Solar Power Bucket

This is what I call the Solar power bucket. I wanted a solar battery bank, but many on the market did the have to battery capacity I wanted or could put out 110 volts. If I finally found one it was way too much money. This solved my problem having a 220 Ah battery and a 500-watt 110-volt output. It is very handy to have around, and it charges itself so it is always there and charged for when you need it. It is very easy to make and very cheap costing under 100 dollars. Best of all you can customise it to suit your needs.

These are some of the things you will need
Volt meter, 12-volt plug, and USB adapter sold here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/252435201655?_trksid=p205...

solar charge controller sold here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/151535927837?_trksid=p205...

5 Gallion Bucket

Small solar panel

12-volt lawnmower battery

small dc wire

electrical tape

wire nuts

12 volt to 110-volt inverter ( I modified mine to turn on with a external button )

small switch

110 volt plug extension

You will also need some tools these include

drill and drill bits

wire crimper

wire cutters

Now that we have everything, let's get started. First we need to drill the holes for the plugs. It's alway better to make your holes smaller you can always make them bigger later. For to 110 volt plug you can drill a 3/4 inch hole and use a file to make it square. Push in your plugs and screw on the plastic rings to hold them in tight. Next mark and drill holes for your solar panel. You will also need to drill two holes for your wires to go into your bucket. You can use some silicone to make the holes water tight.

Next you need to wire everything up. Use some spade crimps to connect to your plugs. After that use the wire nuts to splice all of your positive wires together and do the same for the negitive. It is a good idea to use electrical tape to keep all your wires from turning into a mess. It is a good idea to splice long wires onto the solar panel going to the charger, this makes it easy to take the lid off if you ever have to. Once you are done with that put your battery and inverter in your bucket. If you used the same battery and inverter as I did everything should fit tight and will not slide around. If your battery slides around you could always use some foam to fill in the gaps and hold everything in tight.

Your done making your Power Bucket. Now take it outside to charge and when you need it, it will be there charged and ready to go. You can use it to power an electric blanket to keep you warm for those cold sports game nights, or when the electric is out to give you light. There are no end to the uses of the Power bucket.