My new solar setup

[Steve]

Did you get that panel setup at Harbor Freight? I saw them selling ones like that there.

[Abbott]

Originally Posted by bender477

yes , the harbor freight special , minus that charge controller , the one that comes in the kit allready died , i hope the panels are better quality

Yeah all of Harbor Freight's stuff is hit or miss. I never know if what I purchase there will do what it says on the box or for how long. Their saving grace is they have a good return policy, a decent warranty program and some of their stuff is so cheap it's easy to purchase it over again if you got some decent service life out of it to begin with.

Will they let you return the Controller?

[Steve]

Let us know how well those panels work, I was even toying with the idea of going and buying a set of those tonight.

[whodat]

ROFLMFAO! arkie turned us on to those THREE YEARS AGO here http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Sch ... sage/11833
if you follow out the threads on them you'll see that he explains how to move ONE WIRE ( with photos ) to make the charge controller work properly. he also explains how to get them for $199 shipping paid. and you failed to mention it comes with TWO flourscent lights and that the charge controller is also a voltage adapter that puts out 12-9-6-3vdc all at once so you can also charge those different devices you have that work off those voltages ( does your controller do that? ). if you go to schoolbusconversionuts and type in SOLAR in the subject line and ARKANSASCAJUN in the author line and do a search you'll get an education in what you can and can't do with these systems. as well as other alternative energy systems. i've had mine three years in constant use with the original controller ( with the fix ) and have had zero problems.
ps. controllers don't make any noise!( even before the fix )

[Steve]

Here is a good discussion describing the noise that you are talking about.

http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2006/8/5/212433/2619

When my battery reaches a full charge, the charge controller gets unbearably annoying! It BEEEPS really really loud, it also makes a grainy rough sound... almost like water running through pipes. Both of the sounds are extremely annoying. Turning off the charge controller will stop the annoying sound. Using my inverter and laptop while charging will also stop the sound (but that's because I'm slightly dropping the voltage so my controller thinks the battery isn't full anymore).

I doubt it's defectve, from the way you dscribe thngs. It sounds like the gurgling is the charge controller flucuating between charging and not charging real fast. If you're worried about it real bad, and you feel confortable doing it try this. Open it up, if possible leaving it connected. Be real careful and listen to it up close, don't poke around inside just look. You should see a little black cylinder with a hole in the top. That's the buzzer. You can then unhook it (controller) from the batteries and PV's and stuff that hole with loose bits of cotton ball, but not too full. Just enough to dampen the movement that makes the sound. That should shut it up pretty good, but still allow you to know it is working. Don't touch anything else without being grounded. Static discharge might kill it. Your other option is to disable it. That will involve some trickery with a soldering iron, but is easy. You could also place a switch between one of the feed pointsfor the buzzer and the buzzer proper. My trace C-40 doesn't have a buzzer, and I really don't see the need for one. A good volt meter is more useful than a buzzer.

I have two of these kits tied together with a 1200 watt inverter and a 115 Amp deep cycle marine batt. I have been getting between 96 and 313 watts per day from this design. I use this to power my living room; TV, laptop, and Dennon Audio system. On a sunny weekend I can get over 26 amps a day into the batt. (If anyone cares, I can get pictures out there for anyone to see my setup.)
In my case, the buzzer was telling me there was too much voltage a the PV. I burnt up my diodes and the MOSFET after a full day in the sun and a full batt.

I'll get you all better details as soon as I find my notes but here is what I remember about my controller I tore apart and traced:

It is more of a voltage regulator than a charger. As long as the voltage of the PV is above the batt voltage, it will charge. If the PV voltage exceeds a threshold it shorts to ground through a simple MOSFET circuit.

There is diode protection. 2 in a series immediate after the connection post. If the switch is on the PV+ (after the 2 diodes) is then tied to the Batt+. The PV- and Batt- are common when the switch is on.

In short, find a real charger made for PV applications. I replaced mine with a Manson found on e-bay. It has good historical and current data for display and can be remote switched off/on.

