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The Bucket

Bob142

Bob142

Build more, learn more.
Joined
Oct 31, 2019
Messages
1,455
Location
Rhode Island, USA
I had a bucket I wasn't using.
I had a battery I wasn't using (12V 60Ah LFP).
I had a beer and got an idea. (Hey, I didn't say it was a good idea.)

I bought some cheap stuff and got to work. Here's where I'm at so far:
IMG_8232.jpgIMG_8234.jpgIMG_8237.jpgIMG_8240.jpgIMG_8239.jpg

I figured out where to place everything and did all the major cutting and test mounting today.
I mounted the AC output, Inverter switch, and battery monitor on one side.
Two general purpose 12V cigarette lighter outputs and a breaker/switch for the solar charge controller are on the opposite side.
Jury is still out on what type of solar input port I'm using so that's still on the punch list.
I also still need to drill out some ventilation holes on the sides and top in places for the inverter and SCC.
I plan on getting to the wiring in the next few days.
 
An SAE bulkhead port can be useful for low voltage solar input.

Zamp sells them with 10 awg wire, or you can buy them at the usual places, ebay, amazon, etc.

www.zampsolar.com

Zamp Solar Sidewall Port

PART NUMBER: ZS-SolarPort Our single sidewall SAE solar port is weather-resistant and can be mounted in a sidewall or on a roof. Connect it to your battery with the included 10 AWG wire. This port is compatible with any Zamp Solar SAE plug.
www.zampsolar.com www.zampsolar.com
 
HarryN said:
An SAE bulkhead port can be useful for low voltage solar input.

Zamp sells them with 10 awg wire, or you can buy them at the usual places, ebay, amazon, etc.

www.zampsolar.com

Zamp Solar Sidewall Port

PART NUMBER: ZS-SolarPort Our single sidewall SAE solar port is weather-resistant and can be mounted in a sidewall or on a roof. Connect it to your battery with the included 10 AWG wire. This port is compatible with any Zamp Solar SAE plug.
www.zampsolar.com www.zampsolar.com
Click to expand...
Thanks. I've ordered one and will try it out. I've used Anderson Powerpole input ports in the past but have never been satisfied with how weak and flimsy the connection feels. This looks like it will have more "grip" at the connection point.
 
So cool, I have everything I needed to do this. Looks like I'll be out in the garage today with a cold one.
 
I had a bucket I wasn't using.
I had a battery I wasn't using (12V 60Ah LFP).
I had a beer and got an idea. (Hey, I didn't say it was a good idea.)
Click to expand...

I think all of my builds (even the one powering my SUV) starts out this way lol. Very nice bucket build!

I have to ask: how is that Giandel inverter? I'm seriously considering that model in particular as all of my appliances running don't go over 350w.
 
highwaypirate said:
I have to ask: how is that Giandel inverter?
Click to expand...
I'm glad you asked! I just installed it for the first test run about ten minutes ago.

First I drilled some ventilation holes. I put them under the "lip" of the bucket so I could set aside my OCD and just drill recklessly. It felt amazing. lol
IMG_8249.jpg

I was going to cut and drill a custom short busbar for the shunt, but found something in my "scrap" pile and decided it was good enough for the bucket.
IMG_8248.jpg

Installed the inverter and did a temp wiring for the Aili shunt/meter.
IMG_8251.jpg

My old Jackery 240 hasn't made an appearance on the forum in probably 4 years, so it was happy to come out of retirement for a photoshoot.
IMG_8252.jpg
The Aili (and a little basic math) tells me that the inverter is supplying about 102W to get 78W into the Jackery. At this power level the fan on the inverter hasn't kicked in yet.

That's probably it for the day. I'll run the battery down a bunch and get it ready for the SCC test install tomorrow.
 
First I drilled some ventilation holes. I put them under the "lip" of the bucket so I could set aside my OCD and just drill recklessly. It felt amazing. lol
Click to expand...

I'll be able to feel this same way for my cooler build lol. I'm really enjoying this build; it's unusual, which makes it very interesting. Can't wait to see the charging test.
 
highwaypirate said:
I'll be able to feel this same way for my cooler build lol. I'm really enjoying this build; it's unusual, which makes it very interesting. Can't wait to see the charging test.
Click to expand...
I appreciate the enthusiasm! I'm all about weird small builds. At least this time I'm not using any milk crates...

FYI: Looks like about a 5W idle draw for this inverter (check my math). Figured you'd be interested in that stat.
IMG_8253.jpgIMG_8255.jpg
 
5 watt idle consumption is excellent!

