billolga
4x4 Earth Contributer
The package of course is gone but here is a photo of two of mine.
The top plug is 3.1 amps but the other is 1 amp.
Critique my proposed dual battery & solar setup
- Thread starter crankitupto11
- Start date
The package of course is gone but here is a photo of two of mine.
The top plug is 3.1 amps but the other is 1 amp.
crankitupto11
New Member
Thread update.
The USB bullet I bought is useless. Doesn't supply enough power for most modern smartphone and tablets (an error about insufficient power comes up). However we bought another one from Target for $5 that does the job fine.
Further more I have been travelling with my wiring setup now for 4 months and have had no failures apart from one of the crimps on my Anderson plugs falling out of the lug because I didn't solder it in place.
Our one issue is that we haven't been able to put out our portable solar panels as much as we thought (lots of short trips and free-camping in town). So we have only had enough power to keep the fridge running, charge our phones once a day and tablet once every few days. I am going to relocate the solar panels to the roofrack once I have that built. The dual volt sensing VSR I bought has been working great and having a supply of electricity to keep us powered up has been amazing. We rely on our phones and tablets so much when we are on the road for trip planning, research, mapping/guidance etc.
Very happy I spent the money on the VSR and good cabling, and spent the time researching and installing everything.
(note: I re-routed the outgoing power from the VSR after this photo was taken as it was propped up against the aluminium coolant tank and I was concerned about it being dangerous)
Last edited:
muc the truck
Well-Known Member
I just finished with a 8400 km trip with 3 kids . aged 7, 10 and 14. all with android tablets and running off 8 dollars worth of chargers . Cant complain at all . great kit . the kids have one each and I use a 4th for my phone.
Dual 3 1A 2 Port USB CAR Charger Adapter FOR Samsung Galaxy S3 S4 Iphone Ipad | eBay
Dual 3 1A 2 Port USB CAR Charger Adapter FOR Samsung Galaxy S3 S4 Iphone Ipad | eBay
billolga
4x4 Earth Contributer
S3-S4-iPhone-iPad-/400745540037?pt=AU_TabletAccessories&hash=item5d4e4ba9c5]Dual 3 1A 2 Port USB CAR Charger Adapter FOR Samsung Galaxy S3 S4 Iphone Ipad | eBay[/url][/QUOTE]
I have found them great but had one pop the other day - HELL! - the expense!
Only the top plug is 3.1 amp BTW - not the bottom one.
I have found them great but had one pop the other day - HELL! - the expense!
Only the top plug is 3.1 amp BTW - not the bottom one.
Thread update.
The USB bullet I bought is useless. Doesn't supply enough power for most modern smartphone and tablets (an error about insufficient power comes up). However we bought another one from Target for $5 that does the job fine.
Further more I have been travelling with my wiring setup now for 4 months and have had no failures apart from one of the crimps on my Anderson plugs falling out of the lug because I didn't solder it in place.
Our one issue is that we haven't been able to put out our portable solar panels as much as we thought (lots of short trips and free-camping in town). So we have only had enough power to keep the fridge running, charge our phones once a day and tablet once every few days. I am going to relocate the solar panels to the roofrack once I have that built. The dual volt sensing VSR I bought has been working great and having a supply of electricity to keep us powered up has been amazing. We rely on our phones and tablets so much when we are on the road for trip planning, research, mapping/guidance etc.
Very happy I spent the money on the VSR and good cabling, and spent the time researching and installing everything.
(note: I re-routed the outgoing power from the VSR after this photo was taken as it was propped up against the aluminium coolant tank and I was concerned about it being dangerous)
Apologies for bumping an old thread but i've found some useful information in here
Just wondering how it all worked out crankitupto11?
This setup looks pretty much how i'm considering of going, however battery will be under the hood and the outputs for fridge etc. will be in the ute tray. Anything you'd do differently second time round?
Is there any real value in doing the 12V DC outlet board through an Anderson plug?
Cheers!
Rohan
MyCrazy80
Well-Known Member
Crankitupto11 hasn't been on this forum since 29 July 2014
On the subject of relays to cross between solar and main battery on dual input chargers. I've brought a redarc 1240 with solar and in the process of buying a relay I've found that no one makes a heavy duty 5 pin relay( I couldn't find one anyway) there are plenty of large ampere relays with little tiny cables coming off them which I'm reluctant to use because I don't want to step down in size. and there are heavy duty relays that are 4pin only. How do i get around this problem. Or is there a product I'm chaising that I don't know about. Cheers
Albynsw
Well-Known Member
I am not familiar with the Redarc unit but assume that it automatically switches itself for the best source of solar or alternator supply like the Ctek does ?
Or are you looking to do something different ?
It's only got one input cord that needs to be diverted with a relay. So no to your question about being like the ctec. I'm trying to find a relay with big enough cable to suit the 6mm I've run from the main battery to handle the 40 amps the redarc will be drawing. It defeats the purpose of running 6mm wire from the main battery to handle the 40 amps it will be producing to connect it to a relay with 4mm wires on it. Am I making any sense. I might be able to explain it in a different way.
Albynsw
Well-Known Member
Ah ok, so you have to manually select the source
Maybe check on the Redarc website or call them. I have heard that they are very helpful