"Scout" wrote in message news:unosv3$3109a$***@dont-email.me...
If I can offer a suggestion, instead of a prepacked format. Maybe look at
the boon-docking and camping areas.
Buy a pure sine wave inverter, batteries and charger as individual units, as
long as high mobility isn't a factor, you can get better and cheaper as
individual units and have the ability to customize to exactly the format you
want, and upgrade as needed based on your needs/wants.. from increasing
charging capacity, or going to higher voltages for better efficiencies or
different battery tech depending on weight, size, or mobility issues.
Yes, it does take a bit more research and consideration, but all in all you
will get a system tuned to your preferences at a lower price, and if you
should have a failure.. you only have to replace the part that failed.
Further you have much more access to replacements when on the road as most
RV and camping outlets will have at least a few options as replacements for
all of the parts.
So if you're talking a fixed installation for your home, then weight isn't
really an option and you can save money and get better capacity choosing
options not limited by weight. If you're RVing you may get away with a much
smaller inverter as often much of the rest can be run directly from DC thus
eliminating the conversion loses and expense of a larger inverter.
The advantage of the repacked is only simplicity and mobility.
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I briefly covered some of the advantages and disadvantages of that approach
when describing my DIY solar system. To expand, in order to design one you
need a good quantitative understanding of your requirements and to study and
understand the capabilities of the separate modules and how they interact.
Specifically an AC refrigerator draws a starting surge current that may
exceed 10 times its run current. You won't find that surge current in its
spec sheet. The inverter, which must be true sine for a fridge or freezer,
needs to be able to supply the brief overload. Then the cable to the battery
and the fuse or circuit breaker has to pass the 10x higher DC current
without an excessive voltage drop that would fault the inverter.
If the battery is Lithium its protection circuit will have maximum surge and
continuous current ratings which are quite low compared to lead-acid, they
often can't serve as vehicle starting batteries. For my 100Ah Minis it's
100A, or 1200W which is questionable to start a compact refrigerator and
likely inadequate for a normal sized one. All this to keep your beer cold.
The heavy cables from battery to inverter are usually terminated with
solderless crimp terminals that interconnect on brass bolts. These terminals
need special large and often expensive crimpers to squeeze them tight enough
onto the wire. For safety the cables should be fused which adds another
difficult connection to make.
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Bussmann-Eaton/BK-HHX?qs=ge9Jjt4GY3XDnWkUkqvZpw%3D%3D&mgh=1&gad_source=1
I've had bad results from the in-line circuit breakers sold for car audio.
The may open at the rated current the first time, then they overheat and
open at lower current. I think the contacts burn. Carling or Blue Sea
magnetic breakers are reliable and consistent and have the required DC
voltage and current ratings (which house breakers don't) but need an
enclosure and punched or drilled mounting panel.
If the battery and inverter aren't fastened together the cables need
connectors to allow separate handling, and likely a different expensive
crimper.
https://powerwerx.com/anderson-sb-connectors-sb50-50amp
The likely enclosure for a battery is a NOCO or Atwood boat battery box
which doesn't have internal space or ventilation for an inverter, it can be
mounted outside on the cover. The LiTime 100Ah Mini LiFePO4 will fit in a
NOCO Group 24 box although it's a bit taller than a lead-acid. Walmart is a
cheaper source for them than Amazon. If you have trouble with the strap
buckle I can explain how to assemble it.
The solar controller for a portable system will likely be small enough for
10AWG wire and PP45 Anderson connectors, which are somewhat easier to crimp.
Don't use connector types with exposed pins or wire of the thinnest NEC
permitted gauge. 10AWG wire can fit the 30A pin if its barrel is wedged open
a little with a tapered punch, then it can be soldered instead of crimped.
If you need solar panel cables other than what you can buy the special
crimper for MC4 connectors is another expense. An MPPT controller is
probably a waste of money for a system of 500W or less. In hot weather panel
voltage drops and their efficiency advantage over PWM disappears.
For 12DC appliances I have Alpicool fridge/freezers with minimal starting
surges and older laptops running Win7 Media Center with Hauppauge USB TV
tuners that let them be battery TVs that can record. The Firefox browser
still works in Win7 and I have Boost mobile 4G LTE Internet on an iPhone.
Mine have primary SSDs to boot from and secondary 1TB spinning drives in the
DVD slot for recordings. Their Auto/Air power adapters run on 12V, avoiding
the question of if the power brick needs true sine AC.
For serious independence this is a nice little wood burning camping cook
stove:
https://www.amazon.com/Fltom-Camping-Portable-Sectional-Stainless/dp/B0BG5D1NYP/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8&th=1
I suspect the similar models that are available in that price range would be
as good, check the reviews. The 60mm stovepipe doesn't fit any US sizes but
it can be adapted with a flue plug slit with pizza-like cuts out to 60mm
diameter and the bent-down tabs secured with a hose clamp. The cooking
opening appears sized for a wok, it's fine with a frypan with soap rubbed on
the bottom to help the soot wash off.