Frying Bacon

[thehellend]

Hey all. 

The Bacon Van needs power, and I am totally overwhelmed by my options. I've read a few threads and, honestly, I can't keep up. I hope it's ok if I lay out my requirements, and get some help narrowing down my options. Here's what I want:

• Charging power for 1 laptop (Acer Aspire) and 1 phone (iPhone 6) for 8+ hours - my phone is quite a drain as it is getting old, and I use it for my mobile hotspot which means it pretty much needs to stay plugged in while I use it for that. I'll be using my van for a mobile office, so I need to pull a full day's charge for both the phone and the laptop. Laptop's battery lasts about 4-5 hours during high-use times, and phone lasts about 2 hours while tethering.
• The ability to store and use power after dark - as I understand it, solar panels pull the power and can directly feed items, but if I want to 'bank' that power for use on dull days or after dark, I'd need some kind of power bank to collect it all up in. I might choose to watch a show or two at night on overnight camping trips, or have an emergency phone charging situation. So while my power storage needs aren't big, they're there.
• Fancy lights for entertaining - she'll be a mobile hangout spot at events, meaning I'll want to run lighting for at least a few hours after dark. I saw some solar powered things on Amazon, so I guess this can be handled separately if needs be, or with battery-powered LED lights, but worth mentioning.

Things I don't want/need:

• Charging for fridge/freezer/hairdryer/tumble dryer
• Power for a stove - despite the title of this post, I'll actually be frying literal bacon on a regular camping stove. And eating cold taco bell
• Complicated setup - I'm happy to learn a little entry-level wiring for this, but I'm still afraid of my car battery, so I will need to take it easy on the electrician stuff. I also don't really want to drill any holes in my van

My budget is probably max $250, less is better of course. I'd love a solar option because I suck at remembering to pre-charge things before trips, and I want to have an emergency option for power if I get stranded. I also just like the eco-mindedness of it all.

Oh, and sort of a biggie - for an inexplicable reason, my van does not have a cigarette lighter port.

Feed me your knowledge! Please and thank you! 

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

A laptop and phone are not really a lot of power.  Not compared to some set-ups, anyway.

I'm not familiar with any other posts or threads you have here, so forgive me if this has been covered elsewhere.  Will you be driving every day?  If so, for how long or how far?  Or will you be sitting in one place for long periods of time?  Do you absolutely, positively need to keep working even if it rains for 3 days straight?

 

[John61CT]

Similar needs and restrictions to here https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=23759

A better quality solution may require going over budget, IMO better to save up a bit longer than have to replace it sooner.

Batteries are consumable, the infrastructure around them should outlast the van.

Overcoming your fear and ignorance, maybe with a little onsite help will go a long way toward better DIY value.

IMO I would recommend building a system where moving up to a fridge would just mean putting in a bigger battery.

If you decide to go solar you always want as much as you can fit, but again, needs saving up for first.

 

[NeedAnEscape]

Easiest option for something built in to the van would be to add the missing cig lighter socket, make sure your starting battery is in good condition, and get a jump pack in case you drain it too far. Add a 100w solar kit or a portable panel if you won't be driving every day.

 

[Almost There]

I agree with Lost!

With a new decent battery under the hood I found that I could keep my laptop and cell phone charged for up to 3 days while sitting. Day 4 without driving meant that I needed a boost.

I did not do that test deliberately, I found that by accident before I installed a van full of wiring.

And before we hear about compromising the starting battery, right now we're talking about an interim solution while money is saved and the electrical learning curve is accomplished!

2 Blue Sea accessory plugs, some 10 gauge wire, a package of connectors, inline fuses for each outlet and a booster pack for when someone forgets how many days  :angel: it's been and bingo Thehellend has a means of communicating with the outside world.

The only  holes needed to be drilled would be in the dash plastic for installing the outlets. Not like cutting in to the metal and they'd do what the manufacturer failed to do.

 

[Zizzer_Zazzer_Zuz]

I started small so I had less invested to learn with ... and break. I would suggest a relatively small system for your needs.

1x POLYCRYSTALENE panel 40-60 watts
1x PWM charge controler
1x AGM 12v battery with amp hours that match or are less than the watts of the panel (if 40 watts then 40 amp hours)
Inline fuse holders and fuses
A spool of 10awg solar wire
A pack of MC4 connectors
-crimping tool
-MC4 tool
-you might be able to borrow these
A trolling motor battery box with 12v ciggy outlets
Charge phone via ciggy lighter socket
Buy a 12v ciggy socket charger for your laptop
A string of LED lights with a.12v power source

This may get you above $250 but it's about as cheap as you can go.

