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Just how big a bank are you planning? Mine is 600Ah @ 12v and I do the stove/microwave/espresso/induction/diesel heat/etc. all day long, on AGM. Since I can't make my own LiFePO4 battery bank, I am looking at charge of around 100A @ 12v from a combination of 80A from the alternator (40A @ 24v)...

Interesting. At the same time, I am hearing some chatter about the benefits of slowing the charge to assure better cell balancing. ReLion, for example, cut their recommended charge rates when their batteries are paralleled. As a total novice at the world of lithium, I wondered if this might...

Without knowing all of the details here, I have a 24v MB 917AF and I charge a 12v camper bank with a REDARC BCDC1240D which outputs 40A. Sterling Power makes a similar battery to battery charger that outputs up to 70A for the same price. I have a 24v/100A alternator which, I believe, is actually...

Marcus has lots of experience with the good, bad, and ugly of a Daily. https://www.tuckstruck.net/ The only one that I have ever seen was reported to be very unstable in cross winds and the owner could not find tires in the US. He has since sold it...

Tiger had quality control issues with the Malayan and Siberian shells that they subcontracted. Now under new management, they have gone back to their base unit, the Bengal and produce a very nice unit, midway between a conventional RV and a full on expedition vehicle. Earthcruiser and Nimbl are...

Rob sourced our alternator from Adam Nations. We went with the 24v 100A unit in stock. There was a 200A unit at around $1,000, but it would have had to be ordered. Adam and his troops are most helpful. And the alternator has not misbehaved. https://www.nationsstarteralternator.com/

Three documents which may help: -- Watts Up -- Charging Up -- Doubling Up https://diplostrat.net/documents/ Basically, calculate your load, figure out how to charge it, and, finally, figure out how to combine a dedicated starter battery (typically high cranking power) with a deep cycle batter...

Actually, that is an excellent way to describe it - the default is isolated; it only combines when a charge source is available. FWIW: Magnum actually refers to their unit as a Smart Battery Combiner. Great minds! ;)

Agree. I just mean that you should not design a system with so little power and so great a load that you depend on the dual battery isolation to save you. I think of it more as a fuse than as a control element.

I would agree with every one of these statements. Many of us are in campers because we spent decades living out of the back of a pickup or similar, so I WANT MY MTV! (OK, in my case, a guitar amp and an espresso machine, but the concept is the same.) Also, there is a difference between a...

Might I ask what you are trying to do and what your loads are? I have expensive scars from playing in the 24v/12v world, and with the caveat of free advice being what you paid for it, may be able to help. N.B. That "equalizer" is expensive and, while I can't be sure, it may have killed one of...

Tanx! I have several friends who have built their own LiFePO4 banks, but they are younger, smarter, and more handsome than me. A friend suggested that I do just what you proposed and another does much the same thing using an Electrodacus as opposed to a Sterling B2B. I can think of two...

All of this. Very clever, especially for those who can build their own lithium cell/BMS combo. I am asking about the nutz 'n bolts. Seems you could simply run a properly sized cable to the alternator and (as we have beaten into the ground, let the B2B handle that.) -- How would you do solar...

This is one of the best/most interesting ideas I have heard in a while. Got any examples/plans? How would you do this in the real world? :unsure:

Sterling products had their genesis on English narrow (canal) boats when Charles Sterling Sr. tried to find a way to get better performance out of large, deep cycle, "house" or camper batteries. He figured out that the low voltages of most alternators were a real problem as they could not...

Scholars differ. I own a 2000w Magnum and had a 2700w Magnum on my previous truck. With the remote control (get the "Advanced" model) the Magnum is wonderfully flexible - you can set up for just about any battery you can imagine, tailoring just about any spec you want. They can be throttled back...

Nice photos and congrats on the Moose. We drove all through there and saw only one, at a tremendous distance.

And I rarely disagree with you - but until you provide some examples of your own installation(s), and what you have done right and wrong, it can be tricky to judge your creds. You must admit that you tend to be a bit judgmental of any of us who don't have the good fortune to build with a clean...

Don't be silly. All of the roads are used by 5+ ton trucks. Your biggest problem will be that they have churned up so much mud that nothing will get through until the dry season. There are two questions here: -- Size: Other than parks, etc., there are really no legal limits. Track...

ALL of those toys create heat. Our Magnum inverter/charger rocks along at 150F when trying to keep up with a 12v air conditioner. And, in our case, it is right under the dinette table. The other elements are less of an issue. If you have a clean sheet of paper: -- Lithium batteries, water...