Truck Camper solar and DC to DC 12v mod

[12vDC]

@ColoradoMtnMan1 i found this on another forum created last year regarding inverters:

 

[HarryN]

Well, you need to be realistic about what is feasible in more extreme weather, especially if the vehicle will cold or hot soak sometimes.

For pushing power into an inverter at the 100 amp-hr battery size (size 27) and able to work in cold weather, the hands down choice is a Lifeline GPL-27 AGM. Proven, real data, and if it makes any difference I have tested them on my test stand and use them in my own products.

All AGM batteries will voltage sag some under load and when it is really cold, so that is why I use them 2 in series / 24 volt and you should strongly consider it as well, especially for powering a diesel / gas heater. If you build it in 12 volt, then when it is really cold, the voltage can sag too low to power some loads.

Pretty much anything that you were planning to do with 12 volt components will work at least as well with 24 volt, usually better. Feed power to your 12 volt items with a DC - DC converter.

There isn't any problem to install an over size inverter, but there just are not any pair of size 27 batteries on the market to consumers that will feed 3000 watts into an inverter in a stable manner.

Keep in mind that while (some ) LiFe batteries can discharge at colder temperatures, they cannot be charged until the core comes back up above at least 30 F. IMHO, that makes them an expensive brick vs really useful for someone that spends a lot of time in cold weather.

With that size alternator, perhaps consider a sterling 12 - 24 volt charger with some serious amps rating. Those Lifelines will are not limited by a BMS like a Li battery. It takes a fairly decent Li battery to pump a lot of amps into them.

Your two batteries are a fundamental limitation that puts you into the "minimalist" category, so you will need to make up for it by having max charging capability, including solar, alternator and 120 vac if at all possible.

400 watts of solar would be the absolute minimum to consider.

I use Battle borns for LiFe and they work really well, but I think of the heaters as a very occasional use kind of thing, not something that you use every night, and will such a small battery pack, you will run out of power to run the heaters fairly quickly.

 

[Tomthumb62]

@ColoradoMtnMan1 i found this on another forum created last year regarding inverters:

View attachment 182296

If I recall, the Victron MP 12/2000/80 is for the EU market, because it's 240V. If I recall, the 240V part is for AC input for charging the battery. Not sure if one could easily install a converter onto their North America 120V AC outlet and have it convert to 240V to work with the Victron. I'm not an electrician, so I don't know how those sorts of things work.

I do hope that Victron does come out with some sort of 2000W inverter for the NA market. They do have the Multiplus 12/3000, which is 3000VA equates to about 2600W continuous, but for those of us who only need a 1500W inverter, that seems overkill.

 

[HarryN]

If I recall, the Victron MP 12/2000/80 is for the EU market, because it's 240V. If I recall, the 240V part is for AC input for charging the battery. Not sure if one could easily install a converter onto their North America 120V AC outlet and have it convert to 240V to work with the Victron. I'm not an electrician, so I don't know how those sorts of things work.

I do hope that Victron does come out with some sort of 2000W inverter for the NA market. They do have the Multiplus 12/3000, which is 3000VA equates to about 2600W continuous, but for those of us who only need a 1500W inverter, that seems overkill.

I did some testing of the V3000 / 24 along side a domestic commercial grade inverter rated for 2000 watts and a honda 3000 gasoline generator on my test stand.

Using a mixed resistive and inductive load, they all topped out at 2400 watts, so I don't consider the 3000 to be at all oversize. It is more or less similar to a single 20 amp / 120 vac circuit in a US home. It might be "physically large" but power wise it is more or less right for many people.

 

[12vDC]

Well, you need to be realistic about what is feasible in more extreme weather, especially if the vehicle will cold or hot soak sometimes.

What do you know about electrical @HarryN? Do you regularly install 24/48V systems and do professional consultations that you should be shamelessly plugging here on the forum?

 

[RV8R]

Well, you need to be realistic about what is feasible in more extreme weather, especially if the vehicle will cold or hot soak sometimes.

For pushing power into an inverter at the 100 amp-hr battery size (size 27) and able to work in cold weather, the hands down choice is a Lifeline GPL-27 AGM. Proven, real data, and if it makes any difference I have tested them on my test stand and use them in my own products.

All AGM batteries will voltage sag some under load and when it is really cold, so that is why I use them 2 in series / 24 volt and you should strongly consider it as well, especially for powering a diesel / gas heater. If you build it in 12 volt, then when it is really cold, the voltage can sag too low to power some loads.

