12V Overlanding Advice

[HiLuxNT]

Hi,

I think I’m getting more confused with the most appropriate setup with the more I read.
Apologies if a similar thread has been posted before.

My aim is to be able to go away with my vehicle for a 1-2 weeks off grid with sometimes stopping to hike for 2-3 days at a time.
I’m keen to run my fridge (Waeco CFX45), some LED lights around the truck and power my phone, iPad and USB speaker.
Ideally I’d like something that is portable and with little hardwiring to the vehicle so it can be portable between trucks.
I don’t think I need the 230V AC output, but would need 12V and USB output.
I’m based in Australia.

I’d like to build myself but obviously if its cheaper to buy as a single package I’ll go with that.
So I was thinking of 150Ah AGM battery paired to 150-200W of portable solar panels or solar blanket.
Is it possible to charge from the 12V socket in the truck or does it need a direct connection to the alternator?
Is a DIY job possible? Should I be looking at plug and play generators? Like this one?

Rockpals 250-Watt Portable Generator Rechargeable Lithium Battery Pack Solar Generator with 230V AC Outlet, 12V Car, USB Output Off-Grid Power Supply : Amazon.com.au: Garden

Rockpals 250-Watt Portable Generator Rechargeable Lithium Battery Pack Solar Generator with 230V AC Outlet, 12V Car, USB Output Off-Grid Power Supply : Amazon.com.au: Garden

www.amazon.com.au

Thanks in advance!

 

[kernel]

If you are overland adventuring there are all kinds of uses for an improved electrical system and 150Ah of storage. Diy is possible. If you use a battery to battery charger while driving and are away from the truck giving solar time to recharge for days the system will be a great asset.

There are people here with info related to charging from your trailer circuit. I imagine if there isnt anspecial tow package involved, you would want an isolator and by the time you spend that money you could be half way or a third way to a proper battery charger.

 

[Sgt Raven]

Most of the Overlanding YouTube channels I follow from down under are switching to Lithium batteries, because they get more out of them and lighter weight. 4 years ago they were just really starting with a DC-DC charger and 1 or 2 AGM batteries in their trucks and trailers, some were adding solar and a seperate SCC.. Now they're all going Lithium and combo DC-DC/MPPT for both Alternator and Solar charging. They were cooking over a fire pit, then charcoal and metho. Now I see them using an inverter and induction cooking..

It seems things have made real big changes down there in how people are equipping their rigs. Of course that is the ones with YouTube channels. Don't know what the everyday bloke is doing...

 

[HiLuxNT]

Ideally I'd like to do minimal to the vehicle and be able to transfer this to another in a few years.
So is the easiest way battery (housed in some sort of battery box with outputs), solar blanket with Voltage regulator and a BCDC Charger like this? https://www.redarc.com.au/dual-input-25a-in-vehicle-dc-battery-charger

Will this setup ensure my battery LiFePO4 battery doesn't discharge below a 80% SoC?

 

[Sgt Raven]

Ideally I'd like to do minimal to the vehicle and be able to transfer this to another in a few years.
So is the easiest way battery (housed in some sort of battery box with outputs), solar blanket with Voltage regulator and a BCDC Charger like this? https://www.redarc.com.au/dual-input-25a-in-vehicle-dc-battery-charger

Will this setup ensure my battery LiFePO4 battery doesn't discharge below a 80% SoC?

I've seen some videos of a kickass battery box with a lot of that stuff built into it. You still have to run cables from the starting battery, but it has a Anderson plug to connect the system to your vehicle. How it is all hooked up depends on whether your vehicle has a dumb or smart alternator. If it has a smart alternator, then it needs an extra "trigger" wire hooked up. You guys have a lot of cool stuff, pricey but cool overland stuff...

Not sure if I understand the below 80% question. At some point you're gonna use more than 20% of it's power....

