Thursday, January 1, 2015

Instapark® NEW All Black 100W Mono-crystalline Solar Panel, 100 Reviews

Instapark® NEW All Black 100W Mono-crystalline Solar Panel, 100 Watt
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
List Price: $399.99
Sale Price: $197.95
Today's Bonus: 51% Off
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Shipping was quick and hassle free. The panel itself is well buit and easy to hook up. (Make sure you buy the MC-4 connectors)

Best of all the thing puts out a lot of power! Even after sunset and in overcast conditions it continues to charge (Long after my old panels stopped working) I am able to run alot of electric equipment for a lot longer than my old panels.

Bottom line: It was quick, easy, and it works extremely well. I highly recomend this product.

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It's refreshing to find a product that not only meets but exceeds all expectations. This panel works even in low light. Cloudy days don't keep it from operating. The frame is very sturdy which makes it easy to customize for challenging installations like mine. Combined with the MPPT controller the output is consistently high. Nice job.

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I have no complaints. The panel arrived in a timely manner undamaged by fed ex (I was most surprised by this). I had to build a rack for the panel. Since it had mounting holes in the aluminum frame this was a peice of cake. The monocrystaline panel is productive way past the peak hours of solar production. I have found that if the sun is out, it produces around 14 volts. During peak hours you're looking at 15.5 to 16 volts constantly, that is until the sun wanes.

All in all I can't really find a downside to the Instapark product.

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The Application: I bought this solar panel to power a pump to move water from a spring fed well to my pond. The complete setup includes this panel plus a 12 VDC pump (which draws 3.5 amps), a controller, a 40 Ampere hour 12 volt battery, and a float switch. The panel, battery, and pump connect to the controller which directs power from the panel to the battery and the pump. The float switch turns the pump on when the water level is high and off when it is low. The battery provides power when the panel does not produce sufficient power (e.g., at night). When the panel produces sufficient power the controller directs power to charge the battery and to the pump when it is running. When the pump is not running the controller directs panel power to charge the battery.

Shipping: With the free shipping option I received the panel in seven days. It was well packaged. The box had some shipping damage but the panel was OK.

Performance: The panel is well designed with solar cells packed densely so they produce 100 Watts of power with minimal overall panel dimensions. I set the panel in direct sun to test the no load voltage. (It was 8:00 AM local time.) The no load voltage with the cold panel was 21.6 volts. As the panel heated from the incident morning sun, the no load voltage dropped to 21.3 volts. This is to be expected. Later I moved the panel into my barn where it was not illuminated by the sun but only by light that scattered in from the barn door. I was surprised to see it still produced over 15 volts.

At 8:00 AM the next morning I connected the panel to the controller at the spring (with it laying flat on the ground). It produce sufficient power to charge the battery and run the pump. After sunset at 8:00 PM I checked the system and found the panel was still producing power sufficient to run the pump. I switched the pump off and the panel still produced charging power to the battery. So it is working better than I had expected.

If you buy this panel I recommend you also buy solar panel connectors and the connector disconnect tools which are also available on Amazon. Without the connectors you would have to cut the existing connectors off and replace them with other connectors. Obviously, this would void the warranty. The connectors are very difficult to disconnect without the tools. Together the connectors and tools cost about $25.00. Yes, its a ripoff, but best to pay it to avoid problems.

Conclusion: The panel works very well and produces more power at lower light levels than I expected. The only remaining question is how it performs after a long period of time. But based on these early results I whole heartedly recommend this panel.

Update 8/2/12: Have had this running the pump for a month now and is working perfectly. My recommendation still holds!

