generators and battery chargeing.

[Nightjar]

My removable box of tricks has evolved through the years and worked perfectly on recent 3 week trip camped out in the sticks.
The addition of the Victron 75/10 MPPT connected to the series made all the difference. I noted even on an overcast day 2amps were trickling the battery.
I remove it from the tray between trips and hook it up to a spare battery in my shed to give the radios and detector batteries a bump every month or so.
There is a 240V/12V 40amp charger for emergency top ups from generator. Also noted this charger may show 30amp input initially but drops off rapidly to around 10amp for the hour I run the genny.

 

[condor22]

Many different ways to get a result, we all have different needs, budgets and knowledge.

The best way to make a decision is to be informed

***Before spending $$$ on the wrong stuff***

 

[BigWave]

My setup:

 

[goldwright]

ok, so I need to get a good charger.
The reason I like the idea of the ark pak, is, that this trailer will not be a dedicated camper. It is going to be used for other purposes as well.
I want to keep the inside as a normal trailer, so want removable power etc.The pipes on the top will stay, the sail track on the sides will stay. I might mount some LED light bars on the inside of the doors. But there wont be permanent power outlets, or chargers, or battery boxes mounted inside.

The 160w solar panels should power the fridge no worries. Its all the 105amh AGM has to power, as well as charge my 4500 battery, I also have a jump start pack, and one of Woody,s camcord batteries.

I was thinking of getting the arc pack because I can get one cheap from a mate who sells them, also considered a another battery or even one of the WACO 36hr packs.
I have a gennys that will fit into the trailer. So as it stands now, looks like I will probably get a an AGM compatable charger that I can plug into the generator, and later, get another AGM, and rotate the batteries.

Why don't you just get a small tool box for your draw bar and put all your batteries and chargers in there keeping your trailer bed free, you could even make removable with external outputs and inputs.

 

[Davent]

Maybe later, just spent $2.5k on the trailer, $315 for the AGM, $309 solar panels, $150 pvc pipe, fittings, glue, hole saw etc, flying to Sydney then hire car for trip to snow with my wife and daughter, then off to Port Maquarie for a week, before driving back to Sydney for 2 nights, then fly home to darwin for a couple of days, before driving down 2 000km return trip to Tennant creek, which should leave me enough in my budget for ....SWA, except, I need either a 2nd battery/charger/back up system for the TC trip. Add the GPX4500, and two NF evoloutions I have bought in the last 6 months or so, and wife is getting a bit twitchy!
The tool box on the draw bar is a consideration for later, as is gerry can holders and a gas bottle holder, as well as a spare tyre holder somewhere.
Already have a motor trimmer mate who will do a PVC tarp and sail track shade system for about $100, but that might have to wait untill I after this trip,as well, I have plenty of other camping gear that I used for fishing trips, tarps, swags, stretchers, eskies , cooking gear etc etc
Tool box for draw bar is another $300 ish minmum.

 

[SCROUNGER]

Maybe later, just spent $2.5k on the trailer, $315 for the AGM, $309 solar panels, $150 pvc pipe, fittings, glue, hole saw etc, flying to Sydney then hire car for trip to snow with my wife and daughter, then off to Port Maquarie for a week, before driving back to Sydney for 2 nights, then fly home to darwin for a couple of days, before driving down 2 000km return trip to Tennant creek, which should leave me enough in my budget for ....SWA, except, I need either a 2nd battery/charger/back up system for the TC trip. Add the GPX4500, and two NF evoloutions I have bought in the last 6 months or so, and wife is getting a bit twitchy!
The tool box on the draw bar is a consideration for later, as is gerry can holders and a gas bottle holder, as well as a spare tyre holder somewhere.
Already have a motor trimmer mate who will do a PVC tarp and sail track shade system for about $100, but that might have to wait untill I after this trip,as well, I have plenty of other camping gear that I used for fishing trips, tarps, swags, stretchers, eskies , cooking gear etc etc
Tool box for draw bar is another $300 ish minmum.

Hell davent, you won tattslotto mate? If not, you'd better get out there and spend your last few bucks on a ticket mte to replenish the bank before the minister for finance closes down your account access :lol:
Enjoy the trips mate and don't forget to post pics from the Tennant Creek trip.

 

[condor22]

Twitchy, that's not the word I would use to describe what my wife would be like if she knew all I've spent..... On this "Hobby"

Self preservation is definitely a male domain at times, lol. I figure;

What she don't know, don't hurt me !!!

 

[Davent]

Twitchy, that's not the word I would use to describe what my wife would be like if she knew all I've spent..... On this "Hobby"

Self preservation is definitely a male domain at times, lol. I figure;

What she don't know, don't hurt me !!!