[the_experience03]

Originally Posted by whodat

ROFLMFAO! arkie turned us on to those THREE YEARS AGO here http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Sch ... sage/11833
if you follow out the threads on them you'll see that he explains how to move ONE WIRE ( with photos ) to make the charge controller work properly. he also explains how to get them for $199 shipping paid. and you failed to mention it comes with TWO flourscent lights and that the charge controller is also a voltage adapter that puts out 12-9-6-3vdc all at once so you can also charge those different devices you have that work off those voltages ( does your controller do that? ). if you go to schoolbusconversionuts and type in SOLAR in the subject line and ARKANSASCAJUN in the author line and do a search you'll get an education in what you can and can't do with these systems. as well as other alternative energy systems. i've had mine three years in constant use with the original controller ( with the fix ) and have had zero problems.
ps. controllers don't make any noise!( even before the fix )

What's with the trolling? It's one thing to make your own site better by removing the trolls (and half the legit subscribers). It's a whole different issue to go on trolling at other peoples' sites to try and bring them down. The people that are at this site and not the other one are here for a reason. Why can't you just accept that and move on?

[whodat]

thanks steve. i went to that site and joined to post the fix but i guess i'm too stupid for it because i can't figure out how to post. in any event i guess arkies fix did it because mine works perfectly. when one says noise i thought of NOISE not WARNING. mine beeps but only as a LOW VOLTAGE warning so one knows to turn off the unit so as not to harm anything plugged in. so i repeat. mine makes NO SOUNDS when in operation unless i am running some device on it and it gets too low in voltage. it works properly.
as for YOU "the experience". how is my posting dragging down this group? i see you've made over 1700 postings here and you think you know a lot. but if my math serves me you were 13 1/2 years old when arkie started this all. so go blow smoke up someone elses butt. your just an IT punk who can google.

[behappystupi]

Originally Posted by whodat

thanks steve. i went to that site and joined to post the fix but i guess i'm too stupid for it because i can't figure out how to post. in any event i guess arkies fix did it because mine works perfectly. when one says noise i thought of NOISE not WARNING. mine beeps but only as a LOW VOLTAGE warning so one knows to turn off the unit so as not to harm anything plugged in. so i repeat. mine makes NO SOUNDS when in operation unless i am running some device on it and it gets too low in voltage. it works properly.
as for YOU "the experience". how is my posting dragging down this group? i see you've made over 1700 postings here and you think you know a lot. but if my math serves me you were 13 1/2 years old when arkie started this all. so go blow smoke up someone elses butt. your just an IT punk who can google.

Wow, someone can't read either The experience has 1341 posts to be exact, not 1700.

[phillbus914]

Hey whodaretard why not post more links that none of us can click on... that does a lot of good.

Why don't you post your laughable stats again so we can all laugh our ass's off at how few posts your site gets each month. Oh here it is...

Message History
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2007 95 92 142 59 71 133 98 48
2006 248 189 188 251 173 114 164 156 146 311 301 88
2005 398 275 458 251 315

Wow Aug. was a killer month... 48 posts, what's that average just over 1 per day....

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA

looser.

PS why hasn't this spammers account been deleted yet?

[the_experience03]

IT punk? That is laughable. I will be the first to admit that while I'm pretty decent with a personal computer I am in no way, shape, or form an IT guy. I don't even know where you would get that reference given that I never mentioned computers in my post.

Now then...how is your posting bringing down this group? Well...by all definitions you are trolling. I am yet to see a post in which you didn't try to promote Arkie's site as better and/or make personal attacks on members here. Jason made a very good point. Posting links or suggesting we search for stuff on the other site is pointless since the vast majority of us are banned over there for one reason or another. I personally was never given an explanation as to why I was banned. I simply could not log in one day and got the warning.

Do I think I know everything? Not a chance in hell. I don't think anyone on this board here does. Everyone knows something though and respects that about everyone else. If I had a computer question I would ask the real IT guys on this board like Steve for example. If I had a question about a jacuzzi you can bet your ass I'd be PMing Jason. If I wanted to know something about sport quads I'd be talking to Phill. If I wanted to make something whimsical or wanted to know something about the trucking industry Elliot would be my go to man (and has been I might add). The list goes on and on and on. What do I know more than the average person about? Well...I guess I would hope a person would look to me for advice about batteries and Toyotas. Yes, they are odd areas of knowledge, but it's what I have to work with and it all kind of jives together here.

If you were interested in being personable, contributing member on this board I would encourage you to stay. Your last post started off ok...but then it was back to the personal attacks (based on unfounded assumptions and poor math to boot). If you are only interested in trolling and advertising for Arkie's site I would politely ask you to just leave us alone. As has already been posted, we are all here for a reason.

