Solar Electric system

The Solar Electrical System

Electricity is provided from batteries which are charged by solar panels up on the porch roof. The system uses standard household 110v plugs and standard USB connectors which are available throughout the cabin.

How to use::
There's nothing special to know about using the system. Everything should operate as it does at home. However, there is not an endless supply of electricity and the total amount available at any one time is about as much as you have on a single plug in your house. So think lights and devices and that's pretty much it. No hair dryers, no TVs, no plug-in fans, no kitchen appliances. And be sure to click lights off when they are not being used and in the daytime.

The rig is set up as two independent systems for collecting and storing electricity. This is so that each system serves as a backup for the other one. If you are there for more than one night, then once a day you will need to switch to the battery that has the most power. But don't worry, it is really easy and takes only a couple of minutes (instructions below). Switching batteries like this allows the other battery to recover, and you will start getting a feel for how much power is being used. Under normal conditions about twenty percent of a battery is used up in the course of an evening. Then on the next day, if it's sunny, that much is easily replaced. So under normal usage conditions the power should never run out.

How to switch to the other battery:
Switching to the other battery is really easy.
First, you turn off all the power usage. This means simply turn off all of the lights, and unplug any devices.
Second, pull the plugs out of the "inverter" being utilized. Those are the devices with the orange fronts.
And third, plug in the plugs to the other inverter. That's it. Then the other battery will start being utilized.

The two photos below show the usage switched from the "A" system to the "B" system.

Plugged in to the "A" system.

Plugged in to the "B" system.

How to see which battery has the most power:
First locate the readouts on the two batteries. In the photo below they are located just under the electrical counter, marked with red arrows.

To see the readout you may have to press the "On" button, marked with red arrow in the picture below.

Now you can read the percentage of usage on the batteries. You will want to plug in to the system, marked either "A" or "B", which has the most power. Doing this once a day should be fine. In the pictures below the "A" system has 98% available and the "B" system has 99% available. So you would want to plug in to the inverter marked "B", as shown above.

How about a computer?
Yes, there is enough power to run a normal laptop computer.

Rechargeable fans instead of AC.
There isn't enough power to run AC so we provide several rechargeable fans. They are recharged with a usb-c connection. There are several of those available on the electrical counter.

Warnings:
As with all electrical systems you must stay away from the electrical connections except for the standard plugs and the battery readouts. You could get a dangerous shock, just like at home.