Does anyone know about ARK Portable battery boxes and where to buy them

[pdxfrogdog]

A question for those considering running dedicated power and connecting to the Arkpak via Anderson power poles: That setup will bypass the internal charge controller correct? If so, what do you plan to use to properly charge and protect the battery in your Arkpak?

 

[Overland_Brandon]

Personally, I am trying to stick to the the ArkPak DC charger for two reasons:

1. Using the Anderson connection would indeed require a separate charge controller.

2. I don't want to use up the Anderson connector spot, as I might want to use it as a access point for charging other devices or using a solar panel.

I believe you could hard wire a new dedicated wire to the ArkPak DC charge controller, and use 30 amp Anderson connectors to connect your ends.

 

[austintaco]

Markerx,
Good points. For my needs, I think the Anderson plug might make a great way to send power to the back of my camper for the few items we run back there. However, when charging with just the car connector, I didn't see the results that I had hoped for unless we hit the highway and got the RPM's up. If we left camp to do a trail, we never really went over 30 mph, and most of the time we spent rolling along the trail, thus the Arkpak did not have enough time to get charged up.
Charging with the Anderson connector could give us that quick charge, but yes, we would have to watch it for an overcharge condition.

Pic4god, I need to check my inverter. I have not run anything off of it, so it could have been fried too. I'll check and report back.

good thread

 

[Corey]

At work we have a weekly meeting on safety stuff, and the boss asked me if I would not mind showing off my Ark setup and a few Goal Zero lanterns.
After the meeting we gathered around the rear of my rig (around 12 of us) and many were intrigued by the setup.

The boss was wanting to make people aware of things we could do in case of a natural disaster and we needed portable power.
She also sent out an email to our whole group with links to the Ark to buy one in case anyone was interested in getting setup like I am.

One guy thought my ARB fridge was a stove though
Many have not seen all the cool stuff that a lot of us take for granted after setting up our rigs to be self sufficient.

 

[Montana Cruiser]

Personally, I am trying to stick to the the ArkPak DC charger for two reasons:

1. Using the Anderson connection would indeed require a separate charge controller.

2. I don't want to use up the Anderson connector spot, as I might want to use it as a access point for charging other devices or using a solar panel.

I believe you could hard wire a new dedicated wire to the ArkPak DC charge controller, and use 30 amp Anderson connectors to connect your ends.

Thanks for pointing out that the Anderson plug bypasses the charge controller, I missed that.

At this point, I think I am going to go ahead and run a dedicated line back to a good quality 12v outlet and locking male connector which will replace the existing connector on the DC power brick. This will allow me to still use the power brick and ArkPak in other vehicles as well.

I want this new dedicated line to the 12v socket to only power up when the key is on, so from searching around it looks like I'll need to tie a solenoid or relay of some sort to the ignition wire somehow. I'm pulling together a parts list and am hoping I can pick everything up at my local marine parts store (those in Seattle, do you have a favorite marine supplier?). Can someone take a look at my list and poke holes into it and/or my plan?

1. Good quality 10g or 12g wire
2. Either a Fuse block (for adding other accessories down the road) or inline fuse (for now, add a fuse block later if needed)
3. Some time of solenoid or relay. I need some assistance here, would a solenoid be better suited or would a relay be enough?
4. A good quality locking 12v socket and plug like this http://www.westmarine.com/buy/marinco--premium-12v-receptacle-and-plug--P009_275_007_002

Am I on the right track here or am I over thinking it?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Brett From Ark]

A question for those considering running dedicated power and connecting to the Arkpak via Anderson power poles: That setup will bypass the internal charge controller correct? If so, what do you plan to use to properly charge and protect the battery in your Arkpak?

HI pdxfrogdog

the cheapest way to control this is to set up your anderson plug via a relay with a switch this way you can mount the swicth with in arms reach while driving and can turn it off an on as you please and just a word of advice i would not have the Ark pak on Charge via the Anderson plug for more then 3 hours at a time.

Regards

Brett from Ark

 

[Brett From Ark]

Thanks for pointing out that the Anderson plug bypasses the charge controller, I missed that.

At this point, I think I am going to go ahead and run a dedicated line back to a good quality 12v outlet and locking male connector which will replace the existing connector on the DC power brick. This will allow me to still use the power brick and ArkPak in other vehicles as well.

I want this new dedicated line to the 12v socket to only power up when the key is on, so from searching around it looks like I'll need to tie a solenoid or relay of some sort to the ignition wire somehow. I'm pulling together a parts list and am hoping I can pick everything up at my local marine parts store (those in Seattle, do you have a favorite marine supplier?). Can someone take a look at my list and poke holes into it and/or my plan?

1. Good quality 10g or 12g wire
2. Either a Fuse block (for adding other accessories down the road) or inline fuse (for now, add a fuse block later if needed)
3. Some time of solenoid or relay. I need some assistance here, would a solenoid be better suited or would a relay be enough?
4. A good quality locking 12v socket and plug like this http://www.westmarine.com/buy/marinco--premium-12v-receptacle-and-plug--P009_275_007_002

Am I on the right track here or am I over thinking it?

