Split charge version of Will Prowse's DIY Crate

[arjandelaney]

Hi All, been watching Will Prowse on YouTube which led me here!

I'm upgrading my camping set-up for wild/off grid camping so need a portable split charge system that I can charge off the starter battery whilst driving, and then unplug and bring into tent to work lights, fridge, phone charging, and mains 230V air bed.

Currently we are fine going to campsites with electrical hook-up, but we'd love to have the freedom to go wild too. Opens up so many more options.

I'm inspired by Will's milk crate solar set-up, and wonder if anyone has done the same with DC/DC charger and inverter, and a selection of USB and 12V fridge sockets? My jeep is a 2014 so has a variable voltage alternator, so solenoid won't work, and need the DC/DC charger.

A company in South Africa called National Luna have some great "just add battery" solutions but I have no way of getting one of these in Ireland.

I'm excited about building my own version, as I get a major kick out of doing stuff myself anyway.

Thanks in advance...Arjan

 

[arjandelaney]

Nobody then! Hahahah...

 

[John Frum]

What do you mean be "split charge"?

 

[arjandelaney]

What do you mean be "split charge"?

Split charge is using the vehicle's alternator to split the charge between the starter battery, and an auxiliary battery.

I don't want to install a permanently fixed system/auxiliary battery into my Land Rover Discovery 4 jeep. Instead, I want to build a portable one that I can connect whilst driving along to charge up the auxiliary battery, and then plug it out and bring it into my tent so that I can power led lights, charge phones, top up air mattresses, and turn on my little 600W-1200W "eco" heater. I can top up this portable system during the day using solar.

Will Prowse has a couple of brilliant DIY solar crate systems, and I was wondering if anyone has built similar, but also incorporating a DC DC charger too??

TIA

 

[memilanuk]

Seems like a decent enough idea... people do something similar with say, slide-in truck campers.

Typically they have cabling ran from the vehicle starter battery terminals to a cable in the bed, with something like an Anderson PowerPole connector on the end. Then a matching PowerPole connector with wires running into the camper, to a DC-DC charger like an Orion 12|12-30, which then charges the house battery system. With appropriate protective devices as needed, of course.

So in your case, you'd have a charging cable ran back to the cargo area of your jeep, and plug a cable from the milk-crate system into that. Then you'd have to figure out how to fit a DC-DC charger into the milk crate along with everything else...