Pretty much anything that you were planning to do with 12 volt components will work at least as well with 24 volt, usually better. Feed power to your 12 volt items with a DC - DC converter.

There isn't any problem to install an over size inverter, but there just are not any pair of size 27 batteries on the market to consumers that will feed 3000 watts into an inverter in a stable manner.

Keep in mind that while (some ) LiFe batteries can discharge at colder temperatures, they cannot be charged until the core comes back up above at least 30 F. IMHO, that makes them an expensive brick vs really useful for someone that spends a lot of time in cold weather.

With that size alternator, perhaps consider a sterling 12 - 24 volt charger with some serious amps rating. Those Lifelines will are not limited by a BMS like a Li battery. It takes a fairly decent Li battery to pump a lot of amps into them.

Your two batteries are a fundamental limitation that puts you into the "minimalist" category, so you will need to make up for it by having max charging capability, including solar, alternator and 120 vac if at all possible.

400 watts of solar would be the absolute minimum to consider.

I use Battle borns for LiFe and they work really well, but I think of the heaters as a very occasional use kind of thing, not something that you use every night, and will such a small battery pack, you will run out of power to run the heaters fairly quickly.

Thanks for that in-depth explanation around those Lifeline AGMs & more towards the extreme side of cold ? ?


I think LFP can be wonderful, but @ -15F overcoming a cold soaked battery can take some time.


We all have to pick out what will work best for our intended use / environment when it comes to batteries. & at -15F I’m taking a hard look at that cold & my battery needs.

 

[Tomthumb62]

Thanks for that in-depth explanation around those Lifeline AGMs & more towards the extreme side of cold ? ?


I think LFP can be wonderful, but @ -15F overcoming a cold soaked battery can take some time.


We all have to pick out what will work best for our intended use / environment when it comes to batteries. & at -15F I’m taking a hard look at that cold & my battery needs.

At -15F, I’d be looking at 4-8” insulation on all six sides of the battery, combined with heating pads. Heat on at 35F and off at 39F. And make sure one has more than one method to prevent charging below freezing. BMS cutoff and Victron battery sense module to tell the Victron charge controller to stop charging at xF.

 

[Tomthumb62]

Thanks for that in-depth explanation around those Lifeline AGMs & more towards the extreme side of cold ? ?


I think LFP can be wonderful, but @ -15F overcoming a cold soaked battery can take some time.


We all have to pick out what will work best for our intended use / environment when it comes to batteries. & at -15F I’m taking a hard look at that cold & my battery needs.

I will also say to make sure you study up on charging AGMs. They are finicky in how they want to be charged. I hated that aspect. I would have had to pony up big bucks for a 40-60A charger that my AGMs wanted. Instead, I went with lifepo4 which doesn’t care how few amps you throw at them.

My 400W of solar on my flat roof gives me an average of 14-19A in good conditions, which caused my AGMs to sulfate very quickly (less than 14 months). I had already spent $200 on a 20A charger, didn’t want to put money into expensive chargers when I could just put it into LFP instead. So glad to be done with AGM.

-15F is awfully cold but insulation is a magical thing. Like your body- wear a thick down parka in those temps and it’s a totally different experience from wearing a thin lightweight waist-level jacket.

Is your LFP shivering? Or is it sweating? Oink oink.

 

[12vDC]

@ColoradoMtnMan1

Another plug to consider a diesel heater:

Propane Furnace

 

[HarryN]

I will also say to make sure you study up on charging AGMs. They are finicky in how they want to be charged. I hated that aspect. I would have had to pony up big bucks for a 40-60A charger that my AGMs wanted. Instead, I went with lifepo4 which doesn’t care how few amps you throw at them.

My 400W of solar on my flat roof gives me an average of 14-19A in good conditions, which caused my AGMs to sulfate very quickly (less than 14 months). I had already spent $200 on a 20A charger, didn’t want to put money into expensive chargers when I could just put it into LFP instead. So glad to be done with AGM.

-15F is awfully cold but insulation is a magical thing. Like your body- wear a thick down parka in those temps and it’s a totally different experience from wearing a thin lightweight waist-level jacket.

Is your LFP shivering? Or is it sweating? Oink oink.

You are right that the suggested charging power is high in the manual, but there are also alternative charging algorithms that the companies have for dealing with lower charge rates.

One of the interesting aspects of AGM battery charging is that if you start to get into 4 - 8 each, Lifeline AGMs, most homes cannot even delivery the goal charging rate from the power available, yet people use much larger banks successfully.

