Solar Power Expansion.

I moved the older GEL battery system batteries upstairs into the lab:

The 4x 30Ah battery is now connected in parallel (again) and placed on the shelf next to the lab desk. 

I set up 2x 100W solar panels in series with a (max) 6A cable to the indoors. (maybe more). This is a preliminary setup, so the system can be tested (well, it has worked before, so why not again?) . A certain voltage loss is expected, but less so as the panels are in series, and the current in the cable is therefore reduced. Preliminary cable laid, and a charge regulator added, the lab 12V 60Ah system is now running and charging.

Further needed:

- improved (and shorter) cable from panels to the indoor charger/battery system

When I get more batteries I will probably move the 2x 12V/100Ah LiFePO4 batteries upstairs to use as the base 12V system. The existing lead-acid batteries can then be used together providing 24V/about 100Ah along with providing 200Ah -> about 100Ah at 12V. More solar panels will be needed for this extension, of course, as I want the charge to be the best possible.

The 12V - when finished - should be powering things like the GPS/10MHz reference generator for the spectrum analyzer, frequency counter and the transceiver test set.

The 24V part should be powering the small 24V temperature controlled soldering iron, and also a small laptop. 

When the bigger battery gets installed I can try using a (pure sine wave) inverter to power some of the 220V instruments, like the transceiver test set, spectrum analyzer and a few more.

While this system should work well in the summer time It may need some additional assistance from the mains grid in winter time. I should build some relay switching for this before the winter comes, because, of course - Winter Is Coming  (but not for several months) ;) 

For now I do have enough panels for improving the existing system with the batteries at hand, but I need to build much better supports for the panels. I also expect to start getting some larger panels, a few at a time.

Right now it is about extending the solar power system, and getting the antenna system maintained, and some indoor activity with getting some microwave (and other) stuff up and running.

There are interesting times ahead at OZ9QV. I hope it is not in the Chinese sense ;)