Inverter/charger options with remote controls or panel mount

[drj434343]

I'm rewiring my entire aux battery circuit during an interior overhaul, and am looking for options that will allow for very clean installs of the typical three pieces of equipment:

1. Shore power battery charger
2. Power inverter for 120V outlet
3. Solar panel controller

I've looked through the FAQ's, and have seen lots of installs behind seats, on the sides of cabinets, and in custom built boxes. I am interested in hiding the equipment in the stock cabinetry and wiring switches and status indicators into a custom panel.

Two options I see are panel mount designs, or boxes that have a remote control option. For instance, this is a good example of a clean panel mount solar controller:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0179V9JQI?psc=1&...76PZNDKUUJ

I have also found an impossibly expensive inverter with a remote control panel mount option:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00153EYR6?psc=1&...BFTW0ZXVPR

I haven't yet found any such remote panel options for a shore power battery charger.

So, has anyone try to do a clean panel mount install and has recommendations about how to remote control or monitor otherwise hidden equipment?

[kourt]

See my post in this thread:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7876755#7876755

I'm using a Mean Well TN-1500 inverter/charger/charge controller.

Kourt

[dyldebus]

AIMS makes a nice pure sine inverter with a built in charger on shore power. It also has a wired remote option.

AIMS Power PICOGLF10W12V120VR 1000W Pure Sine Inverter Charger https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IQHT1M2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_yS1Twb7CDGYK7

[drj434343]

[kourt]

Good catch; I actually have the 112F model:

http://www.alliedelec.com/mean-well-usa-tn-1500-112f/70069830/

Thanks for the correction!

It does everything I want, all in one appliance. It lives under the fridge and I have its AC outlets direct wired to the AC outlet in the van by the rear bench. Be sure to maintain good thru-venting for the inverter--I had to cut a few holes in inconspicuous areas to assure venting. The AC input for the inverter is direct wired to the camper power plug input on the outside driver side wall of the camper. Good grounding is also a must.

One day before I go on any trip, I plug an extension cord into the camper and let the Mean Well top up the house batteries, plus the starter battery eventually gets charged when the Yandina senses the house batteries are full, switching over to charge the starter battery automatically.

In the meantime, since my van has solar, the panel on the roof feeds the Mean Well and the house batteries are also maintained that way.

On the road, the solar panel continues to charge the house batteries while the alternator charges the starter battery first, and then the Yandina dumps the surplus current into the house battery, automatically.

On the beach for a week, the solar panel just keeps our voltage up, and the Yandina isolates the starter battery so it never gets discharged from the house battery circuit.

All of this happens automatically, so I don't have to really think about it... just plug and play. The inverter is tucked away so it doesn't take up valuable space behind the driver's seat. As you probably saw, I have a very carefully installed fuse panel behind the driver seat which accepts all fused loads for the house battery system.

Naturally, the DC master positive circuits are fused near the house battery, and are all wired in 4ga cable. We run some heavy amateur radio loads, and I occasionally run power tools to build beehives in the field, so these precautions are necessary.

Lastly, I have this meter by Blue Sea:

https://www.bluesea.com/products/8248/DC_Digital_Multi-Function_Meter_with_Alarm

...which is in near Westfalia gray and fits in the niche of the galley metal front face, installed to monitor volts and amps. It's programmable to sound off for high/low volt conditions.

kourt

[drj434343]

Kourt,

I think we're on the same page in terms of setup taste. I will also be installing some radio equipment.

I did some research on the Yandina units. Which model do you use in your setup?

If you have any pics of your HAM setup, I'd love to take a look.

[rubbachicken]

what are you planning on running from your inverter

i've not had or needed an inverter in a LONG while.
most everything these days can be powered by a 12v supply.
laptops, cameras etc, i see no point in going from 12v up to 120v then down to 18v or 19v which is what most laptops need.

last year i fitted a 3kw inverter for one of my customers, he ordered the inverter and battery, the last time i saw him, he had it on and running, with a USB cable in it charging his phone.
everything else he thought he needed, he's since found 12v alternatives.
now he wants a smaller inverter fitted, i've suggested 800w, i think it should be more than enough, but i have told him not to bother at all.
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meet 'burni'


markswagen {mobile mechanic} san diego area all early VW's cared for.

