Off-Grid n' Movin'

We were camping in the beautiful hills of Eastern Kentucky (EKY) this past summer when we started assembling a small "plug and play solar system" we could easily transport on our travels.
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On one of his missions, Marc had developed a 12 Volt system that ran lights for a small hospital in North Sudan (MidNite Solar donated part of the equipment but this is another story). This got him interested in smaller, robust, off-grid systems that anyone could easily use. There are many small RV type plug and play systems available today, but some are either too small to produce the needed power, or they are very high priced for what you get. We wanted a system that we could trust and rely on as well as produce the power needed. We also wanted the final product to be an affordable power producing appliance that was in reach financially to a bigger group of the world’s population.

We've found people living in remote areas of the world without access to an electrical grid need to :

• ​Run and charge their small personal electronic devices
• Run a few lights
• Run a small fan​

In our travels we've found that is exactly what we need as well, not only for working on the road or for leisurely camping adventures, but also for emergency situations.

​On another mission in Haiti the MidNite Solar (MNS) Brat charge controller was used in a 12 Volt system as a learning tool and for testing items such as 12 Volt lights and charging phones, etc. This was where the Brat excelled and we designed our own system with the Brat at the heart of it. We came up with "The Bug Out". It consists of:

• ​(1) MNS Brat charge controller
• (1) MNS Big Baby Box
• (2) 210 Watt, 54 cell solar modules (wired in series), which will eventually be attached to the roof of our travel vehicle for future testing
• (1) 12 Volt Battery​

Using "The Bug Out" to charge phones and iPads.

MidNite Solar's Brat Charge Controller

The Brat

The MidNite Solar Brat Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) controller is an amazing little controller. We are currently testing our Brat with our 12 Volt system and one Flooded Deep Cycle, 12 V battery. Here's a small list of why we love the Brat:

• It can support either a 12 or 24 volt Flooded, Gel or AGM battery bank.
• It can charge either as a 20 Amp charger with a 10 Amp load control or as a 30 Amp charger with no load.
• It can accept up to 60 VDC, which means it is able to be connected to a 60 Cell module with a Volts Max Power (VMP) of ~ 29VDC (these modules are drasically cheaper per Watt than 12V nominal panels).
• ​Features Bulk, Absorb, Float, and an adjustable Equalization option.
• LED lights inform you of the state of charge (Bulk, Absorb, Load On and Low Battery).
• It has a small profile.
• Simple and quick wiring. ​

The Big Baby Box

Along with two 30 Amp, 150 VDC circuit breakers for the solar panels and battery (soon to be replaced with 20 Amp circuit breakers), and a 10 Amp, 150 VDC circuit breaker for loads, the Big Baby Box was retrofitted with:
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• (1) Volt /Amp meter, which enables us to monitor the voltage of our battery and the amps we are drawing, something we deem necessary in any off-grid application. This helps the user track their system Voltage and monitor the Amps being fed to the loads, ensuring they are not exceeding 10 Amps.
• (1) Dual 4.2 Amp USB Charger Port allows us to charge higher consuming devices such as iPads and also multiple USB capable items at once.
• (1) Automotive12Volt Power Port with which we have been able to charge or power the following items using a 3-Way Car Charger Splitter:

1. Marc's trusty Lenovo T420 Laptop.
2. 100 Watt inverter (allowed us to plug in to run our small box fan)
3. 12V RV/Camper style LED Lights
4. Internet connection device ​​

Retrofitted Big Baby Box

The Solar Modules

We have been testing two 210 Watt, 54 cell solar modules with this system. You might wonder why we didn’t match the panels to the battery voltage and go with a 12 Volt DC panel. The answer: price. You can definitely purchase a 12 Volt DC panel, but it’ll cost you. 12 Volt DC Panels can run over twice the amount of the watts per panel. Whereas a larger 200 Watt or more could cost just .70 per watt. This is because of mass production of the more common larger panels. There is a lot of information out there that you must match your modules to the voltage of your system. That used to be the case, the PWM Brat charge controller helped change this. Even though the Brat is a 12/24 Volt PWM charge controller, it can accept up to 60 volts, enabling the use of larger 54 or 60 cell modules. The issue is that you will not be able to use the panel to its full capacity. We are probably only generating approximately half of what the panel could actually produce, but the modules were cheaper so we used them instead of the more expensive 12 Volt panels.

210 Watt Solar Modules

At this writing we are back in The Pine Ridge Forrest of NW Nebraska and are continuing our testing using a different 200W 54 cell module. This time we are just using 1 and with almost full exposure is performing well. The 2 module configuration we used in EKY was used to help capture as much energy we could with the limited exposure at the site (lots of deciduous trees).

12 Volt Battery with Battery Box

The Battery

The system includes a Flooded, Deep Cycle, 12 Volt battery (105 Amp Hour @ a 20 hour rate) that can be purchased from Tractor Supply or Menards for less than $100. A small vented battery box keeps the battery in place and will contain any electrolyte leakage.

Two 6 Volt batteries wired in series could also have been used. Trojan’s T-105 Battery would be an excellent choice, providing a 12 Volt system with 225 Amp hours. This would double the storage capacity of the system. Golf cart batteries would also work well in this application.
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We’re continually testing The Bug Out, both at home and on the road, to work out any issues and to ensure the design is optimum and lives up to our expectations. So far, so good.