I'm calling it done!!

[eddie1261]

Though I am sure I will always be adding stuff like cargo racks, and such, this video shows my trailer with the solar panel added (and working!) and other than exterior cosmetics, it's pretty much done.

My little rolling hotel room

 

[svetz]

Not enough labels if you ask me!

There's a free tool I've used before that will let you put text in, that would probably help to explain what you're pointing out.

 

[eddie1261]

There's a free tool I've used before that will let you put text in, that would probably help to explain what you're pointing out.

Like to put real time labels into the video you mean? I'll look at that after the Browns game.

 

[svetz]

I think they call them "captions", it's a huge program that does all sorts of things. Here's the 1 min version to just do captions:

1. Upper Left, click "blank project"
2. Drag & drop video into center area
3. Near the bottom you'll see the standard VCR like buttons, play the video and hit pause or move the slider to where you want to put in a subtitle.
4. Click the Green CC button on the bottom toolbar (right side), a tiny hard to see box will appear in the video, just enter your text
5. Repeat until it's just how you like
6. When all done click "Export" at very top, about the center. Click the "Video" icon in the upper left, then fill out the popup dialog.

Good luck!

 

[MrNatural22]

Look pretty good? Cool lil rig. The pvc cap idea on that positive battery post looks good. I’m gonna use it now on mine too. Might make two so they match. I’ve been playing with my MPP all in one all morning trying to savy all the meter info.

 

[eddie1261]

The pvc cap idea on that positive battery post looks good. I’m gonna use it now on mine too.

And if you take that lug into the store you can buy the right size. I just happened to have that laying around and lined it with inner tube rubber to make it the right size to grab hold of the lug.

The panel is attached with 8 bolts fed through the saddle of a muffler clamp. In direct contact with the panel is a flat washer, a lock washer, and then the nut. Also stuck a piece of eternabond tape onto the frame where the bolt fed up to cut down on the vibration. They are nice and tight. And with 8, if I lose 1, I still have 7 holding it on. What went by on the video was the piece of PVC tube against the front wall of the trailer. The panel wires run down through that PVC and enter the trailer from the bottom. I would rather seal the bottom than the top since water would seep in from the top far more easily than up from the bottom. And that way all that is exposed is maybe 15 inches of the wire from the panel. I have been checking on it all day and it is working fine. I may go out there tonight and connect the laptop to the 12v power and turn on the lights while I watch one quarter of the football game to get a half out of what it will be like staying in there under my bet.

 

[MrNatural22]

@eddie1261 i was looking back at Wills video on the battery comparison between the BB, Ruixu and a SLA. And started thinking (sometimes that’s not a good idea lol) ?
He mentioned the big lugs on the Ruixu got quite hot during his discharge tests. Someone later commented that maybe they are so big because they serve as heat sinks to dissipate that heat. Will said that would make sense. Don’t know if that’s true or not. But I myself am not going to put large loads Will used for testing so heat under the PVC cap idea of yours shouldn’t present a problem.

 

[eddie1261]

He mentioned the big lugs on the Ruixu got quite hot during his discharge tests. [snip] Will used for testing so heat under the PVC cap idea of yours shouldn’t present a problem.

The end of your post was exactly right. Testing creates extreme conditions. Like revving an engine at red line RPMs to see how far it will go before it breaks. But nobody ever uses an engine like that in real life. Even NASCAR drivers run 1000 RPM below red line. I can't imagine the amount of draw I will see in my specific usage pattern will ever cause anything to heat up. It's a thought though. The only constant draw appliance is a peltier (no compressor) type fridge that draws 4 watts. And even THAT will only be plugged in when I am on the road for 5-6 days at a time.

Many of these discussions are application specific, and if you just look at "New Posts" and not notice what forum that was in, it's easy to read a post from the whole house solar forum and apply mobile solar principles to it. Similar in concept, yes, but far different in application. A guy powering a 6 room house has different needs from someone in a van or in my case a temporary use trailer.

 

[MrNatural22]

Same here, My biggest draw will come from a 3.6cf 120v counter top dorm fridge That only uses .9 amps and 70 watts while running. It cycles 5min on and 15min between cycles normally. Everything else is LED lighting, fantastic fan, small flat screen TV and DVD, and a bipap machine at night. All low draw.The microwave I was going to use which draws over 1000watts and doesn't get a lot of use can be powered when needed from a small Honda genny i have.

 

[Craig]

Holy smokes that is a nice set up I have been contemplating something similar for years but I f I do something I think your setup is a great blueprint. Is that a custom trailer or one you bought. I like that is more square than many I see out here in California?

Awesome Job Eddie

 

[eddie1261]

It is a CoolCamp by Runaway campers. For solo, occasional travelers like me who will NEVER full time on the road, it's perfect. And they are cheap by comparison. A base model like mine is $3495. I added the front cargo rack for $100 and the roof racks (knowing I was going to put a solar panel on it) for $295. I saved a $500 destination fee by driving to Ocala FL to pick it up. That is their home and where they are built. If they get delivered to a dealer it's $500 more. I can make that 1000 mile drive to Florida in well under $500. And frankly, I have that kind of time. It's on a 2 inch square steel frame, and the walls are 3/4" birch plywood. The big thing is that out of the factory it weighs only 675 pounds. Here in Ohio the cutoff to take it to a higher cost registration is 4000 pounds. Adding what I added may take it to 730-740 pounds. Still easy to tow. They JUST set up a dealership near Sacramento, which makes a total of only 6. I thought about going with the 6x8 but that is more weight than I want to tow with a Jeep Renegade. For a quick "Runaway" (see what I did there?) these are perfect. And in my case it's me and an old dog, so it's all I need. No cooking in it. Part of seeing cities is seeing and patronizing the local restaurants.

One other thing of note. The height from floor to ceiling is 46" in the middle and 42 at the front and back. Extremely aerodynamic. Tows like it isn't there.