I had a set of 4 x 100 amp-hr batteries in my minivan, along with 300 watts of solar and a good charge controller with a tuned algorithm. It ran my off grid shop for a long time - really only stopped because it was hit and destroyed but otherwise everything was still fine after 4 years of use.

No question, the LiFe can make life easy in an easy temperature environment.

 

[HarryN]

What do you know about electrical @HarryN? Do you regularly install 24/48V systems and do professional consultations that you should be shamelessly plugging here on the forum?

I did at one time but I was in a pretty bad auto accident 2 years ago so now I mostly just help people occasionally and of course offer my suggestions on forums for anyone that would like to listen or not. I have built a number of 24 and 48 volt mobile power systems and really tested things on my 2 test stands prior to putting them into customer vehicles.

I have not built / installed any 270 VDC systems in consumer vehicles but have (some ) experience with them in other mobile settings and I use similar components in my work when possible so for me it would not be a big leap.

I have spent a lot of time in OH, MN and IA, both summer and winter so I do have some experience with low temperatures. Not as much as others I am sure, but down to (- 34 C) so reasonably cold. It reaches 115 F here in the summer, so not as hot as some areas, but reasonably warm enough to understand what happens inside of a vehicle on a warm day.

I am an engineer by training so I know how to read data sheets and integrate components to build stable power systems as well as test them. To supplement my own knowledge, I hired some others as consultants from the defense industry, including the guy that was the chief electrical designer on the Bradley fighting vehicle.

So yes, I know a little bit about 12, 24, 48 and 270 VDC mobile power systems. No one from this forum has ever hired me for advice and that is fine with me - I am just offering suggestions for people to use as they see fit.

Added - my youngest son is now 26 and helped me on and off for years part time through high school and college. He is looking for a job in case that is interesting to anyone. He is more of an implementer than a designer.

 

[Tomthumb62]

You are right that the suggested charging power is high in the manual, but there are also alternative charging algorithms that the companies have for dealing with lower charge rates.

Oh, cool. This is the first I heard of special charging algorithms that can properly charge AGM at lower rates.

I had a set of 4 x 100 amp-hr batteries in my minivan, along with 300 watts of solar and a good charge controller with a tuned algorithm. It ran my off grid shop for a long time - really only stopped because it was hit and destroyed but otherwise everything was still fine after 4 years of use.

So pray tell, what kind of charge controller and what was the tuning of the charge controller did you use to do this? Had I known this, perhaps I would've stuck with AGM, but now I've jumped to LFP I'm not going back.

 

[HarryN]

Oh, cool. This is the first I heard of special charging algorithms that can properly charge AGM at lower rates.



So pray tell, what kind of charge controller and what was the tuning of the charge controller did you use to do this? Had I known this, perhaps I would've stuck with AGM, but now I've jumped to LFP I'm not going back.

I don't think that it matters so much what charger you use as long as it is fully programmable. Basically the settings just make up for not having the high charge rates by running some of the steps are very slightly higher voltages and longer times.

 

[Zwy]

Hello, looking for advice on installing solar panels, mppt, dc to dc charger, inverter. Have a Ford F450 Diesel dually with 360Amp Alternator, Lance 1172 Truck Camper. 2x 80Ah Lead acid batteries, 100w existing solar panel and a GoPower 30amp PWM controller. Looking at upgrading to Victron 30Amp DC to DC charger to camper battery bank, with up fitter switch controller in cab (I run 3 way 6 cu ft fridge on Batts while driving), I plan to add 2x 100W renogy solar panels to truck camper roof rack. Planning two 100w portable panels to aim at sun. Would like an easy plug in interface for portables. Remove PWM replace with Victron MPPT solar controller, not sure what voltage or amps sizing yet maybe 150V 45amp?. Will operate primarily in Rocky Mountain West in extreme cold -15 F winter and hot environments some +100 summers at altitudes usually 8,000' to as high as 10,500'. Considering 2x 100Ah Weize LiFEPO4 Thermal Regulated (heated) batts, plus add a 2000W inverter (maybe Giandel). I also have an efficient/quiet Honda 2200 inverter generator I prefer over the Onan propane onboard 2500 gen that uses way too much propane. Would appreciate recommendations from those of you with experiences and wisdom on this. Thank you in advance.

Did this to get my feet wet with solar. https://diysolarforum.com/threads/heres-my-truck-camper-setup.29488/ Might give you a few ideas. I did insulate around the battery area on sides and have a heat pad under the battery but never finished hooking it up. Currently pulling roof air off and installing a heat pump plus 2 more panels bringing pv total to 800W.

