[Commotion-discuss] powering ubiquiti devices with solar power

Sat Mar 7 18:40:22 EST 2015

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On 03/07/2015 10:36 AM, Ben West wrote:

Thanks so much !!!

This looks perfect.

- -- Marina

> I had also done proof-of-concept research for cobbling together
> relatively inexpensive 24V solar rigs for UBNT nodes.  Danny Illand
> is definitely the guy to inquire with as well!
> 
> Below is my own cost breakdown for just a single outdoor,
> rooftop-mounted mesh radio with 12V solar panel and battery.
> Please be advised none of this has actually been built and tested,
> so I don't know yet if these parts could be used together!  This
> was just a quick pass to see what a ~$500 budget could support
> (i.e. detail sufficient for a grant application).
> 
> Do note that Tycon Power Systems makes self-contained 24V
> solar/battery 
> <http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1EA0P18851>
> solutions for WiFi APs, but they're much more expensive.
> 
> Ubiquiti Nanostation Loco M2 (runs on 24VDC / 0.167mA) - $50 
> http://shop.bizsyscon.com/ubiquiti-nanostation-loco-m2-outdoor-mimo-2x2-802-11g-n/
>
> 
60W 12V Monocrystalline Solar Panel - $100
> http://www.amazon.com/ALEKO%C2%AE-60W-60-Watt-Monocrystalline-Solar/dp/B007YT9222/
>
> 
12V 12Ah sealed lead acid golf cart battery - $28
> http://www.batterymart.com/p-12v-12ah-sealed-lead-acid-battery.html
>
> 
12/24V 5Amp PWM charge controller - $19
> http://www.renogy-store.com/5-amp-charge-controller-p/ctrl-pwm5.htm
>
> 
11-15VDC to 24VDC DC/DC converter 3amp $24.50
> http://www.current-logic.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=9
>
> 
DIY mounts made from cinderblocks, treated lumber, conduit, misc parts - $30
> http://goo.gl/62jYJ http://goo.gl/eU53G Tycon passive POE injector
> - $4.50 
> http://shop.bizsyscon.com/tycon-poe-inj-s-passive-poe-injector/ 
> Misc parts, mounting brackets, shielded CAT5 cable, cable fittings
> - $50
> 
> 
> *Total: $306*
> 
> This assumes a fully autonomous rooftop rig, running only on
> solar/battery power, i.e. to conserve costs by forgoing any 120VAC
> inverter.  Also, it depends on a step-up DC/DC converter to convert
> the 12V from the battery to 24V for the radio.  The benefit to this
> approach is that it means the rooftop rig can be assembled as a
> single piece ahead of time, and then quickly dropped into place (by
> chopper? lol) on a roof w/o needing to crimp any cable.
> 
> In ideal operation, the solar panel has to be powerful enough to
> charge the battery and power the radio simultaneously, and do so on
> the day of the year with least sunlight.  The battery capacity
> should be enough to power the radio (at absolute bare minimum) for
> 16hours or so of darkness/twilight every day, ideally with
> additional capacity to last through 1/2/3 day stretches where there
> is inadequate sunlight.
> 
> Furthermore, the sealed lead acid battery shouldn't be discharged
> below 50% of its capacity.  The 12Ah battery above should (in
> theory) give at least 1.5 days of continuous power before dropping
> below 50%.
> 
> Hanging additional gear (e.g. weather station, 5.8GHz backhaul
> radio) off the solar arrays would require a larger battery, e.g.
> like the 35Ah one below: 
> http://www.batterymart.com/p-12v-35ah-sealed-lead-acid-battery-group-u1.html?Category_Code=04-12-volt-sealed-lead-acid-batteries
>
> 
> 
> 
> On Thu, Mar 5, 2015 at 4:36 PM, Georgia Bullen < 
> georgia at opentechinstitute.org> wrote:
> 
>> Also - Danny Illand at UCSB
>> (http://cs.ucsb.edu/~iland/projects.html) did a presentation at
>> the International Summit for Community Wireless networks in
>> Berlin on a solar power battery he was working on.
>> 
>> -Georgia
>> 
>> On Thu, Mar 5, 2015 at 5:14 PM, Adam Longwill
>> <adam.longwill at metamesh.org> wrote:
>> 
>>> Meta Mesh has done a proof-of-concept for solar powered ubnt
>>> nodes. We powered a ubnt Rocket overnight using a solar cell
>>> and battery. I don't have the details of exactly what we used
>>> BUT I do know that the lowest voltage recommened by Ubiquiti is
>>> 15v but we had ours working off a battery at 12v. We recommend
>>> using 2 12v batteries or a 24v battery. Someone with better
>>> electrical knowledge can correct me, please, or fill in
>>> details.
>>> 
>>> We DID find this really cool setup which is an all-in-one
>>> solution to powering and storing the batteries. Check it out!
>>> 
>>> http://tyconpower.com/products/files/RemotePro_Spec_Sheet.pdf
>>> 
>>> We are hoping we can get one in the next grant we apply for for
>>> a local baseball field with no Internet/Electricity access but
>>> is within range of other nodes.
>>> 
>>> Hope that Helps.
>>> 
>>> Sign up for our mailing list for details. We'll be announcing
>>> some cool stuff this month!
>>> 
>>> http://www.metamesh.org/contact.htmlhttp://www.metamesh.org/contact.html
>>>
>>>
>>> 
On Thu, Mar 5, 2015 at 3:15 PM, Marina Brown <catskillmarina at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>> 
> Hi:
> 
> Does anyone have experience powering ubiquiti devices with solar 
> energy. I will be placing a couple nodes where there is no/little 
> grid power.
> 
> Any advice on this ? Do they work ok with 12 volts or do i need 
> higher voltage.
> 
> --- Marina Brown
>>>> _______________________________________________ 
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>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> 
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>>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -- Georgia Bullen Senior Data Analyst Open Technology Institute
>> <http://newamerica.org/oti/> @ New America 
>> <http://newamerica.org> @georgiamoon
>> <http://twitter.com/georgiamoon>
>> 
>> _______________________________________________ Commotion-discuss
>> mailing list Commotion-discuss at lists.chambana.net 
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>> 
>> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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