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  1. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West Map Bias

    For actually navigating, I primarily use an iPad running Gaia. I don't use any sort of auto routing (aka google maps directions) as no sane piece of software would ever choose the ridiculous (but scenic) routes we tend to choose. What Gaia does for me is show our current position and...
  2. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West Anyone w/ a Tacoma have to change a tire? (Jack good enough?)

    How does the floor jack work on gravel and other soft/rough surfaces? I thought they had to be able to roll to keep the lifting 'pad' at the right spot. On my garage floor jack, the arm moves in an arc and the whole jack rolls 2-3 inches forward as the load is raised.
  3. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West buffer between flatbed tray and camper

    I don't have anything between my Fleet flatbed and my aluminium tray, and really don't think anything is necessary. If you are bolting the camper down (you should) there is no ability for it to slide or shift so no need for extra friction. If you do want some protection, I am sure you can...
  4. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West Anyone w/ a Tacoma have to change a tire? (Jack good enough?)

    I have used my stock jack to change a tire on my Tacoma/Fleet flatbed. This was on relatively flat ground, and it worked just fine. I didn't feel like a different jack would have been better. I do carry a small section of 4"x4" to use as a chock or to raise the jack a little higher if I...
  5. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West Single LiFePo4 Battery or Two LiFePo4 Batteries in Hawk?

    I have been using a DIY LiFePO4 pack using cylindrical cells for about 4 years FWC, and prior to that I used one using prismatic cells for about 5 years in my land cruiser, both off road vehicles with plenty of rough and washboard roads. No issues with either construction, and I would hope...
  6. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West Single LiFePo4 Battery or Two LiFePo4 Batteries in Hawk?

    You are correct, the high voltage protection is not a fuse but is a software limit controlled by the BMS. My point was that the BMS limits should be thought of like fuses - they are there to protect the battery if something goes wrong, and should not be relied on control every day charging.
  7. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West Battleborn - charge settings

    If the Iota is really taking it up to 14.8V, that is too high, and it may have tripped the BMS over voltage on your Battleborn, which would explain why it dropped back to 13.3V. That looks more like the standard Iota set points, rather than lithium specific set points.
  8. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West Covid Vaccine -- Have you got yours?

    I now have had two friends who were fully vaccinated that both still got COVID. Now neither of them got severely ill, so the vaccine was effective, but it does mean that even vaccinated folks can contract, and therefore spread COVID. In smaller groups where I know everyone is vaccinated, we...
  9. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West Grandby running lights - current draw?

    That is for the exterior LED area lights - these are an option listed as 'Exterior LED Package' and are different from the running/clearance running lights. The clearance/running lights are only on the campers wider than 80" (Hawk, Granby) as it is a DOT requirement for vehicle 80" or wider...
  10. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West Single LiFePo4 Battery or Two LiFePo4 Batteries in Hawk?

    The 14.6V bulk for battleborn is the maximum charging voltage, not the ideal charging voltage. If the voltage goes much above this (14.7V), the BMS will stop charging to protect the battery. This is like a safety fuse and not something you want to rely on in regular operation. Ideally you...
  11. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West Single LiFePo4 Battery or Two LiFePo4 Batteries in Hawk?

    No, the bulk of 14.8 is too high, it may trip the BMS over voltage shutdown. If you leave your camper plugged in while not in storage, then the float of 13.6v is also higher than you want.
  12. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West Single LiFePo4 Battery or Two LiFePo4 Batteries in Hawk?

    The Iota DLS-30 with 'built in' IQ4 has a bulk charge of 14.8V, absorb of 14.2V (for 4 hours I think), then float at 13.6V. These are all a bit high for LiFePO4. If you are brave, there is a small potentiometer that you can adjust inside the unit that would bring all these voltages down to...
  13. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West Power Cords

    In my 5 years with a FWC, I have used the shore power cord while camping precisely once. I have used it in my driveway a hand full of times. Maybe I am projecting here, but most of the WtW folks don't seem to be full hook up campground type folks either, so maybe there just isn't a demand...
  14. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West A little remodeling

    The battery to controller should be fused (unless they are right next to each other) as the battery can provide almost unlimited current on these wires. The panels to the controller does not need to be fused as the panel can only provide limited current which is always going to be less than...
  15. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West Another Ah/battery question

    You could consider a 175W semi-flexibe panel for the roof, these are very light, but as a result may not have longevity or reliability of a rigid panel. You could consider either the crank up speaker stand or a linear actuator to help in raising the roof. I am too young to be complaining...
  16. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West Another Ah/battery question

    Based on experience, I think you will be mostly OK with a 75Ah battery powering a fridge, furnace, fans and lights, as long as your are in the sunnier parts of the country. You may be in trouble if you find yourself in extended overcast or in the shade as you don't have much margin built in...
  17. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West New Lithium battery down to 1.22 volts

    Glad you got it all sorted, I am sure it was frustrating. Not that this helps in your situation, but this is one of the reasons that a LiFePO4 battery with a bluetooth BMS is a good idea. That way you can tell exactly why the battery is doing what it is doing, and what you need to do to fix...
  18. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West Math not adding up on solar/battery system

    That is your problem right there, the charged voltage is too low causing the BMV to sync too early. You don't (and shouldn't) need to manually sync the batteries, the BMV-712 will do this for you once they have reached full charge (charged voltage) and the they are no longer accepting current...
  19. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West Math not adding up on solar/battery system

    My guess would be that your BMV712 is 'auto syncing' at too low a voltage which resets the unit to 100% sooner than it should. In the app, under battery settings, what are the values for 'charged voltage', 'tail current' and 'charged detection time'. Also what sort of batteries do you have?
  20. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West Lithium Mining in the West

    If we are going to be an industrialized society, then we need to be willing to accept that mining for minerals is a part of that. I think we can all agree that it is not appropriate in many areas like National Parks, wilderness areas etc. But beyond that, we can argue to the cats come home...
  21. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West Pure Sine Wave Inverter

    I have a Victron Phoenix: https://www.victronenergy.com/inverters/phoenix-inverter-vedirect-250va-800va#manual I have been very happy with my other Victron bits, and this works well with them. It has an 'eco mode' that draws ~ 1W in idle. One nice thing is that it is fully...
  22. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West 5 Gal/20 L gas can

    Our group of rafting buddies has used dozens of the LCI cans over the past decade with no quality issues, and pretty much every outfitter also uses these. As far as I know, the government is also using bazzilions of these things as they are LCIs primary customer.
  23. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West New Lithium battery down to 1.22 volts

    Try charging it - it may just be that the BMS has gone into shutdown and it will come right back. How do you know it was 87% earlier?
  24. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West 5 Gal/20 L gas can

    That is my understanding as well, the LCI cans are just half the price of the Scepters, (and it is a good company that employs blind folks).
  25. RA

    RV LIFE Forum Hub, Wander The West 5 Gal/20 L gas can

    For water cans, the LCI plastic cans are hard to beat, particularly for $23, they fit standard can holders: https://www.buylci.com/water-can-5-gallon-desert-tan.html On any desert white water trip you will see dozens of these things getting the snot beaten out of them, and still sealing.
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