Any panels mounted flat on a roof will not produce much in winter. Front four panels on mine are fixed but have some tilt. The rear panels tilt to increase winter yield. Keep the inverter generator handy in the winter. I'd drop the 3 way fridge, those suck electric power even when run off the vehicle while driving. The 12V element will only maintain temp. I run a Dometic CFX95 in the back seat of the truck, more storage and half is freezer and other half is fridge. My plan is to eventually pull 3 way out and install a compressor fridge. We just use it for dry storage now. One advantage of a compressor fridge is you don't need to be that level.

 

[thepartyhound]

Hello, looking for advice on installing solar panels, mppt, dc to dc charger, inverter. Have a Ford F450 Diesel dually with 360Amp Alternator, Lance 1172 Truck Camper. 2x 80Ah Lead acid batteries, 100w existing solar panel and a GoPower 30amp PWM controller. Looking at upgrading to Victron 30Amp DC to DC charger to camper battery bank, with up fitter switch controller in cab (I run 3 way 6 cu ft fridge on Batts while driving), I plan to add 2x 100W renogy solar panels to truck camper roof rack. Planning two 100w portable panels to aim at sun. Would like an easy plug in interface for portables. Remove PWM replace with Victron MPPT solar controller, not sure what voltage or amps sizing yet maybe 150V 45amp?. Will operate primarily in Rocky Mountain West in extreme cold -15 F winter and hot environments some +100 summers at altitudes usually 8,000' to as high as 10,500'. Considering 2x 100Ah Weize LiFEPO4 Thermal Regulated (heated) batts, plus add a 2000W inverter (maybe Giandel). I also have an efficient/quiet Honda 2200 inverter generator I prefer over the Onan propane onboard 2500 gen that uses way too much propane. Would appreciate recommendations from those of you with experiences and wisdom on this. Thank you in advance.

I'm not sure how I stumbled upon your post and at this point it is over 4 months old, maybe 5. I built a slide in camper right around the same time you created this post so I thought I'd share with you what I did and how it has worked out for me so far.
I have a 10.5' early 90's Wilderness slide in. I bought it because it was cheap and it had a layout I could use to build my camper with the cold weather features I thought were most important. First thing I did, and this likely will not apply to you, is I gutted the camper's plumbing system, got rid of the toilet and sink from the bathroom, got rid of the 40ish gallon fresh water tank, and the grey and black water tanks. I ran a simple hose from the kitchen sink through the wall to the outside. For my fresh water I have a quick connect fitting on a 7 gallon portable water jug that quick connects to a hose that goes to my electric pump, then to my kitchen sink. Simple and effective. I can disconnect the quick connect from my water jug and then stick it in a gallon jug of RV antifreeze, run the pump for a few seconds, and I'm winterized again.
The 7 gallon water jug and my inverter and batteries take up the space that once house the large 40ish gallon fresh water tank. I used (2) 100Ah SOK LiFePo⁴ batteries and a 12/3000 Victron (original) Multiplus...the Multiplus 2 would not have fit this space. I do not have solar hooked up as of yet, but I may get around to addung a single 160W panel and small Victron SCC this summer. I also plan to install a Victron 12-12 30A DC charger for use when driving. I think 30A is plenty as I do not want to run long lengths of 50A rated cable through my truck. Also, if I'm driving with my camper on it is usually for a long period of time anyhow so the extra amperage availablility would be pointless.
For heat I installed a diesel heater plumbed into a 6 gallon outboard boat motor fuel tank. This can provide 7-14 days of heat depending on outside temps and if it is running 24/7 or only when I'm stopped. The current draw of this diesel heater is laughably minimal...in the 12-20W range once it is up and running. The propane furnace is also still intact.
As yet another heat source I have installed a small wood stove. It was very inexpensive, it is airtight and can be turned down low enough to not run you out of the camper, and it has a reburn system for added efficiency. It heats for about 3 hours from only a couple of pounds of wood.
I completely gutted my bathroom and this became a utility room of sorts and is where my Honda 2200w genny, fuel, diesel heater and diesel tank, a small chain saw, axe, broom, etc. are stored.
I have used this camper in EXTREME cold. It was about -43°F when I went out to test my setup. I wish I could report perfect success, but I cannot. My lithium batteries would not turn on, so I had no way to turn on my inverter to run my battery heating pads, or the diesel heater, or the propane heater. I fired up the wood stove, plugged into shore power (camper was in my driveway at home) to get the battery heaters going and sat there with my toes beginning to turn to ice cubes! It took nearly 3 hours between the heating pads and wood stove to get the batteries warm enough to turn on and attempt to run my diesel heater. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough fuel additive in the diesel to prevent it from gelling. I tried the propane furnace. Same thing. It worked, but produced very little heat because at that temp Liquid Propane Gas no longer boils and very little vapor is given off to run through the furnace. So, while it turned on and did give off SOME heat, it was negligeable. I think my diesel heater would have worked fine if my fuel had been treated properly beforehand.
On the trips I have used the camper since, in more reasonable weather ranging from 15°F to about 50°F, it has performed very well. The 200Ah of power storage has been sufficient to last about 3 days between recharges at our levels of use (TV, DVD player, lights, occasional water pump). Refrigerator is running on propane and would likely run for a couple weeks on the 14 gallons of propane. I am thrilled with my choice of inverter/charger; this Victron will recharge my batteries VERY quickly. It also has the ability to accept just about any AC power from a generator unlike most All In One units. It can also be programmed to only draw 75% of your generators rated constant output for best efficiency. If I run the generator for an hour or two every couple of days it would be plenty to keep our lights on and DVDs playing. This charge interval could be extended with the DC-DC charger and some solar input, but a single gallon of fuel in my generator could easily last a couple of weeks without any other charging involved.
My toilet is a Gatoraide bottle which then gets dumped down the sink and rinsed and a 5 gallon bucket with a seat and garbage bag for emergencies when another toilet is not available.

