LIGHTNING ARRESTORS DC or AC

Lightning surge protector used on buried wires from solar modules or between buildings. Protects equipment by diverting to ground any voltage surge above 100 volts picked up from close lightning hits. One wire connects to your ground rod and two protection wires connect to cables coming in from outside. No conductivity below 100 volts. Spikes above 100 volts break down silicon oxide resistance and flow to ground, diverting  10,000 amps within 10 nanoseconds. Takes repeated surges to 50,000 amps. Eventually the plastic can bursts when finally depleted, and needs replacement.

LA-302DC 300v DC:  $35
LA-302AC 300v AC:  $35
LA-302 3 Phase 300v AC:  $40
LA-602DC 600v DC:  $42

DC SWITCHES & OUTLETS

DC OUTLET & PLUG  Handles 20 amps, fits standard outlet box & cover. Takes 10 or 12 gauge wire on the screw terminals. These are actually heavy duty 240 volt outlets which pass building codes for DC wiring if there is no 240 volt in the house.

O-DC OUT double (duplex) outlet:  $12
O-DC PLUG 3 prong 20 amp plug:  $4

 

TOGGLE SWITCH 50 amp DC rated low voltage. SPDT. On-off-on, with screw terminals for wires.

O-TOGGLE:  $8

0-AU4/0 Single Battery Lug:  $7
0-AU2/0 Dual Battery Lug:  $4

SPLICE BARREL joins wires up to 2 gauge. Set screw clamp for each side.

O-BARREL:  $7

DIODES on large heatsink. Prevents reverse current flow. Diodes are already built into solar charge controls, so you won't need a separate one.

O-DIODE 10 Rated 10 amps, up to 200 volts:  $24
O-DIODE 30 Rated 30 amps, up to 150 volts:  $48
O-DIODE 80 Rated 80 amps or more, 100 volts:  $48

Minimum shipping charge $8 per order covers all items with no shipping listed

Return to the top

WIRE JUNCTION DEVICES

BAR CONNECTOR joins wires, 4 to 14 gauge. Set screws hold each wire. All metal, not insulated. Connects all wires together. Made for multiple ground wire terminal in equipment boxes.

O-PK:  $12

INSULATED TERMINAL BLOCKS for large wires. Screw clamp for each wire. A single large cable up to #2/0 fits in one side. The other side holds four wires up to 4 gauge each, or 8 smaller wires. Allen wrench included.

SINGLE BLOCK use one for positive wires and a second one for negative wires.

O-16220-1 single terminal block:  $20

DOUBLE BLOCK, + and - combined in one unit.

O-16220-2 double terminal block:  $26

EXTRA LARGE SINGLE BLOCK has TWO 2/0, and SIX #4 wire positions.

O-16325-1  large single terminal block:  $36

TERMINAL BLOCK joins up to FIVE PAIRS of wires, each pair insulated from others. Accepts 18 gauge to 4 gauge wires. Good for connecting small charge controls, LCB, pumps or meter wires to heavier distance feeder wires. Five circuits, 85 amp maximum rated. Attaches to wall with screws included.

O-BLOCK:  $9

Minimum shipping charge $8 per order covers all items with no shipping listed

Return to the top

HOW TO SWITCH POWER SOURCE BETWEEN INVERTER and GENERATOR

AC produced by an inverter is wired into the standard AC house wiring breaker box to distribute power to lights and outlets throughout the home. Sometimes an AC generator might be connected to the same house wiring. DON'T DO IT! Inverter and generator must never be connected together to the same wiring at the same time or both can be damaged. Wire generator power only to one outlet in the battery room and tag it "generator direct". This is where you plug in your battery chargers, or to connect the charger of an inverter. The inverter will automatically switch generator power through to your house wiring when you start the generator, then switch it back to inverter power when the generator stops.

If your inverter lacks the standby transfer option, you can plug your battery charger into the direct generator outlet, then use a transfer relay to do the automatic switching between inverter and generator.

