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Home Power #92 • December 2002 / January 2003
Solar Dynamics
True-Sine Harvester
Joe Schwartz
©2002 Joe Schwartz
I
n recent years, there’s been a proliferation of the
use of portable, electronic devices in the U.S.—
cell phones, laptops, PDAs, digital cameras,
video cameras, MP3 players, and CD players.
The list goes on and on. All of these devices
rely on electricity, either directly or via batteries.
Solar Dynamics manufactures the Harvester
product line—portable PV power plants that
will power up your portables and charge their
batteries with sunshine.
Product Overview
The Harvester is a complete PV
system that’s built up on a frame
resembling a hand truck. It’s
designed for portability. The unit’s
power center includes a Concorde
12 volt, 104 amp-hour (24 hour rate)
sealed, absorbed glass mat (AGM)
battery. We tested the True-Sine
Harvester, which includes a 600 watt
Exeltech XP600 inverter. The AC
power quality of this inverter is
excellent, and is well suited for
powering consumer electronics.
(Check out the Things that Work!
review of the XP600’s big brother,
the XP1100, in HP75.) A 12 amp,
pulse width modulated (PWM) Steca
Jota charge controller with
LCD display and integrated
temperature sensor regulates
battery charging. All these
components are housed in a
weather resistant enclosure.
The Steca charge controller’s LCD
display shows PV current, DC load
current, battery voltage, and battery
state of charge (SOC) based on
voltage. Two LED battery status
indicators also provide system SOC
information. The charge controller’s
display is on top of the power
center unit, and easy to see. It also
has a low voltage disconnect
feature, just in case you lose track
of the SOC.
The
power
center rests
in a powder-
coated tubular steel frame. A 50 W
rated, ASE crystalline PV provides
charge current. Some additional
tubing, and a handle attached to the
PV, make up the rest of the unit’s
frame. A pair of 12 inch (30 cm)
wheels with knobby tires makes
moving the Harvester easy, even
over rough ground.
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