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Old 05-06-2018, 10:14 PM   #1
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Name: Larry
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Arizona
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DIY Solar Panel

Hello,

Recently I was fortunate enough to notice a 100W flexible solar panel
on Ebay for about $60 shipped. I have a disabled pal living off grid in his
class C motor home who has been having trouble with his 80W panel due to
its weight. Consequently I decided to make him a wooden backing for the
panel with folding legs... Size is about 43" x 23". The finished weight is
about 15 lbs.

The legs are from a scrap pair of crutches.... with the hardware and
misc the total cost of the portable 100W panel was about $100....
BTW, the protective film is still on the face of the flexible panel.

Here are some photos of the project....
Attached Thumbnails
1 Front 100W Panel Cropped.jpg   2 Rear 100W Cropped.jpg  

5 Rear Leg Detail 100W.jpg   3 Rear 100W Panel with Weights Cropped.jpg  

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Old 05-07-2018, 03:04 AM   #2
Raz
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Very clever.
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Old 05-07-2018, 09:21 AM   #3
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Very well done! Thanks for sharing. Was that flea-Bay purchase a one off, or is it from a vendor who has more? A 100 watt unit would be a little bit of overkill for my present needs with the Burro, but as I use it more I’d never have to worry about increased demand vs capacity. I can’t quite decide from the picture... can the legs be easily folded for transport, or is “some assembly required” each time it is moved?

Froggie
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Old 05-07-2018, 12:17 PM   #4
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Nice job. Kept the weight down!
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Old 05-07-2018, 04:20 PM   #5
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Wow that’s terrific, what a great job and smart guy!!
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Old 05-07-2018, 05:48 PM   #6
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Good job and re-use of unused crutches.
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Old 05-08-2018, 10:34 AM   #7
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Name: Larry
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100W Panel Source

Hello,

Thank you all for the kind comments....

I kept searching Ebay with these parameters:

elfeland 100 watt flexible

They were usually running about $115 to $150 with shipping.
One morning in April they popped up for $59 for some reason?
Anyway, I took that opportunity to buy a few of them.
Looks like they a running higher now..

Froggie, the assembly is simple. Pull out the legs from the back
and the put the ends of the panel bottom spacers bolt through
bracket and a wing nut.... See photo for that detail.

Good hunting... hope you find a bargain.

I am considering using two of the flexible panels to build a folding
portable one for myself for a 200 Watts out... hopefully keeping the
weight to about 25 lbs or so? Will post pix if project gets done...

Larry H
Attached Thumbnails
4 Bottom Panel Stand Joint.jpg   folded 100F.jpg  

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