Computer Screen & Solar Panels

[uncagingmyspirit]

Two different subject questions<br><br>Computers<br><br><ul><li>Has anyone installed a large or larger computer screen in their converted van to use with your laptop.</li><li>Is there a wireless option to connect your laptop to screen?&nbsp;</li><li>How do you hide it when your away from the van - pull down screen over it,&nbsp;divider&nbsp;between front seats &amp; back &nbsp;...</li><li>When not in the city what is the best way or only way to connect to the internet? When I traveled there was no way to connect to the internet in the middle of nowhere without spending a lot of money on equipment - has this changed?&nbsp;</li></ul>Solar Panels<br><br><ul><li>Does anyone use them on a&nbsp;converted&nbsp;cargo to rv van</li><li>Does it charge a full size laptop?&nbsp;</li><li>Cloudy day - no power?&nbsp;</li><li>If the solar panels are installed on the roof does this take away points from stealth?&nbsp;</li></ul><br><br>

 

[highdesertranger]

don't know how many&nbsp;amp hrs to charge your lap top but if you were to couple an aux battery to your panels the answer is yes it would work.&nbsp; make sure you figure your amp hr needs first and then build from there.&nbsp; as far as a cloudy day&nbsp;you will still get some power from your panels just allot less.&nbsp; you will even get a little if you park under a street light.&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[Noah]

I use about 16-18 amp hours to charge my laptop from empty. You never want your battery to drop below 50% so I'd suggest at least a 50 amp hour 12 volt battery. The less you discharge it, the longer it will last. <BR><BR>You can never really use the solar panels directly without a battery because the voltage is usually too high and the amp output is not consistent. The battery not only stores your power but it also regulates the 12 to 13 volts that your junk runs off of.<BR><BR>My 80 watts of solar panels put out about 3.5 amps in the summer and bring my 18 amp hours back within a&nbsp;few hours.<BR><BR>You are looking at 3 to 4 hundred bucks for a simple system including solar panel(s), charge controller, wiring, deep cycle battery, and hardware.&nbsp;You'll either need a 12 volt&nbsp;laptop&nbsp;charger or an inverter to use your regular charger, but expect the inverter to draw another amp just by being on.&nbsp; This is the minimum equipment needed to charge your laptop without a specially made panel with the right voltage output and honestly, they don't really work well.&nbsp;Spend the money, You'll be glad you&nbsp;did.&nbsp;

 

[uncagingmyspirit]

Thanks,&nbsp;<br><br>It's a start and see that will be an upgrade after the basics of the conversion. I'm putting together a plan of what should come first, second ect...&nbsp;

 

[wrcsixeight]

