In Part 2 We Add Solar to our Poor Man’s Yeti Goal Zero Solar Generator.

In Part 1 of this 2 part series, we reviewed the DieHard Portable Power 1150 and showed how it can provide similar capabilities to a Yeti Goal Zero 400.  In this part, we’ll show you how to use a $60 solar panel to add solar charging to our “nano solar” portable battery bank.  Most of the content is in the YouTube video, but we’ve provided Amazon links to all the parts, below.  This will allow you to build something that has the capabilities of the Yeti unit for $200 or less, compared to $600 for the Yeti and solar panel.  It’s an EASY project and does not require any special skills.*

*I do solder in one part of the video, but if you don’t want to do that part, have someone do it for you.  Any cell phone repair shop will have someone with the capability to do this for you.  The rest of the project requires no tools.

This Parts List will help you find all the parts for the project:

Only order the battery if you want to increase the capacity from 18Ah to 40Ah, or if you want to replace the battery in a used jump pack.

You can also use a DieHard 1150 Portable Power unit, instead of the Schumacher.  I compare them in the video but basically, the DieHard adds 200 Watts more inverter power (400 vs 200 for the Schumacher), an extra USB charging port, and a digital display for the air compressor.  This lets you set the exact pressure you want and the unit will shut off when it reaches it.

–Odyssey Camper

You can find all of my technical and minivan camper conversion DIYs, linked here.

 

If You Enjoyed This Story, Please Share It