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OK folks (Especially Dave and Verkstad): THANK YOU! Problem has been identified (damaged wire on the negative battery cable.) Here is the underside view of the damaged negative cable (right at the terminal.) Pretty gnarly! So I cut off that end and crimped a ring terminal onto it...

Dave: I have an extra Bojack fuse block (and extra fuses.) I can't think of any reason that WOULDN'T work. It would mean the circuit is fused on both the + and - sides but there's no down side to that, right?

OK, I think I may have isolated the problem. I thought I'd try checking resistance to the whole cable from the battery to the cab. I'd been spending all my time looking at the + terminal (with the fuse.) But when I went to take the negative terminal off the battery, this is what I saw...

So here's the update as of this mornings testing: I went out and connected the ring terminals at the fuse block to the same terminal (bypassing the fuse itself.) With the engine OFF it is showing 12+ v: So then I started the engine. Now showing 13+v and getting a strong green pilot...

Thanks, that’s a good recommendation. I actually just changed out the fuse block a few months ago so that might be part of the problem. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Posting here because this board is the fount of knowledge on power and electrical stuff as far I can tell. If you've seen my other posts you know that for the past 5 years I've been running my 12v fridge off of my "redneck Jackery" power box. The power box is simply a trolling motor box with...

UPDATE 6/5/2025: Field tested! We took a trip to Flaming Gorge in Utah last weekend. No electrical hookups at all and we were camped in a large group campground, essentially 'boondocking' but with reservations. As with our trip to Key West last year, I once again forgot to bring my external...

Interesting, this is the system I use to charge the camper battery from the truck, using the truck as my "generator:" 1100W inverter attached to the truck battery and 120v AC charger plugged into the inverter. I tested it out in the field for the first time last weekend and it worked great...

OK, that makes sense. Can the output of an MPPT controller be adjusted or modified? I assume if it is stepping down voltage from a 19v solar panel to the ~14 ish volts it would take to charge a LiFePo battery. But if I'm plugging it into a cigarette lighter-type adapter, which probably puts...

So the Jackery/bluetti/goal zero etc must have something like that in it, right? Because they can be charged from a 12v socket. But it must be a small thing because those things aren't very big. That's the specific component I'm looking for. Yes, of course I can use a DC-DC charger. I...

So the Bluetti, Jackery, etc portable power packs all incorporate a number of features with their LiFePo batteries. Since I like to make my own, I'm curious to know what exact component charges the battery? I presume it's some kind of DC-DC charger that is then connected to a step-down...

I swapped both of the 12v lead acid batteries in our 2021 Rockwood Geo Pro 19BH last year so I may be able to speak to this. I was concerned about the on-board converter not being "rated" to charge lithium, but I can tell you after almost 6 months of experience (which included trips to the...

POSTSCRIPT: FOR THE FUSE COPS J/K. ;) I know safety is important and the last thing anybody wants is an electrical fire next to two lithium batteries and 2 propane tanks. :oops: First step was to fuse the big 2AWG cable running from the truck battery to the 175A Anderson connector. After...

I think what he was saying is that it was smart for me to wait until LiFePo prices went down before I started my journey. Yeah the charger apparently senses the battery type and adjusts voltage accordingly. I think it charges at 14.3 or 14.5v when hooked to a LiFePo battery. The display on...

Eh, I don't know that I see that as being necessary. I mean I COULD put a big 40A or 50A fuse block on it where it connects to the battery but why? I mean, I guess in theory the Anderson connector could break if I hit a bump and ground the positive to the trailer frame but I think that...

Well, the project is finally "Done" done. Obviously having to connect the 120vAC battery charger to the camper using alligator clips was not a viable long-term solution. I didn't want to have to pop the top off my battery cover every time I charged them so I made a small "pigtail" with a...

Also you have to remember that using the inverter to charge the camper battery is something that only happens when we are stopped. I don't use this setup when we are moving down the road. In theory I suppose I could use a setup something like this while moving (as Burleyman did above.) As...

As we used to say in the Army, "If it's stupid but it works, it isn't stupid." My only concern about what you posted above is having the inverter permanently mounted behind the grill. Did you do anything to waterproof or protect it? I would be worried about rain, dirt, etc, getting into the...

I didn't notice any change in idle speed on the truck while the inverter was running. It's a 230A alternator and the inverter is only pulling about 33A so I can't imagine it would have much effect. Obviously I'm not running a lot of other stuff at the same time I'm charging the battery.

Just as an update, I finished my other project and now have the ability to use the truck's alternator to charge the camper batteries, using an 1100W inverter connected to a 30A 120vAC battery charger. See the last updates on the thread here...