dark sensor using a kit

[HarveyH42]

My little 4 cup (barely 2 real cups) claims 800 watts. Figure a 1200 watt inverter should work, but figure on finding a 12 volt coffee maker sometime. I've got a 12 watt solar panel hooked up right now. Want to see how it holds up to the weather here, before investing in a larger system.

 

[Hero999]

What about getting a travel kettle and using instant?

A 500W kettle could boil 500ml (just under a pint) in 6 miniutes, in fact it's a bit less than that but I accounted for the heat losses.

It's not fast but it's good enough to make two cups.

The current rating would be 41.67A so use thick cable, 10mm² 7AWG and make it as short as possible.

This would take 41.67*6 = 250 Amp/miniutes = 250/60 = 4.167Ah.

It looks like your 10Ah battery will be fine and it shouldn't make much difference as long as the amount of water is the same - a higher powered element won't need to be on for as long.

 

[HarveyH42]

What about getting a travel kettle and using instant?

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Instant? You can't be serious... I roast my own beans. Last time the power was out, I boiled some water over a propane cooker on the back porch.

Anyway, getting off the topic, and already hijack Hank's Dell thread this week.

There are a lot of other charge controllers available, and a few build your owns. The link I gave was one I bought and use. It small, inexpensive, and switches on the load at night. Just right for what I want to do. Most of what you will find are intended for powering more serious loads, and at a much higher price. That 5 watt model should be plenty, and could handle a lot more than 36 green LEDs if you want, or add some different lights later.

You can add batteries in parallel for more capacity. Not 100% sure about if its okay to mix capacities. Mine is 2 x 5 Ah SLA (had them sitting around). I've got a 12 Ah recently, and seems to hold a charge well, but haven't hooked in up yet. Have to see how much my 12 watt panel can handle charging in a day.

I don't remember your location, but you probably don't need a 12 watt panel, maybe 5-6 watts for here in Florida. I paid $114 shipped, for mine. It seemed like the best deal for what I was looking for.