I met with my boss for a beer and mentioned your bucket-build. He told me he had the same inverter kicking around the work RV and gave it to me. Bonus!

Is that a fuse on your inverter cable going to your battery post? If so, what size is it? I love how stealthy everything looks; if you had it inside your vehicle, people would only think it was a bucket of sunflower seeds lol.
 
highwaypirate said:
He told me he had the same inverter kicking around the work RV and gave it to me. Bonus!
Click to expand...
Awesome! Nice score.

highwaypirate said:
Is that a fuse on your inverter cable going to your battery post? If so, what size is it?
Click to expand...
Yes. It’s an MRBF 125A fuse.

IMG_8256.jpeg

highwaypirate said:
I love how stealthy everything looks; if you had it inside your vehicle, people would only think it was a bucket of sunflower seeds lol.
Click to expand...
Ha. Good point. I’ll add that to the list of unintended benefits.
 
I got the SCC wired up and powered on successfully.
IMG_8259.jpg

I installed the 40A breaker that was delivered yesterday (nobody called me out on the 25A breaker for the 30A SCC in the orig pics...)
Borrowing one of the 12V output holes as my solar input "port" for now while I wait for the SAE port to arrive (due Friday)
IMG_8260.jpg

Starting out the test at 51.3%
IMG_8261.jpg

For the initial test, I'm going to just run with the default lithium settings. I won't keep it this way, but I'd like to see how it fares.
IMG_8266.PNG

And I'm borrowing 200W of HQST panels from my garden lighting system (cuz I just don't feel like dragging out and deploying more panels).
IMG_8267.jpg
 
I'm liking how it's coming along! For all of my solar testing (suit-case and ammo-box builds), I've always under-sized the fuse going to my PWMs, but only for the tests. I wouldn't think an under-sized fuse would be an issue if it's a temporary solution and you're monitoring the system the whole time. I like to under-size fuses as 1) my PWMs, despite being cheaper technology, put me back $96 each and 2) it allows me to check each wire under a specific load without maxing the system out. The last thing I want happening is discovering everything is too hot when pushing 25A lol... an under-size fuse just gives me a better piece of mind, especially with a newly built experiment.
 
highwaypirate said:
I'm liking how it's coming along! For all of my solar testing (suit-case and ammo-box builds), I've always under-sized the fuse going to my PWMs, but only for the tests. I wouldn't think an under-sized fuse would be an issue if it's a temporary solution and you're monitoring the system the whole time. I like to under-size fuses as 1) my PWMs, despite being cheaper technology, put me back $96 each and 2) it allows me to check each wire under a specific load without maxing the system out. The last thing I want happening is discovering everything is too hot when pushing 25A lol... an under-size fuse just gives me a better piece of mind, especially with a newly built experiment.
Click to expand...
All that PWM talk made me notice your signature: "Quite possibly the only member that's pro PWM." I suspect you're not alone. They get the job done better than NOT having a SCC!
 
OK, it's cooking.

IMG_8271.PNGIMG_8272.jpg


And I tried out the current limiting feature to see if it's real. It IS!

IMG_8268.PNGIMG_8269.jpg

It's cool, but I'm not sure I would brag about it as a super power like the app does. I'd rather have telekinesis...
 
...and that SCC is a Vevor? They 'made' my diesel heaters lol. I didn't know they had SCC as well.
 
highwaypirate said:
...and that SCC is a Vevor? They 'made' my diesel heaters lol. I didn't know they had SCC as well.
Click to expand...
They "made" some of my electrical boxes.
And my new portable band saw.
And my tomato cages..?
They seem to "make" a lot of very random stuff.

Hmm. Yep. Screenshot from their site. They have a wide variety of stuff.

1717515022155.png
 
Not to go off-topic (ok maybe for a brief moment), this just goes to show how scary the world of re-branding has become. On the plus side, you do luck out and stumble across a really good item! I would love to tinker with that SCC a bit on some of my 'frankenstein' builds.
 
You two gave me an idea for a future test: put the SRNE/Vevor/whatever it is against a Victron 100/20. I'm curious what the end results would look like if the two battled it out.
 
Bob142 said:
My guess is two fully charged batteries and a continued culture war on this forum. 🤪
Click to expand...
Sounds like its worth the time and effort to me lol... but then again I'm also a bit crazy. I was known to throw 4x 200w arrays on a 10AH LiFePO4 once.
 
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