TRANSFER RELAY  
Depending on the model, these Transfer Relays switch your 120 volt or 120/240 volt AC house wiring between generator and inverter power sources automatically. Starting the generator causes transfer of home wiring from inverter to generator after a 20 second delay for warm-up. Stopping the generator transfers back to inverter power. This prevents damage from accidental cross connection between inverter and generator.
(30 amperes, 120 volt AC model pictured)  Two year warranty.

O-TS30: 120v AC only 30 amp Transfer Relay:  $58  (shipping $10)
O-TS50: 120/240 volt 50 amp Transfer Relay: $132  (shipping $12)

ONE WEEK 12 or 24 volt TIMER SWITCH

A programmable timer makes a wake up clock radio from your stereo. Can turn on fax, cell phone, 2 way radio, or a light during scheduled hours. It can cut off phone bells at night, operate grow lights, or start up a refrigerator in a weekend cabin, run a two-wire-start generator and or pump, to pump water or charge batteries daily.

Ordinary timers fail to operate if inverter is not constantly on, but this timer runs on DC. It's always on duty to control DC appliances where there is no inverter. Or it can turn on an AC appliance which starts up the Trace inverter from search mode. This timer carries a  one year warranty.

Program is set by push buttons, with digital display screen also showing time of day. Timer can be set for up to 8 different "on" times per day. It can be set to operate all days of the week, Monday through Friday, Monday through Saturday, or just weekends. Has easy manual on-off switch too.

This timer uses negligible amount of battery power to run. Also internal watch battery maintains time and program if disconnected for several weeks. 

Controls up to 16 amps AC, or about 2 amps DC appliances. If your DC load exceeds this 2 amp limit, please order one of our 30 amp relays which will handle your load's current while the timer switches the relay's coil.

This timer is not a plug in appliance. It connects like a light switch. Easy wire connections are made by pushing in wire and tightening a screw. Includes mounting cover to mount on the wall like a thermostat.

Size under 3" square, 2" deep.

A-DIGITIMER-12 for 12 volt power:  $58
A-DIGITIMER-24 for 24 volt power:  $58
O-RELAY 12 volt.........$30.00
O-RELAY 24 volt.........$30.00

Minimum shipping charge $8 per order covers all items with no shipping listed

Return to the top

DC POWERED TIMERS

Timers for 12 or 24 volt DC, or 120 volts AC. Very low power (30 milliamperes) used by DC units. We can special order custom units with different time ranges or switching sequence for $72.00. Three models listed below are the most common units. 1 year warranty.

ONE SHOT   
You start it, then it turns off after a set time.
Outdoor lighting or multiple switched lights. Like 3-way switching but you can have any number of light turn-on locations. Any button push turns light on for set interval, then automatically goes off. Also can be used as automatic switch to run a water pump for a set time and then stop. On time adjustable range is 1 to 100 minutes. Other time ranges from 0.1 to 500 minutes available special order. 10 amps maximum, 5 amps recommended.

A-TIME ERDI Specify voltage in special requests box of shopping cart-12 DC or 24 DC:  $64

CONTINUOUSLY CYCLING  
Timer repeats on-off-on-off endlessly. 
On interval and off interval are separately adjustable from 1 to 100 minutes. Connect to a DC or AC pump circuit to:

• Pump a few minutes with 10 minute rest cycles to match a slow well.

• Circulate just enough hot water to heat a floor, heat plant beds, or a water bed, then resting pump while heat transfers from pipes.

Other time ranges under 1 second to over 500 minutes by special order.

A-TIME KRDR  Specify voltage in special requests box of shopping cart-12 DC or 24 DC:  $64

DELAYED OFF
Power waits a set time period after switch is turned to shut off.
Uses: Two way radio in truck stays on so it can be called for 30 minutes after ignition is turned off, then goes off to save battery. Lights go out 5 minutes after switch is turned off so you can leave house or vehicle with outside light, then goes out to save battery. (also see wind up timers) 
Time range 1 to 100 minutes. Other ranges available special order.

