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Making progress on the evaporator. My welds look like ********, probably a result on using straight argon (I am welding lots of aluminum and don't want to buy another bottle). IMG_20200714_150548356 IMG_20200715_091442550 IMG_20200715_101908209 IMG_20200715_101912718

I took at a look at those. 8,000btu is a bit larger than I need. The real issue is the condenser is ~20" tall, which is not conducive to underbody mounting. The compressors are also 12-14" tall, which doesn't make for easy interior mounting once you include vibration dampening. Now I could...

The process could be performed using just rivets. Sheetmetal screws tend to loosen over time. Small machine bolts could work, but there is limited interior clearance in spots. I chose to weld because I had the machine setup from another project. The evap will require some different assembly...

Picked up some 16 and 22 gauge steel sheet and started hacking a bit. Welding dirty 28 gauge metal is not fun with 0.03" wire, bit it should hold together.

I don't have any issue with startup surge, as I have a 3kw inverter. I am mostly just thinking of ways to reduce cycling and power consumption when cooling just my bed area. In modest temps, such as a 80F night with 100% humidity, I may want to sleep in comfort. That doesn't need a lot of...

There are supposedly single phase VSDs, not sure how well they work. I am only familiar with the 3 phase variety.

Inverter losses are about 8% for this load. You can do the math. The best units are between 2.5-4.0 coefficient of performance. That means for every 1 watt of input power you get 2.5-4.5W of cooling. So if you want 5,000btu/hr (1,460W) of cooling, you need about 1,460/3 = 486W of input...

I paid $960 for 560 AH. 3k rated cycles.

You might look at my thread on DIY LFP packs. Prices are good.

Depends on how much you run it. It uses about 450-500W running through an inverter. I am working on a way to run or at half speed for half the cooling.

Surgery. IMG_20200712_155105466 IMG_20200712_161611132

I decided to break out the AC unit build over here. https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/building-a-micro-split-ac-system.216931/

Initial work on this subject is over here. https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/overland-sprinter-build.156260/page-10 The short of it, I am trying to build a Split AC system in the ~5,000btu range. Limited space, cost, and running occasionally from battery power drove me towards...

Related, there are several mail order laser cutting services. I have had good luck with this one. Instant quotes, they meet their shipping deadlines, etc. There are several free cad programs you can use to draw a 2D part, and its effortless to upload and get a quote. No dealing with a surly...

I have had similar experiences on boats, so stainless was my go-to. Though I have heard they increased the glass fiber content of the plastic recently, but who knows. The southco original stainless are something like 30$+ each. The galley looks like its going to be around 1,000$ with...

I am thinking Southco M1 Latches. They have a model that works with 2-7mm thick front panels, which is ideal. I am not looking forward to welding all these bins up. But I am tired of water damage, splintered edges, and broken glue joints in wood.

Beating on the galley a bit today. Topic of the day is lightening holes.

Making progress on the galley design. I tried some of the SMAW/stick aluminum electrodes on some 0.1" aluminum I had lying around. The results were atrocious. Brutally hard to start at low amperage and very short arc length. The flux pool is indistinguishable from the metal pool. I can't...

I have a battery build going over here. Steel for the box is in the mail, and cells will be on a boat soon. Making some progress on the galley. I think we have decided to go with aluminum bins. Still working on the counter material. I was thinking high density plywood, but I believe...

Cool, keep us posted on your results. If I was mounting inside I would use a simple enclosure method. But these are going exterior. The last piece of equipment mounted in that area got filled with Australian dirt and mud packed solid. So I need a bit of protection. :ROFLMAO: