Be gentle guys, my first go around in this world. I just picked up a tent trailer and I'd like to add a bit of 120v for those amenities that make our lives a little better.
A brief inventory of what I currently have:
- I'll be towing with my 2014 4Runner which currently has a Diehard 31m and a 7pin trailer connect. The AUX + pin is hot when the key is in the running position. Voltage appears to be .2 lower than batt and I've not traced the entire run to check gauge or fuse rating, I'd bet small. I have the 31M-PC2150ST version of this battery converted to 4 post which gives me very very clean wiring with my Warn ZEON 10S Platinum winch.
- I have a fairly cheap 12amp charger that I use to bring the starter battery up every 6 months or so when I get down to 12.1v (I have a blue sea m-LVD in the 4Runner babysitting the UHF radio, subwoofer, dashcam, amplifier, and LED bar).
- A new BushRanger 200XT on its way
Now what I think I want:
- I need the ability to charge the trailer battery prior to the trips with something a little more intelligent and capable of bringing something that's be drained a bit more than my $40 schumacher might support.
- I'd love to keep the trailer charging while in tow (between spots during long trips)
- I'd like a battery swappable with my vehicle battery. I know if I'm at the trailer and in a position to swap batteries I could just as easily jump them but something about this really appeals to me but I'm willing to be talked out of it (lower costs, more Ah).
- Solar, yep.
Parts:
I'm still looking around but I think I'm sold on a foldable solar product like Powerfilm or Flexopower. Form factor aside that means I'm only going to end up with 150W or so of solar.
The CTEK D250S seems like a pretty attractive MPPT charge controller with the alternator input. If I could take the 7pin output of the trailer harness, fuse it down with an auto reset breaker to protect the factory wiring or increase the gauge I'd at least get some help from the 4Runner alternator.
For the charger/inverter the Samlex EVO-2212 looks pretty attractive. Pure sine wave (I'll be running a lot of sensitive electronic like laptops, battery chargers) and I've outgrown 600W and 1200W inverters in the past so I'd like to overspec this a bit. I'm not the biggest fan of needing to support 280ish A on the battery cables but I'll make it work. It does have a solar input but that seems redundant with the D250S.
Again with another 31m I'd have 105Ah.
So what's broken here? From reading the forums I gather that I should never equalize an AGM, the 2212 also has a pretty hefty 100A of charging if I add a second battery. I'd love an all in one solution here but I think this is as minimal as I can get.
Thoughts?
A brief inventory of what I currently have:
- I'll be towing with my 2014 4Runner which currently has a Diehard 31m and a 7pin trailer connect. The AUX + pin is hot when the key is in the running position. Voltage appears to be .2 lower than batt and I've not traced the entire run to check gauge or fuse rating, I'd bet small. I have the 31M-PC2150ST version of this battery converted to 4 post which gives me very very clean wiring with my Warn ZEON 10S Platinum winch.
- I have a fairly cheap 12amp charger that I use to bring the starter battery up every 6 months or so when I get down to 12.1v (I have a blue sea m-LVD in the 4Runner babysitting the UHF radio, subwoofer, dashcam, amplifier, and LED bar).
- A new BushRanger 200XT on its way
Now what I think I want:
- I need the ability to charge the trailer battery prior to the trips with something a little more intelligent and capable of bringing something that's be drained a bit more than my $40 schumacher might support.
- I'd love to keep the trailer charging while in tow (between spots during long trips)
- I'd like a battery swappable with my vehicle battery. I know if I'm at the trailer and in a position to swap batteries I could just as easily jump them but something about this really appeals to me but I'm willing to be talked out of it (lower costs, more Ah).
- Solar, yep.
Parts:
I'm still looking around but I think I'm sold on a foldable solar product like Powerfilm or Flexopower. Form factor aside that means I'm only going to end up with 150W or so of solar.
The CTEK D250S seems like a pretty attractive MPPT charge controller with the alternator input. If I could take the 7pin output of the trailer harness, fuse it down with an auto reset breaker to protect the factory wiring or increase the gauge I'd at least get some help from the 4Runner alternator.
For the charger/inverter the Samlex EVO-2212 looks pretty attractive. Pure sine wave (I'll be running a lot of sensitive electronic like laptops, battery chargers) and I've outgrown 600W and 1200W inverters in the past so I'd like to overspec this a bit. I'm not the biggest fan of needing to support 280ish A on the battery cables but I'll make it work. It does have a solar input but that seems redundant with the D250S.
Again with another 31m I'd have 105Ah.
So what's broken here? From reading the forums I gather that I should never equalize an AGM, the 2212 also has a pretty hefty 100A of charging if I add a second battery. I'd love an all in one solution here but I think this is as minimal as I can get.
Thoughts?