Power!

[pyemaster]

I'm looking to sort out an auxiliary battery to aid in all things camping. From my research I've three options:

1) Try and get a split/charge system on the go by replacing one of the standard batteries with a deep cycle one (then try and wire all accessories like radio, lights, etc, to it, rather than the sole starting battery)

2) Leave the standard starting batteries alone and mount a separate, third deep cycle battery and wire everything to that instead.

3) Leave it all alone, and buy a portable power pack like this one: https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/jump...2v-compressor/ to act as an auxiliary / camping battery for music, lights, etc, and the just charge it up from the cigarette lighter on board when you're driving. (I'm also not sure that the CCA figure on that pack would be enough to get the Surf going if it was flat one morning, as the limit of the engine capacity for diesels is apparently 3l).

Has anyone with more knowledge than me got an opinion?!

In camp I'd need power for lighting, music and charging phone / tablet. The ability to start an engine and inflate tyres is also handy.

Thanks
Owen

[AlexKzn130]

I'm looking to sort out an auxiliary battery to aid in all things camping. From my research I've three options:

1) Try and get a split/charge system on the go by replacing one of the standard batteries with a deep cycle one (then try and wire all accessories like radio, lights, etc, to it, rather than the sole starting battery)

2) Leave the standard starting batteries alone and mount a separate, third deep cycle battery and wire everything to that instead.

3) Leave it all alone, and buy a portable power pack like this one: https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/jump...2v-compressor/ to act as an auxiliary / camping battery for music, lights, etc, and the just charge it up from the cigarette lighter on board when you're driving. (I'm also not sure that the CCA figure on that pack would be enough to get the Surf going if it was flat one morning, as the limit of the engine capacity for diesels is apparently 3l).

Has anyone with more knowledge than me got an opinion?!

In camp I'd need power for lighting, music and charging phone / tablet. The ability to start an engine and inflate tyres is also handy.

Thanks
Owen

Owen

My electrical knowledge is limited but when I was looking into this I settled on a solar power set up you can mount this panel on your roof and if you wire it with quick connect connections can remove the panel willy nilly when you have to drive
http://www.beamled.com/100w-12v-whit...Q&gclsrc=aw.ds

You can hook it up to your current batteries or buy a leisure battery

Mull it over
Alex

[pyemaster]

Hmm, interesting Alex, I'd considered a solar panel to trickle charge the main batteries, I wonder if it could be used to charge a portable battery pack in the same way?

How do you find it?

Thanks
Owen

[AlexKzn130]

Hmm, interesting Alex, I'd considered a solar panel to trickle charge the main batteries, I wonder if it could be used to charge a portable battery pack in the same way?

How do you find it?

Thanks
Owen

Apologies I wasn't clear I haven't got it yet but it's a future purchase

Think the problem with a portable battery pack is it would use a mains charging lead to charge it, you may struggle to connect the panel to it opposed to the ease of positive and negative terminals on a 12v

Cheers

[pyemaster]

Yeah that's what I was thinking, no obvious points to trickle charge it. Apparently it can be charged from a cigarette lighter though (not just mains) so it could be kept topped up on a trip.

Owen

[Lewd Lux Lover]

I have a female ciggy lighter port with crocodile clips on the other end. I use it to power a fridge from a battery but it would work the other way round. Ebay about £3

I rteckon a decent jump pack would do you.

[madcampbell]

Power!!

Hi

I camp every chance I can and have messed with all sorts of methods of power. Depending what you want to charge their various solutions...

Firstly Lights, I use led roll of lights like this http://www.lightingever.co.uk/12v-le...050-5m-dw.html . I have a switch in the entrance of the tent to turn them on and off. They light up the tent amazingly like switching the lights on at home. They are linked to a ex hilux battery that is charge by a solar panel it sits outside the back of the tent and I place the solar panel flat on the ground in a place that wont be in the shade, its all linked using standard speaker cable and has worked a treat for the last couple of years. http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/solar-powe...-charger-n31cx
I also run an inverter off the battery with a multi plug extension for phone charging http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/30151...&ul_noapp=true

If I want to watch a film on a laptop then I run the engine of the truck and use the inverter to give me power from the engine battery as its too much power loss for the solar panel to keep up with.

