Solar charger for electrolysis question.

[Rooster]

I've have a NIW solar panel for RV battery charging that's gathering dust in the garage. I'm wondering if I would be able to safely/cheaply/easily rig an electrolytic bath using the sun as my power supply. I'd be in no hurry for it to work but I don't want the metal to dissolve either.


How's about it Sparky? Doable? My next project will be making wire out of pre-80 Lincoln cents.

[Finster101]

I'm thinking we might need to know what the amperage is. Most I have seen done use 10 amp chargers.

[georgerkahn]

I've have a NIW solar panel for RV battery charging that's gathering dust in the garage. I'm wondering if I would be able to safely/cheaply/easily rig an electrolytic bath using the sun as my power supply. I'd be in no hurry for it to work but I don't want the metal to dissolve either.


How's about it Sparky? Doable? My next project will be making wire out of pre-80 Lincoln cents.

I have a couple of (Battery Minder, brand) 12V (RV) battery charging units, too, and had given thought to similar applications as you indicated. Checking with a elec. engineering prof at local university (socially) -- he suggested several "problems". First, the amount of light hitting solar panels -- e.g., electric current produced -- varies from nothing at all during periods of darkness, to their max with perfect 90* alignment on a clear, cloudless day. Second, most all applications would not function under such changes. His suggestion was to buy a couple of cheap diodes to wire in line with each solar cell output -- to prevent backflow during periods of darkness -- and output into a battery. Then, use the output of the battery to drive whatever application. (My application was to run a 300watt max sine-wave inverter to power a Yamaha piano at camp). I bought the battery, a small black box, and it has functioned as such quite nicely. I've never run out of power...
geo

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

here's some info:
https://www.metaldetectingworld.com/control_voltage_current_p23.shtml

sounds like you need 5 to 15 amps. That might be a BIG ask from a solar charger.

[imashooter2]

I’ve used a 1 amp motorcycle charger many times. It needs to cook a long time at only 1 amp. Longer than daylight even on the summer solstice.

[Winger Ed.]

Should work, although it might be kind of slow depending on its output and the weather.

[MUSTANG]

here's some info:
https://www.metaldetectingworld.com/control_voltage_current_p23.shtml

sounds like you need 5 to 15 amps. That might be a BIG ask from a solar charger.

Depends on what "Solar" solution Rooster is looking at. A single 350 Watt Solar Panel operating at 24 volts will produce 14.5 Amps and at 12 volts will produce 29 amps. Obviously a low wattage "Solar Charger" from Amazon or the local Automotive Hardware store is a different matter.



How to convert watts to amps
The current I in ampers (A) is equal to the power P in watts (W) divided by the voltage V in volts (V):
I(A) = P(W) / V(V)

As for me; I tried copper electroplating boolits in the late 1970's with little success. Did the same again back in the 1990's; once again with poor results. Looking forwards to reading actual results if tested.

[Finster101]

It sounds like rust removal may be the goal here. Am I correct?

[Mal Paso]

Peak output is at noon on a Summer day (at the equator) with the panel 90 degrees to the sun. Average output is about 4 times the panel value per day. A 100 watt panel should average 400 watts per day.

[rbuck351]

Use a large battery to power the electrolysis and the solar power to help keep the battery charged. Depending on the size of your battery, the amount of daily sunshine and the output of your solar panel, will tell how long it will take but it should work.

[Rooster]

Yes, rust removal. I knew it was too good to be true. The battery buffer between cloudy and sunny may be the way I'll approach this.

I knew I was crazy but it's comforting to know others have the same thoughts. I'm certainly glad I'm in the right asylum anyways!

If ya'll need numbers off the panel I can dig those out tomorrow am.

[GhostHawk]

rbuck351 nailed it IMO.

[Rooster]

I agree, and George's friends' suggestion of a diode to protect the cells is great too.

[MaryB]

Could run the panel into a constant current and voltage power converter used to drive big LED's used in lighting. Most will accept a variable input and hold a constant output until the input voltage drops to low. If you can tolerate changing current a DC to DC converter is all you need. Take the 30ish volts from the panel and drop it to 12.

If you have a 12 volt panel most actually put out 18 volts in full sun, so could probably just use the raw panel output and accept the voltage changes.

Most modern panels have a built in reverse diode so no need to add another