Want to make a statement by committing to renewable energy in a small but important part of your life? What better way than to power part or all of your RC hobby with solar power.
I have chosen to run my entire fleet and nearly every aspect of my RC flying hobby on solar energy, generated from a 45 watt photovoltaic array and charge controller I bought from Harbor Freight for only $150, plus a small deep-cycle battery for $45. I am able to charge all my lipo battery packs, my FPV goggle battery, FPV ground station batteries, GoPro batteries, keychain camera, iPhone and provide a 12v source for workbench lighting, hot glue gun, soldering iron, how-to video production studio lights and camera. The lead-acid battery charges up throughout the week for mass lipo charging for the weekend. I tap off power for other aspects as needed throughout the week.
There are many choices for solar power, some of which are more efficient but also more expensive. Given a budget, I went small to start. The kit I use was $150 on sale, plus a little shipping, and is found here:
http://www.harborfreight.com/solar-panel-kit-45-watt-68751.html
The battery I use is a scooter battery bought on eBay for $45. Deep-cycle batteries with larger capacities are widely available.
While I realize the return on investment is very gradual and the overall impact is pretty small, I do feel a more responsible citizen of the earth and proud RC pilot to use a renewable energy source for that thing in life that brings me the most fun and fulfillment. It's hopefully a small step towards a better future. Let me know if you have any questions or if I might help you do the same. experimentalairlines@gmail.com
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IT LOOKS BEAUTIFUL KEEP UP YOUR SCRATCH BUILTS!
AND I LOVE THE BOMB DROP!!!!
KEEP UP THE AWESOME SICK BEAUTIFUL WORK!!!!!!!!!!
ADIB VAHEDI
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anyway great work m8.
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Given how little current they give I'm going to guess this will only work well with gliders / sailplanes which have large wingspans and can run at lower throttles to minimize usage. No clue to to wire this up either. I doubt you can just wire it in series / parallel with the battery and it will just work.
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http://www.batteryspace.com/Wagan-Solar-e-Power-Cube-5-x-16W-Solar-Panel-1500W-AC-DC-Inverter.aspx
its a solar inverter in a cooler package. it is by no means "cheap" but the idea of it was interesting.
on a side note about the flying an RC plane off solar power. Has anyone looked into useing that new solar film? I've glanced the stuff over but its fully plyable and according to what I've read, it produces more power then photovoltaic pannels. But its $$$$. was toying with the thought that it may be used as a wing skin but also provide power for the craft, or atleast keep a small charge going to the Rx and other electronics.
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