PV Gap

Stacey Said:

How do I use a small solar panel to charge my 4AA battery pack for my remote blinds?

We Answered:

It might be considerably more economical to simply run longer wires to put the battery pack in a more convenient location. Four batteries are about 6 volts. You would have to replace the batteries with NiCad or other rechargeable cells, which typically have a lower total voltage and then buy a 6 volt panel and wire it across the battery pack. One company that makes panels http://www.sunsei.com/ seems to have only 12 volt prepared panels (for car batteries) on a quick glance at their site. They talk about, in their store ads, about matching a panel to a battery pack so a regulator is not needed.

Carmen Said:

can i use small solar panels that are in calculators ?

We Answered:

it would DEFINITELY be worth a try, but you FIRST need to measure the output of the Solar cell using a voltmeter. You can by a simple voltmeter at Radio Shack for about $25. Disassemble the calculator, find the two wires coming from the solar cell, and measure the voltage across them using the voltmeter. If it is close to 1.5 (say between 1.3 and 1.6) then it MIGHT be OK.

Note than many solar calculator actually have a rechargeable battery inside. The calculator works off of the battery -- the solar cell just keeps the battery charged.

"Cannibalizing" old calculators is a good way to get parts to experiment with . . . . . .

Phillip Said:

Solar panels for a phone booth, can anybody tell me the average cost for a small solar panel and battery?

We Answered:

To power WHAT in a phone booth? A light? An after-market suicide machine? Phone lines have their own power, you don't need to power anything having to do with the phone itself. Tell us what you want to power up.

Eduardo Said:

can i combine small solar panels like ones on road signs and make big ones that i can put on my roof and work?

We Answered:

it depends on what you want it to power. if its a house, youre better off getting a professional in to install a solar panel. solar panels generate DC voltage, so to install them in a house, batteries and an inverter must be installed and wired into the house system