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Camper, just the basics

^^^ What he said. Most converters are a poor fit for LiFePO4. They just don't charge fast enough or they get stuck in a mode that keeps them from doing a solid charge. An inverter/charger is so much simpler.

I don't remember if PowerMax is one of the better or worse brands, as seen here on the forum. Do a search. The fact that it says four stage charging is suspect. LiFePO4 needs only two stages and sure doesn't the equalization (fourth) stage.
 
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stircrazy, no, I disagree with everything, and Im not judging anyone. Camping is a learning process and I can help shortcut all that. The OP needs the minimal power to run Dc lights, pump and maybe a fan. Microwave anything taste like garbage, popcorn included, but to add enough battery and solar to then run a microwave is a big jump from the battery needed to run a water pump. You are advising him to spend $$ just to have a microwave that he will use rarely, otherwise have an over-powered battery set-up. I am advising to have a battery that fits the needs minus the microwave, which can be substituted with RV lifestyle means when not on shore power.
There is a lot to be said fro the wisdom that comes from years of doing camping.

Most TVs are 18 volts DC. Every single tv on earth runs off DC power. Find one that uses 12 volts and you can bypass the AC power converter and power it directly off 12 volts. This is too hard for most, but there are dedicated 12 volt tvs out there too. You can also use the 18 volt tv and jump the 12 volts up to 18 volts, but this is a little harder yet.
For myself I do not need amazing tv quality when camping, the tv is more of a plan B for boredom if I get stuck inside. I know others will want tv tv tv tv, so will want the best. to each his own.

Bigger TVs (43's+) will use a lot of power and eat up your 100 amp hr power faster than you think. If you just taking weekend trips one thing you can do is download youtube vids to a laptop or flash drive and watch them later. This requires no tv if you can be happy with a laptop for viewing. The laptop can send hdmi to a tv also if a bigger screen is needed, maybe your tv can play from a usb. My fav setup when camping alone is laptop, flash drive and good headphones. Uses zero power off the main battery at night, and can recharge from the sun the next day. This might work for some but not others.
 
0truck0 said:
stircrazy, no, I disagree with everything, and Im not judging anyone. Camping is a learning process and I can help shortcut all that. The OP needs the minimal power to run Dc lights, pump and maybe a fan. Microwave anything taste like garbage, popcorn included, but to add enough battery and solar to then run a microwave is a big jump from the battery needed to run a water pump. You are advising him to spend $$ just to have a microwave that he will use rarely, otherwise have an over-powered battery set-up. I am advising to have a battery that fits the needs minus the microwave, which can be substituted with RV lifestyle means when not on shore power.
There is a lot to be said fro the wisdom that comes from years of doing camping.
Click to expand...
there is the difference, I was not advising him anything only responding to what he said he wanted to run. you were telling him he didn't know how to camp.
 
he is not my boyfriend, he be dont care, Im sure his feelings are not hurt. Read what others do and write and move on with your life. take advice where you can get it and use what you need to use. Stay on topic and avoid trying to be the feelings police.
 
I just found the powermax 35 lithium compatible on an auction for $20. Hacking out old stuff, should be done today. I sent a message to tech support on what I need to do to it to use with a lifepo4 battery


Just heard back from powermax;
"Good Morning you will need to put the unit in fixed mode and then set the voltage to what your batteries recommend."
 
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Norbert77 said:
I just found the powermax 35 lithium compatible on an auction for $20. Hacking out old stuff, should be done today. I sent a message to tech support on what I need to do to it to use with a lifepo4 battery


Just heard back from powermax;
"Good Morning you will need to put the unit in fixed mode and then set the voltage to what your batteries recommend."
Click to expand...
Do you want your battery to disconnect when a cell ends up as a runner? I have used a 55 amp version of that unit but my BMS controlled the 120 input side using a SSR. Find something that will drop to a float level for Lifep04 I did. ( And yes it is " blue" what can I say? )
 
grizzzman said:
Do you want your battery to disconnect when a cell ends up as a runner? I have used a 55 amp version of that unit but my BMS controlled the 120 input side using a SSR. Find something that will drop to a float level for Lifep04 I did. ( And yes it is " blue" what can I say? )
Click to expand...
Still learning. I haven't opened the battery yet I don't see what they have for voltage recommendation, but that old magnetek was loud I had to replace it.

