I know someone out there has a solution to this issue. We often camp off grid, that is, solely using 140 watts solar and 2 AGM batteries (Deka) rather than 30 amp shore power. We have a factory installed Magnadyne Linear Series RV5055 AM/FM stereo Multi-media Receiver. We will turn it on after we set up for the night and after a few hours or less it will shut itself off or intermittently come back to life then cut out again. I called the toll free number and actually got a real live person who confirmed what we thought: voltage drop. Fully charged, we are at 14 (volts or amps, I am a right-braainer so techy stuff makes my head spin). We rarely go below 12.5. The guy at Magdadyne said that it should be powered into the 11s. But, he also said that even though our controller or whatever gives the readouts, is actually in the 11s due to something which I didn't understand. I have been looking online for answers and don't really understand what is being said. Can someone here provide a clearer picture of what is happening and how to remedy it? Should we get THIS ?I am looking at marine systems also because of our PNW weather (dampness) and we would like NOAA weather channel (used it all the time when fishing SE Alaska in the 70s). I found this on THIS or a similar one with less wattage? Our equipment that draws power:Hallmark Power roof lift system (a motor like MRIs use )- just takes a minute or two to raise and lowerNovaKool Compressor fridge (4+ Cubic feet)all LED interior lightsAtwood 17,000 watt heaterFantastic fanPower equipment:140 watts solarBlue Sky Solar Boost 2000E charge controllerProWAtt SW SW Sine Wave Inverter2 DEKA 12 volt batteries. Any help out there? Should we work with what we have or get another model that draws less power? We like our music and don't crank it up.Thank-you and Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

I don't think the item in your first link would provide any benefit, it is for isolating a battery from a system. When you are running your 12V stuff off-grid, you need your batteries connected.Since the stereo only begins to cut out after a couple hours, then this suggests that everything works normally when your batteries are full. Only after you have discharged them a ways do voltage drop issues occur.I suspect that some of your other equipment is causing the voltage drop on the system, then your stereo cuts out when that happens. Probably your compressor on your fridge kicking on causing a voltage drop on the system, then your stereo picks that up and shuts down. Try unplugging/shutting off the fridge next time you are getting intermittent operation from the stereo. See if that stops the stereo from shutting down again.

Hubby suggests running it off the two truck batteries in our F250 Super Duty. Would this help?We had a Four Wheel Camper with solar (70 watts plus 12 volt battery) with a 3 way and it gobbled up batteries (just 2, maybe 3 cubic foot) plus we used lots of propane. We opted for compressor fridge for less battery draw.I guess we can turn down fridge (hubby had ice cream so we turned up the cold). We don't use a whole lot of lights but do use heater and its fan when it is when it is cold. More solar? No room in battery compartment for another battery).

clikrf8 wrote:Hubby suggests running it off the two truck batteries in our F250 Super Duty. Would this help?We had a Four Wheel Camper with solar (70 watts plus 12 volt battery) with a 3 way and it gobbled up batteries (just 2, maybe 3 cubic foot) plus we used lots of propane. We opted for compressor fridge for less battery draw.I guess we can turn down fridge (hubby had ice cream so we turned up the cold). We don't use a whole lot of lights but do use heater and its fan when it is when it is cold. More solar? No room in battery compartment for another battery).If the fridge is truly the source of the problem, then I don't think turning it down would make much difference other than going longer between compressor cycles. Once the compressor cycles on it will draw the same power and result in the same sized voltage drop that your stereo will object to.More solar won't help either since the problem is happening at night. Although more solar would mean that your batteries would more likely be full before sundown, giving you a longer period of time before the stereo shutdowns. Are the batteries very old? Are they still healthy? I'm not a battery guru, so I don't know much about how to trouble shoot that.Your heater (propane furnace, I assume) will definitely cause a big voltage drop when the fan kicks on. Does a stereo shut down coincide with the blower fan turning on?

