Originally Posted by
IdahoScrapper
The last UPS I had was pretty much shot, but it did hold enough of a charge to use the sawzall out in the yard for a little bit.
Beats dragging an extension cord out, and I don't own a cordless sawzall, yet.
This is the idea behind a solar generator (which you can google).
Usually you would buy a battery charger, an inverter, and solar panel. When you hook them together you have a portable battery pack that will power just about anything. The main drawback is the cost. While an inverter can be found cheap, this is a modified sine wave inverter that can't run things like microwaves, electronics, medical equipment, rechargeable batteries, and other sensitive items. If you are willing to pay 2-3 times the amount you can buy a pure sine wave inverter which puts out AC that is the same thing you have in your home.
Most UPSs produce a pure sine wave (because they are used with computers). They already have a charger built in. All you need to do is hook up the + and - wire to larger batteries. Most people then just buy a solar panel that will keep the batteries charged (you can also charge with an AC plug if available).
The UPS consists of a control board and transformer. You remove these items and mount them in a cooler (for protection and easy transportation). Mount the batteries in the cooler. Mount the plugs off the inverter to the outside of the cooler. Usually you will need to add a fan for cooling (I like to use server fans). From there, off you go.
I will usually use a solar panel to keep it charged and it then moves from a "battery pack" to what is considered a "solar generator". I usually make my own solar panels with materials off
ebay. You could buy one but it cuts the cost by 1/3 if you are willing to do it yourself.
You can find videos on youtube concerning a solar generator. I sell these for 300-500 and they are gone in days. My cost is really the cooler, batteries, and solar panel. (about 120.00).
I keep one in my truck so I can use power tools, I have been paid to build these into truck tool boxes (a super idea), people buy these to camp, they are great for tailgating, super nice for a boat, and of course they are great for power outages.
When people see me using these I am approached all the time about buying one. What people find out quickly is because of the cost of the materials, it is tuff to find one under 800.00 and most sell for 1000-4000.
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