 

[Sgt Raven]

Ideally I'd like to do minimal to the vehicle and be able to transfer this to another in a few years.
So is the easiest way battery (housed in some sort of battery box with outputs), solar blanket with Voltage regulator and a BCDC Charger like this? https://www.redarc.com.au/dual-input-25a-in-vehicle-dc-battery-charger

Will this setup ensure my battery LiFePO4 battery doesn't discharge below a 80% SoC?

I bet you didn't expect some Yank in America would be posting links to your Aussie stuff...
It's a brave new world....

ETA: I don't trust cig plugs for my fridge/freezer. I'm switching mine to a Anderson Power Pole plug, but the smaller 15-30-45A ones. And my USB ports are the QC 3.0 versions that can fast charge my phone...

 

[Dhowman]

Ideally I'd like to do minimal to the vehicle and be able to transfer this to another in a few years.
So is the easiest way battery (housed in some sort of battery box with outputs), solar blanket with Voltage regulator and a BCDC Charger like this? https://www.redarc.com.au/dual-input-25a-in-vehicle-dc-battery-charger

Will this setup ensure my battery LiFePO4 battery doesn't discharge below a 80% SoC?

This Yank spent not a little time trying to score one of those Redarc's for his rig. The Manager30 was kinda my dream all-in-one were it not for the fact that it doesn't come in 110V. Just puzzling that the really cool all-in-one's don't support 110 e.g. Victron EasySolar would also have been a nice option for me alas, 220 only. Seems an untapped market for some really nice well-thought well-built solutions that just don't seem to exist.

Not sure you'd need solar (or even Lithium) if you're driving every 2-3 days with those loads and that size battery ... just a DC2DC charger ought to do it. But that Redarc would seem to satisfy all your needs if you wanted solar. Supports wide variety of battery types, including LFP if you decide to make that jump, MPPT solar charging, DC2DC, easier than a DIY system to uninstall and transfer to a new vehicle. All you'd need is that product, a couple of panels, a battery and wire it up per the instructions. It will regulate all your charging and manage your battery (no need for a separate regulator). Remember, too, that you'll get as much if not more usable capacity from a 100Ah LFP than you will from a 150Ah AGM, it's more efficient/easier/quicker to charge (lower internal resistance), it'll weigh a lot less and last a lot longer.

 

[HiLuxNT]

Thanks for all of this! So Battery and the DCDC charger to start! Then some solar if I need it.

Just to clarify, I need to look for the Manager30 over the REDARC BCDC1225D that I mentioned above? What’s the advantage? What about the KickAss 12V DCDC MPPT charger mentioned above? I appreciate I’ll need 20A charging minimum and solar input.

I did read about smart battery isolators as well. Like this one https://www.redarc.com.au/smart-start-sbi-12v-100a.

My ute is a 2008 D4D 3.0 HiLux reference and I think has a temperature compensating alternator. Which I think should charge at 14V when the engine is cold, and decreases to as low as 13.2V when the engine reaches operating temperature.

And apologies for the confusion with the 80% SoC, what I really meant to say was 20% SoC. Am I right in saying that below that I would damage the battery beyond repair?

 

[Sgt Raven]

Thanks for all of this! So Battery and the DCDC charger to start! Then some solar if I need it.

Just to clarify, I need to look for the Manager30 over the REDARC BCDC1225D that I mentioned above? What’s the advantage? What about the KickAss 12V DCDC MPPT charger mentioned above? I appreciate I’ll need 20A charging minimum and solar input.

I did read about smart battery isolators as well. Like this one https://www.redarc.com.au/smart-start-sbi-12v-100a.

My ute is a 2008 D4D 3.0 HiLux reference and I think has a temperature compensating alternator. Which I think should charge at 14V when the engine is cold, and decreases to as low as 13.2V when the engine reaches operating temperature.

And apologies for the confusion with the 80% SoC, what I really meant to say was 20% SoC. Am I right in saying that below that I would damage the battery beyond repair?

