Portable Power

[vantexan]

There's a gadget called Solo II by a camping company, Brunton, that's designed to give you 110 electric in remote areas. You can charge it with house current, a car lighter, or a solar panel. It's expensive but the cost has come down around $300 in a year. It's perfect for van travel, not sure if useful for teardrops since you're hauling a battery up front.

Wade

http://www.backcountry-equipment.com/accessrs/a-portablepower/brunton_solo2.php

[yhgail]

You might also want to look at the Nomad system.

http://www.solarsense.com/Products/1-Co ... D_300.html

Gail
Rochester, NY

[R Keller]

I have an older model Xantrex XPower unit (similar to the Nomad unit that Gail mentioned). Great little unit and way cheaper than the Brunton. It contains a 21 amp-hour battery, 300 watt inverter, and a charge contoller. You can also jump your car with it.

I have mine plugged into my fuse box with an Anderson connector where it runs all the interior lights. I can also remove it if I need to jump a car, inflate tires, etc. It is charged with a flexible 32 watt solar panel from Unisolar that I can roll up and stick in the galley when not in use.

Here is a photo of the power unit. I have it strapped to the underside of the galley counter. Doesn't take up much space. If I need 110V AC I just plug into the unit. Otherwise it has plenty of juice to run the interior lights for a good long while.



Rik

[Arne]

Rik, the inverter is built into it? What are these made for, marine use, camping, etc? I've never heard of one, but like it.

[Arne]

I have found an xpower 400 listed... very nice. I was going to use a sealed lead acid battery, carry my battery tender for charging, and buy a walmart inverter.... this unit has it all in one package.... very nice. I'm off to sam's to see if they have one... else I'll order online and hope it gets here in time.....

If anyone knows of other sources, please let me know as soon as possible..... btw, costco, online, has the 400 for $90.00....

[Woody]

I built one using a Shrade trickle charger, a 400 watt husky inverter, and a group 24 deepcycle marine battery with marine enclosed case. I am not sure of the amp hr for approx. $100.00. I do know it has at least double the amp hours of the XPower if not alot more. I used it for tent camping initially. The 400 watt inverter does not have amps (3.6 amp) to do much with. In my teardrop I installed the same rig with a 1000 watt (8.6 amp) inverter which I found handled my needs better when extra power was needed.

Woody

[R Keller]

You could build something similar, but when I priced it, the XPower unit was cheaper than buying the components separately and it comes in a handy package with built in handle. And Xantrex is a quality brand.

The 21 amp-hour battery is sized perfectly for the 32 watt solar panel I have. I can pretty much charge it fully in a day (the solar panel puts out about 2.1 amps in full sun). And the battery is small enough that the unit is reasonably lightweight/portable.

If 300/400 watts is insufficient for your needs, you'll need a lot larger battery anyway, so it'd be better to build it yourself.

Rik

[Arne]

Rik, who was your supplier for the solar panel?

I went to Sam's, Home Depot, Pep Boys, Walmart... no one had the deal... so I'm going to order it online... and the solar panel would be an addition down the road, but I'd like to have the supplier on file.

[mikeschn]

FWIW... the supplier for my solar panel was "Affordable Solar"... speaking of which, I just got a phone call. My solar panel has arrived!!!

http://www.affordable-solar.com/solarpanel1.html

Mike...

[Arne]

I just looked more closely at the xpower 400 and 300. both have 20-21 ah bats..... Had I known I would have gone for the 300's smaller size and cost.... all I got extra was an aircompressor I don't need (and a larger invertor). In a bigger case...

Thank you for the solar panel information.

[R Keller]

Arne,

Not to despair! That extra 100 watts could be the difference between something working and something not. for instance, my blender will work on the 300 watt inverter, but not at the top speeds. With 400 watts it would. That could be the key difference between a really smooth smoothie and a lumpy one!

Also, that tire inflater will come in handy one day. I went out and bought a separate unit at Sears for emergency purposes (I don't carry a spare for the trailer).

I got my panel at Solar Electric Inc. in San Diego http://www.solarelectricinc.com

They have some really good deals on all sorts of factory-second PV panels (still warrantied). I got one of the Unisolar 32 watt (2A at 16V) flexible panels.

The cool thing about this type of panel is that it is unbreakable, you can roll it into a pretty small radius and store it away, you can attach it to just about anything, and it has an extra low profile (very thin). The Unisolar panels (including their rigid panels) have a series of internal diodes that allow the panel to keep producing current, even when partially shaded. They do have a lesser output for their size than some other panels, but they do work in partial shade, unlike some others. And of course, the flexible panels are a bit more expensive, but not outrageously so.

Rik

[mikeschn]

Is this cool or what... I can feel it... I'm almost off the grid now!!!



Mike...

[Arne]

One reason I want a tear is I am a Sheep Dog Trial groupie. I like the wide open spaces and the comraderie of people and dogs. The last trial I went to in Strafford, VT, was held at a farm at the end of a long dirt road... I noticed solar panels in the field behind his house, and then also noticed... no power poles..... He too, is 'off the grid'...... and the area was breathtakingly.... quiet and serene.....

The attendees, 90% handlers/dogs, camped in a small meadow at the farm, which was in a tiny valley, or a large ravine... in any case, it was a wonderful experience. And the tear will allow me to follow the circuit on weekends, and visit various parts of the surrounding country in between.

[dmb90260]

Another dog person. Great. I got my Tear to make it nicer when attending Earthdog Tests and not have toake the round trip out and back each day. Some are at RV campgrounds but others have no facilities except the porta-potties and a water tap. My Tear takes care of everything else just right. There are a couple pix of my new Earthdog in my album. He just turned 4 months. :thumleft: