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There are several articles on the linked page: -- One is a slightly dated white paper on the problems of charging a lead acid battery in a typical overland camper (as opposed to RV) situation: https://cookfb.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/electrical-power-for-the-overland-camper-the-problem.pdf...

Snarky answer out of the way, some news you may be able to use. -- Post this in the 12v forum and do some reading there. All of your questions will be answered. -- Most decent camper systems link the starter battery to the camper battery with some form of isolation. -- Solar and shore power are...

:D

Xantrex should be perfect for those loads! And a lot less expensive.

One small detail on inverters. Consider whether you need a low frequency/big iron inverter or whether the high frequency Xantrax will be adequate. This is advertising, but the basic information is correct...

Beautiful, beautiful work! Color us jealous!

To complete the circle, I ordered five wheels from Fabian Heidtmann, mounted them with General Grabbers and they are wonderfully round! the square tread plows a bit in mud and snow and there may be a case to be made for the Michelin or Goodyear tires in the 385/65x22.5 size, as they may have...

Since I have, over the years, written or edited many of those, I would agree that they are a great place to start. Also read those from the FCO, the Canadians, and the Australians. These are all nations with similar travel profiles and it makes a great compare and contrast exercise. But do...

Hmmm. Worth starting here, perhaps? If you are seriously ready to purchase, a call of e-mail would be appropriate. If not ready to buy, sign up for their newsletter. https://earthcruiser.com/earthcruiser-v8/

An observation: Most of the people who have not traveled overseas are concerned about safety outside of the US. Most of the people who are traveling outside of the US do not report such concerns. The number of places where US citizens are not welcomed is tiny compared to the number of places...

But only to a point. All of the B2B makers spec BIG wires and recommend going larger if there is any question. Remember a B2B typically has to draw more amps than its rated output in order to have a reserve to boost the voltage. But, as most B2B are only 25-50A, you are often dealing with...

Battery to Battery chargers, aka B2B/DC-DC/etc. are great toys when your vehicle's regulator/alternator system does not match the voltage requirements of your auxiliary/camper/house/winch/whatever battery. Common applications include: -- Vehicles which run at 13.9v. This includes many Toyotas...

Too easy, just use the same setup that I do. (See Post #38.) I have a relay between the BCDC 1240D that only MAKES the connection when the ignition is on. (You don't have to touch the SBC at all, trigger the relay from the ignition. Basically, you want my "Twisted Sister™" wiring, only with the...

Remember, this beast works backwards. To kill it, you either have to provide 12v to the relay OR simply open one leg of the circuit through the SBC. If you want a simple kill switch, put it on the actual load circuit though the SBC. Free advice, worth what you paid for it. ;)

Again, you are creating cures for non-existent diseases. -- "Controlled Charge"?? That is what the BCDC will do all by itself. -- Problem with the SBC? It will stop working. -- The switch with the ML-ACR has no mojo - it is just a switch. Any magic is in the ML-ACR. -- The SBC doesn't limit...

Dude, ya gotta take a break! This is a trickle charge circuit, it is not a self jump circuit. If you want a self jump capacity, then, depending on the distance between your camper battery and the starter battery, you are back to wiring up with ultra heavy cable. If you want to add a manual...

Nope. Blue Sea: https://www.bluesea.com/products/7622/ML-ACR_Automatic_Charging_Relay_with_Manual_Control_-_12V_DC_500A Relay Contact Position Combine 30 sec 13.5V Combine 90 sec 13.0V Open 10 sec 12.35V Open 30 sec 12.75V Open High 16.2V

FWIW: BlueSea ACR: Combine - 13v, Separate - 12.75v

As noted: -- If you want a State of Charge meter (and you probably do) you need one that works with lithium. Thereafter, it is easy. The shunt is on the negative terminal of the battery(s) being measured. The meter ignores all other batteries - which is fine, you don't care about your starter...

This is my belief as well. I consider this to be a huge plus when you have charge sources attached to each battery bank - typically starter battery to engine and camper battery to solar/shore. If you park for an extended period (months) between trips, then your solar or shore power keeps the...