LiFePO4 is best kept between 10%-90%... AGM/SLA/Gel/FLA, you really don't want to go below 50% SoC... LA batteries can sit on Float for just about forever, LFP not so much.....
REDARC was the Gold Standard for a long time. Now they have some competition. I would think you could find more reviews of the others, down your way. That kickass battery box should give you some ideas, maybe build one like it. But use whatever parts you want.

 

[Dhowman]

If you just want a BC2DC (i.e. your Ah requirements/driving time ratio isn't going to increase over time) and you don't think you'll eventually go LFP and/or solar, this is the Redarc product you want for the alternator in your Hilux.

If you think you might want to supplement your BC2DC charging with solar and/or LFP down the road, this is the Redarc product you want (also compatible with variable voltage alternators).

As the later is only about $75 (AUD) more, I'd go with that. Seems like a bargain when you think about how much more's included.

The Manager 30 includes shore power charging and a lot of other bells and whistles it sounds like you don't need/want.

Sry, but not familiar w the Kickass products.

 

[Pierre]

I would go with :
(1) Redarc wired directly to car battery with 20mm2 ( about 4AWG ) wire and fuse as close as possible to battery +ve terminal.
Install Redarc in load bin under canopy or in the rear of the vehicle , where you want to access it ( not in the engine bay ).
(2) 2 x 120w solar panels on the roof of your vehicle , connected to Redarc.
(3) Place battery box ( see photo ) next to or near Redarc and connect to battery via posts or Anderson socket.
(4) Battery in box can be Gel , AGM , preferably LFP and not FLA as gassing takes place.
My setup is similar but instead of Redarc I use a CTEK D250S Dual with built-in MPPT SCC.
Battery is a 105Ah Gel type but will soon be replaced with LFP.
Also in the rear of the Prado is a 45lt National Luna Fridge / Freezer.
Enjoy.

 

[tim0shel]

WOW that Manager30 is everything I've been looking for in my Solar Generator Project but crap its out of my budget. Wish I could get a setup like this together for half of that price. But I have 75 amp charger for shore so I may just stick with DC to DC with MPPT. Still thinking about keeping these separated. Decisions are so hard sometimes.

 

[kernel]

Thanks for all of this! So Battery and the DCDC charger to start! Then some solar if I need it.

Just to clarify, I need to look for the Manager30 over the REDARC BCDC1225D that I mentioned above? What’s the advantage? What about the KickAss 12V DCDC MPPT charger mentioned above? I appreciate I’ll need 20A charging minimum and solar input.

I did read about smart battery isolators as well. Like this one https://www.redarc.com.au/smart-start-sbi-12v-100a.

My ute is a 2008 D4D 3.0 HiLux reference and I think has a temperature compensating alternator. Which I think should charge at 14V when the engine is cold, and decreases to as low as 13.2V when the engine reaches operating temperature.

And apologies for the confusion with the 80% SoC, what I really meant to say was 20% SoC. Am I right in saying that below that I would damage the battery beyond repair?

For most practical use a lithium battery really only has 80% of its rated capacity usable anyhow. Dont get beat up over lithium, id get the powerelectronics and wiring set anyway.

Lithium can charge to full in an hour or two, operate at less than full charge indefinitely and weigh less. This makes them ideal for many applications. They get more cycles but at a higher cost, like any battery.

 

[Sgt Raven]

I would go with :
(1) Redarc wired directly to car battery with 20mm2 ( about 4AWG ) wire and fuse as close as possible to battery +ve terminal.
Install Redarc in load bin under canopy or in the rear of the vehicle , where you want to access it ( not in the engine bay ).
(2) 2 x 120w solar panels on the roof of your vehicle , connected to Redarc.
(3) Place battery box ( see photo ) next to or near Redarc and connect to battery via posts or Anderson socket.
(4) Battery in box can be Gel , AGM , preferably LFP and not FLA as gassing takes place.
My setup is similar but instead of Redarc I use a CTEK D250S Dual with built-in MPPT SCC.
Battery is a 105Ah Gel type but will soon be replaced with LFP.
Also in the rear of the Prado is a 45lt National Luna Fridge / Freezer.
Enjoy.

