Today I BOUGHT

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ChrisM said:
Had to do some maintenance with the earth moving equipment.......
Just getting him primed for the next trip
Lunch with Dozer......[man that guy can eat].... :lol: :lol:
http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/6862/dlcb.jpg
Ribs & Rumps in Ryde.....great feed
Click to expand...

must be the vegetarian in me but i cant help but feel sorry for the potatoes that died to make those chips

i used to eat like that when i was a teenager :D
 
HeadsUp said:
thesmithy said:
what do GPX5000 batteries need for charge time on a setup like yours , or for comparison sake , what is the charging time if you are plugged in to a 70ZZ battery on the average 4WD ? ( assuming its the second battery in a dual battery setup)

The panels put out 4.58amps in good light....so doing the maths you would get around 5 to say 6 good hrs of light. So around 30 amp/hrs in a normal 8 hrs.
For the detector batteries........300w inverter drawing 1.25amp/hrs would run your 240volt charger no problems.....charging your batterys in no time compared to trying to charge them with a normal 12 volt battery on your vehicle.
Solar panels must be connected to a battery.....then connect the accessories to the battery.......just make sure that the panel input is equal or greater than the draw on the battery.
Connecting straight to 2nd battery will take a very long time especially if vehicle is not running. Battery will only discharge to the same voltage as the battery you want to charge. Eg. 12.3 to 12.3.
Use an inverter they are $99.00 for a 300watt...........my batterys for the laptop-phone -detector charge in less than 15 minutes with the inverter.
Cheers
Thesmithy
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awesome .

what amp hour rating is the battery that you have on your 80 w solar panels and is that a NmH battery or SLA ?

I was going to aim for a 1000 watt inverter if a 120 - 180 watt solar is enough to run it on a 110Z lead acid battery . but maybe i dont even need that much ?

I would have two detector batteries swapping out every second day , a 7 amp hour 12 volt battery for an accessory to be charged each day , laptop and phone every couple of days and a second 110Z battery for the boat trolling motor to be charged up to once a day which i was thinking i would swap out with the one on the solar panels
or maybe i should use a mini generator to charge the boat battery ? . doing more homework on that .



edited . change of plans . I have the space for a 250 w solar panel , which i think a 30 amp charge controller will be a safe match for with a bit of extra duty cycle up its sleeve so why not use it.
if i get 15 amps x 8 hours then 120 A/hrs correct less efficiency losses based on no cloud and a sun that sits directly above me all day ;)
a tilting hinge on the solar panel mount wont hurt


thankyou kindly
Click to expand...

250watt is a massive solar panel but will still only give you get 14.28amps in good sun light.Plus around $899 for a good quality.
Match the hatch. Add up the total watts of all you are charging

Then decide by approx 17.5.......that is out put of the panel. This will give you amps output of panel.
You only need a panel that will keep your battery charged above what you major draw will be.
So let's say all you accessories connected are drawing 4.5ah then multiply that by approx 17.5 = 78watts so an 80watt panel will do the job.
So a battery to suit........ 4.5ah x 8.hr equals 36ha so a battery capable of 40ah will suffice.
Over kill for sure.

I Use a 12.5ah deep cycle lead acid battery $39.00 from JAYCAR for my portable camp powerpack.
I still have the OPTIMA 70AH duel battery in the 4x4
Remember you need to connect the battery to the panel........but only draw from the battery.
The battery already has 12.5ah to start.......then you are constantly putting 4.5ah in every hour so really you are never really discharging the battery from the12.5 ah........only at night when panel is not working.
Maybe for 4 hrs to run LED CAMP LIGHTS about 1.5ahs

It does not matter how many amp you try to put into battery it will only take what itneeds. Hence controller to stop overcharge.
I have a 100AMP Alternator on vehicle it only outputs what the batteries or the vehicle requires.
If you tell me what the total watts are of every thing you need i can work out for you what is best suited andwithin a reasonable budget.
Sorry missed the trolling motor. Correct a bigger panel may suffice. Or as you suggested small generator.
Cheers
Thesmithy.
 
Dozer :) food looks delicious mate, keep building those muscles

Today i bought mini Amp (9v) with speaker and clip ($30) - for my SD2000, and if it doesn't work properly i'll put it in a corner next to my guitar :)


OT045-3m.jpg


OT045-4m.jpg
 
Today I got a beef burger with the lot and so tasty I wish I could make the taste last longer lol
me spring rolls and 2 satay chicken kebabs mmmm
 
I raided Bunnings and bought all the necessities to build a Blue Bowl
I will post some images when finished.

regards

xobazzip
 
Colin&Lee said:
A great big mattock to help with the gardening ;) :D

Col
Click to expand...

and what colour vegetables would you be digging for there Col ?

akshilly have you ever gone over your own yard and garden at home with the detector ?

if you find a turnip shaped nugget i hid it there for safe keeping . okay ?


:D
 
thesmithy said:
If you tell me what the total watts are of every thing you need i can work out for you what is best suited andwithin a reasonable budget.
Sorry missed the trolling motor. Correct a bigger panel may suffice. Or as you suggested small generator.
Cheers
Thesmithy.
Click to expand...

thanks for your help thus far , i wont ask you to spend any more time on calculations though

I have the gist of it so will pick up a 250 watt panel ( around $ 230 and up for what seems like reasonable quality ) , and match the rest accordingly with a safety margin


whatever the true efficiency factors are for each component will give me my output at the end of the day ( or midday in fact )

thankyou kindly for your efforts and best wishes to yourself.

:D
 
Hi all,

Dozer and ChrisM: Wow! Now that's what I call an impressive spread :eek: Hope it was as good as it looks! :D

Well, I bit the bullet this morning and added a 14"x7" NF Mono coil and a solid skid plate for the Sweet16" NF. Don't like the way those open lightweight coils grab and pick up sticks and debris so hopefully the solid skid plate will fix that issue nicely.

Still debating whether or not to add a Rooster Booster to the 5K though. See what I can find out.

Kindest regards,
Shauno.
 
Just read from the top down and saw the pic of Dozer and his snack holy toledo :D

Half a plate of protein half a plate of carbs :eek:

Cheers

C&L
 
Some Gal rod and Alu tube from Bunnings, going to make crevice tool mk.II

Will post a few pics on how and what I did.. one fits in the other..

Cheers Tone
1373534838_tubestock.jpg
 
Got my Official Prospecting Australia hat and Stubby holder in the mail today, And might I just say I cut a fine figure in my new hat. Get on board.
 
Nice Heatho, going to upgrade mine shortly to something similar.

Today I bought a new 115Ah AGM battery for my van, $309 not bad for Kalgoorlie, everyhwhere else in town wanted about $450!

DD
 
Cheers DD, got a very fair deal on it, from a senior couple who needed to downsize, they owned it since new, basically no 4wding, goes smooth as.2003 model, 200000k on it but... for the 4.0l it's not much, all easy k's. Went for a quick drive into the Wollemi NP, where I took the pic. Stoked.

Must have looked at....... lost count how many, they were mostly rust buckets, so glad I held out for the right one.
 

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