Solar Powered Ryobi 18V Battery Charger - Direct DC Input

Solar Powered Ryobi 18V Battery Charger - Direct DC Input - Part 1

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Part 2 here • Solar Ryobi 18V Batter... First part showing only ENGINEERING work. What happens when a solar panel plugs into a Ryobi 18V charger? VLOG about modifying a Ryobi 18v battery charger to be powered directly from a 100 Watt solar panel. In this first part I only got as far as opening the charger and doing some engineering work.
It is possible to charge an 18V power tool battery from a solar panel, the safest way is using modified OEM charger and a CC-CV DC-DC converter circuit. In this video I installed a CC-CV DC Boost converter inside the OEM Ryobi charger. This provides complete control of the voltage and current supply. In addition to that it allows a variety of DC sources to be connected without harming the battery or charger - including 12V solar panels that cannot fully charge the battery on their own.
Testing of this charger has shown its performance to be solid. Adjustable voltage even allows optional "storage" charging. This feature ought to be in all OEM chargers by default, but as of now it isn't. A CC-CV circuit grants a lot of flexibility.
Had to make this video in 2 parts because it's really long. Hope you enjoy the video, thanks for watching. -DDSolar
Update 4-2023 still have the charger and it works great.
My Ryobi solar powered soldering iron, if you're interested :) • Solar Powered Ryobi So...
///Parts list for this video - support the channel - optional. These are affiliate links and I may earn a tiny commission. Thank you :)
250W DC-DC Boost Converter amzn.to/3MSKx3k
Quality 5.5x2.1mm jack (metal) amzn.to/3MsRDKJ
#offgrid #offgridsolarpowersystem #offgridsolar #offgridandongrid #ryobi #ryobitools #ryobination

Пікірлер: 38

@monroewt 2 жыл бұрын

Great job on this, one of the most practical explanations of buck-boost converter's I've seen. I think there are a lot of Ryobi users who will learn from your solar/electronics knowledge. Got my subscribe, and I'm looking forward to your Part 2 on this!

@solarpoweredge 2 жыл бұрын

Wow thank you a lot! Appreciate the good feedback. Part 2s on the way!

@REVNUMANEWBERN Жыл бұрын

@@solarpoweredge Part 2 ????

@solarpoweredge Жыл бұрын

@@REVNUMANEWBERN Hi, here is part 2 where I finished the install and tested it. Any questions please let me know. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/iLN6ebl5qLTbj6c.html

@murphyzlaw13 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome job....I'm a disabled US Marine Combat veteran and you know what they say about Marines....not the smartest tools 🔧 in the shed, but seriously you explain things very well. You got my subscribe. I am trying to learn as much about solar energy as possible because I would eventually like to power my tiny house off of solar.. Keep the good videos coming!!!! I will continue to watch them.

@solarpoweredge 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you sir for the kind words, I am glad the vids are helping someone out! We all have specific sets of knowledge to share from our background. Btw learning about solar is super smart, cause we're going to need it in the future. Anyway your tiny house project sure sounds like a lot of fun, wishing you all success! DD

@murphyzlaw13 2 жыл бұрын

@@solarpoweredge thank you very much and I look forward to more of your videos!!!

@stanlyqbrick1621 2 жыл бұрын

you are the man. Such a simple explanation. I will be giving this a go. Cheers!

@solarpoweredge 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you sir, I was hoping someone would try it. Lots of fun!

@stanlyqbrick1621 2 жыл бұрын

@@solarpoweredge You are welcome! Can i ask you what is the name of the large component you placed in the charger?

@solarpoweredge 2 жыл бұрын

Hi it's a DC-DC boost converter with CC CV, sometimes sold on amazon as an LED driver but that's just one of its applications. I hate to post links to these sites but if you type in (boost converter cc cv) scroll down and very similar boards are listed. Another search (DZS Elec 250W) gives almost the same or identical board. Same boards often listed by multiple sellers. Hope that helps!

@stanlyqbrick1621 2 жыл бұрын

@@solarpoweredge you are a legend. I have just ordered the DC booster on Aliexpress. Last question. Do you have the actual name for the indwelling solar connector? Many thanks!

@solarpoweredge 2 жыл бұрын

@@stanlyqbrick1621 Glad to help :) it's a 2.1mm jack or 2.1x5.5mm very common, should be a lot of sellers. Recommend the metal kind if you can find them as the plastic ones are cheaply made and not durable.

@Mazel_Tov_888 Жыл бұрын

dc to dc charging is the way to go.

@solarpoweredge Жыл бұрын

I agree, wish they would make all chargers that way from the factory

@iahim9797 Жыл бұрын

@@solarpoweredge i wonder if i could charge my EV through the CCS port directly from my photovoltaic system, like DC to DC. Why to lose energy from the conversion from DC to AC?

@solarpoweredge Жыл бұрын

Excellent idea. I am very sure it's technically possible. I've wanted an EV for ages. And thought about using my panels to charge in the driveway, but have no way to experiment. Really direct PV charging should be built in, but that doesn't seem to be the priority these days.

@kimg2022 2 жыл бұрын

I’m wondering if you can charge the 18 V by using a 12 V charger which connects through the 12 V to a solar panel that has a 12 V connector

@solarpoweredge 2 жыл бұрын

It could work depending on charger, but need at least 21V (really 21.5V) to guarantee full charge. Some 12V solar panels have 22VoC but not all

@kimg2022 2 жыл бұрын

@@solarpoweredge ok thanks 😊

@solarpoweredge 2 жыл бұрын

Welcome :D

@dropedlow33 2 жыл бұрын

good place to look for cheep solar stuff tool batter and chager r at your local scap yard it had to beleve how much good stuff get scaped it be like heven to u

@solarpoweredge 2 жыл бұрын

Yea I bet . I need to find a whole pallet of this stuff.