I have a small Chinese charge controler with 2 5v USB ports but my panel will not charge two devices AND the battery at the same time.

The $130 Harbor freight set up may seem appealing but for the $130 you can do so much more.



Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[John61CT]

Note that you must in the end replace the power consumed.

If from the alternator only, that means the battery rarely gets all the way to full and will die prematurely.

Regular high-amp overnight shore charging is a good solution, or a certain amount of solar.

The latter inputs are definitely required to get the long-term value out of the one necessary piece, a good quality true deep-cycling battery.

If that ends up replacing the starter under the hood, you can save up for it while you make do with the current one.

A jumper pack is one option, but my preference would be an LVD unit that cuts off the House loads before the single battery gets too low to crank.

That will also extend both its lifetime and that of its more expensive replacement.

Regularly drawing down to the point you need a jump will murder any lead battery over time, so should not be a strategy used once money's been spent on a new one.

 

[lenny flank]

It sounds like your power needs are roughly the same as mine (laptop, phone, lights). You should be good with a 105 amp-hour deep cycle battery.

You basically have two good options to charge it. One option is to connect the house battery to your alternator so it charges while you are driving. This is a good choice if you drive often. I don't--I spend weeks parked in the same Walmart--so that wouldn't work for me.

Advantage to you of the dual-battery system: it's cheaper than solar. The disadvantages: it's not very expandable in the future.

So I use a 100w solar panel system, which is also another option for you. The advantages: It doesn't require any driving to charge the battery, and it's expandable in the future if you need it. The disadvantage: it costs more.

 

[666JTK666]

High There folks,
I am chimeing in here cause the OP stated he is useing an acer aspire laptop.
As it happens I am useing the same and I have used the following for over a year.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012FREMNG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's a 12v/120v laptop powersupply, It comes with a bunch of tips for various laptops inc acer.
If your laptop uses 19-21v dc then this would work for you. Useing this powersupply you will not need to buy an inverter to power your laptop.

Just noticed Amazon say's it's unavailable so I did a little poking around here is an ebay link.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ZOZO-90W-12...er-Charger-5V-USB-Port-for-Asus-/381670699246

btw these links are not making me a profit in any way, I am just wanting to be helpful where I can.

 

[DLTooley]

I started small so I had less invested to learn with ... and break. I would suggest a relatively small system for your needs.

1x POLYCRYSTALENE panel 40-60 watts
1x PWM charge controler
1x AGM 12v battery with amp hours that match or are less than the watts of the panel (if 40 watts then 40 amp hours)

The typical small setup is 100 watts solar and two golf cart batteries with an MPPT Controller.  this will run you more than $250, but not by much.  There is much written on this subject.

I have a similar micro-system as above, with the trolling motor battery box and a 50 watt panel.  AGM batteries have advantages but on a cost basis traditional flooded lead acid is the way to go.  I have 5 years on my Walmart Group 27 Marine battery. I did kill the first one under the one year warranty. I am also connected to the alternator.  If it rains for three days I drive into town on the third and top things off with the drive. (My controller is next to the house battery in a sealed sandwich meat tub.)  This is roughly based on a 20% of total amp hours per day and beyond that I have no worries. 

I'd recommend this setup, with an eye towards the upgrade in your original purchase - such as an appropriately sized MPPT controller and good cabling.

I am looking at this upgrade now, for a 12v fridge, and hoping LiFePo4 batteries will be available by the time I pull the plug on this one.

 

[thehellend]

Thank you everyone! I posted this and then had to go and do a bunch of things and get distracted. I don't think I will do a lot of multiple day trips where the van is not driven, so using the starter battery is clearly the way to go right now. I really DO want to go solar, but I didn't really consider just how much it would cost, so I'm probably best dealing with what I have and going from there.

As luck would have it, I was removing the old TV and found a 12v plug! It's in the little cubby where the TV went, so it makes a nice little area to keep all my charging items too. I'm going to look into getting a jump start kit and just use the regular battery power until my needs become more apparent.

Thanks for all the amazing advice, it's really helped me find the starting point I need

 

[highdesertranger]

sounds good for now. highdesertranger

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Well I def fried up some Bacon tonite because of this post. Was at the butcher shop getting a few steaks for dinner when I saw some fresh thick sliced bacon. Then this post went off in my head like a light bulb and I put the steaks in the fridge for tomorrow and made myself breakfast for supper.