like the title says. im interested in building a small solar powered battery bank to use for recharging phones, and tablets, and possibly running other equipment, such as radios, etc during extended power outages. nothing huge or complicated, or expensive. id say a max budget of $1000 bucks ?  the local pawn shop has a like new xyz inverter i can get for around $125 bucks, but i cant remember the watt rating, ill try to get another look at it and report back, it might be the first piece of this thing. id also rather not use car batteries / lead acid needing maintainence, use something sealed if possible.

im pretty mechanically inclined, but not great with electricity, such as using meters to check voltage and such, as a result im hoping to get something i can basically bolt together pretty simply. .

solar panel, attached to whatever, attached to batterys, attached to inverter... done.

how do i go about this?  tips? pointers? suggested equipment?    i can learn to use a meter if needed, its just something iv never used before, but know i need to learn how for other projects.

thanks for the help .

Simple stuff to put together.  Some tips:

- Lead acid batteries shouldn't be discharged more than 50%, so figure that in your expected power consumption
- AGM batteries shouldn't be discharged past 80%
- Lithium batteries can be mostly discharge, but cost a ton of $
- Golf cart batteries can be discharged a lot (read up on them) and purchased at Costco

- Solar panels are easy to buy (home depot, etc.).  I have Renogy brand.  

- Get a solar charge controller (Victron, Renogy, etc.).  Rated for your power.  MPPT are the best, but PWM are good, too.

- Get a good inverter - not a pawn shop one!  The best are pure sine wave, so they'll power anything you have.  The cheaper ones are modified sine waves, and that can jack up some electronics.

That's all you need (well, cables, of course).

Total up all your worst-case power consumption (total amp-hours) and pick your battery and solar panels based on that.  Consider a cloudy day and how that might affect it.  A 200W solar panel will only put out 100W on a party cloudy day.  Much less than that on a cloudy day in the winter, etc.  

i basically want a system to run cell / tablet / over night recharging...a few led lights and computer / ham radio operation for several hours at a time without having to start a generator. hell, i might end up making it a little bigger once i get into it / learn more about it, but this is my goal right now, a smaller charging station for the listed uses. a seperate power system to do those jobs independent of utility power, or generator use. mainly to save fuel usage and wear and tear on generators.

i think the pawn shop inverter is a xyz pure sin wave, its supposedly for / from / left over from a solar set up project. if its got at least 2000 watts, i was thinking it would be a good place to start, since i can get it for $100 bucks.  they had a sheet attached showing a retail price of $300+ on it from the original purchase. if its big enough ill probably grab it, as it will save me a few hundred bucks.

will something like this work for batteries?  someone was saying you can build a good set up with these, and save a bunch of money vs a ready made system.

heres the pawn shop inverter.

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heres what it sells for new.  ( this one seems new )

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think i should grab this inverter  ??  

im trying to find out if its the 24vt, 36vt, or 48vt model..      

do i need a 12 volt for a small system?  or can i use a 24 / 36 / 48 volt inverter with the right equipment?  im guessing the 12 volt is a smaller solar panel set up while the 24/36/48 volt models are for bigger panel set ups?

I have a 50cal ammo can with 4x9 amp 12volt AGM batteries. These will fit with 2 of them standing on the end and 2 laying flat, these are the batteries that are in MANY off the shelf UPS systems.
I also have a couple amazon USB converters, a cig lighter type plug and a voltmeter.
This does exactly what you need.
I use it to charge, phones, flashlights, radios, and run a 2meter mobile radio.
I have a small 12 volt panel or a 1 amp wall watt to charge it.

https://www.amazon.com/Linkstyle-Charger-Voltmeter-Cigarette-Lighter/dp/B07JHH5YP4/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=usb+panel+mount+charger&qid=1610736274&sprefix=usb+panel+mount&sr=8-4


https://www.batteriesplus.com/productdetails/battery/sla-sealed-lead-acid/12/sla12=9f2

I think the inverter is 12 volt.

What do you guys think ?  12 volt ?  ( 12 volt model still runs $370.00 )

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Personally I'd jump on that inverter. I'd invest in some good batteries and a battery tender and not worry about solar yet. If you had a good charger you could charge batteries up in two or three hours from a generator. I am assuming you are talking a day or three of being without power and that you do have commercial power available. Then later if you needed solar you could add the panel and controller. Just my opinion it does not make economic sense to do all that. Unless you were completely "off grid". But that stuff is getting cheaper and more efficient so I might be wrong.

Either way, I think the inverter is a great deal, I can trade some .380 ammo for it no problem,  and come out ahead.  The inverter should be a good addition, and useful for building some kind of battery / solar set up either way., no matter which I decide to do.  I'm just looking at worst case scenarios, and I see power outages a likely common occurence in the future, and be nice to quietly charge and  run a few items without needing to start a generator every time.

Generally it’s better to charge directly from DC to DC without the inverter losses whenever possible. If you can do that, no inverter is needed.

I was assuming solar panels work in 12 volt ? Panels send juice to batteries. Maybe thru a charge controller.... then batteries to converter. And plug in items to converter.. right ?

Yes but....you are taking DC, inverting it to AC, plugging in the charger, which then converts it back to DC. Any time you can go directly from DC to DC it’s going to be a far more efficient use of the available battery power.

What you are asking for, just charging some phones and tablets is on the opposite end of the spectrum from that inverter.

Seems like overkill for the loads you’re looking to supply.

I use a $400 Anker power bank and $80 solar panel when I camp off grid. Works great. Runs my led cafe lights for 3 nights before it needs charging. Can charge my phone probably 20 times.