I don't know what you mean by a cell being a runner
 
Got it, thanks.

How does one establish charging current? The manual says 14.4 (+/- 0.2) so at fixed voltage of 14.6 what current would be used to charge batteries? Would I have to look at the internal resistance and the current state of charge?
 
The manual should also provide a specification for charge (and discharge) current. If it's a 100 Ah battery, the recommended charge current usually doesn't exceed 50 amps. This is also known as .5C or half the Ah rating.
 
Boon-docking, Glamping, spending a weekend in an RV park. They are all someones definition of camping.
 
wme said:
Boon-docking, Glamping, spending a weekend in an RV park. They are all someones definition of camping.
Click to expand...

I go up north, no cell service, 20 miles from the last paved road. Not often in summer because of mosquitoes and black flies, but almost every Thanksgiving week. I will need to install the diesel heater, the propane furnace is nice but that motor draws a lot of fan power.

My last camper was nicely insulated, 4 season, this one is at best three, the floor is not insulated. My friend loves movies but brings his own 100ah LiFePO4 power station and inverter for his television. Generally for/during breakfast we power up his propane powered inverter generator to recharge all the batteries, usually my lights are LED so I suppose if I didn't need crazy heat I could go a week without recharge.

With these lifepo4, would it be better to draw it down over a few days, or just recharge every morning?

Are these things accurate enough?

have pictures
 
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wme said:
Boon-docking, Glamping, spending a weekend in an RV park. They are all someones definition of camping.
Click to expand...
Totally agree , but when you pose certain questions , then reject the answers with a trendy reply of “ don’t judge me” it sorta lame..
if ya don’t want to hear the answer to what you ask ,structure the question differently.
 
0truck0 said:
Most TVs are 18 volts DC. Every single tv on earth runs off DC power. Find one that uses 12 volts and you can bypass the AC power converter and power it directly off 12 volts. This is too hard for most, but there are dedicated 12 volt tvs out there too. You can also use the 18 volt tv and jump the 12 volts up to 18 volts, but this is a little harder yet.
For myself I do not need amazing tv quality when camping, the tv is more of a plan B for boredom if I get stuck inside. I know others will want tv tv tv tv, so will want the best. to each his own.
Click to expand...
WWwwwhhhaaa??? Don't be silly! Everyone just KNOWS you absolutely HAVE to have a 54" 1080 HD projection TV in a camper!!

camper screen.jpg camper source.jpg

;) 😁 :p


(I kid, put down the pitchforks and torches!)

Yes, there's a line between what you Need, what you Want and what you want to Spend, the OP wants to start out at the Need phase, the microwave and TV and Margarita-Master-1000 are all in the Want phase. That'll be another thread in a year or two. ;)
 
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If you are looking for a decent quality 12v tv, one trick I use is look for a 12vdc computer monitor, and use a 'desktop tv box' with VGA or HDMI output...

My LG monitor for example uses a 12vdc PSU, and is quite happy running off a 12v 'battery' (well its actually normally about 13v, my LYP lithium bank) directly connected, the desktop TV box does all FTA tv broadcasts, plus you can plug in an external HDD or usb stick as well and watch movies on it as well... (it also runs off 12v and the battery directly)
That's it and the car fridge in the shed (both need a good cleaning off, haven't used them all winter lol)- it has a HDMI input and VGA input, and a 'headphones' audio out jack, that I plug my Creative computer speakers (also 12v) into- they actually give a really good sound (with lots of bass and LOUD to boot) unlike the tinny speaker in the previous 12v tv/dvd combo I had (before it died...)

