How to use Solar power

portable solar powerHow to use Solar power. I am always looking for ways to improve the sound from my audio system. And when you read this ‘ How to use solar power ‘ may seem a bit far-fetched. I started experimenting a couple of years ago but, turns out it works!

How to use Solar power

Portable solar powerI am an audiophile (I hate that word but learned to live with it). The picture shown above is my test system. Which, comprises of 2 x 300-litre cabinets housing Tannoy 15″‘ 3818 Drivers. I am always looking for ways to improve my sound, and I know that power is critical.

I have been working with the idea of using solar power as the source to supply my equipment but also make it portable so used for different applications. And, solar energy is becoming more affordable. People are beginning to realise; we can do many things from the power of the sun.

I decided to make a portable unit to supply power to several components at the same time. As you can see from the picture, I have a light, a laptop, a mobile phone, a guitar amplifier, a guitar foot pedal and two batteries. Everything was easy to fit into a flight case, and I was able to run the batteries for a few hours before a recharge was needed.

Audio system

Solar powerThe first thing I wanted to test was my audio system. I wanted to hear what sound improvements there would be, and I was quite surprised by the result.

The actual sound I heard from my system when using the batteries was, in fact, much better. The sound was vibrant and at the same time smooth and clean with no rough edges and a pleasure to listen.

The system played perfectly for about two hours, but the battery went below the 11.5-volt requirement. 11.5 Volts is needed to supply the Inverter to give the 230 volts to provide the amplifier and CD player. And now we have clean power from the battery feeding the inverter. The inverter steps up this clean power to 230 volts. Which, is now clean power and will drive any 230v component.

Gigging

Play guitarOne of my friends is a musician and plays the guitar. I was interested to see how the battery pack would work with guitar. I used the same solar power unit and took it to the local park to see how it would perform.

The system worked great, and we even had people wanting to dance to the music, which was very encouraging. For me to see the excitement we had created was excellent and I think it was because my friend was so good at playing. Also, the weather was beautiful, which made the atmosphere “electric”.  And always great to try something new because this is what life is all about!

Camping

How to use solar powerAnother use of the Portable solar power system is for camping. I tested it in the evening. I used a light, a laptop and an iPhone whilst we made a barbecue. It was a great experience because we were able to see what we were trying to do. The field we were in had no lighting what so ever, and we did not want to use the car’s headlights.

As well as making a great Barbecue, we were able to listen to music check our emails and use our phones, and we had the power to spare. The system worked well. We also had another light but did not use because what we had was enough.

Convenient

The original idea was to develop a package that could use anywhere and was able to supply power to drive different items. But also to have a good life before a recharge was necessary. If more storage is needed, then it can be quickly done by adding another storage battery.

If a quicker charging rate is required, then it is straightforward just to add a second solar panel to the system. It all depends on how quickly you want to charge the batteries up. I found that a single panel with a single battery took about five hours to set. A single battery with two panels took only two hours to charge. Now there is a way to make your audio system sound better because this type of unit can be easily installed in your home and fitted to an existing design. How to use solar power

Question?

Have you ever tried something like this? Because if not, then please do. There are companies such as Jeff Roland who specialise in power supplies and worth a read. The beauty of this system is the low cost and the fun you can have. But, when used in the home, the sound from the loudspeakers is much better. So for me, solar is the way forward!

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