Does this battery box exist in the U.S.

[shade]

I am planning on keeping this BOM simple and rely on the outlets in my truck and boat. I will have 3-5 outlets in each vehicle, so I can afford one failure but most of my components will be marine grade, I have a lot of parts left over from working on boats.

I will have to follow your links to check out the other projects.

I think my box will either be an ammo box or pelican box. I'll add:

2 cig. outlets,
4 USB outlets
inverter
MPPT charger.
Small battery
Fan if needed.

I was turned on to the Powerlet brand of outlet. I have one ordered, and will be using it for my fridge. It can take 14ga wire which should help with voltage drop, and it locks the plug in place. Not cheap, but neither is a fridge full of spoiled food because someone was careless. I'll keep a Blue Sea outlet open so next person that decides to unplug the fridge to charge their stupid phone won't ruin a trip.

I thought of another advantage to having a mobile battery box. If you camp in bear country, the fridge can be placed away from your truck, even in a campsite bear box. I need a house battery of some variety, so I'll keep an eye on your project.

 

[reaper229]

I'm planning on building something similar but will likely use a steel ammo can (20mm, 30mm or 40mm) instead of a milk crate. That will make it heavier, for sure, but also a bit more robust.

Ammo can

Envoyé de mon Pixel 2 en utilisant Tapatalk

 

[shade]

There are a lot of ammo can / Pelican case-ish DIY boxes out there. Does anyone sell a kit? Standardize it around some basic parameters (pick a battery size, MPPT charge controller, X-watts inverter, USB charge ports, etc.), bundle the wire in bulk, include terminals/switches/connectors/fuses, and ship it all in the battery box. Include schematics, photos, and a video.

All the buyer would have to do is the final assembly, source the battery, and add whatever solar power they choose. I know it can be fun to root around, make up your own parts list, and figure out how it all goes together, but sometimes it's nice to just buy the required parts and get on with it. As expensive as some of the readymade solutions are, it seems there might be room in the market for this kind of kit.

 

[dreadlocks]

most of it is finding the battery that can fit within the design, I just had a eureka moment in the garage when I sat battery down next to a milk crate and was like.. I wonder, it fit like a glove and the rest was history.. when that battery had to be replaced, I built my self into a corner and had to get the same one again.

 

[shade]

I'm still on the fence between an on-board aux battery and a standalone battery box. I've been getting by with a single Group 31, but I need to add solar charging for an unattended fridge. I already have a CTEK system, so I'll probably go with on-board, but some of these box projects sure come out nice.