True I need to plug three devices into each other, but the results were better, and it worked out about a third of the price of a new 12v tv/dvd combo... (plus you can't rent DVDs here anymore- you plug a USB stick into the rental machine at the supermarket to 'hire a movie' if you don't d/l them yourself lol)

I just chuck them all in the back of the 4wd so I can watch tv/movies while beach fishing/camping... (added advantage, I can plug the laptop into the monitor, and have 'two screens'- mirroring the monitor to the laptop if I want to use it instead if a group wants to watch a movie

Handy its all 12v, as the ute doesn't have an inverter anymore (its 12v 8kw one is running the caravan and shed at my shed until the house is finished) so the 'all 12v' setup means I can run straight from the utes 'house' battery bank...

So there are ways around it if you 'think outside the box'...
😎
 

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Rednecktek said:
Not for LFP. They'll show you what's going in and out, but it bases its SOC on voltage which is pointless for LFP. If you want a good LFP friendly shunt, check out the Aili Shunts and their clones. They're a well respected piece of kit for anyone who isn't a smurf.
Click to expand...
You 'can' (once you know your normal loads and their patterns) use the voltage on LFP to give you a rough guide to your battery capacity- I use the voltmeter in the caravan as a rough guide- its not 'accurate to the 1% mark' but I (after 3 years of using the system) can judge just by looking at it, if I am running the system down too much...
 
Bop said:
If you are looking for a decent quality 12v tv, one trick I use is look for a 12vdc computer monitor, and use a 'desktop tv box' with VGA or HDMI output...

My LG monitor for example uses a 12vdc PSU, and is quite happy running off a 12v 'battery' (well its actually normally about 13v, my LYP lithium bank) directly connected, the desktop TV box does all FTA tv broadcasts, plus you can plug in an external HDD or usb stick as well and watch movies on it as well... (it also runs off 12v and the battery directly)
That's it and the car fridge in the shed (both need a good cleaning off, haven't used them all winter lol)- it has a HDMI input and VGA input, and a 'headphones' audio out jack, that I plug my Creative computer speakers (also 12v) into- they actually give a really good sound (with lots of bass and LOUD to boot) unlike the tinny speaker in the previous 12v tv/dvd combo I had (before it died...)

True I need to plug three devices into each other, but the results were better, and it worked out about a third of the price of a new 12v tv/dvd combo... (plus you can't rent DVDs here anymore- you plug a USB stick into the rental machine at the supermarket to 'hire a movie' if you don't d/l them yourself lol)

I just chuck them all in the back of the 4wd so I can watch tv/movies while beach fishing/camping... (added advantage, I can plug the laptop into the monitor, and have 'two screens'- mirroring the monitor to the laptop if I want to use it instead if a group wants to watch a movie

Handy its all 12v, as the ute doesn't have an inverter anymore (its 12v 8kw one is running the caravan and shed at my shed until the house is finished) so the 'all 12v' setup means I can run straight from the utes 'house' battery bank...

So there are ways around it if you 'think outside the box'...
😎
Click to expand...
Can you tell more about "desktop tv box"? Brand, name, where to buy? Sounds good, but also like "magic device that solves your problem that you will never find"...
 
Dave in AZ said:
Can you tell more about "desktop tv box"? Brand, name, where to buy? Sounds good, but also like "magic device that solves your problem that you will never find"...
Click to expand...
They are extremely common in Australia, although becoming harder to find (they were everywhere a few years back when the changeover to digital tv happened lol when everyone had at least a couple of the old anologue TVs hooked up to them)
This is the one i have in the bedroom, the 12v one is out in the shed atm (I had to unplug the leads to get it out of its little shelf grrr)
1724349534059.png
That was only a cheapie (under $20 Au) and only has the composite video outputs and HDMI (cause thats all the old TV in the caravan has, composite RCAs) the 12v one thats buried out in my camping stuff in the shed has a VGA output as well...
It has a USB on the front panel for an external HDD or USB memory stick
That particular one is a Laser STB-6000 (imaginative lot- STB Set Top Box lol)
 
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