@dropedlow33 2 жыл бұрын

YES THT HAVE IT WATCH SCAP FARM ON KZfaq HE SHOW U ALL GOOD STUFF THAT GET THOUW OUT

@solarpoweredge 2 жыл бұрын

Just checked out his channel. Wow he finds everything

@jamesw3190 Жыл бұрын

Hello. I don't understand this stuff. I'm wondering what would be needed to solar charge Milwaukee M12 batteries? I work mobile and would like a way to charge anywhere.

@solarpoweredge Жыл бұрын

Hi, this video is about maximum efficiency, directly charging a power tool battery from a solar panel. Problem is, it requires modification of the OEM charger, not everyone is willing to do those kinds of mods (plus these modifications void the warranty). A more common and easier method is to use a 12V DC-AC inverter in the mobile car/truck (should only use a pure sine wave inverter) and that will run the Milwaukee M12 charger easily. It's less efficient, but still works. You might want to keep your vehicle running while charging, to avoid running down its battery. If you want to, you could use a solar panel to charge the vehicle battery instead of keeping the engine running. This is a little bit tedious but it doesn't require modifying a charger, soldering wires or anything like that. I hope this helps you out!

@jamesw3190 Жыл бұрын

@@solarpoweredge I was thinking of using an automobile charger connected to a small battery. I don't know much and thought with the right charge controller that I'd be able to hook directly to any 12v battery. Thank you very much for your response.

@solarpoweredge Жыл бұрын

@@jamesw3190 Youre welcome, hope it's at least some help. This stuff can get confusing because there are like 5 ways to accomplish the same goal. To be short, a solar charge controller connects to a solar panel and charges a 12V battery with solar power. An inverter connects to that 12V battery and makes 120V AC power like in your house. Unless I'm looking at the wrong charger (I searched it on Google), the Milwaukee M12 charger has a standard 2-prong cord meant to plug into an AC 120V outlet in your house. A mobile vehicle usually doesn't have AC power. So you need a DC>AC inverter to make AC power from the battery. Or you need to take a battery with you (if not in a vehicle) to power that inverter. Then you plug your M12 charger into the AC outlet on the inverter. This is certainly one common way of getting the job done. Not terribly efficient, but just so it works. A good option for your mobile charging could be a solar generator. It's pretty easy. You just hook a solar panel to it and plug in your charger, and you're up and running. You can carry it with you to the job site. Probably don't need a huge generator if just charging a single M12 battery. Plus it will charge your phone and so forth. If you want to see a really old solar generator demonstrated, check out one of my oldest videos kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Y5iCl61kvrSlloU.html

@jamesw3190 Жыл бұрын

@@solarpoweredge You are right. The M18 has a car charger and the M12 doesn't. Thank you and the solar generator sounds like a good plan, being that it would be a multi use item.

@solarpoweredge Жыл бұрын

@@jamesw3190 Welcome :)

@REVNUMANEWBERN Жыл бұрын

I know ZERO what you are talking about BUT, can you make an adapter to use the regular wall plug end to plug into a solar panel???????? I really want a solar charger for these batteries, does ANYONE make such??

@solarpoweredge Жыл бұрын

Hi, a normal wall plug needs 120V AC, the Ryobi charger in the video happens to use a low voltage DC power brick that converts AC to DC. Solar panels put out DC, so this charger was a good fit. If you have a solar panel that can put out ~23V open circuit, you could probably cut off the power brick and plug it right in like in the video and get a full charge, it might be a bit slow though. In this video I used a DC DC converter to ensure safety and control no matter what I plug into the charger. Anyways, the another way to get what you want (OK not the cheapest) is to use a small solar generator and a small solar panel (50-100 watts is good enough). Then you can just plug in any wall plug power tool battery charger from any brand, and use it on the go. If you want to see a solar generator in action, check out one of my really old videos. Not selling anything, just showing how they work in general. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Y5iCl61kvrSlloU.html

@gunnarparment5050 2 жыл бұрын

I had a little revelation right now. Since you say that the 18V Ryobi One+ batteries are actually 20+ volts fully charged, could that explain the mystery on the 36V vs 40V Lithium+ battery. The 36V Lithium+ would be the same battery as the 40V, only different definitions of voltage?

@solarpoweredge 2 жыл бұрын

I suspect that is the case. I think it is also partly because companies like to use different numbering schemes in marketing. Another term I've seen is "max" which means the maximum voltage it can reach. I have some batteries that are "80V Max". I believe they have 20 cells. They must have thought 80 was a better looking number than the real maximum of 84V. And/or the charger doesn't quite fill the cells to 100%, so they limit it to 80V peak, which is also a smart design choice. I guess it only matters to us, how many cells are in the pack, and what is the end of charge voltage? But the marketers like to play with the numbers and terms in hopes to increase sales.

@gunnarparment5050 2 жыл бұрын

@@solarpoweredge Yes, when I bought mower, trimmer and hedge cutter, Ryobi 36V, they called it Lithium+, but I think that in the markering they now call it Max Power. I don't know it there is a slight further development on the Max Power or not.