 

[Dave in AZ]

I like the Kisae 1250. It is a dual DC2DC & Solar Charger ( up to 50 amps );

DMT1250 – Kisae Technology Inc

Also it is very “User Programable”;

https://www.kisaepower.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/AbsoCharger_Manual_DMT12V_24V-Series_Rev-D_190612_Print.pdf

Here is some interesting ( but useless ) info ?;

View attachment 181941

I live in Victoria & stumbled into the Go Power office one day. Their BM Shunt equipment looked identical to the Victron BM 712 ?.



Yet a little more Victoria BC “Go Power” history;

Carmanah Announces Completion of Sale of Off-Grid Power (Go Power!) Business

Carmanah Technologies Corporation (TSX: CMH) (“the Company” or “Carmanah”) today announced that it has completed the sale of its Off-Grid Power business (“Go Power!”) to Valterra Products, LLC (“Valterra”), a portfolio company of G. Scott Capital Partners, LLC.

carmanah.com

You've been pushing Kisae as a good product a bit, so I've looked at them recently. I'm impressed with their specs, many are better ranges than comparable Victron. They also have a "UC 1240", an all in one universal charger. It does 40A 12v charging from 120v shore power, 40A solar to 50Voc, 40A dc alternator. Can total 80A from 40A alternator/PV plus 40A ac. Also has battery temperature sensor and rj45 comm port. $750 I think he said. Also built in transfer switch with <30ms.

I had a hard time finding one for sale, but the owner at 12voltwarehouse.com was fantastic to talk to on phone, west coast Kisae sales rep too, I will purchase from them.

He also told me that in Sep, they have an all in one 12v box coming out: 3000W inverter, ac charger, MPPT SCC, and dc to dc alternator charging. I'm not usually a fan of expensive, all-in-one solutions: if any part breaks, you have to replace essentially all 4 pieces vs buy an inexpensive easily available replacement part. However, he has the prototype and is using it for remote control planes weekly, and likes it so far. Lot of space, complexity, and cost savings.

The UC1240 looks like a great option for the 200Ah 12v setup range, would replace an ac shore power charger, transfee switch, dc to dc 40A alternator charger, and 50v 40A MPPT.

They also have a nice inverter charger, BIC1202080 (12v, 2000W/4000w surge, 80A ac charging) for $660.

 

[thepartyhound]

You've been pushing Kisae as a good product a bit, so I've looked at them recently. I'm impressed with their specs, many are better ranges than comparable Victron. They also have a "UC 1240", an all in one universal charger. It does 40A 12v charging from 120v shore power, 40A solar to 50Voc, 40A dc alternator. Can total 80A from 40A alternator/PV plus 40A ac. Also has battery temperature sensor and rj45 comm port. $750 I think he said. Also built in transfer switch with <30ms.

I had a hard time finding one for sale, but the owner at 12voltwarehouse.com was fantastic to talk to on phone, west coast Kisae sales rep too, I will purchase from them.

