Homemade Solar Mount

[shanker]

I apparently posted this in the wrong forum. It was pretty late last night...I'll repost here where it should be. I decided to use my existing solar panel for this upcoming season and see if it fits my needs. My boat will be moored so I'm hoping that it will be able to keep my batteries topped up for my weekend sails. I only have a 5 watt Brunton solar panel, so we'll see how it does. When I bought my boat it was permenently mounted off the stern rail. I decided that I best be able to pivot the panel vertically and horizontally in order to maximize it's 5 watt rating. I removed the permanent mounting harware off the stern rail and decided to use the mounting holes off the stern that are used for the mast support pole. I found a galvanized pole and machined three fits. Two for mounting and on for the pivoting knuckle. The knuckle allows the panel to pivot horizontally (up and down) and being a machine fit it can rotate vertically (side to side) and then be secured by the two round head locking knobs (Lee Valley) at the bottom of the knuckle. The horizontal pivot occurs on the aluminum shaft that runs horizontally through the knuckle. That position is adjusted by the two star shaped knobs (Lee Valley) pointing out the back of the knuckle. It can be adjusted past horizontal in the up position and down as far as the pole will allow. This would be directly into the sun in the morning. Also, 360 deg from side to side. The solar panel fits to a mounting plate (aluminum X shaped piece with my boat logo on it). I designed it and then cut it out on a water jet machine. It is attached to the two Nylatron (dark blue) blocks which support the aluminum shaft. The aluminum shaft does not rotate because it is held in place by the two round adjusting knobs that are in the dark blue Nylatron blocks. I machined two flats on the shaft so those knobs can secure it properly without any rotation. These will be replace by cap bolts as they shouldn't need to come off unless its coming apart. I hope that make sense. I still have some finishing touches to pretty it up a little and then it should be ready to install Round off some corners on the Nylatron blocks). The wires from the solar panel run into a hole in the center top of the knuckle and then down through the support pole and out through a drilled hole with rubber grommet near the bottom. The pictures aren't great, I need new batteries for my camera. Pretty simple design and my testing went very well. Really easy and quick to adjust to any position. Should be able to follow the sun very easily. Let me know what you think.

 

[soling42]

Looks like a piece of art for a trickle charger but maybe on the small side in your higher latitudes if you're out for a long weekend, unless you have an alternator on the OB that'd be helping too. Like the logo too.

Nice design but how do you keep that Alberta snow off of it

 

[kpgraci]

I've been looking for a design to support my 15W panel, it now lays flat on cockpit seat, less than ideal. You design looks great but I'm not sure I can replicate it with the tools I have - I need something I can build from parts I find at Home Depot.

 

[shanker]

For the record, the snow is just about gone!! Yup, thats is pretty exciting for Alberta.

Yes its a little excessive for a trickle charger but my plan is to test it this year for durability, ease of use and access etc...I pretty much know what it will do in terms of topping up my house bank (not much) but I decided I need to learn more about these rascals before I throw some money at them. I do have an alternator on my motor that does help and another mod I'm working on is a new electrical panel which will have LED battery displays for each battery. I will track useage, recharge, time etc... and hopefully next year the price will be lower yet and I can purchase the 'best fit' panel for me. I seem to think that a 40watt panel will be sufficient...we'll see. I'm a machinist and I stay away from electricity...it doesn't want to compute for me. You know, I can't see it or machine it so to me it's hard to 'get it'.

As far as parts go, the bracket was cut out on the water jet but it can be done differently with a jig saw/band saw. I added some cut outs, an odd shape and a logo just to make it lighter and because I could. It is not neccessary. The shaft can be a nomial size. The only issue is that knuckle. A local machinist can do that in LESS than an hr on a mill. The pole is a bent fence pole that I picked up in a scap yard for nothing. So far testing it on my porch I have had great success. I can see why having the panel directly at the sun really makes it more efficient. So this mod, I believe, will be very handy especially when I get a larger panel. Depending on the size of the panel I go with, I will only have to change the bracket....I hope.

I got 2 PM's for clearer pic's. I bought some batteries for my camera last night so I'll post some shortly. The camera died this weekend taking shots of my newest project...a hard protective case for the Loos gauge I just purchased.