That looks simular to what kickass does, but their DC-DC/MPPT is mounted to the box, too. I was going to mount my DC-DC/MPPT on a board with everything else attached to it, but now I'm thinking about the top of my LFP battery box, too. Have to lay all the parts out and see what makes sense. My main vehicle line and solar will have Anderson Power Poles, so I can disconnect them and pull the rest out in 1 or 2 pieces...
Here's the kickass version for more ideas how to do it....

 

[Sgt Raven]

Talking about Aussie built stuff, I was surprised to see Dunn & Watson fridge slides on Amazon. Shipping is a little pricey, but still less than something similar in the States and delivery times are reasonable..

 

[Pierre]

That looks simular to what kickass does, but their DC-DC/MPPT is mounted to the box, too. I was going to mount my DC-DC/MPPT on a board with everything else attached to it, but now I'm thinking about the top of my LFP battery box, too. Have to lay all the parts out and see what makes sense. My main vehicle line and solar will have Anderson Power Poles, so I can disconnect them and pull the rest out in 1 or 2 pieces...
Here's the kickass version for more ideas how to do it....

Hi Sgt , the one in my post is a Chinese $40 one and under the two black caps you will find a sig socket and 2x 2,4amp USB sockets. I may have space to build in a SCC and considering at the moment. It also has a nice digital V meter and a circular segment V indicator . Lots of functions for the price. Cheers.

 

[Sgt Raven]

For most practical use a lithium battery really only has 80% of its rated capacity usable anyhow. Dont get beat up over lithium, id get the powerelectronics and wiring set anyway.

Lithium can charge to full in an hour or two, operate at less than full charge indefinitely and weigh less. This makes them ideal for many applications. They get more cycles but at a higher cost, like any battery.

the 4 280AH cells from the XUBA deal plus a 120A Smart BMS is still less money than the same AH in 4 Golf Carts with the same specs and much longer number of cycles and a lot less weight and size. My battery should be about the size of a type 31 LA battery case. Size wise, I could add a 2nd 280AH LFP in the same space another 2 AGM Golf Carts would take up. There is no way I could get 560AHs of AGMs in the same size/weight of the LFPs. This is sticking with 12V systems.

 

[Sgt Raven]

Hi Sgt , the one in my post is a Chinese $40 one and under the two black caps you will find a sig socket and 2x 2,4amp USB sockets. I may have space to build in a SCC and considering at the moment. It also has a nice digital V meter and a circular segment V indicator . Lots of functions for the price. Cheers.

Hey Pierre, I went with this for my USB ports, it is QC 3.0 fast charge and has a volt meter built in.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F84VVB4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It will charge my Samsung phone and my Tablet much faster than a 2.4A outlet would..

I'm using the Anderson Power Poles for my fridge and other 12V stuff. the 15-30-45A use the same housing and are much smaller than the 50A Aussie standard ones. I have a double PP outlet in the same size as the USB mount.
https://www.amazon.com/Housing-Ande...power+pole+outlet&qid=1585302753&sr=8-1-fkmr0

The only difference between the 15-30-45A power poles is the size of wire you can use. The housings and connectors are the same size. In the USA, Ham radio people have chosen these Anderson Power Poles as their standard for 12V hookups and everyone wires them the same.
Compared to the 50A the Aussies use the Power Poles are tiny.

I may have a cig plug to use, but I don't trust them for something like my fridge. They can come loose too easy... They make a Retention clip to use with the Power Poles so they can not come apart, unless you want them to. I will use it with something like my fridge connections so it can't be disconnected by accident...
https://www.amazon.com/Anderson-Pow...er+pole+retention+clips&qid=1585304661&sr=8-1

Just throwing this stuff out there as a option...

