc. Today you can do it all via inverter and get better TVs and other things to run off 120v and forget the whole 12v idea unless forced to.

New cabin in 2013? Do a 20yr upgrade from the old '93 cabin 🙂

The old cabin is closer to '53 than '93:B

We have cfl's and an lcd tv to run off the inverter, but we're still programmed to run the inverter as little as possible to save the batteries. That's why the car stereo and running the cell phone booster off 12v. I'll update the inverter draw as soon as I get back up there.

[BFL13]

EldIr wrote:

BFL13 wrote:
No way is that 3 amps with a 300w inverter. Something else must be going on there.

Eg using the 1000w inverter and a 120v CFL lamp I get a 2 amp draw showing on the Trimetric, vs a 3 amp draw with no inverter and one 12v two bulb lamp. The CFL lights up the whole place in comparison with the 12v lamp. ( I don't have the newer, better LEDs for the 12v lamps)

I won't be back to the cabin until the week after next due to work. I'll recheck the inverter manual and test the draw with my Fluke but I'd swear the manual said the inverter draws about 30w. It does have a cooling fan that runs any time it's on regardless of load and I know some of those aren't very efficient. It is quite old from before pure-sine inverters became all the rage. (back then, even the cheap modified-sine were still expensive not like the 30 dollar ones at the auto parts stores now.)

Back in the 90s 🙂 they had 12v TVs etc so you didn't need an inverter and RVers got the idea that it was easier on the batteries to use 12v directly instead of wall warts on 120.

Now that is all "so yesterday" with switch mode mofset inverters and LED Tvs, CFL or LED lights. etc etc. Today you can do it all via inverter and get better TVs and other things to run off 120v and forget the whole 12v idea unless forced to.

New cabin in 2013? Do a 20yr upgrade from the old '93 cabin 🙂

[mena661]

30W standby is WAY too much. Mine draws .26A and it's a 300W PSW.