I've never measured exactly how many amp hours my laptop takes to fully charge the battery but I think 16 to 18 amp hours is about right, if the laptop is on while charging the battery. &nbsp;All laptops will vary in this number anyway and will vary with task being performed while on.<br><br>My 13 inch TV has inputs for a Laptop and many other input options, but that is no larger than my laptop screen, and inside a Van, I have had no reason for desiring a larger screen.<br><br>Laptops get closed and stored out of view. &nbsp;My TV is on a long swing arm with 3 hinge points. &nbsp;I put it horizontal and locked for driving. &nbsp;Not really hidden, but not obvious either, depending on how I have my window shades set that day.<br><br>It is possible to power things directly with solar, but it is not a wise approach. &nbsp;Solar is better thought of as a battery charger. &nbsp;Pull electricity from the battery, allow the solar to replenish the battery.<br><br>It is easier to use less electricity than to create gobs of it, so devices should be bought with energy frugality in mind. &nbsp;LED backlit screens are much more efficient than previous LCD displays. &nbsp;A 'car converter' for your laptop will use a lot less battery power than using an inverter to power the original included power brick. &nbsp;LED lights can put out the same amount of light for 1/10 the electrical consumption.<br><br>That said, many solar newbies act like a solar panel puts out its rated wattage sun up to sundown. &nbsp;First off, almost no panel meets its lab specified rating in actual use. &nbsp;Secondly, even on a good sunny day, maximum output is an hour or 2 each side of noon with the panel placed so it faces the sun directly. &nbsp;Flat on the roof, especially in winter, and hope you see 2/3 the rating at noon. &nbsp;I have had overcast days where I see 9/10 what I expect to see in full sun, and other overcast days where I see 1/25 of what I would expect to see on a sunny day. &nbsp;Too many variables, but overcast does not mean no recharging is occurring.<br>I've parked under bright Street lights, and seen 8 volts. &nbsp;Cant recharge a 12 volt battery with 8 volts.<br><br>So, now that solar prices are as low as can be expected anytime soon, aim high. &nbsp;It is hard to have too much solar, while it is much too easy to find you do not have enough. Just adding more is not that easy if the charge controller cannot handle more, and the wiring must be upgraded to handle more unless you oversized it in the first place. So do it once, right, and that means panel(s) which fit nicely on your roof, and a battery bank not too big for the solar and adequate wiring for minimal acceptable voltage drop. &nbsp;Figure around a hundred watts of solar per 100 amp hours of storage.<br><br>You don't want to try to plan on having just enough solar. &nbsp;Any solar is better than no solar, but if solar is to be the main charging source, aim high.<br><br>I recommend taking advantage of the alternator for recharging house batteries, in addition to the solar. &nbsp;Thick cabling between alternator and house batteries will allow maximum recharging current to reach distant house batteries, but copper is expensive, and thick cabling can also allow thirsty batteries to shorten the life of the alternator as it creates a lot of heat when asked to produce a lot of amperage.<br><br>As solar rarely ever meets it rated wattage, an alternator rarely can produce its rated amperage. &nbsp;If it can, it cannot do so for long, yet they are commonly thought of as magical and instant battery rechargers by the general public. &nbsp;Also, it is not free energy. &nbsp;25 alternator amps requires about 1 engine HP.<br><br>When my batteries are low, and my alternator is making 75 amps, I can feel it in my gas pedal. On a 5.2 liter V8.&nbsp;<br><br>

 

[David]

Solar is the way to go if you intend to live in your van and want reliable access to power where ever you go. You can however get by on a cheap&nbsp;inverter that plugs into a cig lighter or even better yet wired to the battery power. &nbsp;You don't need a 1500 watt&nbsp;inverter&nbsp;to charge a lap top.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br>I used to work out of my truck and needed to carry my lap top because I had to do many stops so I'd set a route on the map program and use it as GPS. I used just a cheap little&nbsp;inverter&nbsp;from a auto parts store. Was something like 200 or 300 watts. It eventually let all the smoke escape and became junk, but that was after a few years of use.<br><br>You just have to make sure the van is running while you use the&nbsp;inverter if you are using it off the car battery.

 

[Van-Tramp]

Hi uncagingmyspirit,<br><br>I use two laptops in my van on a daily basis (I work online) so I have a bit of experience.<br><br><em>Q - Has anyone installed a large or larger computer screen in their converted van to use with your laptop.</em><br>A - I have in the past, had up to 3 LCD monitors mounted in my van. It looked cool, but honestly it was a waste. Yes, you can run the LCD and LED monitors off your battery for a good amount of time. The larger CRT (big box type) take too much power though.<br><br><em>Q - Is there a wireless option to connect your laptop to screen?&nbsp;</em><br>A - Easy answer, not really. HDMI is your best/easiest route<br><br><em>Q - How do you hide it when your away from the van - pull down screen over it,&nbsp;divider&nbsp;between front seats &amp; back &nbsp;...</em><br>A - Curtains and window coverings<br><br><em>Q -When not in the city what is the best way or only way to connect to the internet?</em> <br>A - "Best way" is subjective, but I use Verizon MiFi ($50 per month) and it has been pretty reliable. For the most part, if you are on asphalt, you have a good chace of a signal. If you venture offroad, you will lose signal fast.<br><br><br><em>Q - Does anyone use them on a&nbsp;converted&nbsp;cargo to rv van</em><br>A - I have <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/more-power/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">4 panels mounted on top of my van</a> </span><br><br><em>Q -Does it charge a full size laptop?&nbsp;</em><br>A - Each laptop's power use is different, but a "normal" one should consume 50-60 watts. To realistically keep it charged up from day to day, you should double the minimum you need. So plan for 100 watts of solar panels.<br><br><em>Q - Cloudy day - no power?&nbsp;</em><br>A - House batteries hold power for you to use on cloudy days. The more batteries, the more power kept in reserve. But you can expect that 2 or more cloudy days will quickly deplete your batteries if you are using your laptop for a number of hours each day.<br><br><em>Q -If the solar panels are installed on the roof does this take away points from stealth?</em> <br>A - Yes, although there are tricks of hiding them. <br><br>Also, mounting on top will reduce their effectiveness over a full 24 hour period. They will only be getting full incoming power at high-noon in summer time. Any other time they will be getting less that full-power. With that said, it is VERY non-stealthy to have un-mounted solar panels set outside your van when you need them. They may bring in more power, but they will surely attract more attention. <br><br>You can read <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/category/solar/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">my experiences on inexpensive solar setups</a></span> if you like.<br><br><br>