A-TIME HRDB Specify voltage in special requests box of shopping cart-12 DC or 24 DC:  $64

Minimum shipping charge $8 per order covers all items with no shipping listed

Return to the top

Access 12 Volts from a 24 or 48 Volt Battery or 24 Volts from a 48 Volt Battery

Homes with 24 and 48 volt battery systems sometimes need 12 volt power for:
DC motion detecting lights, Nicad battery rechargers, DeWalt/Makita cordless tool car chargers (AC tool chargers burn out on non-sine wave inverters), notebook computer car lighter charge cords, cellular phones...

Includes Red and Green LED indicators of operational status.

With the battery voltage balancer you can tap 12 volts from a midpoint of a 24 or a 48 volt battery, and the balancer keeps all cells equally charged. Power transfers from the untapped portion of the battery to the 12 volt portion being tapped to maintain perfect balance. 1 year warranty.

Because the equalizer has 24 hours a day to balance any 12 volt consumption, a 20 amp equalizer will balance intermittent use of much higher current than the rated 20 amp transfer rate. Since the battery supplies the 12 volt power directly, short 12 volt surges are not limited by the converter's 20 amp rating. Power quality is much better than drawing 12 volts through a series converter.

These three battery balancers CANNOT act as two-way voltage converters(transformers).

EQ12/24-20 balances a 24 volt battery to use 12 volt power tap:  $195 covers 20 amp 12 volt load
EQ12/48-10 balances 48 volt battery to use 12 volt power tap:  $215 covers 10 amp 12 volt load
EQ24/48-10 balances 48 volt battery to use 24 volt power tap:  $215 covers 10 amp 24 volt load

Minimum shipping charge $8 per order covers all items with no shipping listed

VOLTAGE CONVERTERS by SOLAR CONVERTERS

The three battery balancers shown above CANNOT act as two-way voltage converters(transformers). We can special order Constant Voltage and Power Point Tracking converters for specific step up or step down applications. These devices do not involve tapping the battery, so they have limited ampere rating. In a step down application, you may connect one to the end of a long 24 volt wire to get 12 volts for an appliance. Or convert 12 volts to 24 volts to run the Shurflo 9300 well pump full speed from a 12 volt battery. Likewise with the 24/48 and 12/48 models. 1 year warranty.

PLEASE consult with Backwoods to purchase the transformer that is correct for your specific application!!

CONVERT a 12 or24 Volt circuit to run a 24 or 48 Volt appliance. 
CV12/24-6 converts 12 volt input to 24 volt output 6 amps maximum.
CV12/48-3 converts 12 volt input to 48 volt output 3 amps maximum.
CV24/48-6 converts 24 volt input to 48 volt output 6 amps maximum .

CONVERT a 24 or 48 Volt circuit to run a 12 or 24 Volt appliance. 
PPT12/24-20/R12 will take 24 volts and produce 12 volts 20 amps max.
PPT48-10/R12 will take 48 volts and produce 12 volts 10 amps max.
PPT48-10/R24 will take 48 volts and produce 24 volts 10 amps max.

These Converters are special ordered for your specific application. Lead time can be two weeks. As a special order they cannot be returned but Solar Converters fully honors their one warranty.

The CV converters sell for $225.00 
The PPT converters sell for $235.00
Shipping per unit is $25.00

PLEASE call to order the appropriate CV or PPT model for your application.

LOW POWER VOLTAGE CONVERTERS 

Same function as above except lower current limits and lower prices. 2 amp maximum current through these. Warranty is 90 days.

O-SOL DOWN-2A/12: 12 volt in, output adjusts from 6-12 volt:   $60
O-SOL DOWN-2A/24: 24 volt in, output adjusts from 6-22 volt:  $60
O-SOL DOUBLER: 12 volt in, 24 volt out: runs DC ceiling fan faster:  $55

Stable lower-or-higher-than-battery voltage adjuster
Sol-Up has unique feature that boosts voltage when battery is too low. Also reduces voltage when battery goes too high during charging. Maintains exact output voltage to sensitive equipment like cell phone. Takes 8-16 volt input range from battery, stable output is user adjustable as needed from 5 volts to 24 volts. Two amp maximum current.

O-SOL UP :  $90

Minimum shipping charge $8 per order covers all items with no shipping listed

Return to the top