He also told me that in Sep, they have an all in one 12v box coming out: 3000W inverter, ac charger, MPPT SCC, and dc to dc alternator charging. I'm not usually a fan of expensive, all-in-one solutions: if any part breaks, you have to replace essentially all 4 pieces vs buy an inexpensive easily available replacement part. However, he has the prototype and is using it for remote control planes weekly, and likes it so far. Lot of space, complexity, and cost savings.

The UC1240 looks like a great option for the 200Ah 12v setup range, would replace an ac shore power charger, transfee switch, dc to dc 40A alternator charger, and 50v 40A MPPT.

They also have a nice inverter charger, BIC1202080 (12v, 2000W/4000w surge, 80A ac charging) for $660.

That is interesting! I was initially drawn to All In One units when I very first started researching solar for a remote mountain property...until I found out that I'd need a huge generator to run the charger. That's where my love affair with Victron started; you can hook up just about any 'ol generator with THD outside of most widely acceptable ranges and it will work just fine. In addition, I really like that I can set the current limit it will pull from the generator. I wonder if this Kisae unit will have those same abilities?

ETA: If the generator capabilities are on par with Victron, the prototype unit you described would make for a very attractive unit for a camper! I would think that they would need some more time under their belts before their durability and relibility could be determined. Any idea where they are actually made? A lot of the All In One units seem to come from China.

 

[RV8R]

You've been pushing Kisae as a good product a bit, so I've looked at them recently. I'm impressed with their specs, many are better ranges than comparable Victron. They also have a "UC 1240", an all in one universal charger. It does 40A 12v charging from 120v shore power, 40A solar to 50Voc, 40A dc alternator. Can total 80A from 40A alternator/PV plus 40A ac. Also has battery temperature sensor and rj45 comm port. $750 I think he said. Also built in transfer switch with <30ms.

I had a hard time finding one for sale, but the owner at 12voltwarehouse.com was fantastic to talk to on phone, west coast Kisae sales rep too, I will purchase from them.

He also told me that in Sep, they have an all in one 12v box coming out: 3000W inverter, ac charger, MPPT SCC, and dc to dc alternator charging. I'm not usually a fan of expensive, all-in-one solutions: if any part breaks, you have to replace essentially all 4 pieces vs buy an inexpensive easily available replacement part. However, he has the prototype and is using it for remote control planes weekly, and likes it so far. Lot of space, complexity, and cost savings.

The UC1240 looks like a great option for the 200Ah 12v setup range, would replace an ac shore power charger, transfee switch, dc to dc 40A alternator charger, and 50v 40A MPPT.

They also have a nice inverter charger, BIC1202080 (12v, 2000W/4000w surge, 80A ac charging) for $660.

I was initially interested in Kisae for their “Dual” 1250 ( as it is Alternator & Solar ) DC2DC Charger for my Travel Van. I do not use the solar part of this charger yet.

The reason Kisae caught my eye was the “User Programability”. Also the customer service I have received from the Kisae “Tech” as been the best I have had in decades. I have had the Kisae 1250 operational since last October & been very impressed with it so far. My Van has the Victron BM712 & the Kisae 1250 & 250Ah 12vdc Rolls AGMs. Very basic, but just basically works & there are no issues so far.

I guess, I typically buy; Victron & Blue Sea for my 12vdc systems ( Van & Cabin & Portable Solar Charger ).

I buy Blue Sea for the “Marine Grade” quality, & their simplicity.

I buy Victron ,,, Probably for the same reason I buy Apple iPhones / iPads / MacBooks ,,, They are easy to hook up & They just Work ,,, & their performance specs are pretty good. They have great interfaces, data collection, & pretty graphs that are visually easy to see what is going on. But so far for me “They Just Work”.


12v Kisae AIO Box ; First I have heard of it ,,, thanks for the heads up. I also am not usually a fan of AIOs. However, I like to keep an open mind.

Kisae seems to be coming out with more & more products. That Inverter / AC charger sounds interesting also.


My Cabin “currently” consists of;

Rolls AGMs 250Ah 12vdc
Victron BM 712 Smart
Victron MPPT 100 | 50 smart
Blue Sea 12 circuit fuse block
600W array 3S2P ( 60volts & 10amps )

The Off Grid Cabin is pretty much 100% Solar, but I do have gasoline generators to charge if needed or for 120vac to grind my coffee beans etc. I do have a Victron 12 | 3000 | 120 that someday I will probably install in my cabin ,,, I bought it new in 2018 ( for a van ) & never hooked it up.