[whodat]

you were banned from the group because you participated, without any provocation ( no one did you anything on nutz except try and help ), in the thread attacking arkie and the group that was deleted. the one started by kaptnchaos who ALSO only got preferential treatment on the group, who arkie and others went out of thier way to help but who was too frikken stupid to understand what ARCHIVES meant even after a definition quoted from the dictionary and a patient explanation. he QUIT after bad mouthing us. which arkie posted. as he always does. but fortunately artifacts exist. one only has to check a members postings to see what transpired.
as for most of the members of this forum bieng banned. sorry you got that wrong too. the large majority of the members of this forum are members of schoolbusconversionuts. only about 30 assholes and con artists who nitpick about the difference between 1341 and 1700 posts from a know nothing who was a 13 1/2 year old punk when this all started but who constantly shoots off his mouth about what he knows.
i began by wanting to help all who buy that solar system get a good system. yes i inserted the TRUTH about schoolbusconversionuts. and as usual YOU took exception to the TRUTH. i didn't attack anyone in or this group first. go see all my posts here. every word is the TRUTH. and as usual you think blowing smoke can change that. but then thats what phonies do.
my intent is only to make the members here aware of where it all comes from so they don't waste thier efforts and hard earned money depending on advice from con artists who all built thier skoolies on nuts. or like the originator of this thread who don't know squat about solar systems ( just because you bought one don't make you an expert) as i was trying to show. so that others don't follow his lead. thats the only problem with this group. it does more harm for the skoolie movement, through unchallenged assinine "expert" advice than it has ever helped.

[whodat]

ya philbus you're another one. you got banned for the same reason. too frikken stupid to live. what group are you talking about DUUUUUUH! since you brought it up. heres nuts stats. we average 75 different individuals posting monthly. currently 2858 members. so again since you want to compare. compare that to this pitiful tribe. see you're a perfect example of what i mean. you don't have a CLUE about reality. put you sure don't spare the hot air.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2007 371 465 397 338 234 216 371 256 68
2006 239 252 236 293 325 170 266 357 559 372 270 293
2005 400 428 443 440 280 472 766 492 115 246 190 231
2004 591 522 412 194 357 319 464 490 416 332 403 326
2003 283 393 411 433 544 608 489 285 166 469 483 330
2002 85 133 124 139 334 188 236 280 313 277 217 254
2001 20 22 37 51 82 66 26 59 112
and before you chime in clement..... make sure you say how you've been banned and let back in and banned FIVE TIMES and how you lurked there for a couple years as buster clyde ( we knew it all the time. we ain't stupid all we gotta do is look at a members posting source to know who you are) before recently getting banned for the final time because you also chimed in on the bad mouth thread without provocation. even though you were given five chances to participate like a human being instead of a turd.
and geee. gonecamping huh? irv2gonecamping on nuts. look him up. and to think all i wanted to do was help with the solar system before others got screwed. including steve. i didn't attack ANYONE FIRST.

[the_experience03]

Originally Posted by whodat

ROFLMFAO! arkie turned us on to those THREE YEARS AGO here http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Sch ... sage/11833
if you follow out the threads on them you'll see that he explains how to move ONE WIRE ( with photos ) to make the charge controller work properly. he also explains how to get them for $199 shipping paid. and you failed to mention it comes with TWO flourscent lights and that the charge controller is also a voltage adapter that puts out 12-9-6-3vdc all at once so you can also charge those different devices you have that work off those voltages ( does your controller do that? )...blah blah blah

That was an attack on this board and Bender for not giving all the information you though was necessary. YOU and YOU alone started this. I don't feel the need to respond to the rest of your post. It's not going to make a difference. I will, however, ask very politely for you to just leave. We are not starting anything with Arkie and he is not starting anything with us. That is all water under the bridge. Nevertheless you insist on making it an issue. Please stop posting here and post at Arkie's board. I have made no efforts to post over there so I'm fairly certain I am absolved of any wrongdoings. You, on the otherhand, cross post. Please stop and the world will keep going around and both boards will be better served.

[phillbus914]

Originally Posted by whodat

ya philbus you're another one. you got banned for the same reason. too frikken stupid to live. what group are you talking about DUUUUUUH! since you brought it up. heres nuts stats. we average 75 different individuals posting monthly. currently 2858 members. so again since you want to compare. compare that to this pitiful tribe. see you're a perfect example of what i mean. you don't have a CLUE about reality. put you sure don't spare the hot air.

<Insert BS made up stats here....>

and before you chime in clement..... make sure you say how you've been banned and let back in and banned FIVE TIMES and how you lurked there for a couple years as buster clyde ( we knew it all the time. we ain't stupid all we gotta do is look at a members posting source to know who you are) before recently getting banned for the final time because you also chimed in on the bad mouth thread without provocation. even though you were given five chances to participate like a human being instead of a turd.