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I have two of these panels. The installation was easy although it does not come with any intructions. I would suggest a youtube tutorial if you are tackling a solar project on your own. Also suggest some splicing experience ;)

Total setup:

2 Instapark 100W Mono-crystalline Solar Panel

Sunforce 11240 1000 Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter with Remote Control

HQRP Pair MC4 T-branch Solar Panel Connector M/M/F & F/F/M (1F2M & 2F1M) for PV / Photovoltaic System (connects solar panels together)

HQRP Pair 144 inches (3.66m) 1x4mm² Photovoltaic Solar Array Cables with MC4 Connectors (connects panels to voltage controller)

Sunforce 60032 30 Amp Digital Charge Controller

Cobra CPI-A4000BC 4-AWG Heavy-Duty AC Power Inverter Cable Kit (Connects the last battery in the chain to the inverter)

HQRP Pair MC4 Solar Panel Connector male & female (M&F) for PV / Photovoltaic System plus HQRP Coaster

Instapark® ZJ-02 Solar Panel Mounting Hardware Kit (mounts panels to roof. If you need to change the pitch of the panel do not get these)

Other stuff: Junction Box, 3 outlet boxes and plates, 3 conductor electrical wire (romex), wire nuts, conductor clamps and wire ties.

I have the panels going to a sunforce voltage controller, the controller is wired to three 12v marine gel batteries that are daisy-chained together. The batteries are wired to a pure sine wave 1000w inverter. I have a secondary system rigged up for when we lose power (winters are harsh). I have an outlet in the living room, guest room and master bedroom. I will have 2 more outlets added by the end of this project. The solar outlets have a different shape then my normal outlets to differentiate between what is grid electric and what is solar. (solar has square plates, electric has rounded corners). We had to put a junction box up to accomodate the lines going into the house (so from the inverter to the junction box).

We recently tested the system by plugging in our 48" flat screen tv and dvr. 5.5 hours later, it was still going strong but I was tired and wanted to go to bed. There were no artifacts (lines in the tv screen, scrolling etc.) on the tv at all. I switched the tv and dvr back to electric and went to bed but left the inverter on to draw any more power that the batteries had in them (we were trying to drain the batteries and see how long it would take for 2 panels would recharge 3 batteries.) but alas, when we woke up in the morning, the batteries still had 1/2 charge on them. The next day it snowed and the panels still charged the batteries to 3/4 full. I expect that they will be full today as it is sunny and clear.

Another great thing about solar backup vs. generator backup... no noise, no smoke, and no gas needed. Downside is that you cannot deploy the whole house, you have to be very aware of what you use... nothing with high amp draw like an oven, water pump or hot water heater. We bought three 8w lightbulbs that put off 40 lumens of light...expensive compared to a regular lightbulb but hopefully we will never have to replace them in our lifetimes! We also bought many rechargeable batteries so that we can spread around the power! Good luck to all.

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Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Best NOCO Genius G26000 12V/24V 26 Amp Smart Battery Charger Deals

NOCO Genius G26000 12V/24V 26 Amp Smart Battery Charger and Maintainer
Customer Ratings: 3.5 stars
List Price: $353.95
Sale Price: $213.48
Today's Bonus: 40% Off
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Would definitely recommend this charger to anyone! Safe, compact, and light. I have batteries that won't accept charge from anything else and this NOCO genius worked! It's definitely a great buy!!

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I own the smaller more portable NOCO G750 NOCO Genius Gray 6V and 12V 750mA (.75A) Fully Automatic Battery Charger and Maintainer but needed something that I could use regularly to charge my 24 volt batteries and this charger did not disappoint. It actually repaired a battery which I thought was dead. I haven't owned this charger that long but will be back with a more updated review once I do, but to this point I haven't found any negatives yet.

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This charger is a must have if you own multiple vehicles and/or farm equipment like I do. I got it on sale for around $290 and have to say it's worth every single penny. The recovery mode is a cool feature because if you lose power it remembers the previous setting when the power comes back on, so you really can just plug this charger in and set it with no worries of over-charging or damaging your batteries. You can pretty much charge anything with this beast too, this is a swiss-army charger in my opinion.

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We set this up as a charger for our toy hauler. When the generator is on and the Genius is plugged into the trailer, it charges the batteries to a full capacity in 2-3 hours. Works best with 6-volt batteries.

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Wired this charger in directly to the Schumacher SB 4D AGM 12v 200Ah battery so that any time the generator is running (or plugged in to shore power), the battery is being charged. The charger worked great on our 1 week long camping trip. So far this charger is doing exactly what I was hoping for.