 

[rokguy]

<EM><STRONG><SPAN style="COLOR: #888888">I use a 12v wall mounted 19in flat screen TV which I hook up to my 12v Asus EeePC if I want a bigger PC screen. (12v direct is more&nbsp;efficient than&nbsp;using inverters) Though it is harder to find larger laptops&nbsp;running under 19 volts these days. (12v converter ?)</SPAN></STRONG></EM><BR><EM><STRONG><SPAN style="COLOR: #888888">&nbsp;Remote country areas I use a wireless broadband stick with externally booster aerial for my internet $80AU here for 6 months usage. Not many places I've been where the internet doesn't work in Oz.</SPAN></STRONG></EM><BR><EM><STRONG><SPAN style="COLOR: #888888">Everything&nbsp;runs&nbsp;off two 200amp hr Century batteries and two unisolar panels.</SPAN></STRONG></EM><BR><EM><STRONG><SPAN style="COLOR: #888888">Panels on the roof Stealth ? Isn't important here.</SPAN></STRONG></EM><BR><EM><STRONG><SPAN style="COLOR: #888888">Geoff</SPAN></STRONG></EM>

 

[vagari]

I bought a USB TV tuner for my laptop. I can work on my "computer" or watch "TV" on it. If it's on the desk/table right in front of me I did not need a big screen.&nbsp; Just another thought. I also bought a 12 volt power supply off Amazon for my laptop.

 

[bee]

There are numerous options for wireless tv, they do have some draw backs though. &nbsp;They are designed for watching videos they usually have some lag so gaming or even moving the mouse around might be annoying. &nbsp;The simplest one is WIDI which uses a widi compatible laptop and a small box that you plug into your tv. &nbsp;Others use two boxes one that plugs into your tv and one that plugs into your HD output device. &nbsp;These are mainly meant for wall mount big screens to reduce wiring.

 

[marshall]

We have a 240W PV roof mounted system. Use Trojan T-145's (260 Ah) in series for storage/power. Run everything from this system: refer (Engel MT35), 20" TV (Vizio), Blu-Ray , computer, tablets, phone, hotspot and fans. Not connected to alternator. PV is enough. We generally watch TV for 5-6/hrs. night. Charge controller shows I only use on average 20% of batts./night. That translates to appr. 52 amps/night. My computer (Acer 11.6" Core i7) pulls appr. 3.6 amps running and 1.5 off and charging. Used to use an HP USB TV tuner with my old 15.6" laptop, but it would pull 7+ amps doing so and get VERY HOT when running. Got rid of that set up quick. My Vizio (LED) 20" only pulls 1.9 amps. Been fulltiming 3.5 yrs. in an E150 high top so we think we have it down to a science now. In fact, I now install PV systems on RVs and vans on the side. Just finished a 1350W tiltable PV system with 1040 Ah batts. on a 42' Bounder in the Ocala NF, down in FL. Never had a complaint. Anyone can PM me for assistance. My PV below.