12 volt or 120 ?

[jeremy33]

ok so i picked up my new to me truck camper today. the plan is to gut it install new 1 1/2 foam insolation then sheet it in 1/4 inch partical board. my question is i wanna run led interior lighting should i run everything off an inverter or how would i run off 12 volt ? future plan is solor and maybe a 2000 whisper genny. id like to keep the T/C completly sepreate from my truck power wise. plz anyone offer some suggestions and ideas im lost here

 

[gadgetMe]

Jeremy.<br /><br />I would use 12 volt led&nbsp; lights, they will use very little power, you will want to provide a deep cycle battery as a "house battery", separate from your vehicle battery.<br /><br />In the beginning you can charge the battery with 120 volt household hook- up or a small generator, running a small battery charger.<br /><br /> I also should mention that you can acquire a battery isolator that will charge the deep cycle battery while you drive.<br /><br />Later, you will already have a battery for the solar system to charge.<br /><br />You can use the inverter to run 110 volt appliances ( like computers, tv's radios, etc)<br /><br />I have purchased many led lights from <a href="http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&amp;Page2Disp=/led_prods.htm">superbrightleds.com</a><br /><br />My camper has wedge bases, yours may be different , they have all styles.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-...ory=CAR&amp;Page2Disp=/specs/WLED-xHP10-D.htm">Here are the ones is use</a><br /><br />I have found the cool white to be the brightest, warm white the next one down. Buy the led with the yellow centers they last much longer and are much brighter.<br />&nbsp;<br /><br />Putz<br /><br />

 

[jeremy33]

thxs for the reply pondputz and great site. can i wire a bunch of those leds togather? i'd need to buy the one's with the fixtures aswell since im gutting this camper to the shell and dont want to reuse the old 70's light fixtures. So im assuming i wire all the lights and maybe a couple of 12 volt outlets around the camper all to the battery then i run an inverter off the battey to all my 110 outlets is this corect? thxs for the help im not good with electrical

 

[gadgetMe]

You can wire the leds together, wire them in parallel, which means positive to positive and neg to neg.<br /><br />Yup, run all the 12 volt stuff from the battery, wire the inverter to the battery,<br /><br />I also, used a 110 volt extension chord to plug into the inverter 110 outlet, cut the other end of the chord wire it into a household wire box and receptacle, and mount it into the wall or cabinet, you can daisey chain a few of them together in different locations, using the extra wire left over from the extension chord.<br /><br />Using extension chord has advantages over using household romex.<br /><br />Romex is solid wire and vehicle vibrations are not kind to solid wire, the braided wire will give and not break..<br /><br />The 12 volt plugs can be had at any auto supply store<br /><br />Putz<br /><br />

 

[sidat202]

Hi Jeremy33. If you run an aux battery you can buy a standard 80's ford starter solenoid. It has two large connectors and one small. Run from one large connector to the positive post of the truck battery, and the other large to the positive post of the&nbsp;aux battery.&nbsp; ground the aux battery to the frame of the truck. The small wire goes to a positive wire that turns on with the ignition. When you turn the key off it disconnects the aux battery from the truck battery so it wont drain the truck battery. When you turn the key on and start the truck it will also charge the aux battery when the engine is running. The wires going to the battery should be 10 gauge or larger.&nbsp;Enjoy.

 

[sidat202]

Something I have done in the past is buy a cheap set of jumper cables and cut the ends off and use that wire to run to the batteries. Its heavy enough wire and its cheaper then buying a role of wire. You only need one wire for the positive. The ground can be near your battery.

 

[jeremy33]

thxs for all the replys guys i think i have it all figured out now im still in the process of gutting the old camper i think ill buy a camera so i can post up some pic's of my new truck and camper.

 

[VanTrekker]

<p>Good morning.... Just thought I would chime in about the lighting.&nbsp; I tried a lot of approaches&nbsp; but what works best for me is under the counter LED task lighting fixtures.&nbsp; Menards sells some that have 36 LEDs that are arranged in a 6x6 pattern.&nbsp; The fixture can be wired straight to the house battery.&nbsp; It works great.</p><p>Cost is about $25&nbsp;/ per fixture.&nbsp; I'm using three (two over the kitchenette and one over the bed for a reading lamp).&nbsp; The color is very soft and natural, too.&nbsp;&nbsp; You can also get them online from this link.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.menards.com/main/lightin...ts/led-task-accent-light/p-1739002-c-6349.htm">http://www.menards.com/main/lightin...ts/led-task-accent-light/p-1739002-c-6349.htm</a><br /><br />For power, I'm using 100% solar now and two large AGM batteries.&nbsp; I have an A/C but haven't been using it, even in the Iowa drought...&nbsp; Good fans to exhaust the hot air work wonders!&nbsp;<br /><br />V.T.</p>

 

[VanGirl]

I have both 12 and 120 in the van. I created the 12 volt lighting by buying several 12v 1157 light brackets on Ebay. Then I purchased the 12 volt LED bulbs on Ebay. Sad to say they all came from China. I bought some 120 volt light fixtures (the ones I like) at Lowe's. I removed the AC 120 stuff, installed the 12v brackets wired it for dim and bright using a small flip switch. The lights can run for hours without a problem with the deep cycle batteries. I use 120v only on certain items. I have a sine-wave inverter and a 2000 watt Honda.