I'm not sure how you would run things off the truck's batteries. I assume your refrigerator gets its power from the inverter. The inverter gets its power from the camper batteries, and if it is installed properly it will be hard wired directly to the batteries with very short fat wires.If you mean removing the camper batteries and replacing them with the truck batteries, I suggest not bothering. It might make it appear to work normally at first since the truck batteries are probably fully charged at this point, but they are not deep cycle batteries and are not really meant for RV-style power consumption. Then you may end up running those batteries down and have no 12V batteries charged strong enough to get the truck started!

what kind of wiring is between the battery and the radio and how long?radios don't do well with volatage drop, also if remove bass from the stereo it will do better as well, since it takes more power to push bass frequency's

Stereo receiver to avoid voltage drop | Good Sam Community

ewarnerusa
Nomad
Nov 27, 2013
I'm not sure how you would run things off the truck's batteries. I assume your refrigerator gets its power from the inverter. The inverter gets its power from the camper batteries, and if it is installed properly it will be hard wired directly to the batteries with very short fat wires.

If you mean removing the camper batteries and replacing them with the truck batteries, I suggest not bothering. It might make it appear to work normally at first since the truck batteries are probably fully charged at this point, but they are not deep cycle batteries and are not really meant for RV-style power consumption. Then you may end up running those batteries down and have no 12V batteries charged strong enough to get the truck started!
ewarnerusa
Nomad
Nov 27, 2013
clikrf8 wrote:
Hubby suggests running it off the two truck batteries in our F250 Super Duty. Would this help?

We had a Four Wheel Camper with solar (70 watts plus 12 volt battery) with a 3 way and it gobbled up batteries (just 2, maybe 3 cubic foot) plus we used lots of propane. We opted for compressor fridge for less battery draw.

I guess we can turn down fridge (hubby had ice cream so we turned up the cold). We don't use a whole lot of lights but do use heater and its fan when it is when it is cold.

More solar? No room in battery compartment for another battery).

If the fridge is truly the source of the problem, then I don't think turning it down would make much difference other than going longer between compressor cycles. Once the compressor cycles on it will draw the same power and result in the same sized voltage drop that your stereo will object to.

More solar won't help either since the problem is happening at night. Although more solar would mean that your batteries would more likely be full before sundown, giving you a longer period of time before the stereo shutdowns.

Are the batteries very old? Are they still healthy? I'm not a battery guru, so I don't know much about how to trouble shoot that.

Your heater (propane furnace, I assume) will definitely cause a big voltage drop when the fan kicks on. Does a stereo shut down coincide with the blower fan turning on?
clikrf8
Explorer
Nov 27, 2013
Hubby suggests running it off the two truck batteries in our F250 Super Duty. Would this help?

We had a Four Wheel Camper with solar (70 watts plus 12 volt battery) with a 3 way and it gobbled up batteries (just 2, maybe 3 cubic foot) plus we used lots of propane. We opted for compressor fridge for less battery draw.

I guess we can turn down fridge (hubby had ice cream so we turned up the cold). We don't use a whole lot of lights but do use heater and its fan when it is when it is cold.

More solar? No room in battery compartment for another battery).
ewarnerusa
Nomad
Nov 27, 2013
I don't think the item in your first link would provide any benefit, it is for isolating a battery from a system. When you are running your 12V stuff off-grid, you need your batteries connected.
Since the stereo only begins to cut out after a couple hours, then this suggests that everything works normally when your batteries are full. Only after you have discharged them a ways do voltage drop issues occur.
I suspect that some of your other equipment is causing the voltage drop on the system, then your stereo cuts out when that happens. Probably your compressor on your fridge kicking on causing a voltage drop on the system, then your stereo picks that up and shuts down.

Try unplugging/shutting off the fridge next time you are getting intermittent operation from the stereo. See if that stops the stereo from shutting down again.

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Stereo receiver to avoid voltage drop

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