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You think that is insane? Consider this: Decades ago, someone thought of a song. Their brainwaves ordered their muscles to move and with air passing over their vocal cords they sang the song. The soundwaves traveled through the air and struck a microphone, where they were converted back to...

I've been out in the Mojave, so late getting back to this thread. Yes, a chassis has greater cross-section. However, the way many modern vehicles are put together they are not truly bonded in all areas. Many manufacturers will designate where you can ground. Now, this is generally about...

Here is my version of the PowerCube (tm). 1200wH of batteries, main breaker, fusebox and a 400 watt sine wave inverter. It is a layer cake, insulation on the bottom, a layer of MDF, batteries and BMS along with the shunt , then MDF on top to mount stuff. Installed it in the van today, it is...

I just have regular laundry machines and do laundry during the day.

Go 48V. No, you will not need more batteries. 48V means smaller wiring and better equipment options. Also, you may not need as much power as your audit indicates. For example, you can do laundry during the day. If so then you don't need to factor it into the battery size. I haven't done laundry...

I have to admit that I have an archaic hatred of "power thieves" stemming from back when solar was expensive and I was groveling around in the woods with barley enough power to keep the fridge cold. Just like how I learned to program with a tiny amount of memory and I still write as if I had...

edit: Whoa! Blew that one! Talk about a Freudian slip! Yes! I really wish people would use amp hours watt hours. For example, in my signature you don't need to know what voltage I am running to know what my system capacities are. Amps only tell part of the story. It is a bit of a pet peeve of...

Yes, there is a reason not to use the switch that is rated for AC. With AC the voltage drops to zero 60 times a second. When you switch off under load it may start to arc but the next time the voltage drops to zero the arc will extinguish. With DC the arc can create enough plasma (which is...

Yeah, switch to a 2S4P configuration. UNder cold and sunny conditions your voltage will go up. Something will pop one of these days if you don't.

In the teach a man to fish department, here ya go! http://circuitwizard.bluesea.com/# This will answer this and future questions.

Unless it is something like a heavy cable moving a lot of power, I prefer it neat and organized. It makes troubleshooting easier, it makes repairs easier and it makes modifications easier. Plus it looks better. I worked on a lot of boat electrical systems under a Kiwi who was a stickler. He got...

This is exactly why a proper energy audit is the basis of a successful system. The folks that told you it would be enough were just guessing. Before you decide what to do, conduct a thorough energy audit. Then your system can be re-designed to suit.

2 gauge will be fine, 5% or so loss. For me, if you have a 1000 watts inverter I would wire as if you may use it some day, you never know. Or down the line you sell it and the new owner sees a 1000 watt inverter and tries to put it to work. Having all the components in a system sized correctly...

Contacters (relays) capable of switching large amounts of DC current generally need a fair amount of power for the coil. In order to break the contact quickly they have a pretty good spring and of course that spring has to be held back when the contacts are closed. So when power is at a premium...

Going to need more information for anyone to be able to help. Inverter type, charger type, battery type and size. Otherwise we have to call Dionne Warwick's Psychic Network and at $10.99 a minute it adds up. ?

Easy. The power company wanted over 50k years ago to come out to my place. While I don't run Victron, I run quality gear and my power stays up and my chest freezer cold. Buddy of mine is in the process of getting rid of his MPP inverters and redoing his system after a couple of months of...

Haha! Love it. I am in the middle of doing the same thing. I just bought a van and have been using milk crates for storage etc.. I'll be working on my "power cube" this week. I'll post a pic here.

60 watt panels are too small to bother with in my book. Too much mounting, too much wiring.

No need to get snippy. People are trying to help. Having an attitude will not increase your chances of getting help. As stated before, if it passes the short circuit test it isn't the panel itself. The only thing I can think of is perhaps the MC4 connector (If it has an MC4 or similar) isn't...

Power efficiency is one part of the equation. Space to put stuff in is another. I run a Dometic CFF45 in my van. Space inside the van is at a premium. I want a top loading fridge because we are on rough roads (if you can even call them roads). I want a power sipping fridge since the house...

1) Loose connections cause heating which can lead to the burnt smell. 2) Vibration, often coupled with not being properly torqued in the first place. 3) Find the screw. Disconnect the battery and solar panel or breaker. Reinstall the screw. Note that "proper torque" does not mean tighten as hard...

Great contact! I once heard a Russian voice on my radio, looked up and saw I was on the ISS frequency. I grabbed the mic and talked to a cosmonaut! He was getting ready for one of their school contacts. Let us know if you get back on the air and good luck.

Real solar radiation sensors aren't cheap. There are plenty of DIY options out there, light dependent resistors, LEDs with the top filed off, temperature sensors in a jar, all kinds of ways. As you would expect, there are pros and cons to each. Luckily you are not attempting a tracking array...

But if you use math, you can KNOW the answer. If money is no object and you are OK with spending it without knowing if it will work for ya, carry on. An energy audit is simple and you may find for example that you need less than you thought. Or that you won't have enough. It may allow you to...

I check my batteries once a month and water about every 2-3. Takes me about 15 minutes to do the check and 30 minutes to add water. So say 3 hours a year. Not onerous. I do glance at the system readouts daily. My charge controller does the rest. Pretty close to "let it do its thing". As I have...

Sorry, but I have you all beat. As outlined in this thread, I made a tactical power cube: https://diysolarforum.com/threads/milk-crate-portable-power-station.4927/page-2#post-86963 And then made the power wall to end all power walls! Muhahahahahaha!!!

Thanks. Do you know when my blood pressure will return to the normal range?

Well, I am still running FLA at my off grid place. But the criteria for replacement has always been when putting the coffee pot on in the morning causes a low voltage disconnect. :p

Sorry about the title. I couldn't resist. Member @D. Abineri sent me a PM the other day asking about my angle iron solar panel rack and I said I would send some pics. I figured I'd put it here in case it is of interest to anyone else. I built and assembled the rack. I made all the brackets and...

I pull 50 amps from a 150 amp alt on my Transit. As noted above, you will pull around 60-65 amps to charge at 50 amps. I can tell you that at idle the alt gets hot! On the road it does better. Remember that your alt is doing more than charging your house battery. You might look into a second...