For several years I’ve used a Raspberry Pi Zero for sensors, camera & door motor control which opens & closes a chicken coop door. The Rpi & controller is 5v, the motor is 12v. This has been powered by around 50’ of extension cord, but the elements are beginning to weather the cord & we also need to move the chickens further away from our mains. I think it is time to implement solar. I aspire to assemble a PV, battery, & converter system which:
- Uses an off-the-shelf 12v PV panel (30w or so)
- Uses LiFePO cells for heat resiliency & stability
- Provides both 12v & 5v power
- Isn’t proprietary; uses standard, easily-sourced components… unless it meets specs perfectly & isn’t terribly expensive.
- Minimal power draw; at most 2 amps @ 12v for 10 seconds twice daily.
Does anyone have suggestions regarding this configuration, know of a post, blog, or video which does something similar, or is willing to ID components you’d recommend for this project?
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