Sometimes small systems are plenty

Old & Slow wrote:
I see Honda sells in India, the EX650. The one now selling on EBay looks kinda ragged.

Here's another recent (I think) posting for an EX650 that appears to be in better condition:

http://www.reachoo.com/ads/143490721?utm_source=yakaz

I'm a fan of keeping the RV power solution both small and simple. For example, since battery systems are always DC output and way less than 120 volts, why put up with all the power losses you get by transforming low DC volts up to high AC volts?

Keep as much as possible all RV electrical needs in the 12 volt direct current world for minimum losses. For air conditioning use a big generator if you want the camping flexibility to be able to be comfortable camping in the heat. Use a very small super quiet generator or trust the sun enough for solar charging of the battery(ies). Use an inverter occasionally for the microwave if you don't want to use the big generator or don't have air conditioning (hence no big generator). By the way, 12 volt microwaves do exist if you want to hook them up via big cables directly to your RV's battery bank.

Regarding "lousy 12 volt powered" TVs. We have a superb 26 inch LED TV that "seems to" operate from 120 volts AC, but ... actually uses an external brick to make this happen. The brick merely changes 120 Volts AC into 18 volts DC for the TV's circuits. If I change out the brick that came with it for a 12 volt DC to 18 volt DC upconversion DC-to-DC upconverter brick ... then I have a superb "12 volt" TV without suffering the losses from using inversion to make 120 volts AC out of 12 volts DC.

Interestingly, take a look at the systems in Earthroamers. They're based solely on diesel from the main engine's tank, solar panels on the roof, and of course huge storage battery capacity - no propane and no generators. Earthroamer kindof "cheats", though, in that advocate idling the big diesel engine and using it's dual alternators to charge the huge battery bank during extended cloudy weather. I prefer a very small quiet generator for this function with use of idling of the big engine with it's alternator(s) being only an extreme situation battery charging backup.