PV Gap

Tina Said:

Solar Power in place of Battery Pack?

We Answered:

what is "nimh"? I suspect "1100" is mA-hour, and that is a battery capacity, not a current.

You need to know the current drain of the motor. If it is 1 amp, for example, the battery pack will operate the motor for 1 hour, if it is 0.5 amps, the pack will operate it for 2 hours.

The second is much more powerful, use that (1v 415 mA)

Assuming the motor draws 0.5 amps (500 mA) at 7.2 volts, then in theory you can use 7 of the cells in series to get 7 volts at 415 mA. But only if the sun is very bright where you live. If it is at any angle to the panel, the voltage and current drops off rapidly.

Plus manufacturers tend to overrate their cells, so, for example you can get 1 volt if the current is low, or 415mA if the voltage is low, but not both. In that case you will need more cells than 7.

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Theodore Said:

rechargable battery in garden lamps - can I replace with ordinary rechargeables or are these special?

We Answered:

There won't be a problem if you use batteries with the same chemistry (Ni-Cad). If you buy new batteries they will probably have a higher capacity and so will never get fully charged, this shortens the life of Ni-Cad batteries due to the "memory effect".
You could replace your Ni-Cad batteries with Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) to avoid or reduce this.

If you live somewhere where you get 15 hours of bright sunlight, you will also be able to use the panels as a charger.

Jon Said:

Where can i get 12 V 1000 mAh ( 10xAA)NiCd Battery Pack for solar power panel?

We Answered:

ebay

Arlene Said:

why would some one want a solar powered hiking pack?

We Answered:

It would be nice if it powered a personal air-conditioning unit, but mostly it is just to recharge a cell phone, radio, or gps unit.

Joan Said:

Can a 6w cordless phone power pack run 24 hours on a 70w hand held inverter?

We Answered:

It might work.
Snags might be the threshold for turning on. Most inverters have to have a certain level of current flow or they turn off. 6 watts may not be enough to keep it on.
Second problem may be that the inverter is not intended for continuous use. Make sure that it can have good airflow to keep it from heating up.

From an engineering aspect there may be a better solution.
The flow you are suggesting is to go from the batteries @ 12 v DC > Inverter @ 120v AC > wall wart @ DC to power the phone. Each of those transitions has a significant power loss.
A more efficient method would be to use a DC/DC power supply. Depending on the voltage and connector size of your phone, you may be able to get an off the shelf unit originally designed for automotive accessories. Old cell phone car chargers may work.

On a few DC systems I have installed a 12v outlet (cigarette plug) so that cell phones and laptops could be easily charged when the commercial power was out.