rando said:The hope with this is to address these issues I have with the stock control panel:
1. The water gauge has insufficient resolution (address with this and the new control panel)
2. The DSI water heater switch is terrible - you can't tell if it is on or off and the light is only of if there is an issue. As a result I frequently leave it on accidentally.
3. Switching the furnace on and off using the slide switch on the thermostat is not convenient. The slide switch is super stiff and I have a feeling it is not going to last long term.
4. A better battery gauge (although I have already solved this with a Victron BMV-700)
5. Add a remote control for my inverter with a light to tell me it is on or has an issue.
The prototype should be ready by the end of January.
Beautiful Grab-n'-Go package. Nice work. Obviously, not your QRO rig. Your 500 ah batteries could power this unit for how many decades?K6ON said:Rando,
Who's making your panels? I use Front Panel Express (www.frontpanelexpress.com) for anything I need. Go to their web page and download their free CAD program and design away. Attached is a pic of a completed panel I had made a couple month's back.
I have a remote switch for my inverter but no indicator. I've left it on accidentally many times.rando said:Electrically, there are lots of things that could be done better, let us just leave it at that.
I installed a 300W inverter in my electrical cabinet and moved one of the AC circuits from shore power to the output of the inverter so one set of plugs is shore power and the other is from the inverter. Because the inverter is mounted inside the wiring cabinet, I need a remote switch to power in on and off (it has a provision for this) and also an LED indicator that it is on (so I don't forget) and another if there is a fault.
craig333 said:I have a remote switch for my inverter but no indicator. I've left it on accidentally many times.
craig333 said:Not a lot. Coffee grinder is only a few seconds. Microwave never runs for more than three minutes. Biggest use is probably the laptop or the battery charger. Never enough that my solar can't easily make up for it.
This got me thinking...I hate to admit that I might want to take my laptop camping, but the occasional Netflix movie at night might not be so bad. So has anyone run at least a 12V USB port up to the bed or better yet over to the side opposite the galley, so you're not having cordage draped across the aisle?craig333 said:Not a lot. Coffee grinder is only a few seconds. Microwave never runs for more than three minutes. Biggest use is probably the laptop or the battery charger. Never enough that my solar can't easily make up for it.
Wallowa said:A question....as always...I see the installation of an inverter [I have a small 400w portable] by several folks; but how much are the inverters used, on what 110v devices and how the heck do you keep up with the 12v drain?
Thanks,
Phil
Hi Paul,PaulT said:Beautiful Grab-n'-Go package. Nice work. Obviously, not your QRO rig. Your 500 ah batteries could power this unit for how many decades?
How do you like the KX2? Antenna?
Paul
Thanks for the tip... Just ordered a 12V adapter for my Dell.Yukon said:I seldom use my inverter because it is very inefficient use of energy. I use it primarily for charging camera and computer batteries. Because I like to watch movies on the computer at night, the PC is the biggest need of charging power. Here's a tip. You can buy 3rd party power adapters for most PC's that run on 12 volts DC instead of the 120v AC. This eliminates the need for an inverter and is much more efficient.