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I was going to link to that exact battery video from Will. But for what your saying you want to power dont bother with that BMS, its way over kill for you. Get the daly 100 amp non smart bms for 50 or so bucks, build that battery from the video with the 100 amp bms. Get a renogy 1000 watt inverter from amazon for around 170. Then you need to decide on the charger, I know its painful but try to get a good quality charger in the neighbor hood of 50 amps, this could cost 250 bucks, make sure it has the proper charge profile for lifepo4 batteries. I would say victron chargers maybe the best, Links to everything I would get, and will be getting when I do a system, but my primary charge is going to be roof mounted solar.

https://www.amazon.com/DALY-LiFePO4-Battery-Protection-Balance/dp/B08JBV1X28/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=7VL8H25DUC2W&dchild=1&keywords=daly+bms+4s&qid=1610808383&sprefix=daly+%2Caps%2C189&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFDQlg2NFdQWjlXMDMmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA4MDczNzczNUJBVEpBN0c3TVNMJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA5OTk3MjIyQTVaNlJOMDdYNkcmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

this is only a 25 amp charger its the smallest I would get, if that battery was dead it will take 10 hours to charge with this charger

https://www.amazon.com/Victron-Blue-Smart-Charger-Waterproof/dp/B07TMRJQTH/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia-wc-rsf-lq2a1_0?cv_ct_cx=victron%2Bbattery%2Bcharger&dchild=1&keywords=victron%2Bbattery%2Bcharger&pd_rd_i=B07TMQYL4K&pd_rd_r=cdbb6f6c-3fc3-4256-a2b5-5cf31c3fbd1f&pd_rd_w=2Z2Pf&pd_rd_wg=jEifk&pf_rd_p=9dad86ae-1554-484b-9cc0-f9673b44705e&pf_rd_r=DFKR3MG62JGR9DBAV5T4&qid=1610808571&sr=1-1-d3e58e83-6458-471c-a87e-175495b96a10&th=1

buy this power monitor so you can see how charged the battery is at a glance.

https://www.amazon.com/QWORK-Battery-Monitor-Voltmeter-Ammeter/dp/B0824X5MKM/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=ali+power+monitor&qid=1610808699&sr=8-6

this inverter
https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-1000W-Solar-Inverter-Cabin/dp/B07JMQ27WJ/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=renogy+inverter&qid=1610808795&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExUjRBWFhLUlJNUEUxJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwOTk5MTIwMjcyRjhXSTdKOUwxWiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTIwMjE4MkpRV1FIQzJVSzIzQiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

If your going solar buy victron mppt chargers and what ever ridge 100 to 200 watt panels you can for as cheap as you can they all are about the same. The hqst linked above are great for the money

Thanks !   This is the kind of info / help i was looking for !!

I get the 3000 watt inverter is maybe not what i need for this project, but im going to grab it anyway. I can use it for other jobs, for example, my truck used to be a highway dept truck, and its got extra stuff in it, like emergency strobes in the head and tail lights, a spot light, and extra wiring, including battery cables running up under the back seat, where im pretty sure used to have a inverter for running extra equipment, lights / a computer etc.. Figured this would be useful for running items in the truck, camping, etc.

Been watching videos on solar, and my / The solar set up would basically be all 12 volt,  a block with multiple 12 volt usb plugs / direct plugs for charging phones, tablets and such small 12 volt items that use usb chargers, a few  12 volt led lights to see, and a smaller inverter, iv got a old 1000 watt inverter i got in hurricane katrina which should work ( or maybe use this new one  ) sized for my ham radio gear. The only items id run on the inverter would be ham radio and maybe a computer.  My main goals here are ability to power some led lights, charge items, and run my ham radio / computer , especially at night when id rather not have to run a generator for various reasons, mainly noise, but also to save fuel as well. Plus its a cool project.

This should be a fun project, learning experience, and possibly result in a bigger solar set up down the road. Ill use a battery / solar panel type that can be added / incorporated into a bigger system later if i want.

The big issues with big inverters is the stand buy loss, and the start up surge can make a bms kick out. Thats why Will used the big resistor to charge the capacitors in the inverter, that and the big spark that can happen. The 1000 watt inverter in my trailer about 1/2 the time would kick out the bms in my 60 ah lifepo4 battery. So now I have 2 batteries. Lead acid does not have the bms, so its not an issue there but I would avoid lead acid like I would avoid voting democrat.

What I want to do, is a 1000 watt inverter and 2 of those batteries charging from 500 watts of solar and a back 120 volt charger. Then rewire my house so the fridge, sump pump, tv, interent and kitchen lights run from it full time. This way I basically have a ups keeping those items on no matter what and for long term.

Heres the inverter I have now, had it for prob 15 years almost. Its 750 watts. It ran a coffee pot in a humvee just fine.

im sure it will be useful somehow, but i just cant pass up the big 3000 watt xyz im picking up today, it adds a lot of capability and for $120 bucks like new, never used, its a steal, vs $375.00 for a new in box amazon one. plus im  trading $60 bucks worth of ammo for it, which doubles my ammo investment / return.

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Picked up the new inverter, tested it and it works perfectly.  Next I'll keep my eye out for a good deal on a solar panel / panels.

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What kind of solar panels should I be looking for ?  Keep in mind I want anything I get, batteries, panels. Etc to be able to be part of a bigger system  down the road if I decide to expand.

What wattage / manufacturer is the best bang for the buck ?

The hqst linked before, or the rich solar on amazon are the ones for the price. Next would be renogy.

Depending on which MPPT charger you get and your install you can series or parallel them. If you have no risk of shading so series, up to the voltage limit of your charger. Remember most "12" volt panels have an open voltage of about 20 volts.

I keep an alert for solar panels on OfferUp, there are amazing deals to be had.

Any updates?

Have you watched hobotech on youtube? I'm lazy and just got a jackery but you can make some if you don't need the portability.