I've been working on a project that involves building a foldable solar panel array for my off-grid cabin. The frame needs to move in and out depending on sunlight direction, and space is pretty limited. I’ve been looking into using linear actuators, but I keep going back and forth between compact and heavy-duty types. Anyone had real-life experience with these in outdoor setups?
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Anyone had real-life experience with these in outdoor setups?
Anyone had real-life experience with these in outdoor setups?
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Not tried outdoors yet, but signal loss might be an issue. Btw, found mcqsalert recently good for quick test prep during breaks.
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Yeah, I’ve had my fair share of tinkering with both types. For smaller builds or when you’re tight on space, the compact ones can be really convenient—lightweight, easier to mount, and they usually have less wiring fuss. But when it comes to dealing with external forces like wind or snow loads (which solar panels definitely face), heavy-duty actuators tend to win the reliability game. I ran into issues with a 12v linear actuator on my greenhouse vents—it worked fine at first but failed mid-winter when things got stuck with ice.
If your solar panel frame isn’t too large, you might get away with compact units, but I’d say check their rated force vs. your actual needs—especially when panels are extended and acting like sails. You might want to browse the selection here, they list both load capacities and dimensions clearly: 12v linear actuators. I ended up switching to a heavy-duty 12V actuator from that site, and it hasn’t let me down so far.