A digital multimeter is most sought after instrument if you are planning to start your own home solar power project. It is the most useful and multipurpose instrument which can really be boon for you, provided it is from a reputed company and has a good model.

In fact the multi meter has three devices which are built in one instrument. It has voltmeter to measure the electric current in volts, the ammeter measures the amount of the current and digital multimeter measures the electric resistance of the device. Electric resistances is measured in terms of ohms, the modern good quality multimeter are designed in such way that can be easily operated.

The good quality multimeter has a plastic case and has easy to use selector knobs with a screen on the top part which shows the digital reading. Before purchasing a multimeter, some precautions are absolutely must; you should look for a large screen, quite big, so that you can see the readings easily in the sunlight. Most the times when these multimeters are used in sunlight, the reading is not clear.

Below the screen is a large knob called the function switch, this switch will help you to select different modes of the operation. With this switch you can easily shift between voltmeter and ohmmeter with the turning of the dial, this is the reason; you should look for the large switch, which is easy to operate.

The function switch have normally eight positions, with the V marking which are normally three in umber are used to measure the voltage. Both measurements can be done i.e. AC/DC; you can obtain the measurements in miilivolt range.

There are two more markings A~ and A=, A~ measures AC current and A= measures DC current both in amps. The marking which is of horse shoe upside down Ω measures resistances in ohms, if you have to measure voltage, the digital multimeter has to be turned on, it will again go to startup procedure.

Normally when the digital readouts light up, the device goes through the self-diagnostic mode, after this it is ready to be used for various functions. The function switch V= is to measure the DC volts, the black and red leads when connected to multimeter at the right places can start the function.

Simply connect the red lead at the point marked as VΩ and black lead at the point marked as COM. To measure amps, the leads need to be connected differently by setting the function on switch A= position and connect the black lead to COM terminal.

Red lead has to be connected to the terminal marked as 300mA, now your device is ready for different functions. The result you will get in milliamps as you are connected to 300mA terminal.

The third functions of the device is its ability to measure in ohms, it is the measurement of the resistance in an electric circuit. It must be remembered to disconnect your multimeter after you use it, and should be safely stored in your tool box.

You must also keep it safe that the battery does not get drained, it is such a wonderful device and you must ensure it is properly handled. There are many good brands of multimeter available in the market, choose the best one.

For more tips and suggestion on how build your own DIY Photovoltaic (PV) panel on a small budget, check out the Power4Home guide by John Russel. Read up on the Power4Home reviews on this blog for more information.

Today shops are offering you convenient tools for you to choose from according to your home DIY job requirements. Thus buying a tool that you require is easy, but at the same time it is important that you make the right choice that suits your homemade solar power endeavor, lest ruin your project. Here are some of the tools you will need in your garage.

The humble cordless drill.

The primary job a drill as the name suggests is to drill holes into materials, but they can be used to fix or attach things by putting in screws, i.e the Plexiglass cover on the Photovoltaic (PV) panel. Because of operational ease, most of us like to use a cordless screwdriver, rather than one with a cord for power supply.

This is a handy tool for taking out screws because of their magnetic tip; there are no spilled screws and the interchangeable heads like the common flat headed one to the Phillips head. This also reduces the number of tools required to do a job. With the cordless screwdriver, you don’t have to worry about a loose fitted screw anymore.

The edgy saw.

Saws are a much required tool for anybody working with wood and no matter what type of wood you are working with; there is a definite need for some kind of a saw.

Be it cutting the beam in to the right size, cutting the edges, cutting firewood, cutting limbs of a tree or to make a hole in the centre of the wood without disturbing the edges, there is a type of saw to do the job.

Due to the shearing power and razor sharp cutting edges, saws are one of the dangerous tools which has to be handled with great care for your own safety and who works besides you.

The artsy router.

I like specialized woodworking tool such as a router when I am working with timber. I can trim the wood or create distinct patterns in the wood giving form to my imaginations. With some add-ons, you can create a great piece of art work.

But there is difference of opinion about the user friendliness of router tools. Once you have mastered the way to use them, you will simply adore it; on the other hand if you don’t know how to use them correctly you will think that you can do your work without them. With their efficacy and simplicity, you can complete your residential solar energy project easily and faster with a sander.

The smooth sander.