Lol! Too true, im going with a good battery charger.
I have long service leave next year,(june) and am planning a trip to the pilbara area. Trailer will be modded for the next 12 months, so a bit here and a bit there. Reckon, ill get another battery at least by then to add to the rest of the junk ive accumulated.....one other thing I need to get before T C trip is a crow bar. Guess I will be eating snags and noodles for the trip, maybe have to resort to spam.....nah.

 

[condor22]

Good thing about having a fully decked out van, I'm fed, Warm, comfortable and I got the Engel for the coldies and my wife is not really interested in prospecting - WIN - WIN.

I've realised one big thing when I compare trips with the wife and trips without her - I always seem to have more fridge space for drinks ! Bless her....

 

[BigWave]

Hi davent, if you need a crow bar for TC, then I'd suggest a "pit bar" from Bunnings. It's way easier/faster to use for digging than a crow bar. I cut the head end off mine to fit the car, then put a rubber foot over the end. A very rugged piece of kit, that a few PAers have.

 

[Davent]

Saw those last week, look perfect! Hope I don, t need it, but will grab one anyway....digging a bit harder down there.

 

[BigWave]

Hope you do need it mate! It'll get you that deep one way faster, and that's what you're after, Everyone who has one has used it in anger!

 

[Davent]

Suppose your right! 15" spoked evo might just find a nice deep one! One of my mates got a 53 grammer a few months ago down there, and it was deep, on Z7000 though.
Stopped at SCA, Repco and cbt on the way home from work, was gunna pick up a battery charger, none carried one better than 8A suitable for AGM, s and the cheap 8A was $180, so back to planning again......sometimes I hate Darwin. 35 deg c again today.

 

[BigWave]

Would love Darwin compared to Vic weather at the mo.

 

[nicko61]

Davent thats what my daughter said two days ago after putting their car on the barge, 35deg and muggy, i thought she was joking, should be cool second month of winter in Darwin

 

[Wishfull]

5 degrees C here this morning.Don't like the Southern winter's but born here. Hopefully next year the Missus and I will be in warmer climate in our yet to be purchased caravan hunting gold on our treck around Oz

 

[lewy]

mate was in the husquarvne shop at truck city yesterday,they have the husky 7 stage charger which is a cteck only cheaper

 

[Davent]

Thanks Lewy, will check it out in the morning.

 

[condor22]

Something I thought might be of interest -

I was showing my solar system to a friend and was asked why there was bugger all output from the panels. So here it is explained.

Battery = 120 AH AGM, Solar panels = 2 x 100 W (on van roof), Controller is a Victron 30 amp. The battery was fully charged and I have a monitor that tells me volts, amps in or out and net affect as well as % used.

So, first point, if the battery is full, the controller senses this and therefore only a very small token charge of amps is going in. (think of a full jerry can of water, once it's full, it's full and no amount of water or force is going to put in more water). This is why they are called "Smart Chargers".

Next, if the battery is full and a load is applied, in my case I turned the 3 way fridge to 12volts and on which applies a 14 amp load to the battery. The immediate affect was a very small input increase from the panel, because as I said the battery is full and it would need to drop about 5 or more AH before it goes back to boost. This could take 20 or more minutes to occur under this load. (again think of the jerry can, it has an outlet at the bottom which is turned on allowing space for more water to come into the top)

My point being, until a battery has discharged sufficiently for any smart charger to be in "Boost" mode, the full capacity of the charger will not be realised.

The above example applies to a "smart" charger (at least a 3 stage) and is exactly the same for a 240VAC AGM charger (such as the Projecta Intellicharge), a 12 volt DC to DC charger (such as the Redarc BCDC1220,) or a solar controller (such as my Victron).

So - To actually know what a solar panel is producing at any given time, in Watt Hours (WH) or Amp Hours (AH) the battery needs to be in a discharge state, so a smart charger will be in Boost Mode when connected.

Remembering that when it goes to Absorption mode the Amps will continually lower until Float mode happens. Any excess output from a solar panel(s) is absorbed into the controller before it can go to the battery.

Hope this helps some understand.

This is why I believe Amps and AH (or Watts WH) is a far more accurate measure of a battery's charge state than volts. Volts is a guide, but can give a false sense of condition because there are many variables i.e. temperature, age of battery or if under load or open circuit when measured.

 

[Nightjar]

This is why I believe Amps and AH (or Watts WH) is a far more accurate measure of a battery's charge state than volts. Volts is a guide, but can give a false sense of condition because there are many variables i.e. temperature, age of battery or if under load or open circuit when measured.

Yes, so many believe that when their multi meter shows 12+V's the battery is in good shape. Remember the days of using the hydrometer, battery is in good shape volt wise, quick check with hydrometer reveals a crook cell.