Ask HN: Any good DIY guides to build a solar panel system? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Any good DIY guides to build a solar panel system?

I am thinking of setting up solar panel system to power my laptop, monitors etc. Is there any DIY comprehensive guide on this topic? Better if expenses need a low budget.

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There are a sea of these on youtube, and many ways to built lithium battery packs from Ebay surplus scooter and ebike packs. Buy and build with Japanese or Korean tubular cells. The ones that started fires were lower grade cells from other countries. You can also buy 12 volt lithium car battery drop in replacements = $$$. That said, put the battery pack in a gasket sealed steel case = snuffs any lithium fires by oxygen starvation for a worst case. For the task you describe 1 or 2 lithium car batteries should do

>That said, put the battery pack in a gasket sealed steel case = snuffs any lithium fires by oxygen starvation for a worst case.

Are you sure?

I thought that one of the issues with lithium-ion fires was that the oxygen comes from the battery itself.

Yes, Lithium metal decomposes water used to quench into hydrogen and oxygen and combines with the oxygen = burns. There have been many cases of water fueled Tesla fires that have spurred the use of edge weighted fireproof blankets to starve a Tesla fire of air until it cools. Often special powders are use to the same effect - depends on each case, as different makers use different battery/anode/electrolyte combos. The higher energy ones = burn the best.

https://www.firerescue1.com/firefighter-training/articles/te...

Have a rabbit hole - some are hotter than others...

https://www.google.com/search?q=blanket+fight+a+tesla+fire&r...

From what I understand the general idea is to lower the temeperature and keep it lower to prevent the reaction that prooduces the oxigen (and thus allow the burning and the re-ignition.

The gasket sealed steel case may offer some sort of mechanical protection from the flames, and very likely allows to gain some time, but it seems not like it will prevent or extinguish the fire.

And maybe there will be the need of a pressure relief valve, like those on pressure cookers to avoid the possible building inside of too much pressure, or possibly in case of fire the gasket will melt and let the case leak.

If your load is under 500W you can buy a turnkey EcoFlow/Bluetti/GoalZero system and just plug it in.

As another example application, I have to replace a 10 ft by 6.5 ft backyard shed, and would like to mount one or two panels on the roof for purpose of lighting, re-charging outdoor tools, etc., with no connection to house or the grid.

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