Thanks in advance!

HI Montana Cruiser

you need at least 8 meters of cable (6BS cable is best) you want an in line fuse rated at say 30amps or 40 amps you want the fuse to blow first to stop the wire overheating and melting 6B&S cable is rated to 50Amps so its perfect for using it with an Anderson plug connection. you would locate the anderson plug at the rear of you car say near the tow bar, then what you want to do is make up an Anderson plug to anderson plug connection lead one end plug into the rear of your car when the anderson terminates and the other will then plug into your Ark pak where ever it is located EG in your car or trailer.

i will try and post up some pics so you can see my set up i have to give you a better idea.

Regards

Brett from Ark

 

[Brett From Ark]

My Anderson Plug Set Up



the above photo shows where i have mounted my Anderson plug i have also encased it in a water proof casing as i go thru deep water crossing



the above photo shows me plugging my Anderson plug extension lead into the Anderson plug port




This shows my Extension lead it is approx 4 meters long. this means i can use it in the back of my rig or even run the lead into my camper trailer.



this is the switch it runs to in my car it is currently off




this is the switch with the LED light on which means active power going to my Anderson plu



this is the relay it connects to the battery then the swicth inside my car



i have played on the side of caution and chosen a 25 amp fuse that can be reset if it pops save me looking for another fuse out in the middle of no where.



here is a larger view

 

[Brett From Ark]

Hi to all

If any one has questions about the above photos / set up please ask i have rushed this up so you can see how my set up works it was a bugger uploading the photos had to compress each one

best regards

Brett from Ark

 

[Overland_Brandon]

Hi to all

If any one has questions about the above photos / set up please ask i have rushed this up so you can see how my set up works it was a bugger uploading the photos had to compress each one

best regards

Brett from Ark

That is a pretty cool set up Brett!

How do you protect yourself from over charging?

What is the charge time using your setup versus the ArkPak DC converter?

 

[Brett From Ark]

That is a pretty cool set up Brett!

How do you protect yourself from over charging?

What is the charge time using your setup versus the ArkPak DC converter?

Hi Markerx

that is why i have it connected to the switch which is located right next to my steering wheel this way i control the charging process with the flick of the switch i have installed, as you and others would be aware this way of charging by passes the smart charging system which means it is my responsibility to ensure i do not leave it turned on too long.

as a rule of thumb i only have it on charge for no more 2 or 3 hours at a time this is so i don't over charge the battery and fatigue it from over charging it.

i have tested the amperage being produced by my Anderson plug and it produces between 18 and 22 amps.

in terms of charging time the Anderson plug is much quicker (18 to 22 amps) but as you know you need to ensure you don't leave it on charge and do damage from over charging, where as the DC to Dc charging is slower (6 amps) but the good thing about it that is uses the smart charging system so it can be left on all the time whit out worrying about over charging the battery.

The DC to DC car charger does not ever over charge the battery the smart charging system ensures that this does not happen.

if any one has any more question about this set up please ask.

Regards

Brett from Ark

 

[Corey]

Very nice installation Brett.
I am just using the Ark 12V charge controller in my rig.
The 12V outlet next to the Ark is live all the time, and draws power from my second battery under the hood where my fridge draws power from also.

 

[Brett From Ark]

Very nice installation Brett.
I am just using the Ark 12V charge controller in my rig.
The 12V outlet next to the Ark is live all the time, and draws power from my second battery under the hood where my fridge draws power from also.

HI Corey

it is great to hear from you hope all is well as can be the weather in Sydney has been rain rain and more rain, I may need a boat to get to work soon if it does not let up hahaha, i used the 6 amp DC to DC car charger the majority of the time as well it is the safest way to be honest in my opinion.

but i have used the Anderson plug several times where i have needed a quick boost charge to bring the battery up.

take care

Regards

Brett from Ark

 

[lhoy]

Well, after reading all 36 pages and reading everything I can about other options, looks like I found a winner. I am a photographer and just need something to run a laptop and charge camera batteries for up to a couple of weeks out away from power. I was considering a dual battery setup, but I like being able to move this around. I don't have a frig right now, but would this be WAY overkill? I would be running a laptop for up to a couple of hours a day and charging batteries, iPhone, etc. From what I understand, it would be much more efficient to also find a 12v charger for my camera batteries rather than using the inverter helping my Ark Pak battery last much longer? The laptop is a 17" iMac.

Thanks for any help.

Lee

 

[Corey]

Lee, sounds like the ArkPak would work great for you.
I would also look into getting one of these to keep it charged up in the field.

RenogyⓇ Foldable Solar Suitcase Battery Charger 100W
You can order direct from the company or from Amazon, as with Amazon they still ship directly from Renogy.
It includes everything to hook it to the ArkPak to charge it.