With so many electronic devices in one room, I realized it was almost overloading the room circuit.  I could run another dedicated circuit into the room, but I'd have to drop wire through the wall then through the attic down to the breaker box about 50 feet away.  Even doing the wiring myself (which would save hundreds) I'd still have to buy a new breaker switch, wire & a “remodel” box to mount the new receptacle in the sheetrock.  That is an extreme pain in the ass.

I bought a 34 amp-hour battery, which would give 1 amp for 34 hours, or 34 amps for 1 hour – or any combination in between.  I got a solar panel that generates 87 watts at 17 volts, or about 5 amps of charging per hour of sunshine.  It doesn't take long to recharge the battery.  I put a controller between the panel & battery, so the panel won't overcharge the battery.  Once the battery is fully charged, the controller cuts the circuit so it won't charge any further.  I also put a fuse & switch in-line to further protect against any short circuits.  Battery is kept in a small box near my desk.  It is an AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) rechargeable battery so it won't vent any funky fumes into the room like a car battery would.  Car batteries are only good for quick bursts of energy, not a constant draw.  That's why it can crank your motor with 600 cold-cranking amps for 5 seconds, but if you leave your dome light on then your battery is dead in a couple of hours.

Here are some shots of the solar panel & controller. I built the A-frame support for the panel.

How it is wired up - 12 volt distribution strip is also fused & switched.

I had solar on my mind as a backup lighting source.  A lot of things are actually 12 volts or less, they use a “wall wart” adapter which I'm not too fond of.  They get hot & you can't connect them to a power strip without taking up extra outlets.  I had 2 ham radios which are 12 volts each that were going through a 25 amp 120 volt to 12 volt power supply.  That alone would take a lot off of the circuit, but I had other plans also.

I have a halogen lamp on my desk.  I noticed it had a 12 volt bulb.  I cracked the lamp open and there was a big step-down transformer in there.  Out it went, then I spliced the lamp wires back together & tested it on a bench battery.  It lit up just like being plugged into the wall socket.  I cut the plug off the end so it wouldn't accidentally be plugged into a 120 volt socket (that would suck, and would blow the bulb to Mars.)  It was replaced with banana plugs that go into my 12 volt power strip.  All things 12 volt go through this power strip & I can shut them all off with the flip of a switch.

A nice perk is the triple lighter socket I also have connected to the strip.  I can charge my work & personal cell phones, GPS, Ipod or anything else that needs to be charged that would normally be charged in the car.  When I have company it is useful for charging their phones because someone always forgets the house charger for their phone.  I also have a small12 volt emergency light.  It is very bright and I use it if the power goes out – just put it out in the hallway.  It beats candle light.

You can get all kinds of designer 12 volt lighting at places like Ikea, or even camper supply stores.  A lot of track lighting in homes use step-down transformers for the little 12 volt bulbs.  Motorhomes  and campers use 12 volt lighting.  Be sure to get halogen, flourescent or LED lighting.  They pull much less amperage and put out just as much light.  Old school incandescent lighting is mostly heat with light as a by-product.  Not good for battery power.

My cable modem, router, network-attached storage drive & my Vonage modem all have the “wall-wart” step-down transformers.  I plan to ditch the adapters & run 12 volts to them.  If the power goes out, I won't have to reset all when the power is restored.  These are on a UPS for now but I will move them over to battery once I get a battery with more amperage.  Stay tuned.

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