For a neat and smooth finish it is necessary to use a sander first, before painting a surface. There are various shapes and sizes of sanders to choose from as per the job requirement and they are available at a comparatively lesser price. You can use either sand paper or sand discs in a sander.

The sandpapers are available in various grades ranging from very coarse to a super fine grade. It is important that before making a selection, from a wide variety of tools, make a good study about their usefulness in your job.

Do not make a hasty decision of buying a tool that you come across first. By purchasing a tool that is versatile which could be adapted for your various projects, you can reduce the expense of purchasing a tool every time you want to do a project.

Referring to the testimonials available from the users will help you to ensure that you are buying exactly the tool which you have in mind.

Getting Started On DIY Solar Panels

Are you planning to buy readymade PV panels or save money by building them yourself? Since you have the tools, you might as well construct them yourself. What you will need is a good instructional manual.

To get started, head over to Michael Harvey’s Earth4Enery download page and get his PDF guide together with the High Definition (HD) instructional videos on how to build a solar panel on a shoestring budget.

==> Click here to visit Earth4Energy now!

Overheating of Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels is a very common problem faced by many home owners who has invested in a residential solar power system, particularly in hot regions. Every solar panel is designed to work in an optimum range of temperature.

During the hottest parts of the day, it may so happen that the temperature exceeds this optimum range. The result is a drop in voltage output in the PV panel. This is a typical phenomenon and gets rectified once the system is cooled down.

Normally the panel is designed in such a way, that some drop in the voltage will not affect its efficiency. For example an 18V PV cell at 25 degree Celsius will work in the range of 17 – 18V. So even if the atmospheric temperature is high and the efficiency of the cell falls, you may expect to get a voltage of 12 V.

But if the efficiency falls further, be sure that there is no problem with the electrical wiring connections. If your panel does not regain efficiency after cooling, the fall in the voltage of the cells may be caused by corrosion and expansion due to high temperature.

Under such circumstances you need to cool down the panel by putting the array under a shade. Cover the panel and pour water on it. These simple measures should be sufficient to cool down the panel and give the right voltage, if there is no other problem with the circuit.

But if the voltage output does not improve, there is definitely some fault in the electric circuit and you need to fix it immediately. Use a selective shading test to identify the faulty cell. This will help in identifying the faulty cell or wiring by smaller parts.

After you have shaded 3 to 4 cells, the output should be reduced by half. Disconnect the panel and monitor the output of the cell with a multimeter. If you do not have a multimeter, you may use a test load such as a fan to monitor the output.

If after shading a part of the panel and the voltage remains unchanged, this is the part which has the problem. Once you have detected the faulty part, check the tabs and the wiring junctions around the affected area.

Look for any corrosion that might be the cause of the problem. Increased resistance of faulty solder increases the load and resistance and leads to continuously overheating the cell and consequently the panel will get damaged. You need to rectify this problem immediately.

Moisture is a big problem for solar panels. In places close to a sea, salty and moist air corrodes electric connections and aluminum frames very fast.

Wood also get distorted and twisted with moist air causing breakage of tab connections. It may also result in the formation of crack in a cell. All the corroded and oxidizes metal parts must be replaced under such circumstances. It is worthwhile to go for aluminum or perspex sealed panel if you want to avoid these problems, though it may involve some extra cost.

Another problem, though not very common is the damage of blocking diode. Blocking diodes are used in solar panels to prevent the discharge of the batteries during the night time. Damage of blocking diode will result in no power output. So if you are getting no power from your panel, and you have eliminated all other possibilities, carry out a diode test.

If you find the diode to be faulty, replace the diode. If immediate replacement is not possible, take out the diode from the circuit.

Make sure to disconnect the panel at night, otherwise the battery bank will get discharged. Some people use a number of smaller diodes that will sum up to the required amperage. This may help in reducing the cost, but invariably is an invitation to e bigger problems.

As current flows in the path of lowest resistance, so when a number of smaller diodes are used, it will flow through the smallest diode and will continue to do so, till it fails, then the next higher ones will follow.

Thus one by one all the diodes will fail and finally the entire system will blow out with a risk of fire. Remember, if properly maintained, solar panels are very reliable, even in cloudy or snowy weather. Keep your panel sealed to protect it from moisture. If you follow these simple rules, your solar panel will keep working, free of any problem.