I have tried the jumpstart stations but they end up dying and don't have enough power in the morning to help start the truck (if needed) and rely on you driving around to charge it, which doesn't work if you only pop out on short journeys from the campsite or don't drive anywhere for days. Solar still charges on a dull day but not as fast as a sunny day.

Hope that helps

Cheers
Mark

[AlexKzn130]

Yeah that's what I was thinking, no obvious points to trickle charge it. Apparently it can be charged from a cigarette lighter though (not just mains) so it could be kept topped up on a trip.

Owen

take a look at this site, it'll give you an idea of how many watts you need to charge a 12v, a 150w setup can charge a 12v in four hours approx

http://www.12voltsolarpanels.net/12-...ttery-chargers

[pyemaster]

Hmm, food for thought chaps.

So maybe instead of the jump pack, getting a decent deep cycle leisure battery, and trickle charging it from a roof-mounted solar panel?

That way the truck's (starting) batteries are left well alone, and lighting for camp, phone charging and music can all come off the leisure battery in the evening. Plugging it into the solar panel over the next day will then have it ready again for use the next night?

If it was fully charged I take it it could be used to jump start a flat battery too?

Owen

[pyemaster]

Right so a little further research later...

Thinking of one of these - https://www.tayna.co.uk/Numax-CXV31MF-P3694.html

Trickle charged off a roof mounted solar panel like the one Alex linked to above. I now just need to get my head around how they'd connect up, and what benefits a 'solar charger' offers.

The Numax leisure battery above seems fine for my light camping use (nightly lighting, music and charging a phone/tablet), but also with 1000 CCA has enough grunt to be used as a jump battery if needed in an emergency.

Owen

[AlexKzn130]

Hmm, food for thought chaps.

So maybe instead of the jump pack, getting a decent deep cycle leisure battery, and trickle charging it from a roof-mounted solar panel?

That way the truck's (starting) batteries are left well alone, and lighting for camp, phone charging and music can all come off the leisure battery in the evening. Plugging it into the solar panel over the next day will then have it ready again for use the next night?

If it was fully charged I take it it could be used to jump start a flat battery too?

Owen

Thats how im planning to do it yes

[pyemaster]

Okay, so, the plan then is to get a decent dual purpose leisure battery to:

A) provide power for everyday camping in the evening (LED lighting, music and charging phone/tablet).

B) be used to start the truck should the main batteries ever go flat (they shouldn't).

My plan then is to charge the leisure battery each day through either a roof-mounted solar panel (if stationary on site), or a smart charger working through an inverter off the cigarette lighter (if driving during the day).

My issue is I have no idea how much my expected usage will take out of the battery each evening...

The 3 things it will be doing:

- Powering two of these for lighting (though they'll be on a dimmer switch, if that makes any difference??): https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01...=AVEFNIEDS5OE4

- Charging a portable Bluetooth speaker

- Charging a smartphone / tablet.

So (thanks for getting this far!) with the above needing a few hours of charge from the leisure battery each evening, how much energy will they collectively use, and with that in mind, what size leisure battery would I need?

Thanks guys!

Owen

[pyemaster]

Quick update!

To recoup circa 40amp hours by solar, does anyone know what size panel I'd need?

Owen

[pyemaster]

I should really add that I'd be looking to recoup those amp hours over the course of one average day of light in Britain.

Owen

[tashtego]

Check this.

https://www.windynation.com/jzv/inf/...Power%20System

I looked at it when researching solar panels for charging mobiles etc. You need to convert your amp requirements into Watts. The amount of sunlight reaching the surface of the Earth is about 300 Watts per square meter, roughly...unless you leave in Scotland...

Better get the calculator out. How is your GCSE Physics? Mine is terrible, forgotten everything!

Cheers