All Solar Articles
A complete collection of solar, energy, and backup power articles.
This page contains every article published in the Solar & Energy section of the site. Here you will find how-to articles, product reviews, resources, lessons learned, system documentation, and practical discussions related to solar power, backup power, energy independence, and preparedness. Together, these articles provide a broad collection of knowledge, experience, and insights gained through nearly 20 years of learning, planning, building, and operating real-world energy systems.
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TRAP: Solar – Growatt Inverter/Charge Controller
The Growatt SPF series of inverters has problems…serious problems if you don’t know how to fix them. The inverter unit also contains an integrated MPPT charge controller built in. And the unit has a great…
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Super PWRgate PG40S Auto-Switch
Sometimes you just need that right piece of gear, that one need that is weird to fill, but you need it…you really, really need the right piece of equipment.. Well, the West Mountain Super PWRgate…
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AIMS Power (PWRI60012S) 600W Pure Sine Power Inverter
note: article first appear April 2016 I hope by now you are familiar with the “power box” that I built. Some might call it a “solar generator” but it is way more than that. Since…
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MFJ 4230MV Compact 25a Power Supply
article first appeared in June 2016 I love mobile radios! So far I have – Told you I like mobile radios! And yes…I like Yaesu brand mobile radios the most. But, having all these mobile…
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I apologize…
Without realizing it till yesterday, my Power Box Project articles were posted without editing and without pictures. I apologize for that mistake. I got sidetracked with the SitRep – 05/01/20 – WARNING ! and all…
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My “Power-Box” Project – Part #3
Time to finish the portable power box! I finished up Part #2 showing how I built the basic box and wired it up. In this article I will show you how I finished wiring it…
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My “Power-Box” Project – Part #2
After starting, stopping, starting again, stopping once more…then putting the project on hold it was time to get back on this project. Does that sound confusing enough? Well, when I started building this power box…
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My “Power-Box” Project – Part #1
I built my “ham-in-the-box” radio kit that contains my Yaesu FT-8900R for use during emergencies, disasters and anytime there is a “grid-down” situation. And it works like a charm, I love it. Read more about it…
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My “Ham-In-The-Box” Project – Yaesu FT-8900R Go-Box – Part #3
note: This article first appeared in May 2015. In Part #1 (posted day before yesterday) of this series I covered the mission of this Ham-In-The-Box project, requirements and limitations, and the initial challenges that I faced. I…
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My “Ham-In-The-Box” Project – Yaesu FT-8900R Go-Box – Part #2
note: This article first appeared in May 2015.You should read Part #1 that appeared yesterday. In Part #1 of this series I covered the mission of this Ham-In-The-Box project, requirements and limitations, and the initial challenges that I faced.…
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My “Ham-In-The-Box” Project – Yaesu FT-8900R Go-Box – Part #1
note: This article first appeared in May 2015. It was my first major ham radio and power project. I loved it and learned a lot. Later I wanted a smaller box for my radio and…
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AA & AAA Battery Chargers
note: I started working on this article back in 2017 but due to the “crash” it got put on hold. I finished this article over the last couple of weeks. What I was looking for…
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Running a Baofeng UV-5RA Radio on AAA & AA Batteries
note: article first appeared September 2015 I’ve never seen anything so conclusive in all my testing of gear. I mean it was crystal freaking clear what the outcome is. Here’s the short of it: So,…
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Dummy Batteries to Reduce Voltage
Article first appeared August 2015 There are times, especially with electronics, that you want to use AA batteries but to do so would give you and “over voltage” situation that would burnout those sensitive electronics. Well, there…
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Baofeng UV-5RA : Hypario Battery Case for AA batteries
Article first appeared in June 2015 I am a huge Baofeng UV-5R handheld radio fan! Yes, it is a Ham Radio, but it is also much, much more and I love the little radio. It is…
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AA Battery Evaluation : Eneloop vs. Tenergy
This article was first published in late 2017 and subsequently lost in the website crash. I was unable to retrieve it, I had to rebuild it from my notes and scattered bits and pieces. This…
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AAA Battery Evaluation : Eneloop vs. Tenergy
This article was first published in late 2017 and subsequently lost in the website crash. I was unable to retrieve it, I had to rebuild it from my notes and scattered bits and pieces. This…
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Searching for a New Generator
This article appeared a couple of years ago but was lost in the “crash”, I am rebuilding it from notes with some editing. So I am looking for a higher capacity generator than my Honda…
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MFJ-4416B Battery Booster
I really have mixed emotions and opinions on this piece of equipment. In one aspect this is a great piece of equipment that can play an important part of a prepper’s power equipment inventory. On…
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Connecting Batteries in Series or Parallel
Why connect batteries together at all? There are times when you need power for a longer period of time. Or, you need double the voltage that you get from a single battery. Here’s the rule…