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Solar powered PRO/2
Posted: Thu Jun 01, 2023 12:30 pm
by Snapper
Hi
Best position for my PRO/2 for reception is in a place where running a power cable will be a little tricky.
Wondering if anyone has any success they can share running PRO/2 (or PRO i guess) on purely solar / battery power?
I’m UK so will obviously need to make sure solar panel & battery is appropriately sized!
Many thanks
Re: Solar powered PRO/2
Posted: Thu Jun 01, 2023 1:34 pm
by Mattk
Sure the PRO/2 will run fine on a solar/battery system. A good solar regulator typically has a Low Voltage cut off to save battery run down or include a separate LVD which have different combinations of LVD/Re-connect etc.
The Battery sizing is going to be dictated by just how long you would want/need the unit to stay up dependent on conditions, solar capacity to then suit batteries required and charge requirements. Of course a 5 Volt converter on the load side is required
Re: Solar powered PRO/2
Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2023 7:29 pm
by Snapper
Thanks
I gave up on this idea, after doing the math.
I’m mid UK, so having a decent run-time of a week without sunlight in winter meant quite a large battery and solar panel, so was financially not viable. It was around a 50w panel and similar battery for my location. If I the battery went flat (as it can get quite dull for weeks on end in the UK winter) I would need to run a cable out anyway, so might as well do it up front.
For those interested, this is a great site to show solar insolation for a location, to help with panel sizing and ultimately battery sizes:
https://www.gaisma.com
Cheers