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Reviews of Energizer Energi To Go iPod Charger With 2 AA Lithium Batteries

Energizer Energi To Go iPod Charger With 2 AA Lithium Batteries
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: $42.84
Sale Price: $31.99
Today's Bonus: 25% Off
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Firstly, let me say that along with this I also own the [[ASIN:B0007XCT18

Maxell iPod Backup Battery Pack]] and the Turbo Charge iTurbo Portable Reusable iPod Charger IP140 for my 30GB generation 5 iPod Video.

I will be flying from Ohio to Australia in the next month and I would like to be able to watch the movies, television shows and listen to my music and audiobooks on my ipod instead of being constrained by whatever in-flight entertainment provided. With that said, let's take a look at the Energizer Energi To Go Portable iPod Charger:

PROS:

-Both CHARGES and EXTENDS battery life.

-Comes with 2 ENERGIZER e2 LITHIUM BATTERIES

-Small

-Folds up for packing

-Designed for G5 iPod video and nano devices but works with any G5 or G6 ipod (have not tested earlier models)

-Adjustable for iPod Nanos and Videos

CONS:

-Made of plastic and has a delicate feel to it, extended use or rough traveling might break device and for $30, that would be unfortunate

-Batteries have to pretty much be forced into compartment, makes me nervous due to the plastic mentioned above.

-Docking system might not work with iPod cases, it didn't with my Belkin F8Z115-BLK Clear Acrylic and Brushed-Metal Case (Black)

-----------------------------

RATINGS:

Durability: 2/5

Functionality: 5/5

Portability: 5/5

Overall: 4/5

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This product is very useful especially if you have a ipod with low battery power like the 30GB. i like watching movies on my ipod and after one movie, my ipod was done, but now i can watch as many as i want. very very good product. don't listen to the dude who said it fried his ipod. this product works

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First of all, *DON'T BUY THIS PRODUCT HERE ON AMAZON*

I love Amazon, but for this particular charger, Buy has it on sale for around $6 with free shipping. I got two of these babies just in case one goes out.

It works with the iPhone 3G. I had to switch the selector to the level left of the 30GB mark to get the iPhone 3G to charge. I'm sure it would work for my 5th Gen 30GB iPod with no problem. Capacity-wise, I'm not sure how much juice the provided pair of batteries would give to the iPhone. I'll drain out my iPhone next and see.

The connector is a bit flimsy so be careful when you have the iPhone/iPod plugged in. Snapping off the $300 gadget while charging on a $6 device is not a fun thing to do. Also, since the connector isn't very steady if you wiggle the iPhone, watching movies or playing games will be an issues. Looks like the Kensinton charger (the one that is a break-out box with a connector cable) has a better designed in this regard, however, it's $40 compared to $6.

Now I'm resuming my quest of buying some good rechargeable batteries to prepare for my 22-hour international flight coming up this summer. Oh the joy of having 30GB of music all the time :)

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I have a 16gb iPod touch, have just been putting it on a test run through the days before i fly out to hawaii in 2 weeks, it seems to work really well and really fast, keeps me entertained for hours on end, amazing product. Only downside is the plastic, but dont let that deter you, it seems like you would have to try pretty hard to break it.

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Bought this product for a long road trip from Minnesota to New Orleans, tested it on my ipod before use, and now I have no working ipod. I called Energizer to complain about their product, they sent me a mailing slip to have the charger and the ipod sent to them, on their dollar. Six weeks later, I get a check, saying they couldn't fix my ipod. Not going to try another one, especaiily after reading some of the reviews, probably gonna buy a new ipod, with a longer battery life.

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Monster Cable Ultra-Low Profile iPod iCharger (AICHG2 IP) Reviews

Monster Cable Ultra-Low Profile iPod iCharger
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
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(This review is in regard to playing your iPod in your car)

I had no idea what I was missing until I bought this iPod charger.

I also own the Monster iCarPlay cassette adapter which plugs into the headphone input on top of the iPod. Unfortunately, the sound quality has been mediocre at best. It was also very bothersome and annoying to have to adjust the volume controls on both the iPod and the car stereo.

Enter the Ultra-Low Profile iCharger...

