Crossposted to r/SolarDIYFinally got around to putting together a power bank and got the solar panel to go with it.Upfront cost, about $350 all in. I scoured craigslist, friends, work relationships, etc... Goal was to build something better than Goal Zero, for a cheaper cost than Goal Zero. Specifically this Power Bank. This took about a moth to gather and has been field tested once (the power bank, frame for solar panel is being tested today)Outside View 1Outside View 2I still need to get 2 fans which should be in tomorrow. One that will suck air in, one that will push air out. This case has a water tight seal up top, so for now I leave it unlatched.Internal 1Internal 2Still need to do some wire management, but right now its effective. The batteries are Duracell 6v 230aH batteries run in seriesTruck MountFancy Wiring DiagramPrice List (which I will break down further):Batteries - $50 Electrical wire, connectors, etc... - $10 Panel w/ Charge Controller - $150 Case - $75 Angle Iron - $15 Outlets, Fuses and Switches - $50So this build started off with getting the batteries. I( wanted something with 12v of power, with a life of about 200 aH. I manage a warehouse and one day talking to the forklift repair guy (we use an outside service company) he tells me he has 2 batteries left over from a huge job they just did and he will sell them to me super cheap. Score for me, since I saved about $150 (not counting taxes as well as a core deposit).Took them home and made a stop by home depot to pick up the wiring that I would need. I do alot of home projects and side work, so the only thing I needed was 5 feet of 4awg wire.The next day I started scouring facebook, craigslist, backpage, etc... to find the solar panel kit. Found one for $150. We meet up after work, came with everything including the Z brackets, and was pretty much brand new.Then came the components, ordered everything else but the case off of Amazon. The case I found on craigslist and really scored their. Its a Hardigg Case, and This seems to be an average price. Haven't dug to much into it. Guy was asking $100, I texted offering $75 and we met up that day.I found the angle from a metal Fab shop, as cut offs. It is 3/4" sides at 1/8" thick. Guy sold me 3 6ft pieces for $15 cash.What I have left to do is just adding the 2 fans which should be here tomorrow. Since these are not sealed batteries they put off Carbon Monoxide as well as a Hydrogen. Not a huge issue, as long as measures are put into place such as the fans.The next goal will also be adding 2 more batteries, so I can run them both in series, and in parallel (another 2 set up just like this one, then run those 2 "separate" in parallel if that makes sense). This is simply just to double the life of the battery pack. Also looking into doing an alternator tie in.I recommend this to anyone, It was fun and has already come in handy. via /r/DIY http://ift.tt/2nLumpU
