Working on the initial concept design for the main electronics structure and placement within the yard, etc.

For the first iteration I’m just going to try to keep it simple. In the future it’d be fun to incorporate a sun tracker element to increase output from the panels, but I think I’ll have plenty of juice with it static for the time being.

For panels, I currently have two ‘briefcase’ style panels that I usually use for long camping trips but am to reallocate here as needed :)

The two options that I have on hand are these 100W and 200W, 12V panels by Renogy ….So you should now see why I’m not TOO worried about maximizing efficiency to power since a fully loaded Raspberry Pi appears to draw only about 6W :)

Oh, right! I forgot to mention, but I also really want to use all of my existing rechargeable batteries as the energy storage for this system. So I need to get that inventory together and make sure there’s sufficient room.

Also, also, in addition to ensuring that all components are safe from the elements, I should also consider SOME amount of security considerations, since there will be a reasonable dollar amount of hardware in this box and it’s just sitting in the yard…just a thought.

POM2

100W

200W