...not only does this device charge the iPod, but there is an input for your cassette adapter on the charger. What it allows is for the connection of the iPod to the cassette adapter via the dock connection. Now, I'm not sure why, but when you connect your cassette adapter to the dock connection instead of the headphone input on the iPod, the sound quality drastically improves! The sound is clear and crisp, not loud, blown-out, or hissy. When you connect your iPod in this fashion (via the dock connection) the volume is fixed, so you only have to adjust the volume on your car stereo.

I have no idea why this feature is not listed nor explained in detail on the packaging of the iCharger but it is the best part of product and justifies the rather hefty price tag.

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The iPod nano Gen 4 is NOT COMPATIBLE with this charger. Please read this before purchasing.

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If you want to listen to your iPod (with dock) in the car and have a cassette player in the car, you need this device.

I'd initially tried the Belkin product that does much the same thing... powers the iPod and allows access to via the dock to the line out on the iPod... but the Belkin version adds an amplifier to the line out. And, that amplifier colors the sound (muddy, bass heavy, and nasty!) and easily distorts. Very much defeats the purpose of getting to the line out. If the volume was lowered on the Belkin, I needed to push the volume on my car stereo to get to acceptable levels. When that happened, tape hiss was prominent.

Enter the Monster iPod charger. This product does not include an amplifier... you just get access to the line out signal. Just connect your cassette adapter to the charger, drop the adapter into the cassette player, and enjoy the sound. The volume is totally controlled by the car stereo.

The difference between the Belkin product and the Monster? Night and day. Sound from the Monster charger was clean, crisp, not muddied, not distorted. Much, much improved sound quality.

The only thing I would improve about this product is the connection to the iPod. It's a bit of a tight fit when the iPod is in it's usual case (basic DLO case).

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This is an excellent car charger for your iPod. It is sturdy and well designed. Even though it does not indicate this anywhere on the packaging, it works great for an iPod mini as well. I really like the fact that I can plug my cassette adapter into this charger, rather than into the earphone jack of my iPod mini, to play tunes through my car's speaker system. Before I used this charger, I could not always get the plug from my cassette adaptor to fit snugly into my iPod mini's earphone jack.

This is NOT a wireless system for your iPod to play in your car; I believe the reviewer below from Texas posted under the wrong product.

If you're looking for a car charger for your iPod or iPod mini, you won't be disappointed in this product.

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WARNING: THE CAR CHARGER IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE IPHONE G3. The audio still works, but the iphone does not charge.

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Best Retractable Car Charger for Samsung Galaxy S II Deals

Retractable Car Charger for Samsung Galaxy S II
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
List Price: $22.47
Sale Price: $12.99
Today's Bonus: 42% Off
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very cool car charger. bought one for myself and one for my daughter. love the retractable feature, and the chord is plenty long enough to charge from any seat in the car. thumbs up!

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Reviews of HQRP 20W Solar Panel 20 Watt Mono-crystalline 12V RV DC Battery

HQRP 20W Solar Panel 20 Watt Mono-crystalline 12V RV DC Battery Charger w/ Rectangular Solid Aluminium Frame for Boat Yacht plus HQRP UV Tester
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
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Great product with integrated safety diod. I blew it by an accident (connected the polarity wrong) it blew the diod only but the panel was fine. I was afraid it may fry the entire thing !!!! Anyways, great product charges my battery like a champ. Very happy.

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My Field Day setup was an IC-706; beam antenna and a 12volt auto battery being charged by the HQRP solar panel. In full sun, this panel did deliver 20 watts of power directly to the battery. Then I installed a solar controller between the battery and panel. I hade many contacts and the panel kept the battery charged. One thing I found, however, a silicon diode is installed BUT it is in parallel to the panel to protect the panel from reverse battery hookup. It needs a series diode to prevent the battery from feeding into the panel in low light.

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Reviews of LG 800G Cookie Style Premium Car Charger

LG 800G Cookie Style Premium Car Charger
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
List Price: $9.99
Sale Price: $3.99
Today's Bonus: 60% Off
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Great price. Works great. I returned one I bought for $20.00 at Walmart. It was the only one I could find there and it offered 3 different ways to charge that I did not need. So I was very happy to pay a total of $8 and change for this one.

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