As the inventor of the PyramiTronix Resonator, patent pending, I recently went green. I found an article on a project where the concept of design for a power system consisted of a large central solar pyramid connected in series to eight smaller pyramids.

As an inventor the PyramiTronix Resonator was solely used for meditation as a small desk-top model having the dimensions of the Great Pyramid at El Giza. However, from the project, I adopted the conceptual design to implement a scalable working design. I simply reduced down the size to accommodate an individual's need using the dimensions of the Great Pyramid as a copper housing assembly with the option for attaching and detached solar panels to each of the four sides. For demonstration purposes, on two 50 watt panels are used and the figure below serves as a cardboard template to then allow the construction to consist of copper flashing which is based on two ratios: pi and phi.

What was interesting was how going green allowed me to save money. The areas that I changed radically made a difference and after realizing that I could substitute most DC appliances with AC appliances, I was able to start a savings program opening an IRA account. First and foremost, I made a statement "what if I sold my car for $500 (1999 Plymouth Voyager, 4 cylinder) and chose to ride a mountain bike to work. Although. the best part of selling the vehicle is that I now do not have to pay for car insurance ($130) each month for 12 months or a savings of $1560. What could I do with that $130 each month? Invest in a Green portfolio. Also by not having to pay daily maintenance fees such as oil and gasoline, I could save about $80 for gas each month. So in actually I would be saving $210 each month and when multiplied by 12 months that is $2420. This lead to a question "What are other areas for Living off the grid?" Obviously, I chose to keep the van. however I retrofitted her to run two 50 watt solar panels. I do not have a hybrid electric vehicle; however, when I wrote down these items to convert my van into a sustainable solar vehicle; I realized I would need to purchase three essential items: Solar charge controller, Fuse; Battery Isolator or switch; 12 volt DC outlet Auxiliary power, an inverter, and two 50 watt solar panels.

I knew that the recreational vehicle (RV) world was having a major comeback with the influx of baby-boomers. As I turned 55, I soon realized that not only can I save money using solar energy, that I decided to build a solar collector. So because of today’s travel trailers, 5th wheels, and motor coaches which include satellite television and central air conditioning to built-in electric fireplaces. These luxury land cruisers have one major disadvantage over the RV world of earlier years—they require large amounts of electrical power to operate. Since RVs can power all of their lighting and a few DC-powered appliances without an external hookup, their limited on board battery capacity would be depleted with larger loads such as a color television. Large RVs require a generator to power their major appliance and air conditioning loads when not plugged in at an RV park. On my van I have a portable 100 watt solar module system mounted on roof of the van.
Because my needs were not extensive; I only needed power for 12-volt DC lights, a laptop computer, and a radio system (I am a Ph.D. student in health psychology). Although these limited power requirements can still deplete a typical RV/marine battery after only a few days, the blog will introduce you to how anyone can build asolar powered charging system for your camping or fishing RV/marine battery, or add a solar charger to an existing battery system

The battery of choice for most RVers is the 12-volt deep cycle RV/marine battery, and your van or car will probably not have the space or weight capacity for more than one. Further, your smaller roof area will not be able to accommodate more than one or two solar modules in the 50 to 75-watt size range. Taking this design approach, there is no need to estimate how many days your battery will operate during cloudy weather when the battery is fully charged and maintained by a dual battery charging system

Dual battery charging systems

The heart of this process where wiring issues is important is battery isolation. The RV/marine battery for your van must be isolated from the starter battery in your van since the original van battery will be dead because of prolonged use.



I wanted the van starter battery isolated from the loads being supplied from the battery, such that both batteries would be charged by the same alternator.

This was solved using a battery isolator, available from most auto supply stores. Keep in mind that different models are available for different vans and alternator types, but they all work the same way. They function to allow a charging current to flow out to each battery from the charging source but block a very high reverse current flow from the fully charged battery back into a fully discharged battery. The positive (+) output from the van’s alternator feeds the battery isolator, which then has a separate positive (+) connection for the truck battery, and one for the RV/marine battery. The negative (-) leads from both batteries and the alternator are usually connected together. If your present vehicle battery is wired to the van battery charging system using a battery isolator, you need to decide if you want the planned solar charger to charge both the van battery and RV/marine battery, or just the RV/marine battery.

Do not alter the existing dual-battery alternator charging system. To make certain that the new solar wiring does not provide a path for large discharge current flows from one battery into the other; the second battery isolator can be added to divide the solar charging current between both batteries, while still keeping the batteries isolated from each other.

Many solar charge controllers would need to calculate the battery voltage in order to constantly adjust the rate of solar charging. Unfortunately, many conventional battery isolators can block the reverse battery voltage sensing of a solar charge controller, resulting in no solar charging taking place. Therefore if this were to occur, the installation of two separate solar charge controllers would need to be connected to the same roof-mounted solar module.

Materials & construction

The roof of my van was too small for a large 100 watt module so I purchased two smaller solar modules using aluminum brackets. I selected a high capacity 12-volt sealed RV/marine battery that can be found in most discount warehouse stores for under $75. These batteries will take repeated slow discharge/ recharge cycling, yet are still fairly inexpensive. If you need more battery capacity, consider using two 6-volt golf cart batteries wired in series.
Unlike a conventional alternator that is only charging when the vehicle motor is running, a solar charge regulator is able to provide many hours of charging current every summer afternoon that it is not overcast. Unless you have a very high quality solar charge controller and perfect charge voltage set points, it is very easy to overcharge these batteries with a solar charger and eventually boil them dry. That is the reason for the solar charger inside the copper pyramid housing assemble to calculate the rate of discharge.


The copper pyramid housing was constructed using .005 mil copper flashing to contain the 12 volt deep cycle battery. I also purchased two in-line 20-amp automotive type fuses and fuse holders, and a cigarette lighter auxiliary powered socket designed for bulkhead mounting (not pictured). I mounted the auxiliary power socket to the base to plug in 12-volt DC radios, portable televisions, or laptop computer power adapters.

I purchased a 12-volt 7-amp charge controller with built-in load control, which I mounted on the base of the copper housing pyramid so that the controller inside the copper pyramid housing assembly can be opened for checking the temperature sensor that adjusts battery charging voltage based on ambient air temperature. I then connected the “load” control terminals to a small portable 12-volt AC radio.

While Unlike the temporary electrical loads powered from the auxiliary socket, a fan operating for extended hours can discharge a battery. should thos go below 50% charge, the load control terminals on the charge controller will shut off power to the radio. If the battery voltage drops below safe limits it will then reconnect the fan after the battery is recharged.

Summary
The completed copper pyramid housing assembly is placed near the front of the van where the passenger back seats are located. There are many low cost 12-volt adapters and pocket-size inverters now available that can power almost anything that runs from a 12-volt DC battery power outlet. Although you may not need to power a wide screen television, it is still nice to take along some small 12-volt DC appliances and lights that you can operate at night without running a generator.