619 201 0310 or 617 935 4182

[noganav]

Ive got a TrippLite inverter/charger. Fits under the driver's seat, so it's out of the way until one of those all too rare occasions when I actually need it. The charger is great to have too.

https://www.tripplite.com/inverter-charger-700w-au...~APS700HF/

[kourt]

[drj434343]

I agree that a 1500 W inverter is more than I'll ever need. Even my laptop (Surface) can recharge on DC USB. That said, I'm willing to take (and pay) for that capacity because that package offers a battery charger, inverter, and solar charge all in one package. If there's a unit with lower wattage that does the same with a remote control, I'm all in!

[drj434343]

I'd like to resurrect this thread, and hopefully kourt can chime in once again. I've pretty much copied his setup with the Yandina 160 and Meanwell 1500 alongside a 200 Ah AGM house battery and 65 Ah AGM starter battery.

I'm far enough along in testing to have connected everything and started charging both batteries via an outlet connected Meanwell through the Yandina.

There are a couple of questions that have emerged as everything has come together.

1. The Yandina seems to combine batteries if either battery is above 13.1 V. The resting voltage of a fully charged AGM seems to be 13.1 V or slightly higher. That means I'm right on the boarder between having both batteries connected even when not charging, which leads to the next question.

2. The Yandina specs report a 400 A closing current, but I don't know how fast it reacts. If the house and starter batteries remain connected because of a high resting voltage (or if they are actively solar charging), I am afraid the system will attempt to draw large amounts of current from the house battery during a start.

I'm assuming other people, (kourt included), are running Yandina units with solar charging and start their Vanagons when the batteries are combined and charging. Can anyone report on how the Yandina behaves or if there are any consequences?

[drj434343]

After some additional testing and charging I can confirm that once fully charged, the AGM batteries have a resting voltage that exceeds 13.1 V. This causes the Yandina to constantly join and disconnect the starter and house batteries when sitting.

Anyone else have experience with this?

[kourt]

I believe what you are describing is happening in my installation.

I haven't had cause to suspect the large current draw from the house battery during a start simply due to the fact that the Yandina installation calls for a relatively small gauge wire in the charging path. I believe this is done as a matter of guaranteeing resistance and therefore no great current through that wire. I could be wrong.

I know with certainty I have started my van many times with the batteries combined through the Yandina, to no ill effect (and I check the wires for current damage seasonally).

I noticed some comments above regarding the size of the inverter, and the infrequent need for such a large inverter. I agree with those sentiments, but then again I found myself in the middle of a cow pasture with a Vanagon and this inverter, needing to run a circular saw and an air compressor. No problem. Glad I had the big inverter.

kourt

[Zeitgeist 13]

That's pretty impressive ^^^
_________________
Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[drj434343]

If the small wire size is Yandina's solution to that problem, that is a poor solution. Yes, a smaller wire and more resistance will reduce the current draw from a house battery connected through the Yandina compared with the directly wired starter battery, but a percentage of the current will still get drawn through that route. A house battery specifically designed for lower current draw and not for vehicle starting, could get damaged by repeated current draw spikes.

The Yandina obviously disconnects when the voltage drops, which will happen when starting, but without knowing how fast it responds, I can't know if I'll stay connected for that 1 or 2 seconds of starting.

Something like this would seem more appropriate for starting protection, but doesn't address the AGM high resting voltage issue.

https://www.bluesea.com/products/7610/SI-ACR_Automatic_Charging_Relay_-_12_24V_DC_120A

What I really need is something like this (but with a higher current rating):

http://www.magnum-dimensions.com/smart-battery-combiner

Note the fully adjustable connect and disconnect voltages. There isn't enough information on their website to determine if it is designed to disconnect in a starting condition.

[PDXWesty]

[kourt]

I empathize with your concern but I think this is a non-existent problem. Physics, through wire sizing, makes sure your house battery is not being tasked for starting primarily, and secondarily through auto disconnects due to voltage drop. The way the Yandina is designed is meant to specifically address this problem--it is meant for the user to install and then forget about---no need to remember to manually switch your banks to isolate the house battery from the starting demand. It totally succeeds in that promise.

Drawing power back through the combiner is exactly what the Yandina combiner is designed not to do.

kourt

[drj434343]

If my resting voltage is causing the batteries to stay connected when fully charged, and the Yandina takes 2 minutes to disconnect, my math says the house battery will be asked for 54 amps during a 500 CCA start. That isn't insignificant, but probably within the range of safe current draws from that battery.

[kourt]

Your statement above assumes equity of resistance. Properly installed, that is not the case. Place your multitester on the house battery when the batteries are combined, start the van, and report the results.

kourt

[drj434343]

No my statement assumes parallel paths to the starter motor with variable resistance. That's why the aux battery only sees 54 amps of the 500 amp draw.