Putting power in the blind - ideas?

[hog_down]

Great stuff, doug. Please post pictures when you can. Thank you!

[ShoootLow]

No worries about the hijack! I put this out there as a sounding board for ideas.

On the issue about controllers, I thought it wasn't necessary to use a solar panel charge controller if the system itself was under a certain number of Amps, like say a feeder battery, be it 6V or 12V. I read that some where, but I don't remeber what the total was.

Now, I did see something last night about using a diode in the wiring from the solar panel to the battery, so that the battery doesn't back-feed the solar panel at night. I think this was a problem I had with a 6V feeder setup last year. The battery lasted 1.5 months on the solar panel, but lasted almost 3 months w/o the panel.

I’m wondering if this was our problem. I assumed it was due to lack of draw. We could try changing our solar panel also, not sure if we’ve tested it.

[doug]

I'll be there this weekend and take some pictures. It has really worked well for me so far.

Just want to say again though I know NOTHING about this stuff. It may be a pile of ashes when I get there this weekend.

[warrington]

we have it in all ours

solar panel
regulator
inverter
marine battery
multiplug extension cord
electric antenna
tv
fan
light
beer

[warrington]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kmack]

^^ What size battery and inverter do you have to have to power all that stuff?

I like that ceiling fan idea...a LOT!!!

[Kong]

I’m glad I’m not the only one that likes power, lights, fans and options. I also use the power to run the fans on the Big Buddy heaters. Night and day difference in how the heaters work.

On a side note I do have 3 way switches installed for the lights above the ladders going into the elevated blinds so we can turn the lights on either from the ground or getting out of the blind from the top in the evenings. Nothing better than not having to hold a flashlight going up and down a 12’ ladder

[davidpark06]

Hopefully I can find the time to put power in my blind this year

[kmack]

I'm working on a parts list. I'll post up what I end up with once I get things in and built.

[SwampBuck]

I know of a fella that actually had a separate little shed built away from his blind and it housed a small Honda generator. From there it was conduit to the stand.

[Hammerdown]

https://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=604803

This is a blind I built a while back. See post #29

[91cavgt]

This post is going to have some duplicate info from my DIY Solar Panel thread, so if y’all want more in depth info, take an hour or two and read it.


1. Not all solar charge controllers are made the same.

I’ve personally seen a cheap solar charge controller work the first time you hook it up, but after the sun went down it would turn off. In order to turn back on again the next morning you had to manually reset it, every day. Buy a name brand charge controller and this won’t be an issue. Some el cheapo charge controllers can also use more power than it puts into the battery, especially if you are using a small solar panel. Once again, a name brand charge controller will prevent this from happening. For a small setup, a PWM charge controller is perfectly fine.

2. Don’t worry about adding diodes. All modern solar panels have diodes built in to them now.

3. Add a fuse!! Even a small feeder battery can put out enough current to start a fire if a short were to ever occur, and a short cab be caused from something other than the work that you did(faulty/defective electronics can cause a short).

4. Don’t skimp out and buy cheap wire. There are 2 types of wire that are available for wiring up these systems. CCA and OFC. CCA is copper clad aluminum that is cheap but has a higher internal resistance than OFC wire, and from my experience CCA wire tends to corrode quicker. OFC is oxygen free copper and is a much higher quality wire that will last longer.

5. When buying LED lights, don’t buy the LED lights that need to be plugged in to a 120 volt AC outlet. Buy 12v LED lights. As already pointed out, LED light strips can be VERY bright!! My preference if you want a normal light is to buy 12v RV LED ceiling lights. If you want colored lights, look at water proof 6” to 12” light strips. These can be placed strategically throughout the blind without sacrificing your vision in low light situations the way normal lights can.

6. When picking out a solar panel, as long as you are using a charge controller, it’s better to go bigger than what you think you need. You never hear anyone complain that the solar panel they installed puts out too much power, but quit frequently you do hear people complain that the solar panel won’t keep their batteries charged.

7. The same goes for batteries. Go with a bigger battery setup than what you think you need. Keep this in mind too. Batteries are typically rated in amp per hour. What this means is a battery can put out X amount of amps over a 20 hour period. So, a 20 amp/hr rated battery is rated to put out 1 amp of current non-stop for 20 hours. However, if you run a lead acid, flooded, or AGM battery down this low then you are going to do damage to the battery! As a rule of thumb, you have to decrease these battery’s capacity by half if you want them to last! So a 20 amp/hr battery can realistically put out only 1/2 an amp for 20 hours straight if you want the battery to last. I know that, typically, lights will only be run for 3-4 hours a day tops. But, you also have to keep in mind that sometimes it can be cloudy for several days straight during hunting season so the solar panel might not get a chance to recharge the battery during that time. Now with lithium batteries, you can use it’s rated capacity without doing any damage to the battery. The only downfall to lithium batteries is they can’t be recharged when their internal temperature is below freezing without doing damage. They can be discharged while below freezing though. Good lithium batteries do have low temperature protection built in that prevents charging from occurring while the internal temperature is below freezing.


Hope this helps.

[JES]

Sorry to hijack op ….

Is this similar to what you folks with controllers are using? I have two blinds with 12v feeder batteries and similar solar panels and they don’t draw unless I have my cell booster hooked up to them …and depending on what blind I’m hunting for a specific deer that could be 0-20 times a year in a 3 month period…. I burned up one battery in 1.5 years so I stopped keeping them hooked up unless I was there. Wanted something I could hook up in September and disconnect in January and not worry about damage to a battery due to non-use.

Renogy 10 Amp 12V/24V PWM Negative Ground Solar Charge Controller Compact Design w/LCD Display for AGM, Gel, Flooded and Lithium Battery, Wanderer 10A https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NPDWZJ7...8TS21QK0JH7TEZ

The controller you posted looks oretty good, would be good for a blind power supply, I like the USB ports it provides.

This is the controller I am using on several of my solar panels, seems to be working fine. I wanted a small waterproof option to fit inside my feeder boxes. I also use it for a 12V light set up in my wife’s chicken yard. They have been in service for over a year, will be two years this May, and are working great still.

5A Waterproof Solar Charge Controller 6V/12V Auto, 5 amp Solar Panel Charging Regulator IP67 Waterproof 24Hours Load on for Lead-Acid (AGM Gel Seal Flooded) Battery https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XTQ76WW...ing=UTF8&psc=1

[Smart]

The controller you posted looks oretty good, would be good for a blind power supply, I like the USB ports it provides.

This is the controller I am using on several of my solar panels, seems to be working fine. I wanted a small waterproof option to fit inside my feeder boxes. I also use it for a 12V light set up in my wife’s chicken yard. They have been in service for over a year, will be two years this May, and are working great still.

5A Waterproof Solar Charge Controller 6V/12V Auto, 5 amp Solar Panel Charging Regulator IP67 Waterproof 24Hours Load on for Lead-Acid (AGM Gel Seal Flooded) Battery https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XTQ76WW...ing=UTF8&psc=1

Thank you for the info! Appreciate it!

[Goathead]

I like the 12v ceiling fan idea.