Renewable Energy Questions/Discussion > Solar (heating or electric)

My first real array

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MadScientist267:
 Here it is, 4x50W, measuring in at 56" x 50" with the sub frame attached.

This will be attached to an outer frame that holds it to the van and allows it to be propped up in any one of 4 directions to get optimal sunlight if parking does not provide for it naturally. That part is still in pieces... Pics of that to come in the next couple days and then hope to have the entire thing assembled and on the van by the end of next week.


The front side.



The back side.

Steve

WooferHound:
Wow . . . Unlimited power now . . .
Will you be able to drive with that on the van ?

Able to tilt up in 4 directions . . .
That sounds like a fancy mechanism ?

MadScientist267:
 Yep. It will lie flat for transport... About a total of 3" of additional profile on top in cruise mode.

I took a couple shots of it mocked up standing earlier just to look at some clearances. The angle in the photos are a bit steeper than the angle it will sit at once finished. Here it is between 40 and 45 degrees just because  that was the angle given by the 2 pieces of scrap angle I had handy. Design angle will be between 20 and 30 (possibly selectable) for the final version.





I was going to take a shot of it in transport mode laying flat, but by the time I got done tinkering and cleaning up, it was too dark to get a good one. I'll snatch one up before I go to move it tomorrow for posterity. ;)

Steve

MadScientist267:
Well, they're up, at long last!



It sounds like a complicated system, but it actually isn't. It almost seems to have taken a ream of paper to work out just exactly how to pull this off, but in the end, it comes down to a simple pin-hinge system.

Ironically, I don't have any of the drawings handy at the moment, but its easy enough to describe.

The array has a set of 8 bolts that screw into the inner frame, and ride in collars that are allowed to spin somewhat freely in the outer frame that is attached to the roof of the van.


Detail shot of one corner showing 2 of the hinge bolts.

For transport, all 8 bolts are in place, locking the inner frame to the outer frame. Once parked, 6 of the bolts can be removed, leaving the 2 that form the hinge that the inner frame can then pivot on to be propped up in the desired direction.

I don't have any shots of the propping mechanism yet, but it its essentially a set of 2 angle aluminum bars that attach to the opposing bolt holes/collars via the extra bolts removed from other holes to lock the array into place. It can be propped as high as 45 degrees, but tends to bind beyond that at the hinge end.

There were 3 issues encountered that would be addressed in a future version of this mount system. None prevent the use of the propping system, but make it less than trivial to change modes.

First, and probably most significant, is an error made during the drilling of the holes for the hinge bolts. I didn't lock the inner and outer frames together to drill the holes, and despite best attempts to keep everything aligned, inevitably, things drifted slightly due to twisting and skewing while manipulating things. If I would have had a way to lock it all together on a workspace large enough, I would have done so and done all of them in one operation.

I also miscalculated the distance from each edge of the inner frame to the holes for the hinge bolts. I was able to compensate for this after the fact by modifying the outer frame, but it complicates transitions because it brought the margins much closer than originally intended.

The third was an oversight that makes it tricky to lift and lower the inner frame into and out of the outer frame. There is little to hold onto and the array is heavy enough that even with lubrication, the bolts drag significantly enough to make them difficult to insert/remove unless the stress can be taken off of the collars. I'm looking into a way of mitigating this issue, but for now, it just is what it is.

All in all, I'm happy with the results. For the price, the versatility is unmatched. There's less than $400 total invested in the entire array and it's framework/propping mechanism and does exactly what it's designed to do. I'm hoping to be able to work out most of the bugs for little or no cost... We'll see how that goes.

Steve

DaveW:
Congratulations.

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