Ready to get my feet wet with Solar power

bka0721 wrote:

lc0338 wrote:
What I am not understanding is how the converter on the rv will charge my rover batteries? ac is being used from rover to power converter and at same time converter is sending power back through extension cord to rover and charging batteries?

Now you are understanding. Where is the Convertor getting it's power, to charge your house batteries and Rover Batteries (essentially a 2nd Battery Bank)? That is the dilemma here in building a Stand Alone Solar Project using house batteries. You, are doing something that many have not done, where I have been living it, for 2 3/4 years, fulltime.

What is happening, is your shore power cord, plugged into a pedestal (Rover's inverter) is not able to distinguish whether this is a Battery Bank or Con Edison. The converter typically has a 3 stage battery charger built into it and when it detects a drain, it is going to amp up! The drain is the converter bleeding the battery bank itself. Thus, the Loop. Most convertors are literally plugged into the back of your breaker panel box and reaching in and pulling the plug, unplugs it. Me? I just put in a switch (household light switch) and just flip the switch when I don't need the convertor, which is 99.99% of the time.

Leaving your House Batteries connected will run all of your DC side of your camper. Period. The issue is that there is nothing charging these batteries with the convertor disconnected, until your alternator is running, when you are driving down the road. Another inefficient way of charging your batteries, if you are driving short trips (-3 hrs).

The ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) is switching over when you plug your shore power plug into the aux power source, a pedestal at a campground, in another name, your inverter in your Rover.

Your project is doable, I did it. There are some hurdles you will encounter, as I did and did not know before I started. All I am doing is trying to give you a heads up and a solution I chose for myself. I will be here to answer your questions and help when I can. It is your choice in how you disseminate my information and other information in how it best works to make your Rover project work.

My Exit Plan, when I get off the road, is to use my Rover as my own power plant, so as I can still live off the grid, on a piece of land, and that has been one of my goals for building the project the way I did it. I will probably build what is known as a Tiny House and supplement my power by using my Rover and then it will be available to me, the Rover, when I want to go on my next adventure, with my camper. Maybe that might sound a bit familiar to what you are thinking your plans are.

Meet your hurdles, solve them, move on. There are a lot of people here that you can pick their brains and mine a lot of money/time saving information from. You won't be able to keep them focused and as the thread grows, posters will not have read the previous posts and or your original question and share what is in their mind and experience, totally different then what your needs are.

What I see you need to do;

1. Design a mobile cart to house your batteries, controllers, monitors, invertors.
2. Design a frame that allows 3 Solar Panels to be mounted on it with quick release connectors (Pins) that will attach to a stand or to the top of the mobile base.
3. Design the Rover so it can be picked up and placed on the back of a Truck's Flat Bed.
4. Assemble.

All the other stuff is easy, as you are not fishing wires and cables through roofs and walls. Seems like you are building something like a Nascar Pit Box, with Solar Panels.


Good luck.


b

This Rover thing has gotten my interest. Of the four numbered suggestions, I think #3 could be handled differently and maybe make a Rover design appeal to other users. Initially, I was thinking that if the Rover was equipped with a drive mechanism (perhaps as simple as a 12v motor with chain/belt drive), it would facilitate transport. If it was possible, maybe drive the Rover up to it's own mount or underslung garage.
The problem with all that is that is the amount of weight to be moving and a bit of engineering to make it a reality. If the batteries were not part of the Rover, though, there is considerable weight savings and, in most RV situations, the camper can hold the batteries. The inverter would be housed as typical, close to the battery bank. I guess what I'm describing is a mobile solar module sled rather than your design of a power plant on wheels.
There's a lot of variables to any of these solar installations and it's good to see new ideas from the members here. Thanks for posting about your Rover.