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What do people think of those Cascadia 4x4 and Lensun Solar vehicle hood (bonnet for our friends across the "Pond") based, vehicle specific panels? I'm not expecting rave reviews. I know Will wasn't much of a fan of them (flexible panels that is--and not necessarily, worse, those situated on...

Thanks Mike. I'm not sure if in your reference to "vehicle electronic standby power," you mentally intended to include parasitic draw; which I'll loosely describe as power lost by the battery that doesn't serve legitimate purpose, that purpose even including keeping vehicle electronics in some...

Ok, sure, longitude, weather, the angle of the panel (which if on some vehicle roof is horozontal)....length of day, there is no one setup... But that said, is there a basic rule of thumb regarding how big a solar panel in watts a person needs to, with an MPPT controller, trickle charge an AGM...

Thanks. The Solarlife accompanying smart phone app doesn't seem to have a battery chemistry setting. Also, as it regards the flexible panels, I was just as much interested in their durability, Will P. pointing to them cracking and overheating with time, as I was with them living up to their...

Two products from the Lensun Solar catalog motivate my questioning here. The first is one of their MPPT Charge controllers. This one: https://www.lensunsolar.com/Products/Solar-controller?product_id=534 It claims, with what appears to be no user configuration, to be able to charge batteries...

For all its limitations, the Renogy DCC30/50S will prioritize solar power to first charge a house battery and supplement that power with the vehicle's alternator if the engine is cranked. This got me thinking that maybe I could connect something to the alternator inputs on the device, that at...

I'm sorry. I think I found my answer in this product's voltage boosting capabilities: a what seems to be relatively common feature in RV house battery charging from alternator components, given today's potentially lower voltage smart alternators and higher voltage LiFEPO4 house battery...

Given that my vehcile is equipped with a smart alternator under the hood, that, as the name implies, won't delivery one constant higher voltage like was the case in the days of a non-smart constant alternator's voltage output, but regulate that voltage, presumably saving gasoline, based on the...

Thank you for giving terminology to my problem set. From your description it is an isolater I seek. :)

I think I sought something like this...

I'm sure that many of you are familiar with RV 120VAC transfer switches that, for example, will allow an RVs 120 VAC appliances to be run from a shore power hookup over, say, an inverter connected to a house battery in the absence of such shore power availability. Ok, sorry for the stupid...

Ok...your living in an RV with a nice size house battery bank that solar panels for the most part are able to charge, but there's those less than sunny days, that seem to always come in a stretch. So, lucky enough, to have access to shore power so mabe you charge your rig's batteries by...

So Mike--and BTW thanks--the notion of two different charging algorithms from the house to starter battery, as per the manual, based on whether you do or don't have a smart alternator and corresponding smart alternator cable hookup is complete B.S. when the engine is not cranked, as any time the...

Take a device like this: the Renogy Rego. It features the ability to hook up an optional Smart Alternator cable if the vehcile into which you are installing this product has just such an altenator. And on page 54 of the linked manual, the logic the device will use to have the house battery...

I'm gettiing the sense that the Renogy (boo) Rego might permit me "continual" starter battery trickle charging as long as (page 54) https://store-fhnch.mybigcommerce.com/content/RCB1260DO-100506PR/RBC1260DO-12B_UserManual_A0.pdf my house battery is greater than 12.7V and the starter battery is...

Now that I understand that "LA" stands for lead acid and did/do in fact know that my starter AGM (absorbent glass mat) batteries are merely a type of lead acid battery this device sounds promising. One fly in the oitment for me it seems is that the house battery only sems to trickle charge the...

Sorry. Duh on me. LA..lead acid.

Chris, I don't question that your 100W panel has the capacity to do that you describe. But when you say "it" could easily power a dash camera I'm not sure what power source you refer to...... your starter batteries maybe..? I'm guessing here, quite possibly due to my ignorance, because your...

My starter batteries (there are two) are AGM. Thanks anyway.

I haven't heard of LifeYPO4 batteries, i.e. Lithium Ion batteries that use iron phosphate as the cathode until you mentioned them, thanks. They appear quite expensive, of limited commercial availability, and--please correct me if I am wrong, normally sold in sizes far greater than my needs. I...

Thanks. 1/3 of my vehicle roof is about 21". I was hoping to go a little narrower than 26". Maybe not at 200W,

Is there such a thing is an other reliable 200W rigid vehicle solar panel that occupies dimensions closer to 60" X 21." Most I've seen are shorter and fatter. TIA

The thing of it is Larry is that I'm not really building anything yet. I started with a problem and in my limited knowledge proposed a solution for others to critique or elaborate on. And you have critiqued it, quite possibly accurately, as an approach that best is scaled down. Thanks for...

Thanks again Dave for taking the time to do the math here and spell things out.

I theorized the need for a separate dashcam running battery because all the solar in the world wont charge the starter batteries that you suggest I run my, granted, small power drawing dashcam from at night. Not the end of the world but the vehicle needs topped off starter batteries for the...

So I took a look. It's entirely possible that I am missing it Larry but I don't see where this device charges starter batteries, just house batteries or starter batteries from either a solar setup and/or the vehicle's alternator. Maybe I should say that I don't see where the device can...

Sounds close to perfect for my needs Larry. Thanks. I will carefully peruse the linked website. :)

Ok..so one solar panel or connected panels, and one charge controller... which battery does it charge, the house battery or starter battery pair? ...and then what toys get me to charge the battery not directly connected to the charge controller even when the vehicle's engine is off? Do I, for...

This warming system Jim, I presume, causing the battery bank itself to serve as its own warming agent rather than the solar panels in sunlight as you previously described in LiFePO4 warming batteries without a 3rd party custom warming system, correct? :)

Meaning that I'd have to--if taking the LiFePO4 battery warming route, account for this shortened time of sunlight actually charging versus warming the battery, through the introduction of greater power to the system, to wit, more solar, a bigger LiFePO4 battery, shore power, more engine on...

Thanks Harry. FWIW the roof rack panels on my vehicle also , by design, have many places in them to serve as attachment points as well https://www.lodoffroad.com/products/jk-jl-destroyer-roof-rack-aluminum-floor-kit-2-panels-per-kit- Thanks, that's very relevant advise for me, your...

With the need to power two separate tasks: trickle charging two starter batteries and (re)charging a house battery that is constantly in use, operating a 4.2W 12V dash camera, including at night when that house battery is not being replenished by the sun, the notion of using two separate solar...

Thank you sir. Not only, from what I've readi, can LiFePO4 batteries pack more power in them for their size than lead acid ones like an AGM battery, important to me to free up cargo area space in my vehicle, but their cost, even for heated ones, when amortised over the life of a power project...

Thank you Dave for not simply your kind thoughts but the "math" I seek. I hear you on all the losses of a system, from cloudy days, to winter's shorter days, to panel efficiency and loss of efficiency over time, to the smaller acceptable range of depth of discharge (DOD) of AGM battery...

I do in fact have access to shore power while the vehcile is parked on my driveway. I wish to devise a system though that permits the functionality of my dash camera in parking mode, and the trickle charging of my starter batteries independent of where I park, as long as I park outside, and...