Is he talking about me in the last paragraph there? That made me laugh my ass off.... what is this nutjob talking about? He can't be referring to me... Banned 5 times?? what? buster cycle? what the F?

You guys aren't kidding this guy has serious mental problems. For the past few years I've heard story's about this wackjob and I didn't have a clue what everyone was talking about... wow.... I'm speechless.

Why does this user (and his posts) still exist? It's spam and should be removed.

Why does this guy keep talking about arky like he's someone else, it's clearly arky crying that none of us give a rats ass about his worthless yahoo group. Check out his crying to Wikipedia....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Arkansascajun

waa waaaaa I cant post my own site on here waaa waaa I invented the word skoolie... waaa

Notice that he frequently uses ALL CAPS... just like whoDatOhYeahIt'sArky does on here.

What's a matter ARKY? mad nobody likes your crapy site? hell it took me a year or more to even realize I'd been banned, show's ya how often REAL SKOOLIE OWNERS visit your pitiful excuse of a site... oh wait it's not your site it's Yahoo's. Your just the crybaby that babysits it.

[whodat]

you just keep illustrating my points philbus. you just don't have a clue about whats real. what you callthe BS stats are at the bottom of schoolbusconversionuts page. no way i know of to fake them. and thats for ON SUBJECT postings. but i guess you'll NEVER get it.
is your name CLEMENT? did you miss that too? or do you just think everyones talking about you.
members beware! these are the caliber people you are relying on for advice on building your skoolie.
the harbor freight solar system is unbeatable in cost effectiveness. all you have to do is change ONE WIRE and it's great. not BUY MORE to fix it. that was the intent of my original posting. i'll go back to lurking now. i thought i'd join in and try to help. theres at least a hundred postings that i'd disagree with. but it's difficult to argue with people who have no logic skills and who just don't get it.
good luck!

[the_experience03]

But isn't the point of converting a school bus that an individual can do things their own way? I'm sure there is plenty you disagree with, but that does NOT make your opinion any more correct than anyone else. New ideas that are outside of the box are how the next big trend gets discovered. If we all wanted to build our vehicles using exactly the same methods and tactics because Arky/Whodat thinks that's how it should be done...well...we might as well all just buy stick and staple RV's.

I think you're wise to go back to lurking if you don't feel that you can be a contributing member without flaming individual members or bumping the other site over here. But why lurk? Why not either be a contributing member or not a member at all? Your advice about the charge controller very easily could have been useful, but you need to learn how to present the information in a fashion that isn't offensive to members. As you stated in your own post...it's impossible to argue with people yada yada yada. Why do you feel the need to argue? Why can't you just present a different method of going about things and why you feel it is best rather than tell people their method is wrong and they don't know what they are doing? Just my $.02

[behappystupi]

So much for bender's solar setup

[phillbus914]

Originally Posted by whodat

you just keep illustrating my points philbus. you just don't have a clue about whats real. what you callthe BS stats are at the bottom of schoolbusbullshitconversionuts page. no way i know of to fake them. and thats for ON SUBJECT postings. but i guess you'll NEVER get it.
is your name CLEMENT? did you miss that too? or do you just think everyones talking about you.

No my name is not clement... and as far as I've seen no one who's posted on this topic has that name either, which is why I ASKED if that paragraph was referring to me. And I'm the one who's "too stupid to live"? yeah ok...

Originally Posted by whodat

members beware! these are the caliber people you are relying on for advice on building your skoolie.
the harbor freight solar system is unbeatable in cost effectiveness. all you have to do is change ONE WIRE and it's great. not BUY MORE to fix it. that was the intent of my original posting. i'll go back to lurking now.

Why bother? Why not go back to your AWESOME site... that's so badass none of use with actual skoolies can even log into... not that any of us would anyway since it's edited by some bi-polar assclown.

Originally Posted by whodat

i thought i'd join in and try to help. theres at least a hundred postings that i'd disagree with. but it's difficult to argue with people who have no logic skills and who just don't get it.
good luck!

Your intent was not to help it was to plug your lame ass site. Anyone with half a brain can see that. If you really wanted to help you wouldn't have started your post with "ROFLMFAO! arkie turned us on to those THREE YEARS AGO here at PLUG MY SHITTY SKOOLIE SITE HERE" Who cares when and where, if you want to help do that HELP not plug your lame site.

[Abbott]

I would use that web sight more often if it wasn't so hard to navigate. I have always found Forums setup like this one much easier to use.