 

[Pierre]

Hey Pierre, I went with this for my USB ports, it is QC 3.0 fast charge and has a volt meter built in.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F84VVB4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It will charge my Samsung phone and my Tablet much faster than a 2.4A outlet would..

I'm using the Anderson Power Poles for my fridge and other 12V stuff. the 15-30-45A use the same housing and are much smaller than the 50A Aussie standard ones. I have a double PP outlet in the same size as the USB mount.
https://www.amazon.com/Housing-Ande...power+pole+outlet&qid=1585302753&sr=8-1-fkmr0

The only difference between the 15-30-45A power poles is the size of wire you can use. The housings and connectors are the same size. In the USA, Ham radio people have chosen these Anderson Power Poles as their standard for 12V hookups and everyone wires them the same.
Compared to the 50A the Aussies use the Power Poles are tiny.

I may have a cig plug to use, but I don't trust them for something like my fridge. They can come loose too easy... They make a Retention clip to use with the Power Poles so they can not come apart, unless you want them to. I will use it with something like my fridge connections so it can't be disconnected by accident...
https://www.amazon.com/Anderson-Pow...er+pole+retention+clips&qid=1585304661&sr=8-1

Just throwing this stuff out there as a option...

Hi Sgt , thanks for all your info posted above - much appreciated. Will check it out. Keep safe in these troubling times.

 

[Sgt Raven]

Hi Sgt , thanks for all your info posted above - much appreciated. Will check it out. Keep safe in these troubling times.

Something I thought about today. You need to make the USB ports switched. Otherwise they might be pulling 2-3A all the time. I hooked mine up today to test it and ran it thru the 10A port on my DMM. It was pulling 3A. Over 24hrs, it might be close to a fridge.

 

[Pierre]

Something I thought about today. You need to make the USB ports switched. Otherwise they might be pulling 2-3A all the time. I hooked mine up today to test it and ran it thru the 10A port on my DMM. It was pulling 3A. Over 24hrs, it might be close to a fridge.

Never knew that ! Now I understand why there is a switch on top of my box isolating the USB sockets.

 

[Sgt Raven]

Never knew that ! Now I understand why there is a switch on top of my box isolating the USB sockets.

I had mine hooked up to my new battery overnight and noticed it had dropped. Not a lot, but enough that I checked it out. It's like the little wall warts for different equipment you may have all over your house. You turn the devices off but the wall wart is still pulling some power. Their draws can add up over time.

 

[tim0shel]

I have switched all of my ports and anything else will also be switched.

 

[HiLuxNT]

Thanks for all the help so far! I've settled on my setup as suggested above, though there is one thing that still confuses me.

If I get an AGM battery then I shouldn't let it get below a 50% SoC (or a LiFePO4 battery below 20% SoC).
There'll be days when I've got my fridge plugged in and the vehicle off so no input.
Is there any automatic cut-out so the fridge will turn off before it drains my battery to 0%?
I appreciate I can check the voltage (and so SoC) myself, but can you set up the charger to disconnect any outputs when the battery reaches a certain SoC?

 

[Sgt Raven]

Thanks for all the help so far! I've settled on my setup as suggested above, though there is one thing that still confuses me.

If I get an AGM battery then I shouldn't let it get below a 50% SoC (or a LiFePO4 battery below 20% SoC).
There'll be days when I've got my fridge plugged in and the vehicle off so no input.
Is there any automatic cut-out so the fridge will turn off before it drains my battery to 0%?
I appreciate I can check the voltage (and so SoC) myself, but can you set up the charger to disconnect any outputs when the battery reaches a certain SoC?

Your fridge should have settings to turn off at a certain voltage. Mine has 3 different presets Low/Medium/High that correspond to different voltages. I could go look up mine, but unless you have the same fridge/freezer, the actual volts wouldn't matter. I know one of them is 11.5V.

I don't think your load will be going thru the charger so it can't turn off the load..